Why, against all logic, am I still considering a GTX 280?

[zlojack]

I've got the bug and I'm seriously considering upgrading my GPU in the next little while. I play mainly Age of Conan, Call of Duty 4, some Call of Juarez and I'd like to reinstall Crysis.

The GTX 280 was ridiculously priced when it first came out, but now the price has dropped and it's more reasonable.

I could get a D-Tek Fuzion GFX2 and a uni-sink and I would have a less expensive solution for watercooling that would also last me a bit longer. Also, I've seen it go up to 740 core on water. So the performance is there...

BUT

The 4870 X2 is by far the fastest single card on the market and my motherboard would actually allow me to one day use two of them...while with nVidia cards, I would be stuck with one.

The cost is higher to go with the 4870 X2, almost to the tune of $275 by the time you factor in the waterblock.

BFG GTX 280 OC - $409 (after MIR from Canada Computers)
D-Tek GFX-2 - $52
Unisink - $35
Total before tax + shipping = $496

Visiontek 4870 X2 - $599
EK FC Cooler - $169
Total before tax + shipping = $768

Then there is the warranty to consider, with the nVidia partners really doing better. Or I could grab the GTX 280 H2OC and have a single-slot card with a full waterblock and a warranty. The peace of mind of having a good EVGA or BFG warranty is nice.

So...should I even be looking at either one of these cards? Should I just stick it out with my 3870 X2 until the 5800/GTX 300 series? Should I grab a 3870 and go for tri-fire?

Have I just had too much beer tonight? Am I just crazy?

[Dashock]

Ive always bought Nvidia and will i am not comfortable with the short warranty from Ati and even though i love AMD i will not for now buy an ATI card but this is just preferance and lack of warranty support. With that in mind the GTX280 is an amazing card for such a cheap price compared to what it was so go for it. Call me a fanboy just dont call me a fannyboy ( No Homo ).

[CTA]

i recommend you to buy gtx280 for many reasons...

btw... i believe 4870x2 is really not sinlge video card (like vs 9800gx2)


so i support you ;p

ps. i believe you wont get good warranty from bfg if you swap heatsink ( sorry i dont know about water cooled)

[Cheator]

the 4870x2 IS a single card, just like the 9800gx2. Dual GPU cards arent 2 cards, they are a means to a faster single card much like dual cores.

Buy what you will, keep in mind your interests. For ATI you only have 1 partner with lifetime warranty, with Nvidia you have 2 with a good rep. IF this is important to you, get it and take a bit of a performance hit.

[miggs78]

But I thought the Fuzion block works on the 4870x2 also.

[Dashock]

BFG + Watercooling = Bye bye Warranty the only two companies i know of on the nvidia with lifetime warranty and able to put an aftermarket cooler is Evga and XFX woot woot if theres any others correct me.

[zlojack]

BFG sells a card with a Danger Den waterblock already installed, so the warranty is included.

I don't care about single vs. multi-gpu at all. I am looking at performance vs. dollars and what I pay. But at the same time, eventually, your budget reaches a limit, so you have to get the best possible within your limit.

I have no doubt in my mind that the 4870 X2 is the fastest graphics card in the world. But I wonder if I can't get what I need out of a less expensive card. If the BFG doesn't cut it, I could spend an extra $40 and get the EVGA....

But somehow, the 4870 X2 appeals in the sense that I could max out everything with full AA.

[CTA]

(i dont understand why its not multi-gpu or cf-like -- i mean 9800gx2 is already sli in one card... if its 9800gx2 sli then it could be called true quad-sli)

i agreed that 4870x2 is better preformance per dollar for air cooling... and fastest newest multi-gpu card... gtx280 is the fastest single gpu card... honestly... 4870x2 is good for more than 1600x1200 or more...


if bfg already have waterblock then you are good...


ps. i more care about quality products like nvidia... next to preformance per dollar ;p

pps. you need a good quality powers supply for 4870x2 right? almost 500 watts!

[MpG]

The GTX280? Definitely worth looking at, since the prices dropped. No Xfire/SLI issues, no question of microstuttering, and fantastic minimum framerates. Trouble-free, high-end gaming at it's finest.

On the other hand, at the upper end of resolutions, the 4870X2 seems to pull into the lead right across the board, especially with higher levels of AA. And the $600 price tags are almost certainly going to drop after a few weeks, which eases the pain a little. Probably no help for the waterblocks, though.

Personally, I'm quite loving the GTX280. If I played at 25x16 resolutions, I'd have given this card (or 2 4870's) a much harder look, but even at 1080p, the 280 has no trouble at all. I got the H2OC version from BFG, so obviously I'm not loosing any warranty by watercooling, and my particular card is actually fully stable up to 777 core, which is basically a 30% overclock margin. It also didn't hurt that it came with about $30 in premium watercooling hardware and an above-average assortment of adaptor cables. Plus, in the event that Nvidia pulls a rabbit out of their hat soon, BFG's got a 100-day trade-in program.

[zlojack]

Well... I play at 1920X1200.

As for my power supply... it can handle pretty much anything!