GTX260->GTX275 worth £35 ($57) ?

[LufbraDan23]

Well i was all set to get a 216 XFX GTX260 from ebuyer. I found one at a good price and, after checking the XFX website found out that it was *slightly* better than another i had found on microdirect. Both were xfx but this had like 21mhz extra or something obscure like that. Regardless, it was a little special and was quite a find.

So i started saving up. I checked back on it last week to find 'we have discontinued this card and will not be restocking it'. Well that sucks. I mean, the microdirect one is still available but itl feel a bit sub par to me now.

However, yesterday i checked out scan.co.uk which i'd heard a bit about. Found an XFX (i dont know why im so keen on them, loyalty?) GTX275 for £183. Just £35 or $57 more.

I'm a student so money isn't easy to come by, is it worth splashing out on this, will i notice the difference when gaming between the two?

Anyone upgraded from one to the other or faced a similar dilemma with this little price gap?

[MadMan007]

They are close in performance for the most part, I'm not sure if the difference is something you'd notice or mainly in benchmarks it looks to be ~10% difference at higher resolutions. The GTX 275 is between the GTX 280 and GTX 285 generally, and you can always oc the GTX 260-216 a bit to close the gap. (That's what oc'ing is about imo, saving some money and getting 'free' performance, of course you can oc a higher part too but you're paying more to start.) If you use an LCD and your native res is below 1920x1200 it's not worth it imo unless maybe you'd keep the card for a good long time.

Either one will be a big step up from an 8800GTS 320 for most games so you can't really go wrong :soda: I'd think about the GTX 260-216 and getting a couple of games :)

[LufbraDan23]

Thanks, i play on a 22in but the amount of people talking about 1920x1200...oooh it's tempting!

Out of interest MadMan007, the GTS250 is another $70 cheaper than the GTX260. Would that still blow my eyeballs or should i stick with the GTX260?

[ratbuddy]

Thanks, i play on a 22in but the amount of people talking about 1920x1200...oooh it's tempting!

Out of interest MadMan007, the GTS250 is another $70 cheaper than the GTX260. Would that still blow my eyeballs or should i stick with the GTX260?

The GTX 260 is a much bigger step up from the GTS 250 than the GTX 275 is from the GTX 260.

I'd stick with the 260..

[jason4207]

The GTX 260 is a much bigger step up from the GTS 250 than the GTX 275 is from the GTX 260.

I'd stick with the 260..

I concur.

[ChinStrap]

you can never have enough GPU power. i vote 275.

[jokers_greg]

if money's tight dont do it, the gain isn't that big. But it is nice

[LufbraDan23]

Thanks guys, i'm going GTX260 216. Guess what...i found the Black edition for the same price as the standard. I know its not hugely better but still, its the same price :)

[nd4spdbh2]

ur gonna love that stepup... i just grabbed a GTX260 192 from a member here on the forums and the performance increase over my 8800gts 640mb is OMG amazing. thing runs cooler as well!

[PhoenixOfChaos]

I love my GTX260 216, it's awesome. Overclocked well ( I could push it farther, but I'd have to up the fan past 70% and I'm not too keen on that idea) it's more than enough to handle life. The most intensive game I've played is Crysis [Warhead too]. And I can safely say that at 1680x1050 at all high settings it was ~30'sh fps. Definitely playable. I think you'll like it :)

[GBH]

I have a GTX 260 216 and its been great for playing at 1080p

[i686]

hi'

I was asking myself the same question, about to change my "old" 9800gx2,
the 260 is at a nice price now, and spending more for just a little kick in perf,
which I could get with a little oc, I don't see the point to get a 275 ...
saving for a 260, and hopegully, I'll get it at a good low price.

i686

ps: btw, wich brand would recommend for this card?

[LufbraDan23]

ur gonna love that stepup... i just grabbed a GTX260 192 from a member here on the forums and the performance increase over my 8800gts 640mb is OMG amazing. thing runs cooler as well!

:) That's exactly what i wanted to hear

Thanks to everyone else too, really big help. Saved me from breaking the bank.

i686- i'm going for xfx since i've used them before and they seem to be pretty sharp.

Now to wait for payday...

[jokers_greg]

hi'

I was asking myself the same question, about to change my "old" 9800gx2,
the 260 is at a nice price now, and spending more for just a little kick in perf,
which I could get with a little oc, I don't see the point to get a 275 ...
saving for a 260, and hopegully, I'll get it at a good low price.

i686

ps: btw, wich brand would recommend for this card?

a 9800GX2 is better than a 260. You'd lose out in performance for the most part. I won't be changing my GX2 until the GT300 and HD5000 series come out (and then I will POSSIBLY reconsider).

[nd4spdbh2]

:) That's exactly what i wanted to hear

Thanks to everyone else too, really big help. Saved me from breaking the bank.

i686- i'm going for xfx since i've used them before and they seem to be pretty sharp.

