While it's still a bit of money to drop, the 8800GT and 3870 are filling the void well enough, even the 3850 isn't that bad of a deal for the price. All of those in the high 100's or low 200 range.
I guess at this point neither camp can really say much about the other using dual gpu solutions on a single card.
I agree, I am so sick of this industry being driven by douchebags who sit in their basements, blow all their money on computer shit, and then jerk off when they get 200 FPS. Mind you, on the other hand, if it weren't for idiots (yes, you are an idiot if you spend $700 on a video card) buying these over-priced things then the mid-range, you know, the range that sensible people buy in, would not exist. I would just like to see more 8800 GT range cards hit the market. It has exceptional performance for the buck.
"Hey Johnny, I just hit 220 FPS and my card is at like 1.8V." "Oh, damn, you must have bitches all over you!" "Yeah, pretty much. Have you seen my fleshlight?"
Couldn't agree more. There used to be a time I tried keeping up. The ATI 9800 Pro was the last card during those 4 years of constant unnecessary upgrades. (I changed cards 6 times in total within that time frame). Then on PC gaming died for me.
Of course if you try to buy the latest and greatest card available, you're going to go broke, but that makes no more sense than buying a new ipod every generation. If the old one is still running, don't get a new one, it's very simple. In 4 years, I might buy 2 cards, and that's if I have some extra money lying around; how anyone could ever be pulled into buying 6 different cards in the same timespan is beyond me.
Instead of spending $400 on a card, maybe go buy a PS3 or 360, and you not only get a vid card, but also a cpu, harddrive, controller, etc. Sometimes they also come with games! Wow!
And you don't have to constantly upgrade your console to play new games, the lifetime of a console last way longer than a video card in terms of being outdated. Sigh...
What do you call buying the next gen of consoles every 6-8 years? You end up spending just as much when you upgrade to next gen consoles, and this last gen was particularly expensive, especially if you wanted to take advantage of everything each console had to offer (minus the wii). If you even remotely wanted a PS3 or Xbox 360 you needed to invest in some form of HDTV and a decent sound system. That adds at the low end an extra $800.
Granted every generation of game consoles hasn't been exactly like that, but keep in mind that while PC gamers upgrade more frequently in many cases they can do so with minimal impact to their budget, if you shop right. When it comes to consoles its fairly equivalent in price on launch day to buying 1-3 graphics cards upgrades. And with CPU/Mem/Motherboard prices at their lowest this past year, (especially if you were inclined to buy AMD) those upgrades are a non-issue since many people have 10 year old PCs running new gfx cards and it only makes sense to upgrade to a box that can scale up, and for minimal dollar impact over a longer course of time.
I myself have both HD consoles and a damn fast gaming rig (for under $1200) so I know what it's like to spend the money, so long as it's spent wisely.
I do agree with the post about guys that just fantasize about their $700 graphics cards, its lame at best. But keep in mind that those hardcore nuts are what give us the reasonably prices mid-range cards.
As for console you fanbois, get a grip, you end up spending just as much to get the latest in M$ and Sony hardware as hardcore PC gamers do. Keep in mind the countless accessories and upgraded cables you'll need to get the most out of the console in the first place. That adds an extra 100-$150 to your budget. Remember the PS2 at launch? just about $300 and that was barebones, just a controller, no network card, no memory card, no game, beyond a demo disc (if I remember correctly). So before you say "go buy a console! its cheaper!" look where you spend your money and look how normal PC buyers end up spending cash. You pay just as much, and it's proprietary, non upgradeable. PC's are scalable to the times. With consoles you have to invest half a paycheck just for the hardware.
he said 'PC gaming died for me' not 'PC Gaming died', big difference.
Personally i used to be a big pc gamer (bought in at 386 time with the sierra games) got tired of constant upgrading then family commitments (holidays, house, cars etc) cause you to miss a generation and then the buy in to catch up is pointless. Or it could be the i've got less free time and a quick blast on a console fills the gap where a pc gamer requires more commitment
Console gaming is infinitely cheaper than pc gaming will ever be. I hated having to upgrade my card just to have a decent looking game run. No matter what my xbox always has excellent looking games, they don't need to run on lower settings over time on the same machine like a pc game. My xbox was 350 and i've yet to spend another dime. Guess what? I'm playing in HD too. Hell even COD4 was only $38! Cheaper than pc
I still have all the components in my rig that were there about three years ago. AMD 3200+, GeForce 7800GT, and 2GB RAM. I still play most games on high settings(Note:Haven't touched Crysis yet), and I still have the option of building a SLI rig with my 7800. Upgrading isn't every four months for the average gamer, get a clue.
