Its new Graphics card time

[:FI:Scott]

Im not getting the frames i want out of my 8600 Gt . I didn't do my homework last year so I thought I'd be fine with SLI but of course Il2 wont have it !.

Im looking at either a couple of 9800Gtx's with 1Gb of ram, a couple of GTX 260 Black editions or a single GTX 295. At the moment the 295 is looking good.

Im a commited Nvidia user so no ATi stuff. I reckon with the mods we will be using Il2 for a good 2-4 years or beyond so I need a good single card solution but i will want something that will cope with SOW etc

Any thoughts ?

[:FI:Falcon]

M'lud,

If you read my brief, I stipulated that I would submit a GTX-285-OCX like this. Many tech sites are saying the way to go now is two Radeon HD 4850's or 70's, here. I'm with you on NVidia this time though. The 295 is a screamer. If your ego can handle it and your pocketbook prefers it, the 9800 is older but still finds its way into the most recent comparison charts ... and in some cases wins! I plan today, ask me tomorrow and I may tell you differently, to get one 285 now and a second one if I survive Duxford. Two 260's sounds like a good middle road and those reviews that I have seen usually show them as good or faster than one 295. Since the 265 popped out, there are some good deals for the 260. Watch out though, 260 availability may become a factor.

Two cards are gonna get hotter and louder. Make sure that whatever you get has an exhaust vent/grill that moves the hot air directly out of the case through the GPU slot shield openings.

I've been thinking about this since January and I'm still thinking. Good luck and if you need any more techy-type links, let me know. I have a million of them.


F

[Hoffer16]

i happen to have dual nvidia 8800 GTX SlI in my laptop...so i think they are pretty good, oh and did i mention they are 1gb each! lol
-Hoffer

[:FI:Scott]

You've been doing some research on this haven't you Stu !!. thanks for the thunks.

I've got no problem with the 9800's just because they aren't bleeding edge and as you say they are still putting in good results against the newer cards. I was also thinking that as I have 2 8600's running nicely in there now its not too much of a step up to need anything in the way of new PSU/ cooling.

Noise isn't a big factor - my computer is on the top floor and nobody except me really go up there and I use headphones anyway.

One should reel IL2 in nicely which is the first goal, its the new stuff im not sure about- perhaps even with SLI a pair will be pushed??.

Im going to talk to my coputer guy but at the mo Im thinking the 260's in SLI.

[:FI:Nellip]

I got a single Zotac 9800 GTX+ Amp (factory o/c) card just before Christmas and it runs anything I need just great. My mobo will run SLI but for IL2 or any other applications I am running I really don't need 2 of these cards at the moment.

I did think about SoW when I was buying, but in the end decided that buying a card to run SoW would be like planning the country's energy policy on the basis of nuclear fusion - yes it might come along eventually but when and what it will need is anyones guess!

[:FI:Scott]

im going with a pair of GTX260 O/C's.

One should more than keep up with IL2 and if a pair can't run SOW he ain't going to be selling many copies !!. Im betting on it being a lot like Il2 when that came out- you couldn't run it on full settings whatever you had but it still looked great.

Only worry now is will the damn things fit in the case ?- they're blooming huge. Guess I'll find out tomorrow.

[:FI:Scott]

They're in (just)

The cards weigh just over 1Kg (each!!!) and run off eight power couplings. The machine runs fine but the lights in the house go down when you switch it on. No more noise than with the 8600's.

I haven't had much chance to play with it tonight but I did max the settings and run the black Death track- smooth as silk. Ran a quick mission in QMB+ using the Slovakia map and again, smooth as so its so far so good.

Thanks for the advice folks !

[:FI:Wardog]

Richard all you have to do now is run a graphics cable all the way down to conman so he can enjoy some decent graphics .

Glad to hear there working well mate and that you managed to get them into your case

Wardog