Sacrificed 9800 Pro 256MB for 128MB!

[coolmonk]

I went through two bad ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB video cards from Newegg in the past 2 weeks. I'm very disappointed at ATI right now and not so much at Newegg since they've always been great to me in the past. I've lost about $20 having to ship back the video cards twice already. The second time was actually for a refund instead of an RMA. Best Buy was selling the 128MB version for only $199 so I decided to buy it from them instead. The card is working wonderfully right now with no artifacts whatsoever (both the 256MB had artifacts). I even have it overclocked to 410/360 (stock was 370/340).

I have a question for those of you who know A LOT about the NVidia GeForce 6800 GT. Best Buy sells the BFG NVidia GeForce 6800 GT. I can get it for $300 but my first question is, is the BFG version any good? Second, does that thing require a lot from my power supply? I currently have an Antec True430 and my PC has three optical drives, one floppy, two harddrives, three case fans, and a SB Audigy 2 ZS. If I add the BFG GeForce 6800 GT, will my power supply have enough juice?

[AgentVX]

1. Yes, BFG cards are good and I think they also come with a lifetime warranty.
2. Yes, all 6800s require a lot of power. You could use this to calculate how much power you are using: http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/
I'm no expert on this, but I'm inclined to think that a good 430W PSU will be enough.

[coolmonk]

Wow, that is a nice site. According to the site, I need a minimum of 399 Watts. My Antec PSU is very good so I'll assume it can handle the 6800 GT. Thanks for the reply!

[kram 2.0]

Remember that the site calculates a bare minimum wattage you would need - and that is very good PSU. Antec does make good PSU, so 430W should be safe.

On the GeForce 6800GT, you sure it's a GT? 300 USD sound too good to be true...that's the pricetag of the regular GF 6800. It is one of the better cards out right now, along with the Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB.

kram

[rustywood]

kram,i got a thermaltake 480w twv ,the twv means that you can see how many watts your using on a L.E.D. read out, with my 6800gt which buy the way this is the second one to crap out ,is at full load games running, is only showing at the highest 168-180 watts yet the calculater says my system needs 311 watss im beginnig to think my psu is playing games with me.

[AgentVX]

I think that's because that calculator tells you how much power you need when everything is fully running, including optical and storage drives. While playing games, there may not be much drive activity, hence lower power usage.

[Hi Ho]

According to the Best Buy website the BFG GeForce 6800 GT is $399, not $300. About the 9800 Pro. The 128 MB version is actually better than the 256 MB one. The 128 MB uses faster memory and is a better card overall. No game available today takes advantage of 256 MB on a video card. (except maybe Doom III )

[coolmonk]

Originally Posted by kram8806 On the GeForce 6800GT, you sure it's a GT? 300 USD sound too good to be true...that's the pricetag of the regular GF 6800. It is one of the better cards out right now, along with the Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB. kram

I know that the retail price on Best Buy's website states that it is $399 but my brother works there so he can get it for $300 (yes, the GT version...not the regular 6800). Originally I wanted the ATI X800 PRO (also $300 w/ discount at Best Buy), but they don't carry the card at the store..only online....so I decided to go with the 6800 GT. Thanks for all your input, I will definitely get the 6800 GT!