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View Full Version : Buying a new GPU. Advice please...


Karakh
February 23rd, 2010, 10:19 PM
It's gotta be an Nvidia card, (I've had nothing but trouble with ATI cards in GNU/Linux).

My need's aren't that high (the only game I play often is TF2), and I don't want to spend more than £80.


Should I go for a 9800 GT, or one of the 200 series?

Should I look for a card with 1GB ram or is 512MB ample?

My MB has an onboard 8200 GPU that supports SLI, should I bother with it? (Not even 100% sure how SLI works...)


I've been out of the loop for too long when it comes to hardware, any input would be helpful.
NoaHall
February 23rd, 2010, 10:22 PM
9800 GT will be perfect for you, with 1GB of RAM.

If you're in the UK, which I think you are - you might want to even consider the Zotac Synergy Edition, it runs really, really cool, without much loss in power - it can still run top games and HD video - I have one on my brother's computer, it only gets to about 30 degrees C :)
ElSlunko
February 23rd, 2010, 10:42 PM
I'm jogging along with the GTX 260. I'm pretty sure the price is low by now for one. I use the drivers from NVIDIA's website since the default Ubuntu ones were making my X session freeze.
Karakh
February 23rd, 2010, 10:51 PM
I can't really justify the price of the 260's. If I were getting a 200 series, it would be a 240, or a 250 if I could find one cheap enough.

Would I take much of a performance hit if I opted for 512MB ram over 1GB? £20 difference between the two I was looking at, and can't decide if it's worth it.


http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-109-GW&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1009
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-115-GW&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1009
NoaHall
February 23rd, 2010, 10:55 PM
Not really, not with TF2, anyway :)
Karakh
February 23rd, 2010, 11:01 PM
Yeah, I don't exactly need a powerhouse for that...

Has anybody tried the 'green' Nvidia cards? I'm a little suspicious about them not requiring a direct power source.
NoaHall
February 23rd, 2010, 11:03 PM
Yeah, I don't exactly need a powerhouse for that...

Has anybody tried the 'green' Nvidia cards? I'm a little suspicious about them not requiring a direct power source.

I have, on my brother's computer. It works fine. Read my first post ;)
Karakh
February 23rd, 2010, 11:33 PM
Thanks for the info guys, I'll have to sleep on it, but I'll probably go for the 1024MB 9800GT.
zekopeko
February 24th, 2010, 12:00 AM
Thanks for the info guys, I'll have to sleep on it, but I'll probably go for the 1024MB 9800GT.

Or buy GT250 w/ 1GB. I think that model is a repackaged 9800 but manufactured with 45nm tech or something like that. Check the tech review sites for more info.