Now to wait for payday...

ya and you have the core 216 which is gonna have even more performance.

all the games i have i can max out the settings, run some AA and be pegging the 75fps max set by vsync. (1680x1050@75hz)

[LufbraDan23]

Ok guys, i was just trawling the web and i came across a GTX260 with these specs for £35 less than i was expecting to pay. It's the PNY XLR8 GeForce GTX 260 V2. Now, there has to be something wrong with it or its an utter bargain. Anyone want to scrutinise these specs? :)





Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Memory Installed: 896MB
Interface: PCI Express 2.0 Support
Main Specifications:
Product Description: PNY XLR8 GeForce GTX 260 - graphics adapter - GF GTX 26 - 896MB
Device Type: Graphics adapter
Enclosure Type: Plug-in card
Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0 x16
Graphics Processor / Vendor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Clock Speed: 576 MHz
Memory Clock : 2000Mhz
Memory Capacity: 896MB GDDR3
Memory Interface: 448-bit
Memory Bandwith : 111,9 Gb/sec.
Stream Processors: 216
Cooling system: Fan
API Supported: DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1
TV Interface: HDTV out
HDCP compatible: Yes
System Requirements: Linux, Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / XP
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years warranty Minimum Requirements:
Intel Pentium 4 Prescott class processor or higher (LGA775 processor package) or AMD Sempron/Athlon
Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, VISTA
A PCI Express compliant motherboard with a x16 lane bus compliant slot
One 8-pin (6+2) and one 6-pin supplementary power connectors
512MB System RAM (1GB recommended)
Minimum 550W or greater system power supply
100MB of available hard disk space for full installation
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
VGA or DVI-I compatible monitor

[MadMan007]

They're all still reference cards afaik although some companies do have different coolers. Otherwise it looks like you just found a sale price, nothing wrong with PNY per se although some people like lifetime warranties but imo a 2-3 year warranty is sufficient, by that time the replacement cost for equivalent performance is going to be low.

[ViperJohn]

Well i was all set to get a 216 XFX GTX260 from ebuyer. I found one at a good price and, after checking the XFX website found out that it was *slightly* better than another i had found on microdirect. Both were xfx but this had like 21mhz extra or something obscure like that. Regardless, it was a little special and was quite a find.

So i started saving up. I checked back on it last week to find 'we have discontinued this card and will not be restocking it'. Well that sucks. I mean, the microdirect one is still available but itl feel a bit sub par to me now.

However, yesterday i checked out scan.co.uk which i'd heard a bit about. Found an XFX (i dont know why im so keen on them, loyalty?) GTX275 for £183. Just £35 or $57 more.

I'm a student so money isn't easy to come by, is it worth splashing out on this, will i notice the difference when gaming between the two?

Anyone upgraded from one to the other or faced a similar dilemma with this little price gap?

Go with the GTX260-216 and put some more OC on that E8400 CPU!!!

Viper

[LufbraDan23]

They're all still reference cards afaik although some companies do have different coolers. Otherwise it looks like you just found a sale price, nothing wrong with PNY per se although some people like lifetime warranties but imo a 2-3 year warranty is sufficient, by that time the replacement cost for equivalent performance is going to be low.

Unbelievable, unbelievable. I bookmark the page to come back to after i've done some research and got advice from good folk like yourself. I go back on there today...gone. Offer over.

I'm determined to put an end to my GPU quest tonight. There is a Sapphire 4890 1gb for £150 (the usual GTX260 216 price). I don't want to ignite an ati/nvidia feud on here but isnt the 4890 the equivalent of the GTX275 and arguably better than the GTX260?

[Badbonji]

Yep now go buy it before it gets away :D

[Froggy]

Thanks, i play on a 22in but the amount of people talking about 1920x1200...oooh it's tempting!


I personally went down from 1920x1200 to 1680x1050.

[LufbraDan23]

Yep now go buy it before it gets away :D

Order placed, getting a Corsair PSU too cos mine is cheap and nasty :)


Froggy- Why did you do that?

[Froggy]

It is easier to see text on the 22" screen with the larger pixel pitch. But the real kicker was being able to get a IPS panel in a 22" which wasn't an option till recently for a reasonable price.

[PhoenixOfChaos]

It is easier to see text on the 22" screen with the larger pixel pitch. But the real kicker was being able to get a IPS panel in a 22" which wasn't an option till recently for a reasonable price.

Annnnnnnnd cause the 2209WA is awesome ;)

[LufbraDan23]

Ah cool, ive never had a problem with my 22in Asus. I've got friends with 24ins that ghost and have colour bleed. Mine has great colour and definition. I've thought about getting a bigger screen but that would mean selling this for a tenth of its value and its not worth it.

Progress on the 4890- play.com haven't processed the order yet and are listing it as taking a 4-5 day turn around time at their end (instead of the normal 1-3) plus the 3-5 day postage.
Getting a bit impatient since ive already listed my old 8800GTS on a popular online auction site. Good things come to those who wait though, etc

[zbo]

If you havn't already orderd here is good deal ATM. I paided about £200 for the same card :'(

Scan @ £150 (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/896MB-EVGA-GTX-260-SSC-PCI-E-20-(x16)-2304MHz-GDDR3-55nm-GPU-675MHz-216Cores-2x-DL-DVI-I-HDTV)

[LufbraDan23]

If you havn't already orderd here is good deal ATM. I paided about £200 for the same card :'(

Scan @ £150 (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/896MB-EVGA-GTX-260-SSC-PCI-E-20-(x16)-2304MHz-GDDR3-55nm-GPU-675MHz-216Cores-2x-DL-DVI-I-HDTV)

Thanks man, i'm keeping faith with the play.com 4890 atm but if they mess about then i'll go for that :)

[LufbraDan23]

DONE! Got the 4890 today (cancelled play.com and got from microdirect cos they deliver quicker)

Got Crysis Warhead on all settings maxed and 8x anti aliasing. Hardly skipped a beat, more than playable.

Best £158 i spent :)

[Cisco Kid]

ur gonna love that stepup... i just grabbed a GTX260 192 from a member here on the forums and the performance increase over my 8800gts 640mb is OMG amazing. thing runs cooler as well!

GTX260 core 192's overclock far better than the 216 versions and will from what I have seen beat out the 216 due to their overclocking potential

I vote for the 275 if you can get one cheap. I recently got one via ncix here in Canada for $208 or the = of 180 US, the card is a beast and faster than the previous GTX260 core 192 I had even overclocked quite a bit 1920x1200 everything plays fluid