Yeah, its too bad that PC gaming has so many more possibilites than console gaming, Better graphics at a faster pace is so bad, they should just stop altogether.
I'm sorry, but what can your gaming console do? Oh... thats right, it can do just that - play games, you get a proprietary system that cannot be upgraded or scaled to do anything but play games that have graphics that become considerably dated after a relatively short lifespan (when compared to the fast pace of computer advancement). When I spend money on upgrading my computer i do it knowing that the money will help increase my productivity as a photographer and therefore decrease the amount of time i have to work, making it a MUCH better investment than an expensive toy like a console. Not only that, but i can use my computer to surf the internet, write a paper, listen to music, download music, sync my iPod, i can type on it, use a mouse to frag people with much better accuracy, i can burn CDs, and it is completely upgradeable should i need more power in any one sector.
Yah, i agree that spending 700$ on a GPU is pretty absurd, but if it wasn't for the flagship parts none of that power would filter down to normal users in scaled down cards (or even you whiny console owners who never shut up about how your worthless toys are cheaper). I have a 7800GT and i have had it for about 2 years now and am still completely happy with it, it can eak by crysis on high settings which is more than enough to make me happy (as it still kicks those console's graphics ass)
To each his/her own i suppose. I'll stick to my "dead PC gaming" as i see no point in buying overpriced locked down crap that i can't even modify.
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WTF? No wonder PC gaming died. Every couple of months some new card that costs $400 and needs its own power grid.
I miss the days when a "simple" ATI Rage Pro played every game available. :(
While it's still a bit of money to drop, the 8800GT and 3870 are filling the void well enough, even the 3850 isn't that bad of a deal for the price. All of those in the high 100's or low 200 range.
I guess at this point neither camp can really say much about the other using dual gpu solutions on a single card.
@dolemite
I agree, I am so sick of this industry being driven by douchebags who sit in their basements, blow all their money on computer shit, and then jerk off when they get 200 FPS. Mind you, on the other hand, if it weren't for idiots (yes, you are an idiot if you spend $700 on a video card) buying these over-priced things then the mid-range, you know, the range that sensible people buy in, would not exist. I would just like to see more 8800 GT range cards hit the market. It has exceptional performance for the buck.
"Hey Johnny, I just hit 220 FPS and my card is at like 1.8V."
"Oh, damn, you must have bitches all over you!"
"Yeah, pretty much. Have you seen my fleshlight?"
Mike, your anger is misdirected.
Just so you know, to some, $700 is not a lot of money.
@ Mike and Dolemite
Couldn't agree more. There used to be a time I tried keeping up. The ATI 9800 Pro was the last card during those 4 years of constant unnecessary upgrades. (I changed cards 6 times in total within that time frame). Then on PC gaming died for me.
PC Gaming died? When did this happen?
I certainly didn't get that feeling while playing the following throughout 2007:
Crysis
Bioshock
World in Conflict
Call of Duty 4
Orange Box
Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion
The Witcher
The media has been predicting the death of PC gaming for the last decade and has been wrong every time.
Of course if you try to buy the latest and greatest card available, you're going to go broke, but that makes no more sense than buying a new ipod every generation. If the old one is still running, don't get a new one, it's very simple. In 4 years, I might buy 2 cards, and that's if I have some extra money lying around; how anyone could ever be pulled into buying 6 different cards in the same timespan is beyond me.
Instead of spending $400 on a card, maybe go buy a PS3 or 360, and you not only get a vid card, but also a cpu, harddrive, controller, etc. Sometimes they also come with games! Wow!
And you don't have to constantly upgrade your console to play new games, the lifetime of a console last way longer than a video card in terms of being outdated. Sigh...
@4honor
What do you call buying the next gen of consoles every 6-8 years? You end up spending just as much when you upgrade to next gen consoles, and this last gen was particularly expensive, especially if you wanted to take advantage of everything each console had to offer (minus the wii). If you even remotely wanted a PS3 or Xbox 360 you needed to invest in some form of HDTV and a decent sound system. That adds at the low end an extra $800.
