[H]review(2x7800GTX) = "Must Have Hardware"....?

J

jon67

Gawd
Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Messages
576
Yes, apparently I really MUST have two brand new hi-cost hi-end vid cards so that I can play yesterdays games with higher AA modes. This sensation alone will make me forget the fact that both 1x or 2x 7800GTX perform less than expected when it comes to new releases... still "balanced" quality in EQ2 even with 7800GTX SLI'd... :rolleyes: ...and not one critical comment from the authors, like for example "we would have expected a little more from a $1000+ worth of computer video components in mid-2005" or similar.

Lack of perfomance gain with SLI is explained by the authors as "CPU-limitations", and this with an FX-55! So no reason at all to recommend 7800GTX SLI to users with a 3500+ or 550J I guess...? For those poor guys it's "Must Wait Hardware".
 
It can STILL be CPU limited with the BEST there is out there.... you may have to wait 6 months to fully unlock the potential... whats wrong with that if you have $1k laying around?? :D

QJ
 
Well - plus the games like BF2 and even Doom3 are sooo GPU bound... the rest of the computer becomes essentially a life support system for the video cards... in which a 3500+ can do as good a job as an FX-55 in a lot of cases..
 
revenant said:
Well - plus the games like BF2 and even Doom3 are sooo GPU bound... the rest of the computer becomes essentially a life support system for the video cards... in which a 3500+ can do as good a job as an FX-55 in a lot of cases..
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yes sir, I saw a review with a Fx57 all the way down to Athlon64 3200+ getting the same fps in BF2 with 7800GTX maxxed options, at 1290x960 and 1600x1200res.
 
revenant said:
Well - plus the games like BF2 and even Doom3 are sooo GPU bound... the rest of the computer becomes essentially a life support system for the video cards... in which a 3500+ can do as good a job as an FX-55 in a lot of cases..
Click to expand...

Yup, I mean a lot of people are currently playing BF2. 1920x1200 with 4x TR SSAA 16xAF is just beautiful. Too bad I dont have SLi yet, lol. :D
 
Who cares if its not what YOU expected pure brute force speed wise. It brings TR AA and the ability to run 1600x1200 easily with maxed settings in almost every game. If you are worried about your budget then how many of the items that you have are considered "must have hardware?"
 
I love Hard's reviews, I'll be honest I all I had time for was a quick read on the graphs.

HL2 + 12.7fps
ND4spd +12fps

Less than 10% increase in hl2 and 30% increase in nd4spd. Is that worth an extra 7800 to me? Nope
 
madcow235 said:
Who cares if its not what YOU expected pure brute force speed wise.
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7800GTX is not what A LOT of people expected performance-wise. Just look at all the anticipating posts (often suggesting 3DMark05 scores of 10k+) made in various forums during the hype period... and the disappointment when it became clear that it was just a small step forward.
 
in sli it's a small step forward as a single card solution it OWNS in image quality and speed.
 
My 6800 Ultra runs everything at 16x12 right now
I am waiting till prices drop on the 7800's
or until the 7800 Ultra
= )
 
Something I can do on my 7800 GTX that I could never dream of with my former X800XT PE is run CSS @ 1680x1050 4xAA/8xAF full details and get 90+ fps constant. With BF2 I can run it at 1680x1050 2xAA/8xAF with all details but shadows on high and get an avg. fps of 60+ and a min of 35ish -- the X800XT PE @600/600 would struggle with BF2 at 1280x960 on lower settings so forget about a higher res + settings and the same is true for CSS.
 
And this post seems to be about SLI not running a 5+ year old game well like EQ? LOL!!! You got to be kidding. EQ is long long past being worth worrying about. Move on, nothing to see here...
 
wait for the 7800 Ultra
a $500 card is a rip off
unless you are a "must have the most current or my self esteem is lowered" kind of person

you get 80% of the performance for 1/2 the price w/ a
6800U or x850XTpe

I mean is 15-20% really worth $200+
 
EQ2 is not 5 years old, and it's very resource demanding (actually I think it's the most resource demanding game on the market, I've heard people saying it was intentional as Sony wanted it to be "future proof"...).
 
