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I am in the market for a new video card. My mainboard is configured for SLI, so I am limiting this to NVIDIA.

I currently have an EVGA 9800 GT with 1 gig of memory.

I am looking at getting a GTX 275 or a GTX285. My question is this. What is the relative value between them?

EVGA GTX 285 for $370

EVGA GTX 275 for $255

So is the 285 really worth that extra $115? My research on the differences between the 275 and the 285 put the frame rate differences at around 5%. And with a cost difference of 45% more for the 285 vs the 275, it makes me wonder. Am I wrong, does anyone know much between these cards?

Stop. No. Back away from Newegg...

Unless you REALLY need SLI for some reason (and you really don't) the only cards in that prices range that make any sense right now are the ATI 5850 and 5870. They are DX11 and have far and away better price/performance and performance/watt then their nVidia counterparts.

If you absolutely MUST have an nVidia card, I suggest you wait for Fermi which nVidia insists will be shipping in December.

Kernel is correct in that the ATI cards the 5850 and 5870 out preform both cards by a good margin. However if you have to go Nvidia by all means get the 275. You will not notice that 5% preform increase especially if you buy one of the various pre-overclocked cards that can be had... Kind of like the card you linked. I have an EVGA 275 myself and no you will notice the 80$ hole in your pocketbook but you will not notice the 5% increase since it's not enough to make unplayable games unplayable. I'm already Gaming just fine at 1920x1200 in all my games just fine from Crysis on down. With AA of at least x2, with x16 AF by default with a 275.

ATI really has it in the bag? Even though my board is SLI ready, I should still be capable of using ATI cards, right? I just don't get to crossfire.

Alyeska wrote:ATI really has it in the bag? Even though my board is SLI ready, I should still be capable of using ATI cards, right? I just don't get to crossfire.

The only useful thing Nvidia has with SLI is using the old card as a Physics accelerator which is only of benefit in a handful of titles at present and by all indications the next Geforce will come with a physic chip build in as a sub GPU on the board. If not this gen then the next. ATI's 5850 outperform the Geoforce 285 by a good 15%-25% depending on the game and that jumps to 30% at the higher resolutions.

Alyeska wrote:ATI really has it in the bag? Even though my board is SLI ready, I should still be capable of using ATI cards, right? I just don't get to crossfire.

Correct, I normally have purchased nVidia cards in the past but at this moment in time ATI owns basically every relevant price point, especially in the $200-$300 range.

And yes, you can use an ATI card in solo mode in your mobo.

Fermi might not even come until next year. And truly, I don't see much point in brand loyalty, SLI or not, because you are unlikely to go all the way anyhow.

And yes, ATI's 5850 and the 5870 are the best cards available now, both for value/performance and performance.

Well Newegg doesn't have a single 5850 or 5870 in stock. In addition, their prices are all rather high. 5870s are all listed for $399.99 across the board, regardless of manufacturer. 5850s are all $299.99

That doesn't exactly match part of what you guys told me. Sure they seem popular, but they are also more expensive.

Alyeska wrote:Well Newegg doesn't have a single 5850 or 5870 in stock. In addition, their prices are all rather high. 5870s are all listed for $399.99 across the board, regardless of manufacturer. 5850s are all $299.99

That doesn't exactly match part of what you guys told me. Sure they seem popular, but they are also more expensive.

5870s have at times matched a 295 in performance, and the 5850 isn't too far behind. And the 5850 is as fast as, and sometimes faster than the 285.

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/video/disp ... html#sect0

And Patience is always a virtue when buying parts especially at the turn of a generation.

Alyeska wrote:Well Newegg doesn't have a single 5850 or 5870 in stock. In addition, their prices are all rather high. 5870s are all listed for $399.99 across the board, regardless of manufacturer. 5850s are all $299.99

That doesn't exactly match part of what you guys told me. Sure they seem popular, but they are also more expensive.

These cards should be retailing for $379 for the 5870 and $259 for the 5850. The only reason the prices are so high is because the supply is still very low.

I suggest you wait a few weeks until the supply works out and you should be able to get them at MSRP.

I've read that the 4870 is directly comparable to the GTX275. Is this true?

Alyeska wrote:I've read that the 4870 is directly comparable to the GTX275. Is this true?

Comparable in price but not in performance.





Those are just two sample benchmarks, the pattern is pretty much the same in a bunch of different games. Also keep in mind that the GTX275 is a DX10 part whereas the 5870 is DX11 and has all the hardware features that come along with that.

So, it is best to wait on the 5870s. This is good, as I need to save the money in the first place. If I can smoke the GTX285, good. Even still, those charts just showed me what I already suspected. The GTX275 is the better deal over the 285. The 285 just isn't worth the money.

Honestly, looking at that chart's convinced me that there's no reason to not pick up a 4870. The performance difference just really doesn't matter and the 4870 by all accounts appears cheaper than the 275.