Karonysus

@ IVIYTH0S: Thanks for all the great links! And no, I'm not afraid of EBay... I've only ever had good experiences with it when buying but still, I feel like it's only a matter of time before I get unlucky. I usually look there last. >_> I finally found a card that I'm rather pleased with: BFG Tech BFGE98512GTXPOCE GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail ($131.99) It can be in a combo apparently... Should I buy the Vista Home Premium 32-bit with it? It's $134.99 (Including combo discount). I do need an operating system... It seems really expensive to get though >_< But at least it comes with a coupon for a free Win 7 upgrade. Do you guys think it's worth getting? The grand total for this combo (including shipping, handling & tax)= $313.22

Well first I actually swapped out two things from my rig. I'm getting: A406-1116 :: XION Power Real 1000W ATX Power Supply ($114.97) I'm also trying to decide between three monitors: ASUS VH242H 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 1080p, 1920x1080, 20000:1 Dynamic, 16:9, VGA, DVI, HDMI. Black vs. I-inc iH-252HPB 25" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 1080p, 1920x1080, 15000:1 Dynamic, 800:1 Native, 2ms, 16:9 vs. Acer H233Hbmid 23" LCD Monitor - 5ms, 1920x1080, 40000:1, 1080p Capability, HDMI The first one is $10 more expensive but is rated 4.9 of 8 reviews (doesn't seem to be any major complaints + it has both DVI and HDMI which I like the option of choosing, but it has 5 ms response time. Whereas the 2nd one doesn't have DVI, rated 4.5 of 70, and apparently there are several complaints about the blacks on the screen not being true, however it has response time of 2 ms. The third one is $20 more than the 2nd + seemingly less viewing angle, but 4.8 review of 23, higher contrast ratio and doesn't have any reviews indicating to a major problem. Might anyone be able to help me pick which I should get? Oh, I'll mention what is important to me in a monitor: - Support HD - Has HDMI input - Colours - Able to see from fair distance rather comfortably from reasonable angles (like say 3 people were watching together) - Is response time between 2 ms and 5 ms even noticeable? Not important: - Size - Speakers Either way yes, my resolution and power have gone up. Perhaps that will help with the decision for the video card? I'm trying to buy from either tigerdirect.ca or lucomputers.com as I'm getting about $500 in parts already from each of them. Though they have a very limited selection on 9800 GT/X/+. =( I'm currently looking at this one: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Sea...&CatId=3669 But it's about $200. Is it worth it? I've noticed a trend: 9800 GT 512 MB averages around $100-140, but for $30 more of the same brand I can make it a 1GB. 9800 GTX+ 512 is at least $150, but for about $50 I can get it as 1 GB. Would it be better to get the GT 1GB or GTX+ 512MB if I had to choose?

The GTS 250s from the graphs of the site that I linked are only not economical for SLI, but they seem to be the best without SLI. I actually wasn't planning to get another card. I just want one and be done with looking for more for a few years. Does anyone here use SLI? If so, can I get some reviews (what it does for you and your experience) about it please? @ IVIYTH0S & xchrissypoox: Thank you for the 9800 GTX recommendations! I've done more research into it and I have a feeling I'm going to end up with one!

O_O Oh wow! I'm really impressed by how fast the comments have come. Thanks for all the help everyone! I should probably mention my situation: 1) This is the first time I'm putting together a rig. 2) I'm a film student who primarily needs to video edit. (Need to be able to use Adobe Premiere CS4 + AfterEffects) 3) I do love gaming, but I am not one who needs to play the fastest nor the newest. Although, I would appreciate a video card that can play just about any game on the market so far with ease. Some games that I do love/hope to play: - Command & Conquer (I am going to acquire Red Alert 3 soon!) - Warcraft (Yes, I play DOTA >_>) - Starcraft (I can't wait for II! >_<) - GunZOnline - ASDA Story @ ShallowBay: I actually have no idea what Physx is for and what games use it. @_@ Could you please give me a brief rundown? 4) I really appreciate the links to other cards but the reality is handling and shipping fees + $ conversion sucks from those online sites (like the newegg links that I keep getting... It's at least an extra $20 on top for the item I want ;_. >_< Bestbuy and Futureshop both have a "free shipping over $39" deal. @ IVIYTH0S: If I may, how can the POWERCOLOR AX4850 be better for me? 5) I've already decided on the following parts: - Gigabyte AMD790 Motherboard GAMA790XT-UD4 ($137.99) - AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core Processor 9850 Black Edition ($150.99) - KINGSTON 4GB (2X2G) DDR3-1333 (KVR1333D3N9K2/4G) ($108.99) - SEASONIC POWER SUPPLY S12-II 500WATT ATX ($101.99) - Samsung 1TB 7200RPM SATA II,32MB CACHE ($100.99) - LG 22X Internal SATA DVD Rewriter (GH22LS40) ($34.99) - Samsung SyncMaster 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor (2033SW) <--- Max. Resolution = 1600 x 900 ($169.99) - (I'm still looking for a case with cooler too) Total Cost (so far): $805.93 I'm trying to keep my rig under $1000. At most, I can push my budget to $1100. What SHOULD my rig have to make use of the GTS 250's full potential? - I initially decided on the GTS 250 mainly because of the power savings. If it can compete with the other cards in terms of graphics and speed, but on less power, then I'd prefer it. I leave my CPU on like all the time so those pennies add up! Is there anything in my rig that you guys would not recommend? Or maybe an idea of something that is comparable but cheaper? Any and all advice is very much appreciated! Thank you! P.S. I'm a she. =)

Hey everyone, I'm need a new video card asap. >_< I decided to get the GeForce GTS 250... But I stumbled across two different ones. BFG GeForce GTS 250 OC 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetai...amp;catid=25617 vs. Zotac GeForce GTS 250 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.a...amp;catid=20397 There is a huge difference in price at the moment ($169.99 vs. $229.99 respectively), but I don't know how they differ besides brands. Can someone tell me what the difference is in pros and cons between these two cards please?