upgrading comp
 

Hi i am going to upgrade my comp soon . I was going to get 2 8800 ultra graphics cards. Does anyone know when the a new version of this graphic card will be out.

Also i got a desk which is about 2 feet and 7inches in depth shall i get a 30 inch monitor or will i be squinting.

I bow and wait for your superior knowledge.

Why don't you give us the specifications of your current computer?

What do you mean by "When the new version of this graphic card will be out"?

Do you mean the next model in Geforce 8 series cards?

when will the latest card come out after the 8800 ultra

My current comp has following stuff i copied the whole order so there is a few things that dont matter liek keyboard.


1 x Pyro 64-SLI (Pyro 64-SLI)
Case: Xaser V Damier (black)
Power Supply Unit: Hiper 525W True Power PSU
Processor: Athlon 64 3500+ Socket 939
CPU fan: Standard Fan
Motherboard: Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 PCI-Express
Graphics card: Dual GeForce 6800 GTs in SLI configuration
Memory: 1GB Corsair TwinX PC3200
Hard disk drive 1: Caviar SE 200GB S-ATA 150
Hard disk drive 2: None
Optical drive 1: 16x DVD-Rom drive
Optical drive 2: DVD+/-RW dual layer
Floppy Drive: None
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Monitor: BenQ FP937s+ 19\" TFT Monitor (8ms response time)
Keyboard: Logitech Internet Navigator Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech MX 510 Performance mouse
Speakers: None
Operating System: Windows XP home SP2

The Geforce 8900 series is rumored to be released this summer. Here is a spec chart:

http://resources.vr-zone.com/newzhunter/G8x.gif

WOW cool cheers kwould what model has just been released again mate .

Thanks

By the way, your PSU is no where near powerful enough to push 2 8800 Ultras and the rest of your system would bottleneck them anyway. What else are you planning on upgrading? The people in here are quite insightful and would be a great help in making hardware choices.

You might be better off adding a second gig of ram.

Dont even bother with any more than one 8800 with a processor so slow. Nvidia themselves have said that even a quad core kentsfield cannot keep pace with them and bottlenecks them.
You are being too ambitious i am sorry to say, save some money and either get one 8800gtx which will be fine for that panel, or spend some serious cash upgrading processor, motherboard, ram, and psu. Its not worth your money on even one 8800 ultra, you are talking about a 3-5% inv=crease in speed over a 8800gtx for almost 40% of the cost, crap economics.

I was going to upgrade everything i just gave you the details of my present comp. I had a comp designed for me a month ago .

Lexa Case
1100W Power Supply
QX6800 Quad Core CPU
Golden Orb CPU Cooler
P5N32-E SLI Motherboard
2 x 8800 Ultra
2GB Corsair Twin X
150GB Raptor Hard Drive
DVD Drive
DVD-RW Drive
Audigy SE 7.1 Soundcard
Wireless WG111TGE USB
Windows Vista Premium
1 Year Warranty + 2nd Year Labour

Obviosuly i want the best components and graphics cards at the time so i dont need an update for a long time. But with a new graphics cards which you have told me about i might put it off for a few months . Also are the rest of the components the best or any newer versions coming out in the near future.

I welcome any advice.

Thanks guys

I'm not a fan on the Lexa Case listed there, and the Audigy SE 7.1 is out-of-date. I'd replace the Audigy SE with a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer.

Enermax's Galaxy 1kW PSU is powerful enough for a QX6800 and two 8800 Ultras, and its quiet.

I'm not too sure about the CPU Cooler since I've never heard of it. My personal preference for it would be either a Zalman CNPS9700 or an AC Freezer 7 Pro.

Like Undies said the 8800 Ultra is a pointless purchase to be honest, since it's essentially a re-badged and shader-overclocked GTX. But since you're on what seems to be a money-no-object route it's up to you.

On a sidenote to that list are you gonna have an extra drive for pics, music etc. storage on top of that 150Gb Raptor or just the Raptor?

I agree, You could save yourself a good $600+ by just getting 2 8800GTX's. The Ultra isnt worth its extreme price for such a small performance gain.

Hi o choose the audigy as i run my sound through my Hifi . If there is a better alternative then please let me know. Also regarding the graphics cards does anyone know what the next one will be after the 8800 ultra . Will that be worth an upgrade if and when it comes out. I want a top comp but i also wont the compenents to be worth the price tag.

Any decisions that i make with the comp i will post here the choice i have for each component and together we can make the best comp at that particular time.

Cheers

Your comments are always welcome.

Why would you want two graphics cards in one comp?

The 8900GTX and the 8950GX2 are supposedly debuting this summer. If you can wait, one of those would be the way to go.

which is the better of the 2 graphics cards . Are the other components in my new comp seem to up to date to you guys.

Thank you.

The 8950GX2 is a dual card/core solution in itself. Which is why it costs more but has a "slower" core. Having 2 of them would be like having 4 8900GT's only with faster and more efficient memory.

The 8950GX2 will most likely be the top dog until G92 is released in December.

What is the G92 and which graphics card in the near future will give me the best value of money for the longest time. Effectively i want a top notch comp which i will be able to play the new DX10 games on the highest spec.

If it were me, I'd go with the 8950GX2. 2 of those should last you a long while. As I said before, the G92 (which is it's core name; the card has yet to be named) will not be out until at least December. Of course ATI claimed it's R600 (2900XT) would be released in November of 2006 and it didn't get released until this month.

