How often do you upgrade your vid card for games?

sulretal · 03-07-09, 12:21 PM

Every 3-5 years
Less than 200$ for sure

BenF · 03-07-09, 02:30 PM

I wait until I my current card struggles to play games then I'll wait to buy a new one until the card I want is less than $200. I'm a big gamer, but I care about gameplay not graphics so I'm not too motivated to buy one unless my current one can't play the games I want to play.

shadin · 03-07-09, 03:11 PM

I go for the best price/performance available once my current card starts showing it's age in newer titles I want to play. That works itself out to spending about $200.00 every two years or so. The max that I'll ever spend is $300.00, and it's got to have the stats and the need from software to back it up.

Dak9767 · 03-07-09, 04:05 PM

It used to be every year...but I had to cut it back to every 2-3 years. Usually spending about $200-$300.

JLK03F150 · 03-07-09, 04:34 PM

I try to skip a generation and get it (or them) when the series has been around a while.

Last go-round i got a pair of HD 3870's for less than $400.

Maxvla · 03-07-09, 06:07 PM

Hurray for voting in both of the lowest results hah...

3-5 years and $300-400

My last upgrade was about 2 years ago maybe slightly more and I got a 8800GT that was mid $300s at the time. Still working like a champ, no need to upgrade for at least another couple years.

BigDan3131 · 03-08-09, 05:53 PM

3-5 for me too...Same computer started with ati 9700pro then upgraded to x800 pro and now 3850. It basicly was the as a new game came out I liked and wanted to play I bought the new card.

cullam3n · 03-08-09, 05:58 PM

I put every 2-3 years and $200-$300. In the past I have capped myself at $200 for a video card but I had splurged on my GTX 260, which was around $250 I think, and a first over $200. It's always painful for me to run with a previous+ generation card, but when I finally do upgrade, it's like a whole new world. I want to install every game and just play it just to see how smooth and nice and it looks.

I did it when I upgraded to a Ti4200 from a Geforce 2 MX400. I didn't do it so much from my twoo never-ran-right FX5900XTs to a 6800nu, or from my 6800nu to my 7900GS (which I splurged on because it was cheap at best buy), and definitely not from my 7900GS to my 7950GT.. I did however do it with my GTX 260 upgrading from my 7950GT.

lubetek · 03-10-09, 01:55 PM

I upgrade yearly. I usually don't buy top of the line but upper mid level cards.

My most recent cards:

2006 7800GS AGP
2007 8800GTS 320mb
2007 8800GT 512mb
2008 4870 1GB
2009 ?

Aynjell · 03-11-09, 01:07 AM

It looks like I'm going to have 3 upgrades this year, if you count them all.

7600GT SLI to GTX 260 core 216
GTX 260 core 216 Step up to GTX 285
GTX 285 to GTX 285 SLI

Badbonji · 03-12-09, 05:52 PM

Once per year on average, and must be high end sli :P

freeagent · 03-12-09, 07:23 PM

usually every year or two.. it all depends.. i used to switch it up every 6 months or so untill i got my 88gtx a couple of years ago, and now im looking to replace it with something equally as great. lots of people bash the gtx 285, but i bought one anyways. but whatever, ill run it for a year or 2 and move on to the next

unless they start makeing dx11 cards soon

Archer0915 · 03-12-09, 08:51 PM

I ug whenever the competition gets too much of a lead in frames. As to how much well lets just say less than my 454 Casull

so I didn't answer

sil40sx · 03-12-09, 08:55 PM

whenever there's a high end card that comes out. -so last year, i bought 3 cards.

edit: i meant, 2 last year and 1 this quarter (gtx295)

longest one i had was the HD4870x2

mkoersvelt · 03-12-09, 10:04 PM

Every 2-3 years and less than $200.
I can't justify the $400 PCI-card. There nice but too much coin.
But, when you have a wife / 2 kids / dog / 2 rigs / 2 cars etc...
House and cottage as well!!!

I've bought a few used cards that worked too.

Archer0915 · 03-13-09, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkoersvelt

Every 2-3 years and less than $200.
I can't justify the $400 PCI-card. There nice but too much coin.
But, when you have a wife / 2 kids / dog / 2 rigs / 2 cars etc...
House and cottage as well!!!

I've bought a few used cards that worked too.

Amen to that!!!!!!

Neural Net · 03-15-09, 01:12 PM

Once a year.
Spend about $300-$400.
Or when a card comes out that is 1.5x/2x faster than the previous top cards.

