Graphics Recommendations

If you already own a decent system and are looking to upgrade, the options available for a moderate to high performance graphics card are quite abundant. AGP and PCIe are both viable, although we'd hesitate to spend more than $250 on an AGP card. If you don't have an Athlon 64 system, we wouldn't bother with purchasing any AGP cards, since that's the only AGP platform (socket 754/939) that we still feel offers sufficient CPU performance to warrant a faster graphics card. Our recommendations will be limited to PCIe parts, but you can find similar options for AGP if you look.

One option that isn't available for PCIe right now is the X800XT All-In-Wonder from ATI. Currently going for $386 with a $50 mail-in rebate (sometimes less), it's a very sweet deal for any AGP hold-outs looking for a final upgrade before they move on. Those of you who want a good computer system that won't be used for any gaming can always drop down to a less expensive graphics card - that's all that really separates a "Gaming PC" from an "Office PC" anymore. We like the ability to run two DVI LCDs with an office/work PC, so that does eliminate the cheapest cards. There are some Radeon 9600 cards with dual DVI for around $125, and Matrox offers the G650 for $150. Both of those are AGP options, however, and the cheapest PCIe card with dual DVI that we're aware of is the GeForce 6600GT line. The XFX 6600GT isn't the quietest card around, but it still managed to win our Silver Editor's Choice award back in the December 6600GT PCIe Roundup.


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Mid-Range Graphics Recommendation
PCIe GPU: Powercolor X800XL OEM
Price: $279 Shipped

While you certainly could go with a lesser card like the 6600GT or X700 Pro, we figure that most people in the market for a Mid-Range or higher computer are going to want at least an X800XL. Performance is comparable to the 6800GT in most games (Doom 3 being the exception), and the price is actually under the $299 MSRP that ATI suggested at the X800XL launch. It's worth noting that this is an OEM model, so extra software is not included, but most people don't care too much for the software bundles. As far as the card itself, it's basically a reference design, and it includes VGA and DVI connectors, as well as a socket that can be used with S-VIDEO, Composite, or Component out. Overclocking of X800XL cards is also decent, as we've heard of quite a few people able to reach 450 to 500 MHz core speeds without trouble.

If you want a retail card, several options are available for about $300. Of those, we'd go with the MSI, which includes dual DVI ports as well as VIVO - certainly worth the extra $20, provided that you plan on using the features. The X800 is also an option, with the Sapphire X800 currently available for around $225. If you don't like ATI or if you simply want another alternative, you can pick up one of the 6800GT cards below and forget about SLI, or perhaps even pick up one card now and plan for the second in the future. Doom 3 addicts - the expansion is out, you know - might also prefer the 6800GT over the X800XL, although it's still difficult to justify the nearly $100 price increase for one game.


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High-End Graphics Recommendation
PCIe SLI GPU: 2 x 6800GT - eVGA, MSI, or XFX (pictured)
Price: $690 Shipped

Sometimes, it's really difficult to pick a single manufacturer for a given item, and such is the case here. The differences between the eVGA, MSI, and XFX cards are difficult to spot, as all include dual DVI connections. They all appear to stick to the reference design exactly - in fact, you could probably buy two cards from different manufacturers and still run them in SLI, although we wouldn't actually recommend taking that risk. The important thing is that you end up with a system that has SLI with two of the fastest cards available. Sure, you could try using 6800 Ultra cards, but even we can't justify spending over $1000 just on video cards. You also have to deal with the dual-slot design of the Ultra, and the close quarters on all SLI boards (other than the ASUS A8N) give us cause for concern.

Other than switching to the 6800 Ultra, it's currently impossible to beat the performance offered by 6800GT cards in SLI. The one drawback is that games have to be supported by the drivers, so not all applications will make use of both cards currently. The price is probably the biggest drawback, though. Anyway, until the next generation ATI and NVIDIA cards come out, we don't expect to see anything dethrone SLI as the performance king. As a cheaper option, don't forget about the 6800 PCIe cards. They include 256MB of RAM, and though the default clock speed is 325/600, many have been able to push the RAM to 700 MHz and beyond. You can also run them in SLI, which results in performance somewhere between the SLI'ed 6600GT and the SLI'ed 6800GT. Two 6800 PCIe cards will run around $580, which is only slightly more than a single 6800 Ultra PCIe card while providing more performance.

