gtx 460 768mb. To buy or not to buy...that is the question

[Bond007]

Hey everyone. My friends e2200 and agp hd 3850 are not doing what he wants anymore. Aside from standard computer uses he does video creation and plays world of warcraft (apparently having troubles running WoW with the latest release...Cataclysm I think). He is planning on going for an i5 760 build during boxing week sales and I am giving him a hand with component selection (he is running at 1900 x 1200 or 1080...not sure which) Right now there is a deal on a msi gtx 460 768mb for $150 with free shipping and a $30 MIR. That works out to $142.50 after its all said and done including tax. I think that is a pretty excellent deal and am pushing him to buy.

Think its a good call, or hold out to see what boxing week has in store? Think the 460 768mb is a good choice? Opinions welcome.

[gingerbee]

well i don't game at that res but i love the card i have another 1 coming that will make 3 gtx 460 in my stable right now there that good bang for buck. justmy2cents

[rjbarker]

Fair bit of difference between 1920 x 1200 vs 1920 x 1080, when t comes to "poop" capabilities of your GPU.....imo your single 460 is going to "struggle" somewhat with 19x12....19x10 may also require to "tune down" some settings. As Ginger pointed out, dual 460's maybe another option, get one now and another at some point in the future....or save a little longer and move up a notch....

[Bond007]

Thanks for the comments so far. My understanding is that WoW is not very graphics intensive (the only game he plays...thought he wants it to play well). I though this card would be more than enough for it, but I don't know how much of a difference the latest add-on has made other than a tomshardware review of the game with various video cards (they show s 1gb version running very well).

Anyone play WoW cataclysm and can comment from experience how demanding it is?

What do you all think of the price?...buy or pass for boxing week?

[headsh0t]

I saw that yesterday, and yes it is a great deal. I don't think any boxing day sales will be that stellar, and if there are any they will be limited quantity and good luck getting one. I would pick this up if all he plays is WoW, because his e2200 will probably be bottlenecking it anyways. Of course he won't be able to lather on the AA or have EVERYTHING maxed, but he should be able to crank all the effects up. Either way it will be an upgrade from his 3850.

[draemn]

I really would have suggested the 1GB (or any 1 GB model) instead. I've seen the odd sale where a GTX 460 1GB or a HD 6850 is only $150 + shipping and tax. I'd spend the extra $30 to step up one level. Plus MIR are a hassle as 99% of the companies don't pay you or it takes 3 months to show up :(

[JD]

I got one for $110 taxes and shipping included.

It's a really solid card at that price point. However if you're pushing closer to $150, there's better cards to be had. It can handle 1080p pretty decently, maybe not with AF/AA cranked up, but otherwise it should be able to do "high" settings.

I played some BF:BC2 on it at 1080p. Had to scale down some settings to medium-high, but it didn't look that bad and played fine.

Giving it to my brother as a Christmas gift though and he doesn't care as much about performance/IQ as I do, so it'll be fine for him.

[Bond007]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am not sure if he ended ordering last night or not (I don't think so), but the price has now gone back up to $200. I appreciate the input anyway though, since I now know a little more about what to reasonably expect out of a 768mb version and what price bracket to possibly expect it to go for. I think it will be enough graphics power for him, but may end up going to a slightly faster card depending on what sales are around.

P.S. I figured out that he is running at 1900 x 1080 (not x1200)