That's pretty much it. Going to wait for the 6 core i7s next, then I will likely upgrade my entire rig.

Mr.DLucey · 03-16-09, 06:06 PM

3-5 years
under $200

Guess I'm just cheep compared to the rest of ya. I usually just use the old one till I have to up grade to play a game or a older computer's one bits the dust ,and I get me a new one hand down my old one.

wav3form · 03-17-09, 03:59 PM

When I was younger I upgraded almost yearly. Now that i'm 32 I don't really care anymore.

Although, if a game is coming down the pipe line that I really want to play, i'll upgrade as many parts as possible to play it. I'm more choosy now I guess.

DarkVirusVx · 03-17-09, 04:39 PM

I voted every year $300-$400. It's normally 2-3 times a year. I normally get a mid-high card when they first come out and then wait for the high ends to drop. Then I used the old card on one of the other computers floating around or sell it to a friend at a small loss.

View Poll Results: How often do you upgrade your vid card for games?
Every year	129	26.71%
Every 2-3 years	254	52.59%
Every 3-5 years	100	20.70%
Less than $200	68	14.08%
Between $200-$300	120	24.84%
Between $300-$400	43	8.90%
Over $400	40	8.28%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 483. You may not vote on this poll

03-07-09, 12:21 PM	#41
sulretal Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Every 3-5 years Less than 200$ for sure __________________ We're no here.
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03-07-09, 02:30 PM	#42
BenF Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Hell, Michigan	I wait until I my current card struggles to play games then I'll wait to buy a new one until the card I want is less than $200. I'm a big gamer, but I care about gameplay not graphics so I'm not too motivated to buy one unless my current one can't play the games I want to play. __________________ Desktop: -Gigabyte z68x-ud3h-b3 - 2500k @4.5 - XFX 7970 @ 1125/1575 - 8Gb ddr3 1333 - 3x samsung spinpoint f1 1tb - intel g2 ssd- Laptops: Fujitsu Lifebook T Series -M540 - 4gb ram - 300gb hdd Lenovo T61 (out of commission) -t7300-Nvidia nvs130-2gb ram-100gb hdd-14" widescreen "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." -Oscar Wilde
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03-07-09, 03:11 PM	#43
shadin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minneapolis	I go for the best price/performance available once my current card starts showing it's age in newer titles I want to play. That works itself out to spending about $200.00 every two years or so. The max that I'll ever spend is $300.00, and it's got to have the stats and the need from software to back it up. __________________ Desktop: Intel i5-3570k - ASRock Z77 Pro4-M - Samsung DDR3-1600 8GB - Crucial M4 128GB - Sapphire HD 6950 2GB - Corsair TX650W I know there's no grand plan here. This is just the way it goes. Heatware
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03-07-09, 04:05 PM	#44
Dak9767 Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Dundalk, Maryland	It used to be every year...but I had to cut it back to every 2-3 years. Usually spending about $200-$300.
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03-07-09, 04:34 PM	#45
JLK03F150 Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA	I try to skip a generation and get it (or them) when the series has been around a while. Last go-round i got a pair of HD 3870's for less than $400. __________________ Q9650, Rampage Formula X48, 4x1GB G.Skill PC2-6400 (D9GMH), HD 6950, 2x 64GB SandForce 1222 SSD RAID 0, BFG LS1000, Gamer X6800, AW9D-Max i975X, 4x2GB G.Skill PC2-8000, GTX 650, 240GB Intel 335 SSD, 1TB WD Black, Seasonic S12-650W, Lightroom4 E8600, nvidia e-7150 i630, 2x2GB Mushkin PC2-8500, HD 4650, 500GB WD Blue, Antec 380W, HTPC What computer do you have? And please don't say a white one. - Sheldon Cooper icebob: cpu on water, cards air, me whiskey!
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03-07-09, 06:07 PM	#46
Maxvla Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: OKC	Hurray for voting in both of the lowest results hah... 3-5 years and $300-400 My last upgrade was about 2 years ago maybe slightly more and I got a 8800GT that was mid $300s at the time. Still working like a champ, no need to upgrade for at least another couple years. __________________ The Black Hole Intel i7 860 2.8ghz Gigabyte P55M-UD2 Mushkin 2x2GB DDR3 1600 EVGA GTX460 1GB Intel X-25M 80GB SSD Magnetics - 2x2TB 4x1TB Corsair HX850W PSU NEC DVD-RW
