age old debate

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Hammer
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age old debate

Post by Hammer »

well, i am building a new system. need a new graphics card.

i have to dispose of either a ati x800 pro or an bfg 6800 oc. i figure at least $200 for each when i sell whichever i am going to sell (likely minimal ebay price), so i am willing to put a bit more money into a new pci-express card. so i am looking for the $250-$300 range.

which of the two would you sell?

has anyone been keeping up on deals and capabilities for a new card?
Helmut
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Post by Gator »

I have no good reason, but I'd keep the X800 ...
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PanzerMeyer
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Post by PanzerMeyer »

I say keep the Nvidia card and sell the x800. Why? ATI will be coming out with their next generation video card later this year and the prices on the X800 series will drop quite a bit. If you sell your X800 now, you should be able to get a decent price for it.
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Jedi Master
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Post by Jedi Master »

Of course, the 7800's are ALREADY out...
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Hammer
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Post by Hammer »

i said 250-300.
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Post by Nemisis »

Difficult dilema on that one Steel :?

You say that you want to get rid of one of the 2 cards you have at the moment, both cards are top of the range for their day and generation type, the choice of which one to get rid of is hard since they are both comparible in speed capabilities (although the 6800 does have pixel shader 3.0 support so that might be something to consider).

As to which card to buy as replacement only in PCI-E form, well your budget for the new card limits your choice to basically the same type and speed of card that you are getting rid of but having the benefit of PCI-E rather than AGP. The newer generation of cards are going to be a lot higher priced than your max $300 budget.

As for which card of the new generation is going to be the one to go for, all i can say is that i have been keeping an eye on the web for scraps of news as to the capabilities of these new cards and virtually alll independant articles i have found state that ATI's R520 when launched will be faster and better than Nvidias 7800 as it is repoted to have a 32 pipeline architecture along with pixel shader 3.0 support.

I will check prices of cards and let you know what looks like a bargain :wink:

As you know i am looking to upgrade my system as well but have held of till ATI launch their new cards to see the truth for myself when some benchmarks are run.
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Hammer
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Post by Hammer »

actually pci-e cards of the exact same architecture cost less than comparable agp cards. so for the same price originally paid i can step these up to an x800xt or 6800 gt (or maybe ultra of i keep an eye for deals?).

those are probably the two choices...

what about an x850 xt? differences between that and the x800 xt?
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Post by Jedi Master »

Purely speed. There are no significant architectural differences between the 800 and 850 series.
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Hammer
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Post by Hammer »

i know. speed is pretty much it right now since there is no way i am going to spring for a 7800...nor the new ati when it is released.

i can get a x850xt for 305...

is there a ati manufacturer that is like bfg and deals in out of the box overclocked video cards?
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Post by Jedi Master »

OOB overclocked? Not that I know of. Sapphire is a big producer among others, but only the nvidia cards seem to be pre-OC'd.
Of course, ATI have overdrive, which automatically overclocks the card based on temperature.
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KODIAK
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Post by KODIAK »

What about power consumption? Is that an issue of any sort in your system, either directly with output capabilities of the PSU or indirectly with effective heat dissipation? That might have an affect on your decision, as I believe the nVidia card generally requires more power to run. :?:
Hammer
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Post by Hammer »

power is no problem...

it is decided... Bad Karma, via Softball and ICQ, rooted me out a deal via Dell on a BFG 7800 GT OC that could not be passed up. About $350... Seems they are in demand though - the e-mail I got stated first week of Sep for shipment - good thing I am nto in a hurry. But for that deal, I can wait.

If I was going to go NVidia, this would be the company to order from. They overclock them out of the box and they have a lifetime guarantee. My 6800 is from them, and I was able to puch it past what they had already done.

If anyone else wants to order one, I can get you the coupons and other info.
Helmut
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Post by KODIAK »

Will be Xmas I guess before I upgrade to be honest - seeing as I will be getting a new mobo, CPU, RAM, & grafix card at the same time.
Hammer
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Post by Hammer »

well, my 7800 GT OC shipped Friday!

should be here by Thu... now just to find a case...
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Post by Jedi Master »

Haven't seen Karma around in AGES...

Amazing that Dell can get you one of those cards for $100 less than the normal going price!
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Post by BlackHawk*K »

Ive always liked thermaltake cases.. they are built well and to be honest i had NO problems getting mine together. ( xaser III case ) although mine does weight about a ton... at least that means any burglers will get a work out if they decide to steal it ;)
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Post by Softball »

You got a good deal on that card Steel. As of today, Dell has pulled all their high end video cards from their site. BK is kicking himself now for not getting one, and he is now envious of you Steel.

BK has been playing GTR Racing with a group of online people, guess he's been having too much fun with it. I talk to him on ICQ during the week, so I have been in touch with him quite a bit. I'll try and get him to come play some OFP with us.
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Hammer
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Post by Hammer »

i think they are actually losing money...with the 20% deal they had plus the coupon - their folks just did not think it though... but of course they have to honor the deal.

mucho gracias to BK for hooking me up with the codes...! it is too bad he did not get one right away, if it was possible. for me, i just happened to be looking.

it also seems that Dell occasionally has some real good deals - so it is a good idea to keep an eye on their site.

be good to have more OFP'ers...
Helmut
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PanzerMeyer
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Post by PanzerMeyer »

BlackHawk*K wrote:Ive always liked thermaltake cases.. they are built well and to be honest i had NO problems getting mine together. ( xaser III case ) although mine does weight about a ton... at least that means any burglers will get a work out if they decide to steal it ;)
Speaking of which, my Thermaltake Tsunami case just came in last night. I'll be doing the hardware swap this evening. :lol:
I have learned from experience that a modicum of snuff can be most efficacious - Baron Munchausen
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