Assuming a 512MB graphics board costs roughly $150 more than a 256MB board ........

[CDsDontBurn]

my personal rule of thumb for a gaming machine is that the cost of both the CPU and MoBo should be about half the cost of the video card(s). Of course, not everybody can afford such parts, so they gotta cut corners here and there.

[No_Style]

I'm picky about the set up with my monitor which is why I enjoy everything being played at 1280x960 @ 85 Hz and VSYNC. So if a 512 MB card is needed for me to play my games at this resolution with a touch of AA/AF then I guess I'd shell out for a 512MB card.

[Zelig]

Nope, I won't be buying a card for such a price.

I picked up my 128MB R360 core 9800 pro for under $300 canadian just after the 6800 ultra was announced, and it's still doing me fine. I can't see myself spending anything over $300 (canadian) on a new video card anytime soon.

I barely game anymore, and mostly older games at that, so I'd rather spend my money on other stuff.

[No_Style]

Originally Posted by Zelig

I picked up my 128MB R360 core 9800 pro for under $300 canadian just after the 6800 ultra was announced, and it's still doing me fine. I can't see myself spending anything over $300 (canadian) on a new video card anytime soon.

Hey I did that as well.

[kelticknight]

got my x800xt pe late in dec 04.at time was king,now the x850xt pe is.both have 256 ram.now a 512 card.haven't see a game yet that uses the full 256ram yet alone 128 ram.all l can see is ati and nvidia trying to beat each other with most powerful of cards at the customers expense.most peoples wallets don't always have that kind of money.for me for now l like to get my worths out of my x800xt pe.maybe in 2006 i'll think about it,if its more than 540 euros that l payed for my current card ,the answer is NO BLODY WAY
CHEERS

[BWX]

Considering how expensive they are already, no way.. Maybe another $50 to $75, but $150 on top of an already insanely expensive product is way too much for the rare instances that the extra 256mb would actually even be beneficial.

[eggs420]

No freaking way. I can see some folks going for it, but too rich for my blood. I'll stick with very playable resolutions and performance, and pay car insurance or something with the extra...

[The_Neon_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by studbagel9

Remember when video cards were 300 dollars for the high end? ::smile:: ::tear:: What happened to the good old days. 700 dollars for a video card is completely outrageous.

Did that card have 512mb of ram? runing at insane speeds? a 500mhz gpu? 16 pipelines? etc?
NO!

No? you have your answer... A beter product = a higher price..... Not only becouse it's better and faster becouse it's newer and more expensive to produce... card parts aren't free....

the extra 256mb of VERY EXPENSIVE MEMORY, extra parts, diffrent design
they've got to recoup thier money....

I mean you don't see any one crying about top end car prices... It's the same big fancy car with sweete body (card) a big engine ( GPU+MEM) and fully loaded naturally cost more then a generic car with a small engine and no options (features)....


Actally $300 isn't what it once was eather! Not in the lest... Actually I'm ptrrry sure I paid closer to $350 for my 1st radeon 64mb ddr vivo (183/183 & 2 pixel pipes) and that was after the price dropped!!!...

I mean I guess they could make a card much like the 9600XT with 512mb of ram for you guys but I doubt that would pass muster

You guys are fuuny you want you cake and eat it too! But someone has to pay the baker!
Stuff isn't free....

[Ev!L-aLphA]

same i just got my x800xt pe a couple of monthes ago... its really tempting but to expensive at the moment.. my next pc upgrade (in a year or two) will have PCI-E and hopfully a 512 mb card (or even 1gb card )

[Danhill]

Neon, only you would compare a car with a videocard lol.

I think that the price on the video cards is going to rise more.

As I said eariler, now I wouldn't pay 150$ for another 256 Mb, I'm guessing that when it's time for me to change the card in a year or so then the cards that are available by then, they allready have 512 Mb I guess.

[starfury6]

My 6800U PCI-e cost me £440 (GBP), there's no way in hell I'd pay $150 over the top of that (about £80 with current exchanges but it always works out more).

[Sandok]

Depends... If's i'm going to be dishing out 800CHF for a 3D card, I might add the extra 200chf for the ram... Who knows?

[Son_of_Thunder]

not for a loooong time. my last upgrade will be my HDD, and then i'm letting this sytem coast for a few years.

1500 bucks is a lot to spend on a system, expecially when you only make 6usd/hour

[BWX]

Originally Posted by The_Neon_Cowboy

I mean you don't see any one crying about top end car prices... It's the same big fancy car with sweete body (card) a big engine ( GPU+MEM) and fully loaded naturally cost more then a generic car with a small engine and no options (features)....

Hehe, yes.... but top end sports cars appreciate in value or hold value.. none depreciate as fast as PC hardware.

That's the sad part about PC hardware. A Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, etc, made 10 or 20 years ago is still very valuable and fun to drive now, a video card from 10 or even 5 years ago-- well, that's in the junk pile even if it is in mint condition.. obsolete. At least you can still drive a car, the old top end video cards aren't worth the space they take up in the cardboard box they live in "for gaming".


That's why Top end PC hardware is so difficult for people to spend huge amounts of money on, it loses value faster than just about anything I can think of. 2 years ago I bought my 9700Pro for 300+ dollars.. Now it's practically worthless. not useless yet, but still worth very little actual money).

That's why I am still waiting to upgrade, I am not going to spend 300, 400, 600 bucks on a video card every year, especially when the really truly great games are so painfully few and far between these days.

I understand the people who really want the best at all times, I mean it is fun and if you can sell the "1 year old top end card" for a good price it is worth doing, but it is still an expensive habit.

Then when you consider all the other PC parts you need to upgrade to give the top end bran new video card a proper home... it just makes the whole process 10 x more expensive than just the video card purchase.

[Danhill]

Originally Posted by BWX

Hehe, yes.... but top end sports cars appreciate in value or hold value.. none depreciate as fast as PC hardware.

That's the sad part about PC hardware. A Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, etc, made 10 or 20 years ago is still very valuable and fun to drive now, a video card from 10 or even 5 years ago-- well, that's in the junk pile even if it is in mint condition.. obsolete. At least you can still drive a car, the old top end video cards aren't worth the space they take up in the cardboard box they live in "for gaming".


That's why Top end PC hardware is so difficult for people to spend huge amounts of money on, it loses value faster than just about anything I can think of. 2 years ago I bought my 9700Pro for 300+ dollars.. Now it's practically worthless. not useless yet, but still worth very little actual money).

That's why I am still waiting to upgrade, I am not going to spend 300, 400, 600 bucks on a video card every year, especially when the really truly great games are so painfully few and far between these days.

I understand the people who really want the best at all times, I mean it is fun and if you can sell the "1 year old top end card" for a good price it is worth doing, but it is still an expensive habit.

Then when you consider all the other PC parts you need to upgrade to give the top end bran new video card a proper home... it just makes the whole process 10 x more expensive than just the video card purchase.

Well said BWX, I totaly agree, it is a very expensive hobby to have a PC.