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03-08-09, 05:53 PM	#47
BigDan3131 Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Issaquah, Washington	3-5 for me too...Same computer started with ati 9700pro then upgraded to x800 pro and now 3850. It basicly was the as a new game came out I liked and wanted to play I bought the new card. __________________ MSI X58 Platinum 950 cpu, X-FI 6Gb Patriot Viper 1333 1 1Tb Caviar black 2x460 GTX 2Gb Vid Too much info too little money = :mad: gamer
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03-08-09, 05:58 PM	#48
cullam3n Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The River City	I put every 2-3 years and $200-$300. In the past I have capped myself at $200 for a video card but I had splurged on my GTX 260, which was around $250 I think, and a first over $200. It's always painful for me to run with a previous+ generation card, but when I finally do upgrade, it's like a whole new world. I want to install every game and just play it just to see how smooth and nice and it looks. I did it when I upgraded to a Ti4200 from a Geforce 2 MX400. I didn't do it so much from my twoo never-ran-right FX5900XTs to a 6800nu, or from my 6800nu to my 7900GS (which I splurged on because it was cheap at best buy), and definitely not from my 7900GS to my 7950GT.. I did however do it with my GTX 260 upgrading from my 7950GT. __________________ My Rigs: Main - i5 3570K \| eVGA Z77 FTW \| GTX 670 2GB \| 16GB DDR3 1333 \| Momentus XT 500GB \| XFX 850w Black HTPC - C²D E8400 \| EP45-UD3P \| GT 520 \| 4GB DDR2 1066 \| OCZ Agility 3 60GB \| ST50F-P NAS - E350M1/USB3 \| 2GB DDR3 1066 \| 4x1TB WD Blue \| ST50F-P Travel - UX32VD-DH71 \| i7 3517U \| 10GB DDR3 1600 \| GT 620M --Ultrabook life HeatWare
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03-10-09, 01:55 PM	#49
lubetek Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Riverside, California	I upgrade yearly. I usually don't buy top of the line but upper mid level cards. My most recent cards: 2006 7800GS AGP 2007 8800GTS 320mb 2007 8800GT 512mb 2008 4870 1GB 2009 ?
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03-11-09, 01:07 AM	#50
Aynjell Member Join Date: Dec 2008	It looks like I'm going to have 3 upgrades this year, if you count them all. 7600GT SLI to GTX 260 core 216 GTX 260 core 216 Step up to GTX 285 GTX 285 to GTX 285 SLI __________________ Do not break wind in the same room as a dark brother or sister; to do so is to invoke the wrath of Sithis. - Aynjell, in fond memory of Lucien LeChance
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03-12-09, 05:52 PM	#51
Badbonji Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Birmingham, UK	Once per year on average, and must be high end sli :P __________________ i7 3770K 4.5GHz 1.2V \| Phanteks PH-TC14PE \| 16GB TeamGroup Elite 1600MHz \| GIGABYTE G1.Sniper M3 \| EVGA GTX680 SC 1254/1500MHz \| M4 256GB + 150GB Raptor \| Corsair HX+ 850W \| Antec 1200 i7 965 \| 8GB OCZ Gold 1600MHz \| GIGABYTE Extreme X58 \| HD5450 \| M4 64GB + 7TB \| OCZ 500W P9500 3.13GHz \| 4GB 1000MHz DDR2 \| Mobility HD4850 550/900MHz \| 500GB
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03-12-09, 07:23 PM	#52
freeagent Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Winnipeg!	usually every year or two.. it all depends.. i used to switch it up every 6 months or so untill i got my 88gtx a couple of years ago, and now im looking to replace it with something equally as great. lots of people bash the gtx 285, but i bought one anyways. but whatever, ill run it for a year or 2 and move on to the next unless they start makeing dx11 cards soon __________________ Xeon X5690 @ 4304Mhz 1.375v/Corsair H100/4x 38x120 Panaflo Asus Rampage III Formula @ 159/3507/3507 3x2GB STT Chrome (MGH-E) @ 797Mhz 6-6-6-20 1T 1.65v Asus GTX580 Matrix Platinum @ 900/1052 1.1v OCZ RevoDrive 120GB\|Intel 520 120GB\|WD 1TB Black Auzentech Prelude\|TT SP850M\|ZM-MFC2\|CM Stacker STC-01
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03-12-09, 08:51 PM	#53
