Firstly, ignore the article from About.com Is one of the least accurate statements about graphics I've read in a long time. 1280x960 is a higher resolution than a 1080i Plasma, as 1080i Plasmas use 1280x720, or more often, 1024x768 resolution panels - for such a low resolution, you don't really need anything more powerful than an HD4850. 1GB is also unnecessary as such a low resolution won't even use 512MB with 8x AA applied, even in games like Crysis Warhead and Supreme Commander.
is bfg or pny good brands? whats the difference between them. i know evga and xfx are on top. so are these the next in line?
In my opinion, it's a bit of a toss up between XFX and BFG for first place, I'd put EVGA third, perhaps even lower than that. Palit and Gainward are very well placed brands. PNY, Leadtek and the likes are more average and sit beneath.
i was reading about the new 40nm cards being released in Q2 09. i have the money on hand. i have 500 to spend on a video card. dont want to get one and then regret not waiting. which will probably happen regardless. i have till 3pm central time to make up my mind.
With the resolution you use, $500 will buy a far more powerful graphics card than you'll need for a long time, the only thing you lose by buying earlier is having spent more for the same product, but that's just the price of convenience isn't it, having now rather than later. Wait for the next big thing and you'll wait forever...
aint that the truth? well ill just get whichever one i decide on when i put the money to the card. hopefully its worth it. i have an 8800gt so im pretty sure its going to be alot better. for gta 4 which card is more ideal?
GTA4 is a rare example, as it's a very badly coded game, so no graphics card can really cope at high resolutions no matter how powerful it is. It is also the only game that "needs" 1GB of video memory at low resolutions. I say "needs" because it doesn't actually need anywhere near that much, just the options don't let you use higher settings unless you do. GTA4 is also one of few games that does not make use of dual graphics very well.
another question not regarding video cards. is the hitachi brand good for hard drives? i dont know whether to get 2 500gb hard drives or 1tb hard drive. the hitachi drive is 89.99. the 2 western digital hard drives will be 130.00
i find hitachi drives to be pretty reliable, however i like western digital the best. i use hitachi, seagate, and western digital and so far they all have worked fine for me.
Yea just go for a western digital SE 16mb cache. I'm current using WD Caviar black 32mb cache 500gb hard drive price was about 85 and it works perfectly and fast.
I heard of some quite severe reliability issues with Hitachi drives in the past, there's no reason to risk it for the sake of a few dollars. WD are probably the best brand at the moment.
went ahead and order the 260 black edition. dont get it till wednesday since i had order the wrong hard drive. so cancelled and had to wait to get my money put back onto my card.