Granted every generation of game consoles hasn't been exactly like that, but keep in mind that while PC gamers upgrade more frequently in many cases they can do so with minimal impact to their budget, if you shop right. When it comes to consoles its fairly equivalent in price on launch day to buying 1-3 graphics cards upgrades. And with CPU/Mem/Motherboard prices at their lowest this past year, (especially if you were inclined to buy AMD) those upgrades are a non-issue since many people have 10 year old PCs running new gfx cards and it only makes sense to upgrade to a box that can scale up, and for minimal dollar impact over a longer course of time.
I myself have both HD consoles and a damn fast gaming rig (for under $1200) so I know what it's like to spend the money, so long as it's spent wisely.
I do agree with the post about guys that just fantasize about their $700 graphics cards, its lame at best. But keep in mind that those hardcore nuts are what give us the reasonably prices mid-range cards.
As for console you fanbois, get a grip, you end up spending just as much to get the latest in M$ and Sony hardware as hardcore PC gamers do. Keep in mind the countless accessories and upgraded cables you'll need to get the most out of the console in the first place. That adds an extra 100-$150 to your budget. Remember the PS2 at launch? just about $300 and that was barebones, just a controller, no network card, no memory card, no game, beyond a demo disc (if I remember correctly). So before you say "go buy a console! its cheaper!" look where you spend your money and look how normal PC buyers end up spending cash. You pay just as much, and it's proprietary, non upgradeable. PC's are scalable to the times. With consoles you have to invest half a paycheck just for the hardware.
@MoonRocket
he said 'PC gaming died for me' not 'PC Gaming died', big difference.
Personally i used to be a big pc gamer (bought in at 386 time with the sierra games) got tired of constant upgrading then family commitments (holidays, house, cars etc) cause you to miss a generation and then the buy in to catch up is pointless. Or it could be the i've got less free time and a quick blast on a console fills the gap where a pc gamer requires more commitment
@snds
Console gaming is infinitely cheaper than pc gaming will ever be. I hated having to upgrade my card just to have a decent looking game run. No matter what my xbox always has excellent looking games, they don't need to run on lower settings over time on the same machine like a pc game. My xbox was 350 and i've yet to spend another dime. Guess what? I'm playing in HD too. Hell even COD4 was only $38! Cheaper than pc
I still have all the components in my rig that were there about three years ago. AMD 3200+, GeForce 7800GT, and 2GB RAM. I still play most games on high settings(Note:Haven't touched Crysis yet), and I still have the option of building a SLI rig with my 7800. Upgrading isn't every four months for the average gamer, get a clue.
"WTF? No wonder PC gaming died"
if pc gaming died...then who the f*ck is buying these cards.
pc gaming is f*cking thriving you moron.
when the 8800gt came out, they could not keep up with demand and upped the price a 3rd...
"pc gaming is dead"
go away muppet
Yeah, its too bad that PC gaming has so many more possibilites than console gaming, Better graphics at a faster pace is so bad, they should just stop altogether.
Advancements are a terrible thing!!!!!
I'm sorry, but what can your gaming console do? Oh... thats right, it can do just that - play games, you get a proprietary system that cannot be upgraded or scaled to do anything but play games that have graphics that become considerably dated after a relatively short lifespan (when compared to the fast pace of computer advancement). When I spend money on upgrading my computer i do it knowing that the money will help increase my productivity as a photographer and therefore decrease the amount of time i have to work, making it a MUCH better investment than an expensive toy like a console. Not only that, but i can use my computer to surf the internet, write a paper, listen to music, download music, sync my iPod, i can type on it, use a mouse to frag people with much better accuracy, i can burn CDs, and it is completely upgradeable should i need more power in any one sector.
Yah, i agree that spending 700$ on a GPU is pretty absurd, but if it wasn't for the flagship parts none of that power would filter down to normal users in scaled down cards (or even you whiny console owners who never shut up about how your worthless toys are cheaper). I have a 7800GT and i have had it for about 2 years now and am still completely happy with it, it can eak by crysis on high settings which is more than enough to make me happy (as it still kicks those console's graphics ass)
To each his/her own i suppose.
I'll stick to my "dead PC gaming" as i see no point in buying overpriced locked down crap that i can't even modify.