The graphics market is very competitive and there will always be something better coming out. If that concerns you, go with an EVGA branded card. They have a 90 day step-up program. You can upgrade to a better card within 90 days and they will give you full purchase price credit toward a new card.

Hi is there any news when the 8950 gx card will come out.

Lexa Case
1100W Power Supply
QX6800 Quad Core CPU
Golden Orb CPU Cooler
P5N32-E SLI Motherboard
2 x 8800 Ultra
2GB Corsair Twin X
150GB Raptor Hard Drive
DVD Drive
DVD-RW Drive
Audigy SE 7.1 Soundcard
Wireless WG111TGE USB
Windows Vista Premium

These are the other component i was thinking of getting are any old hat yet . I run my sound through an amp so i was advised audigy was the best for that . Also i will only use memory for gaming , a bit of downloading and some photos but mostly for games.

Once again thank you for your informative help

Personally i would change the following bits.

Lexa Xase - Jeantech Phong 2 (Good cooling and nice layout)
Thermaltake Golden Orb - Ninja Scythe/Zalman (Had a Orb was good but these are better)
2 x 8800ultra - 1 x 8800GTX (with a view to a second when first is struggling, Ultras = waste of money)
1 x 150 gb Raptor - 2 x 75 gb Raptor (Raid 0, faster than single Raptor) + 300 GB storage
Audigy - X Fi Gamer (Still far superior to Audigy for music)

Hi is there any news when the 8950 gx card will come out.

You asked that 12 hours ago. No.

COOL IT mate i never got an answer

So far, no news on exactly when the 8900 series will be released. It is said that they will debut "after" the budget cards - which has already happened.

Agreed. Listen to UNDIES and some of these other guys - they know what they are talking about, particularly when it comes to hardware. Ask lots of questions before you invest an obviously large sum of money. I'm pretty sure we'd all be happy to answer them.

Hi all

I took undiesrules recommendations too the guy designing my comp and here is what was said.

The Jeantech case is fine, but not particularly good build quality. It retails for about £40, so I wouldn't expect much from a case this cheap. The build quality of the Lexa, Temjin and armor is much better. Centurion is probably comparable to the Jeantech.

Ninja sythe fan/heatsink, if it is the one I have found on the internet, large square stacked heat fins? I would not add to a system. We won't do it for you. Don't mean to be rude by saying that, but I have dealt with this config type of fan before and they are bad news. The fixing brackets are rubbish, and any movement after they are attached has the potential of damaging the motherboard, coming unstuck and the cpu overheating and eventually damaging itself. We have had these problems in the past and the small benefit from improved cooling just isn't worth the risks. The orb is an excllent choice.

I wouldn't say the ultras were a waste of money. They are more expensive and faster than the GTX versions. You always pay slightly more for the top components available so you'd expect a higher price. As always with technology the newest card releases are 3-6 months round the corner at any point. The advantage of buying now is that 8 series cards are still new and it will be some time before 9 series cards are out. I would guess a year from now, most probably much more.

We can do the 74GB raptors and in a raid 0 as well. I would bear in mind firstly that 150GB raptor would be £50 cheaper than 2 x 74GB drives. Second that Raid can be a pain to set up again should you want to reinstall. It requires the use of a floppy drive, of all things and a driver disk. Lastly you double the chance of data loss, which although unlikely is increased.

We could get an X-Fi Gamer sound card if you wanted. We have the X-Fi extreme music, fatal1ty and elite pro cards as standard anyway.

Any comments please feel free.

1. Jeantech cases aren't especially brilliant in my experience. The Phong 2 seems to get good reviews, but they mostly emphasise value for money given the £40-£50 price tag; rather than it being a quality product. Plus it must be said, it's awful looking.

2. (When a fan is installed) the Scythe Ninja is one of the best heatsinks around. He says that he has no experience of that particular heatsink, and then goes on to say that all heatsinks of that style are rubbish? How exactly does that make sense?

3. They are a waste of money. nVidia is charging a premium, the supplier will be charging a premium...and he will be charging you a premium. Remember that he is making money from you and his advice will be tainted by that. Expensive products that command a premium price increase his margins. A single GTX can play any game on the market without breaking a sweat. You don't need two 8800 Ultras. Period.

4. I don't see the point of using RAID at all.

5. Creative cards aren't brilliant. I'd stay away from them - go for something like an M-Audio 2496 (£50) or Auzentech X-Meridian (£120). Having said that, if you're not that bothered about audio quality then an Audigy SE will be fine - not much point spending any extra money. What speakers are you planning to use?

Just because something is more expensive doesnt mean its better. The Ultra is faster than the GTX.....but almost by a hair, and certainly is NOT worth the extra 300 dollar price tag. Hell you can get 2 GTX's and overclock them yourself to Ultra speeds with the right cooler. Thats basically all the Ultra is.

The speakers i am getting are the ones which come with my hifi system. I am running the sound via an amp

I take it the amp has RCA inputs? In that case I'd certainly recommend the M-Audio 2496 as a decent, cheap sound card. It's certainly superior to an Audigy in terms of sound quality.

well i plug a audio cable from pc to amp not sure if its RCA

Do the connectors look like this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector

yes 2 connect to the amp and one wire connects to the pc.

Yeah, in that case I'd suggest the 2496, although you'll need a plain RCA to RCA cable, rather than the one you have at the moment.

Thanks for all your help before i decide to buy a new comp i will give you a full list of components . Thank you once again