# 8800gt vs Xbox 360/PS3



## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

Hi all, 

Looking to upgrade my graphics card at the end of the month but am torn between getting an 8800gt for my pc or an Xbox 360 for the living room. 

How does the 360 compare to the level of gaming you get from a decent PC with an 8800gt as the prices aren't too different? I know the 360 has an on board ATI graphics card but I don't know how this fares up against an 8800gt.

Cheers in advance


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## BinoPanda (Feb 22, 2008)

well a gt only provides the graphics power so you need a processer that can handle the load of the game, what is your current card. I have a GTS 640 mb and it pumps out graphics better then the 360 but the graphics arent wildly better. If you have a decent card now i would go with the 360 or wait a few months for the lower end cards in the 8900 series. IMHO


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

I only have an on board graphics card (ATI Radeon 1300) at the moment with a 4gb processor and 2gb of ram. Will an 8800gt with this spec create much better graphics than th xbox360.

I also don't have an HD tv which kind of swung me in favour of one for my pc but I really cant decide what to do (ideally I would like both but can't see this happening)


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## Jones (Jul 28, 2005)

Please don't compare consoles to PC. It just doesn't work. There are way too many factors that come into play, so it's really hard to say that 'System x will have better graphics than console y'.

It is accepted that top-end PC hardware will stomp even the most current console. The big difference is price. While a whole console will only cost, say, $400, you could easily spend that on a graphics card, which is only a portion of the cost of a gaming PC.

However, my advice is to get the video card. Console gaming never did anything for me, and just seems lame compared to the sheer awesomeness of PC gaming. That being said, the original NES system was awesome, and will always be the best console ever.


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## Korpiklaani (Sep 27, 2007)

It all depends on what you like really...

If you like racing games, fighting games, adventure games and horror games and mostly singleplayer, i'd go for a console.

But if you like more online First person shooters, puzzle games, MMO's, and stuff like that, i'd go for the card. It all depends on your gaming preference.


And as of November(i think) of this year, Xbox 360 will be celebrating it's 3rd birthday.


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## B-Subs-Me (Nov 8, 2007)

Jones said:


> Console gaming never did anything for me, and just seems lame compared to the sheer awesomeness of PC gaming


Agreed. Anything the consle can do, the PC can do better (except FIFA)


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## burnthepc (Aug 12, 2007)

Have to say that I have both a high end PC and an Xbox. The thing that get the most play is the xbox, just. Both are good options.

Last games on the PC:
Crysis
Bioshock (FPS - better on PC)
COD4 ( see above)

Last games played on Xbox:
Devil May Cry 4 (for my girlfriend)
Burnout
Assasins Creed
(plus lots of xbox live arcade)


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

well i agree with b-subs...anything a console can do pc can do better...

what are the other specs of your pc tho...

click on start > run then type dxdiag..then post wot is written ther


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

BlooChoo said:


> well i agree with b-subs...anything a console can do pc can do better...
> 
> what are the other specs of your pc tho...
> 
> click on start > run then type dxdiag..then post wot is written ther


Cheers, I will do this when i get home. Can you run a 8800gt on any machine?

I think I have 2gb of ram and a 4ghz processor


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

well..u might b able too...if u have 2 gbs of ram an a 4ghz processor then your looking to get a decent graphics card to match the performance of the other componants...depending on the motherboard you have....youl need to know wether your mother board can accept a pci-e card


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

Yes it can because my current on board graphics card is PCI-E. It is an ATI Radeon X1300 128mb.

I haven't actually looked but it is listed in the properties as PCI-E.


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

ah right thats a good sign...also..is your cpu a dual core? or..single? 

not that it matters too much..but yeh i think your computer will be happy with a 8800GT


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

It is dual core I believe - 2x2ghz processors. I will post up that thing when I get in tonight and you can have a look.

Would I need additional PSUs or cooling fans or anything? Im not too clued up on PCs (you may have gathered) but could do with an upgrade and thought I might as well get a decent one while I'm at it!

cheers for your help

This is the one I am looking to get btw;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NVidia-GeForc...oryZ3762QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

processor - AMD Athlon(tm)64 x 2 Dual Core Processor 3800+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs)

Memory: 2048mb RAM

DirectX version: Direct X 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

There is other stuff there but this is everything relevant I think. So I take it a 8800GT would work fine with all this?

Ta


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## Jones (Jul 28, 2005)

willpay9 said:


> So I take it a 8800GT would work fine with all this?


Yes. Quite well. :up:


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

B-Subs-Me said:


> Anything the consle can do, the PC can do bette


And cheaper,
Rex.


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

Just been doing a bit of research and I have seen something about the minimum requirements for the PSU so that the card doesnt burn out or something?

Can anyone confirm this? It says on my PSU that 

'Total output continuous shall not exceed 350 watts'

wtf is this all about? Sorry for the idiocy



Edit: Does this mean I need to get a new PSU over 450w? How easy is this to sort out?