If you have the money to buy an FX-55, without needing to skimp on anything, do you think $200 would be worth the extra FPS?

Calling a $1k pair of video cards must have is a bit much, but I wasn't under the impression that cost effected performance or and Item's eligability to recieve the "Must have hardware" stamp.
 
jon67 said:
... still "balanced" quality in EQ even with 7800GTX SLI'd...

Demicore said:
EQ2 is not 5 years old, and it's very resource demanding (actually I think it's the most resource demanding game on the market, I've heard people saying it was intentional as Sony wanted it to be "future proof"...).
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The OP stated EQ, not EQ2....
 
SLI requires more (apparently a lot more) CPU power than non-SLI. So seriously CPU bound games may lose FPS because of this. Hopefully the new dual core drivers will offload that CPU power between the 2 cores (or even completely on the core that is not in use for single threaded games).

I cannot wait for the benchmarks with SLI and some dual core driver/CPU action :cool:
 
That award name will be changing. We tried to stick with something orginal, but folks get upset with it when they do not think that the product fits the award name. We will be returning to a bland multilevel marketing award soon as the original one stirs up too much trouble. So for now, if Must Have Hardware does not fit to your liking, then call it Gold and maybe you will feel better.

:(
 
QwertyJuan said:
It can STILL be CPU limited with the BEST there is out there.... you may have to wait 6 months to fully unlock the potential... whats wrong with that if you have $1k laying around?? :D

QJ
Click to expand...


Hehe, this is what makes me laugh about folks with the CPU limited arguement. I guess they would be better video cards if they were GPU limited? These GPUs are the best of the best even if you are lacking in CPU power to drive them. It is just that simple, the 7800GTX kicks major ass, even if you can't afford it.
 
jon67 said:
Point is, if you're already CPU-limited with an FX-55 and a single 7800GTX setup, a 7800GTX SLI setup is hardly required at all... and certainly not a "must have"... but OK, maybe it's "Gold" ;)
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CPU limitation only holds back overall framerate, SLI setups still allow you to scale resolution at that frame rate for the most part.

So to agree with you, yes, SLI may not be must have for you. But it may be for others. As mentioned, we will change the name since so many folks nitpick it and pitch a fit over it. :( You are far from the first.
 
The great thing about how we write reviews is that the meat of the review will at least give you enough information to agree or disagree with the conclusion. A lot of things are subjective, and can be influenced by external factors such as income level, etc. So if you don't like the rating, you can at least make an informed decision based on impartial data that we do our best to convey to you.
 
jon67 said:
Yes, apparently I really MUST have two brand new hi-cost hi-end vid cards so that I can play yesterdays games with higher AA modes. This sensation alone will make me forget the fact that both 1x or 2x 7800GTX perform less than expected when it comes to new releases... still "balanced" quality in EQ2 even with 7800GTX SLI'd... :rolleyes: ...and not one critical comment from the authors, like for example "we would have expected a little more from a $1000+ worth of computer video components in mid-2005" or similar.

Lack of perfomance gain with SLI is explained by the authors as "CPU-limitations", and this with an FX-55! So no reason at all to recommend 7800GTX SLI to users with a 3500+ or 550J I guess...? For those poor guys it's "Must Wait Hardware".
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. It's almost offensive and I actually have the money but it just doesn't offer the value I try to look for.
 
look at it like you look at cars.

Sure, you "could" drive a (buggered if I know american cars) neon?

but you could also drive a Aston Martin DB9.

Both will get you from A to B, both have 4 wheels, steering wheel, seats.

The thing is, its

a) how much money you got
b) how much you want to invest in the "getting there"

For some its status, for some its just the "wow" factor.

For me, its the wow, plus I was upgrading from a 1800XP w/9700 pro, so this rig ab-so-frigging-loutely blows my mind.
 
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