Any point to upgrading GPU

[ffallic]

Have been looking at purchasing a 512MB 7900Gt, and while reading up on the different cards started reading about the next line-up of chips from the two GPU makers.

The next level of cards will be DX10 compliant. Current cards, as far as I know, will not. So how long are any current cards people buy likely to be useful?

I just don't feel like spending a lot on a card to find it is uselsess in a year.

 

[NosBoost300]

well just put it out into a lesser card then.. don't go so extreme... go for a 7600 gt instead... unless your running something nice right now... mind if you could tell us what you go now?

 

[ffallic]

Currently running a 256MB Ati X800XL (AGP). Its a nice card, and stil runs games ok in 1024 with relatively high settings....

I simply know that games can look and run better than they currently do on my machine, so looking to give it that bit of extra muscle it needs.

Was going to go with the 7900GT so that I could one day add another when I started noticing some lag.

 

[NosBoost300]

well seeing as you have agp.. your going to need a new mobo... and if you don't feel like spending too much money i'd get a 7600... but 7900's have gotten really cheap.. if you do decide to get one.. go with a 7900 gt KO from evga, those can overclock very nicely. I don't think you need to go so extreme as a 512 mb version... what resolutions do you play on.. because i play on 1280x1024 and i can handle fear with everything up 4xaa 16xaf soft shadows and all that good stuff and maintain 50-80 fps... 7900 gt is a very good card.... but.. if your playing higher resolution i'd go with that 512 mb version.. that could keep you from going sli as well, save some cash

so if you got the cash go with the 512 mb... i wouldnt buy a geforce 8 immediately because i doubt dx10 will be out because vista's coming out next year for us people.... and they should be fairly cheap anyway because of the smaller die and all that mumbo jumbo... smaller processors 65 nm supposedly

 

[ffallic]

I got an Asrock board with AGP adn PCI-e... not the best board, I know but short of upgrading absolutely everything in one go, it was the best option for me.

My upgrade path is something like this:
GPU
Socket AM2 Processor and DDR2 memory
Motherboard
GPU 2 (when necessary)

I really don't want to go for anything less than 512MB for a GPU. But I am just thinking about the long term viability of the current boards.

I guess as DX10 is a vista only feature, it will be some time before a DX10 card is required. If the cards are viable for about another two years, then I think I could go for it.

Edit: Max resolution I will be running is 1280 x 1024 as it is the max my monitor supports.

 

[NosBoost300]

well then i think 1 512 mb card should do you just fine... i saw you get the 512 mb gt

 

[curtcheese64]

Look around Newegg, the 256mb 7900GT is pretty cheap.

 

[Spartan]

Have been looking at purchasing a 512MB 7900Gt, and while reading up on the different cards started reading about the next line-up of chips from the two GPU makers.

The next level of cards will be DX10 compliant. Current cards, as far as I know, will not. So how long are any current cards people buy likely to be useful?

I just don't feel like spending a lot on a card to find it is uselsess in a year.

Yeah, I would just buy a low end card right now to hold up until November or so, when ATI and nVidia have released the G80 and R600 cards respectively. Then, just get one of those.

 

[jonny_uk]

ffallic whats the spec of your system? just curious?