martinibuster - 10:13 pm on Apr 7, 2008 (gmt 0)

Ok, I'm probably off topic and not giving you the answer you're looking for, but I'm going to say it anyway because it might be helpful.

FX 1700 at over $400 seems like overkill for a computer that's only doing web design and maybe PhotoShop duties. Those cards are marketed for CAD and 3D modeling applications.

I have a system running two nvidia 8800GT's, but even with only one of them installed I received fantastic results with PhotoShop. Snappy, fast rendering of filter effects, etc.

Both of the cards you're looking at have only 12 pixel pipelines and DDR2 memory, which isn't much compared with standard graphics cards that at the 8600GT class have 32 stream processors and faster RAM. The 8800GT, which retails for around $230 features 256 bit processing (versus 128 bit) plus 112 stream processors.

XFX PVT84JUSD4 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 is a step down from what I have, the 8800GT, but the 8600GT's can be had for about $79 with a rebate. My wife has the Nvidia 8800GT (256 MB) on her computer and the latest Adobe Indesign and PhotoShop programs run flawlessly with it. And no wonder because the 8800GT has 32 stream processors versus the old style 12 pixel pipelines. To my understanding, stream processors do the same work as the pixel pipelines, but they also can do more. So the 8800GT costs less, has faster memory (DDR3 vs. DDR2) and has 32 stream processors. For what you are doing, as long as you have at least 300-350W power supply and 2GB RAM then you should be fine. If you step up to the 8800GT, which is overkill for what you're doing, it requires around at least a 450W power supply. So the 8600GT is very likely your best fit.

So that's another way of saying, if I were doing the ordering I'd source the cards elswhere and install the 8800GT's, saving money and getting a better graphics experience. Not sure if they can handle four monitors though, which might be the deal killer for you.