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## B336700 (Jul 10, 2007)

Lol, well....Maybe you should check if your motherboard has a PCI-E x16 (x16=VERY important) first before you go out and buy something....If it has a PCI-E x1 slot, than, you CANNOT EVEN INSTALL the 8800. You'll open up the case and be like, "What the hell? It doesn't fit! Let me just CRAM it in there, it might need a good TAP or 2. OH MY GOD! I JUST BROKE THE SLOT! I NEED A NEW MOTHERBOARD!"




Edit:NVIDIA recommends at LEAST a 400-watt power supply, so, you should probably look for a 450-500.


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## willpay9 (Jun 4, 2005)

I do have a PCIx16 slot, I checked.

I will try and get someone else to change the power supply cos I don't trust myself to do it properly - would end up starting a fire or electrocuting myself.

Is there anything I need to look out for before purchasing a new PSU?


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

yeh deffinatly..ur system looks ready for a nice 8800!!!! hehe

i dont know wot size psu u have atm...but i would suggest getting a 600watt psu...from a decent brand...like thermal take or corsair

plus ur gettin a proper bargain gettin it off ebay ther!!! £129..good price...


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Corsair-620W-...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

this is the power supply unit i would buy!! from infact i have this psu in one of my computers...and the version up from this one in my main computer


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## andres_sz (Jan 3, 2008)

BlooChoo said:


> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Corsair-620W-...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem
> 
> this is the power supply unit i would buy!! from infact i have this psu in one of my computers...and the version up from this one in my main computer


"one of my computers" that made me feel impotent.... that ceirtanly looks nice and if it is as good as bloo says its a reasonable price.

PS: and if you ever thought f the Xbox360 as a choice. i thought so too. and ended up in here witha bunch of people telling me i should buy a PS3. check the thread i made if you dont belive me (not trying to make a fan-war here)


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

haha well...i work with computers all the time..so i have different systems for different things...but yeh...its modular and so that means u can cut down on thermal resistance...


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi andres.
If you don't care what the picture looks like and for what I have seen on my grandchildren and their fathers PS & X Box they are more than acceptable. But when you look at the result I get there is no comparison, and the games cost around 40% more for the consoles,
Rex


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

yep...deffinatly..ther is no comparison between a pc and a console...let the console stick to fighting amongst themselves and keep pc out of the console wars!


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## ninjashoes (Mar 3, 2008)

I'm gonna wait for the next series of Geforce cards since the ones out currently barely handle crysis on teh highest settings


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

ninjashoes said:


> I'm gonna wait for the next series of Geforce cards since the ones out currently barely handle crysis on teh highest settings


Hi ninjashoes.
It takes more than just a GPU to play the top games on high,You require everything else that makes a top end PC.
But my setup did not cost the earth and people are underestimating the power of the new ATI GPU,s and the new HD 3870x2 is probably the fastest and most up to date GPU you can buy My set up scores 17700 in 3D mark 05 10600 in 3D mark06 I have not looked to see what 
they are getting from the new 2870 x2 in a two card Crossfire set up but it must be awesome.
But I have not changed the CFG files to run Crysis on very high but it runs beautiful on high.
I wish the game was as good as it looks.
Rex.


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

haha well sed rexgrant!! yeh the whole thing with crysis isnt a bench mark at all!!!

and the 9 series cards have brought out the flagship 9600gt...it isnt a massive step up from the 8800 (infact it uses the same cores...just 2 on one card) so ul be waiting about a year for the decent 9800s and 9900s to come out!!!!


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## B336700 (Jul 10, 2007)

Actually, the 9600gt is not even ANY step up than the 8800...It is more or less a JUMP DOWN from the 8800.


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

well it is a bit of an improvement "..GeForce 9600 GT GPU shows an improved performance-per-watt ratio compared to its predecessor as well as improved compression efficiency.."
"..GeForce 9600 GT GPU also improves high-definition video playback on everyday PCs by leveraging NVIDIA PureVideo® HD technology to deliver high-quality playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray movies.."


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi blooChoo.
Once again Microsoft is slowing it all down as they did in FSX. After FSXSP1 there was a gain of nearly 40% in FPS. and it is the same in Vista. My setup as been put together to use the benefits of DirectX ten but my Vista disk will have to stay on the shelf unopened until vista has proven itself to me., and the long delay bringing out SP1 says it all, They are still getting problems, and as DirectX ten is not backward compatible I will
have to wait, to see the benefits of my PC setup.
Did you see the link I put on the forum.
http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/GeFo...ared/5614.html
Interesting 
Rex.


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## BlooChoo (Jun 8, 2007)

yeh i agree...vista does need a pretty beefy computer to work it...ul need 2 gb of ram for it to run happily..it runs fine with that..it is worth moving up to...but yeh i agree...only after sp1 has been released...cos it i have had to tweak and customise it alot to get it running as well as XP...


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