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die hard nvidia user thinking about converting, please help

B

black_cap

n00b
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
58
I have a dilemma. I currently have a msi 6600 gt and am getting seriously dissapointed with how my games are playing also I have a RMA issue that I want to get out of the way. My friends keep refering me to ATI so I thought I would take a stab at it. This is why I need you guys help and opinions.

I will not spend over 300 bux. I keep hearing all these great things about the x800xl. Can anyone break it down for me a little better? I tried looking at the many differences on newegg and started getting confused and lost with all the different cards and specs(never really researched ATI since I had 2 bad experiences with them in the past). Thx for any info given :)
 
A X800 XL will give slighty better game performance than a X800 Pro.

Here are the average 3DMark05 scores I have for the X8xx series and the lowest price for each card type using Pricewatch.
These cards are listed in order of best game performance, NOT 3DMark05 score.

Average X850 XT-PE Score---6,866--------$499.00
Average X850 XT Score--------6,419---------$442.70
Average X800 XT-PE Score---6,210--------$447.00
Average X800 XT Score--------5,871---------$499.00
Average X800 XL Score--------5,197---------$276.00
Average X800 Pro Score------5,221---------$248.70
Average X800 Score------------3,898---------$226.00
 
The X800XL out performs the 6800gt in the hardocp.com reviews by a small margin.

~Adam
 
95% sounds like it is stretching it and most likely is, maybe a 40-70% chance (more likely) but to be honest I haven't really paid attention to the forums on this one.

~Adam
 
Just how likely is that chance...I'm really intrigued...

I'm also really surprised that the Pro is so close to the XL. I was under the impression that it went XL > GT > Pro but the Pro beats the XL in '05. I know that means little, but it means something.

Thoughts please.
 
damn thx a bunch guys, i assume the pro 3d mark score is one that was unlocked? What kind of overclock ability do these cards have? Anyone that has great success? Anything I should watch out for? one that may have issues? Also what is a good brand name to look for?
 
black_cap said:
damn thx a bunch guys, i assume the pro 3d mark score is one that was unlocked? What kind of overclock ability do these cards have? Anyone that has great success? Anything I should watch out for? one that may have issues? Also what is a good brand name to look for?
Click to expand...

Those are average scores. He has almost 900 scores in his database. I currently have a X800XT All In Wonder and love it. It hits 600/600 and scores 6955 in 3dmark05. And I have an average system! (if not a bit below average for these forums :)) I got it for $340 right here in the FS/FT section.

Prices are falling on current-gen cards. You should be able to get an XT for 300 soon. That will overclock nice, and last you a long time. But.....with prices falling, the XL will be cheaper soon too. It comes down to how much performance you really want.
 
CleanSlate said:
95% sounds like it is stretching it and most likely is, maybe a 40-70% chance (more likely) but to be honest I haven't really paid attention to the forums on this one.

~Adam
Click to expand...

The chances have apparently gone up with the yields now. I don't know the exact number, that's just something that I've read at a site that's probably about as reliable as the Inquirer..... ;)
 
PCI-E X800Pros don't mod to 16-pipes with a simple flash like the older AGP variants. This guy has a PCI-E mobo, so he should know that all X800Pros are 12-pipe only.

Personally, I've never heard of a successful hard-mod to 16pipes on a PCI-E X800Pro

Now with all that said, I still think the X800Pro is a better card than the X800XL

The X800Pros overclock really well, while the XL's don't do nearly as well. The X800Pro may have only 12pipes, but when you compare both cards with a basic overclock, the X800Pro scales much better. Using stock aircooling, my first X800Pro (AGP) went to 545/560 and my second X800Pro (PCI-E) goes to 580/575 with stock cooling and no volt mods. With watercooling and volt-mods, my first X800Pro went to 690 and I have yet to volt-mod my new one (soon though).

I vote PCI-E X800Pro, but don't expect to get 16-pipes. Also, look around for a deal. I paid $200 for my PCI-E X800Pro at newegg (it was a refurb) and couldn't be happier.
 
