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NVIDIA GTX 280/260 Reviews

post #1 of 18
6/17/08 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
Some say these new cards are an evolutionary step in GPU architecture, some say they're too expensive for the performance offered. You be the judge.

Me? I was planning on going the GTX260 route. Notice I said "I was".

Reviews from around the net:

Guru3D
ExtremeTech
PCPer
TechReport
Anandtech
Hexus
Neoseeker
Overclock3D
HardOCP
HotHardware
hardwareCanucks
HardwareZone
BenchmarkReviews
Firingsquad
TechPowerUp
LegitReviews
DriverHeaven
HardwareSecrets
EliteBastards
TweakTown
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post #2 of 18
6/17/08 at 12:20pm
Does the "I was" mean you are not buying the 260 or 280? Or does that mean you will be buying the 280 instead of the 260

The 280 results are very impressive, but to be honest it's sorta sad that the 9800GX2 is still exceeding it in some games and at certain resolutions...which is pretty disappointing. Either way, my budget limits me to just my 8800GT
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post #3 of 18
6/17/08 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 
"I was" going to step up to the 260, and never considered the 280. The performance/price just cut it with the 280. The 260 is much more attractive, but I believe the 4870 will come real close to edging it out for $100 less. At best - I'll consider X-Fired 4870s....maybe a single 4870X2 - mainly because I believe ATI will bring it on this summer. That's not saying I will not change my mind if NV lowers their prices after the GDDR5 ATI cards are released.

Contrary to popular belief - I am not a brand loyalist. I usually look for the best value, regardless of name (I say usually because there is one memory brand I almost always go with...OCZ).

$400 - $450 is the absolute max I will consider spending on a GPU.

This will also be the last time I upgrade this machine. I'll start a new build Winter '08.
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post #4 of 18
6/17/08 at 2:20pm
I agree with Buck's assessment on $400 - $450 max price for a GPU. I think i spent a little more on the 7900 GTX on lunch day. But it's proved to be worth it at this point.

I'm actually considering buying an 8800 to replace it. I'm not sure how worth it, it would be. Any ideas?
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post #5 of 18
6/17/08 at 2:55pm
Thread Starter 
Going from a 7900GTX to a G92 8800-series would definitely be worth it. You can find the 8800GT or 8800GTS (512mb cards are G92).

Are you running that free copy of Vista on your main rig yet? DX10....
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post #6 of 18
6/17/08 at 3:56pm
No, that's the only thing thats stopping me. I'd have to do a fresh install and I'm at a very happy state with my current Desktop, which is why I'd probably be better building a new one.
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post #7 of 18
6/17/08 at 5:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve@NBF View Post
No, that's the only thing thats stopping me. I'd have to do a fresh install and I'm at a very happy state with my current Desktop, which is why I'd probably be better building a new one.
I think if you upgraded to the 8800GT you'd be perfectly happy, it would revamp the framerates of all of your more recent games, it will come in at a very reasonable price, and will definitely stretch out the longevity of that system

Plus, why not wait until Nehalem to put together a kickass rig.
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post #8 of 18
6/18/08 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pdonket View Post
I think if you upgraded to the 8800GT you'd be perfectly happy, it would revamp the framerates of all of your more recent games, it will come in at a very reasonable price, and will definitely stretch out the longevity of that system

Plus, why not wait until Nehalem to put together a kickass rig.
I probably will wait. I have no reason to upgrade (which i thought i had a reason). Also, i don't know what kind of bottle neck I will see with this new card and my crummy AMD X2 4400
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post #9 of 18
6/18/08 at 11:38am
EVGA already has a Water Cooled version of the new 280

http://www.evga.com/articles/415.asp
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post #10 of 18
6/18/08 at 12:08pm
that didn't take long
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post #11 of 18
6/18/08 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
I looked at their site yesterday at the WC card...wasn't it like $800?

Edit: They also had no less than 5 different versions of the 280....
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post #12 of 18
6/18/08 at 7:38pm
I have the eVGA trade up deal until July 5, but I don't think I'm going to jump at this point... They only have the 280 in the step up program, and it's too pricey. If they had the 260 in there, it might be worth it pricewise.

I got an 8800gtx 768 for $289 (after mail in rebate which I just received), and I was thinking about the 280, but eVGA wants $649 for it at this point. I have to say I'm very impressed with the 8800gtx, and with a Thermalright HR-03 cooler, it's stable at 650/1450/2000 (stock 575/1350/1800).

Can't see paying over $300 for the step up as the current card plays crysis fine, and everything else I've tried.

I think I'm just going to wait for Nehalem, and build another new system...
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post #13 of 18
6/20/08 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buck View Post
I looked at their site yesterday at the WC card...wasn't it like $800?

Edit: They also had no less than 5 different versions of the 280....
Yeah $879 for the HC with a core clock of 691. These cards really do have some power though.
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post #14 of 18
6/20/08 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hulioni View Post
Yeah $879 for the HC with a core clock of 691. These cards really do have some power though.
Yeah - I know...much more than the traditional GPU. Been reading about running CUDA - very impressive.
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post #15 of 18
7/5/08 at 11:31am
Wait, are the GTX 280/260 the same architecture of the 8 and 9 series?
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post #16 of 18
7/6/08 at 9:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghazgull013 View Post
Wait, are the GTX 280/260 the same architecture of the 8 and 9 series?
I believe they are only the same with regard to die size (65nm). The GT200b is supposedly coming out late summer at 55nm?. Everything else is different.

Hulioni has done quite a bit of testing (I think) on the GT200 - and may have some insight on the GT200b. Hopefully he'll chime in with better details...if able.
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post #17 of 18
7/6/08 at 11:37pm
Cool, now they just need to go mobile and throw in a quad core and ill be a happy camper
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post #18 of 18
7/7/08 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 
GT 200 Pirce Cuts:

Quote:
Now that both RV770 cards are released competition is finally taking effect in the $300+ market segment with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 260 and 280 seeing their prices go down like heavy green things. Initially priced at $399, the GeForce GTX 260 can now be found in the US of A for as little of $300 or $260 after mail-in rebate (and it's a factory-overclocked model too).

The GeForce GTX 280 on the other hand dropped to $500 ($460 after MIR), which is still 'enough' but a lot cheaper that we hoped it would be less than two weeks ago when it was released. We'll have two Radeon HD 4850s then.

TechConnect
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