One final note on graphics cards is that the fans can often be one of the noisiest components in a system. In an SLI setup, it becomes even more difficult to remove the noise generated by the GPUs. If you're not averse to modifying your graphics card (and voiding the warranty), coolers such as the Arctic Cooling Silencer are available for most GPUs and will cut out a lot of the fan noise. You can also find some cards with a Silencer from the manufacturer, and while those will often cost more, it's something that your ears will appreciate over time. Since the larger coolers are a two-slot design, you might want to pick up the ASUS A8N SLI motherboard in order to provide better air flow.

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  • PotterVilla - Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - link

    Hello,

    I've not been able to find a XFX, MSI, or eVGA 6800GT graphics card at new egg (I'm not really looking to buy, just being wishful) and I also saw that the 6800XT is only $170. The 7800GT is more in your ballpark of $345 a card. Would ether of these cards be an upgrade, and has their price gone down that much ($175) in only about seven months?

    Thank you.
  • jonp - Friday, August 26, 2005 - link

    i wonder about the hp 1905fp recommend for the mid-range non-gaming display. there are considerable comments here and elsewhere about the poor analog (d-sub 15 pin) performance ie image quality. the Genesis gm-5321 controller chip is no longer shown on their web site and the datasheets are no longer available as well. (one wonders how much longer the 1905fp will even be available?) the dvi interface might be great, but there are some of us who connect their display through a kvm that only handles analog signals--so dvi performance is of little interest. i think we need a new monitor review and new pick for the non-gaming monitor recommendation. we depend on Anandtech for solid testing and non-subjective analysis to guide us in our quest for the best value. it is clear that we need new help in this area.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, June 16, 2005 - link

    56 - not usually on NVIDIA nF3/4 or Intel chipsets. That's only an issue with secondary SATA controllers (VIA, SiS, Silicon Image, etc.) But still, never hurts to have that $8 part around just in case!
  • mhallang - Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - link

    Another reason to get a floppy drive is to install Win XP on a SATA drive. Maybe SP2 is different, and I would bet there's another way around it; but my experience was that I needed a floppy with the SATA drivers during the install process for XP.
  • JarredWalton - Monday, June 13, 2005 - link

    54 - Oh, I'd stay far away from XP64 for SLI. Raw doesn't begin to describe it, IMO. Longhorn is when I'll actually consider switching to a 64-bit OS.
  • GreedyBumps - Thursday, June 9, 2005 - link

    I built this system with all major components that are in this guide and cannot get SLI to work. Both cards work great individually but when I try to but them both in in SLI mode screen goes black after the black windows loading screen. I have tried all the driver / bios updates for everything I could find and still no dice.

    One issue could be that I installed Windows x64 professional - maybe some drivers are still too raw.

    Also - the SLI jumpers on this DFI Lanparty board are a complete pain. They are tough to pull out and there are 6 of them. When you are trying to get SLI to work it is absolute nightmare to keep switching between SLI and Normal jumper cable settings.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

    52 - I got the information from Wesley. Basically, there is a higher number of RMA for motherboards and RAM when voltages above 3.3V are used. (Not too surprising, really, as higher V = higher heat.) 3.3V and below are fine, but there is a jumper to allow up to 4.0V. If you use that jumper, it causes problems. That's my understanding. In other words, don't plan on running OCZ VX at 3.7V with no active cooling. :)
  • hgkfahgsa - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

    Jarred, could you elaborate on the problems with high voltages with the DFI cards? Is there any chance of the problems being resolved, does 3.3 volts work? etc... Thanks.
  • JarredWalton - Friday, May 27, 2005 - link

    50 - I know there are some Turtle Beach cards with S/PDIF in and out connections. M-Audio also has some, i.e. the Delta and Audiophile. Which one you want depends on the use. Most only have optical *OR* coaxial (RCA). I think many of the models with external boxes have both. If you were interested in an expensive, "everything" solution, there's the Audigy 4 Pro, but that's $280 or so, and I can't vouch for the actual quality as a whole.

    Honestly, I'm not a demanding audio person. If you want more advice on audio, I'm sure there are people in our forums that can provide better advice for "pro level" cards. You may as well ask me for advice on cars while you're at it! (Get something cheap and reliable!) ;-)
  • devslash - Friday, May 27, 2005 - link

    how important is capability of S/PDIF input. i dont see many motherboards that have this on-board.

    isn't it important/good to have it, so DVD's audio
    can be directly fed into the on-board sound system?

    can you recommend a good board w/ S/PDIF input?

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