^^ damn u dont know how happy I am to here that. As I have been bogglying my mind with why the xl is more than the pro, but I can clearly see pro's OCed out perform the xl even with 4 less pipes. So with your statement I assume that 800 pro pci-e can't be unlocked at all? slim chance? success rate? Also when I do choose a card what brand card should I be looking for? what card should I stay clear of? thx for all the help guys, i was hesitant about ATI but by a little research and this thread has made me realize the potential :D
 
Success rate for the PCI-E hardmod? I've yet to hear a successful attempt.

Brands? Sapphire is probably the only one you'll find at a good price. Personally I'm not a big fan after I spent $650 for an X800XTPE (which was defective) and I waited 3 months for a replacement. That said, I purchased a Sapphire X800Pro (PCI-E) anyway because it was cheap. With Sapphire, quality isn't a concern, but the level of support IS.

ATI's RMA process is just quite simply AWESOME. It is fast and very easy. I would say that it's almost worth buying an ATI-brand X800XL just to have ATI's wonderful support.

FYI, Sapphire builds card for ATI. ATI then sells them under their own brand.

Just my
1870_two_cents_rev.jpg
 
First of all try not to be a "die hard" fan of consumer electronics based on the company that produces them. :D :D

but seriously, I recently bought an x800xl. It was a upgrade from my 9800XT, and before that I had a gf4 4600, before that a gf3, yadda yadda yadda. My card is the AGP model.

I bought it a few months ago and paid a bit over $300 from fry's for it. Ahhh instant gratification.

I was considering the x800pro, but decided against it as I didn't want to buy a card knowing I was going to roll the dice to see if I could unlock the additional pipelines. My train of thought was this: Sure, there is a possibility I could save a few bucks and mod the card to something faster, but, it could have also not worked - I would have been stuck with a card that wasn't fast enough for me, and I *could* have techincally broke it, requiring that I buy another card to replace it.

So saving money and rolling the dice, vs buying something I know will work, I know how it will perform but will cost me a bit more....well, I went with the x800xl.

Pleased with it so far, havent done much overclocking to speak of as it has a stock heatsink.
 
Oh, and I was also considering the 6800 in its various flavors. Seemed to me that while they had some nifty features, (shaders, HDR) since they havent become industry standard, I wasnt overly interested in them. (even though I was really, really tempted because I love farcry so much)......and SLI....heh yeah friggin right.

Maybe if money wasnt an issue at all....but there is no way that i'll dump close to $1000 on a video card unless I was promised a decent discount on a next gen card.

The x800XL seemed to hit that perfect spot for what I was willing to spend vs the performance/features I could get.

Drivers and support were never even an issue. I've never had a problem with either nvidia or ati as it relates to that.
 
Aaron_ATX said:
So saving money and rolling the dice, vs buying something I know will work, I know how it will perform but will cost me a bit more....well, I went with the x800xl.
.
Click to expand...

Heh, my 12-pipe X800Pro will wipe the floor with your "big bad 16-pipe video card". :p

Don't underestimate the benefits of raw speed. The X800Pro core has fewer pipes, but overclocks WAAAY better
 
If you go to the last pages of this thread there are actually many successful Pro -> XT mods going on. If they're not at the end of that thread, there's a link from there to the users who got it to work. So now the guy who said he'd never heard of it can hear of it :).

Interesting thing to note is
showcont.asp
these early GTX benchmarks. Notice how the XL keeps up with the GTX? Half-Life 2 benchmarks look the same, just don't look at Doom3 benchies, they're a bit more embarassing.
 
bubblethumper said:
Heh, my 12-pipe X800Pro will wipe the floor with your "big bad 16-pipe video card". :p

Don't underestimate the benefits of raw speed. The X800Pro core has fewer pipes, but overclocks WAAAY better
Click to expand...


Harhar, perhaps. But that 3.4564% you've got on me really wasnt worth my time :)
 
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