New Graphics Card?

Question

I'm thinking of buying a new graphics to replace my old busted one (Leadtek GeForce 6600GT Extreme).

I'm also thinking of changing the brand, since from what I see, most people get XFX, BFG, eVGA, or MSI.

I'm thinking of either a 7900GS or the 8600GT.

What do you all recommend? Which brand, and which card?

Answer 1

Those are all good brands for GeForce Cards- I'm especially a fan of XFX and eVGA. Just stay far, far away from Chaintech and PNY.

At your price point I'm guessing the best choice would be the 8600GT- you get DX10 support and faster performance than a 7900GT, let alone the 7900GS. Unfortunately at the $200 price point, ATI's Radeon X1950 series is better than Nvidia's competing cards. And that's coming from a 7900GT owner.

Now if you're spending $75 more or less, the best choices are Nvidia cards again.

Here's the latest gaming card breakdown from Toms:

Answer 2

8600GT looses to 7900GS and x1950PRO in most games (so i won't say all)
To make the picture clear 8600GT is mearly only 10% faster then 7600GT. It does have directx10 suport and gets better 3dmark scores then 7900GS but in all directx9 games it looses to it. If u want performance on current game get a 7900GS or a x1950PRO . If u want directx10 and future games (but don't expect to play them on anything over 800x600 medium) go for 8600GT ... I have a 8600GT an overclocked version (galaxy 8600GT) and it runs very well ... good luck on your decision..

Answer 3

Go for 8600GT, as it beats 7900GS in almost everything. If I wasn't so lazy, I would show you the site. Just trust me on this one. Also, I prefer eVGA because of it's lifetime warranty and Step-Up program, and it the warranty covers overclocking as well. Can't beat that! ;-]