Archer0915 "The Expert" Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: In Nashville NC setting up a monster of a money pitt.	I ug whenever the competition gets too much of a lead in frames. As to how much well lets just say less than my 454 Casull so I didn't answer __________________ People that buy OEM systems think Linux was a Charlie Brown character, a registry is something you see at target to buy shower gifts, RAM is a Dodge truck and a hard drive is DC at rush hour. Knowing your usage habits can help you save money and get the fastest system for you! Current Active Fleet: Daily Driver - i7@3.8, 16GB Ram, 6770 GFX Bedroom PC - SB Celerey @ 1.6, 4GB Ram Entertainment Room HTPC & Madia/File Server - 661@3.5, 4GB Ram, On Chip GFXLiving Room HTPC - E-450@1.9 GHz, 4GB Ram Game Rig - 2500K@4.5, 12GB Ram, 465GTX + 9800GT (PhysX) using intel SRT Test Bed - 3570K with various components and a TT 750w PSU HEAT
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03-12-09, 08:55 PM	#54
sil40sx Member Join Date: Mar 2007	whenever there's a high end card that comes out. -so last year, i bought 3 cards. edit: i meant, 2 last year and 1 this quarter (gtx295) longest one i had was the HD4870x2 __________________ ------------------------ i7 965 -- ASUS P6T Deluxe -- GTX 295 -- 3 x 2GB Corsair Dominator 1600 -- Corsair HX1000 -- 2 x 300GB VelociRaptor -- X-Fi Extreme gamer -- Silverstone TJ-07 ---------------------- -- Apogee GTZ -- EK-FC295 GTX GPU block -- Swiftech MCP655 -- 240mm Feser X-Changer Xtreme -- 240mm Black Ice Extreme 2 - EK-Multioption RES 250 Rev 2 -- Bitspower compressed/angled fittings -- HEATWARE noob Last edited by sil40sx; 03-12-09 at 09:01 PM.
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03-12-09, 10:04 PM	#55
mkoersvelt Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Winnipeg,Canada (EH!)	Every 2-3 years and less than $200. I can't justify the $400 PCI-card. There nice but too much coin. But, when you have a wife / 2 kids / dog / 2 rigs / 2 cars etc... House and cottage as well!!! I've bought a few used cards that worked too. __________________ ______________________________________ RIG 1\| AMD LIVE 64 4400+ BRISBANE \| 2300 MHZ DUAL CORE \| ACER FG690GVM \| 3GIG DDR2-4200 MUSHKIN 4-4-4-12 \| SEGATE 320GIG SATA \| ATI HD 3450 ______________________________________ RIG 2 \| ABIT BE-7 1.0 \| P-4@2.457 \| DDR 333 1024MEG \| WD 80GIGx2 \| NVIDIA TI-4200
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03-15-09, 01:12 PM	#57
Neural Net Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK	Once a year. Spend about $300-$400. Or when a card comes out that is 1.5x/2x faster than the previous top cards. That's pretty much it. Going to wait for the 6 core i7s next, then I will likely upgrade my entire rig. __________________ CPU: Core i7 2600k @4.5Ghz 1.26v + Corsair H80 GPU: 2x Crossfired MSI 6950 2GB @900Mhz/1300mhz MOBO: Gigabyte Z68X-UD4-B3 RAM: 16GB Kingston C9 1600Mhz HD: 2x Corsair Force 3 120GB + 2TB Spinpoint F4 CASE: Antec P182 PSU: Antec Truepower 750 My YouTube* channel* (GTA4 Machinima): Bobisuruncle54
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03-16-09, 06:06 PM	#58
Mr.DLucey Member Join Date: Jul 2002	3-5 years under $200 Guess I'm just cheep compared to the rest of ya. I usually just use the old one till I have to up grade to play a game or a older computer's one bits the dust ,and I get me a new one hand down my old one. __________________ E6600 @2.99GHz - DFI Infinity P965 Dark - 4GB PC6400 - WD 300GB Raptor - WD 74GB Raptor - Radeon HD 3850 256MB - Vista Business E6420 @2.13GHz - Asrock 4Core DualVSTA - 4GB PC 6400 - WD 120GB IDE - Sapphire HD 3850 512MB - XP Home
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03-17-09, 03:59 PM	#59
wav3form Member Join Date: Dec 2008	When I was younger I upgraded almost yearly. Now that i'm 32 I don't really care anymore. Although, if a game is coming down the pipe line that I really want to play, i'll upgrade as many parts as possible to play it. I'm more choosy now I guess.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-17-09, 04:39 PM	#60
DarkVirusVx Member Join Date: Jul 2004	I voted every year $300-$400. It's normally 2-3 times a year. I normally get a mid-high card when they first come out and then wait for the high ends to drop. Then I used the old card on one of the other computers floating around or sell it to a friend at a small loss.
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