XFX GeForce 8600 GT XXX Question

[masonyes]

Is 45 dollars a good deal? Can I do better price/performace wise. Also the card can play mass effect, fallout 3; right?

Nvm I found a 9600gt for 60 dollars!!!!

[Mozgus]

Barely? Yes. Reasonably? No.

[Lodestar]

I have a 7600 GT from XFX and I can run both of these games on medium to high at an acceptable framerate (though not at a high resolution), so the 8600 "barely" running it is not true. The 8600 GT is slightly faster than the 7600 GT and will be able to squeeze out a few more frames per second. Also, 45 USD is a good deal considering I spent 75 or so for my card last November on Newegg - and that was on sale with rebates and everything.

XFX is a good manufacturer with an excellent return/repair policy, so keep that in mind as well if you decide not to buy that specific model.

[Citizin]

I have a 7600 GT from XFX and I can run both of these games on medium to high at an acceptable framerate (though not at a high resolution)

Could you give more details on how it runs Fallout 3? Even though I've pretty much stepped out of PC gaming, I have that same card as you and Fallout 3 sounds like a good action rpg.

My lcd now has some stuck pixels where a scratch used to be but I could always just take out the crt I use for my dreamcast and put it at a low resolution for hopefully a better performance.

[Lodestar]

You will need to sacrifice a few things in order to get it running right and it will take some experimentation. Things that can be left off are bloom or HDR, hardcore anisotropic or anti-aliasing (2x AA is okay), distant landscapes (can be toned down), the shadows and shaders can be put on medium, etc.

But how much are you willing to sacrifice or do you want it to play it in all of its hi-res glory? Because for that, you're going to need an 8800 probably. Also, what kind of processor are you running? RAM?

EDIT:

A 9600 GT will do fine if you're on a budget, you'll definitely be able to run it decently. Go with that if you found one for 60.

[Mozgus]

Whatever man. My 7600GT cant run simpler games than those. You're either on 800x600, or you think 10fps is acceptable.

[Citizin]

heh, unlike the OP, I'm not trying or willing to go for an upgrade. I know I'd lose some graphical quality, but I don't want it to look completely horrible. Maybe I'd be better off just going for it on a console, or not at all.

[Lodestar]

No and no, Mozgus.

Also, go for the 360 version of Fallout 3 if you decide to go console because the PS3 version has a few problems (though I think a patch has been released to account for some of them).

[Citizin]

Would I be missing out on any essential mods? I remember there being tons of them for Oblivion that just improved the game in every way.

[Lodestar]

If you want mods then get the PC version; there are some good mods that actually make the game better because they fix what Bethesda screwed up. For example, scavenging food is pretty much pointless in Fallout 3 because you typically only get +6 HP and a near equal amount of radiation (rads), so what one mod does is balance out these items so that you don't have all of these worthless items everywhere that aren't even worth using. I don't know the details, but I know that it was a welcome mod.

You can expect plenty more to come in the near future, the game is pretty damn popular.