second 7800 GT or upgrade?

J

Justintoxicated

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Apr 10, 2002
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Well I have an SLI board, and I was thinking about picking up a second used 7800GT and another used Low Profile Maze4 or maybe a maze 5 to cool it.

or would I be better off just upgrading to a single newer card?

I have had my card for like two years so i thought it would be time for a little boost for now.
 
A single 8800GTS320 will beat two 7800GT's in sli. Sell your 7800 and get atleast what I mentioned.
 
8800GTS FTW. It will spank what you have now. And it's DX10 compatible! Did I mention it tears up DX9 like no other? :) (except its bigger brothers the GTX and Ultra)
 
Had a 7800gt upgraded to 7900gt and then got an EVGA 8800GTS 320MB a month ago... and let me tell you this thing practically doubles my score... its awesome.
 
Hmm.. you know though, the 2nd 7800GT would cost around 100 dollars, while the 8800GTS would cost 200 dollars after he sells his first one. It'll depend on how much money you've got op. If you've only got a hundred, go get another 7800GT, then sell the set when you've got another 100.
 
StealthyFish said:
Hmm.. you know though, the 2nd 7800GT would cost around 100 dollars, while the 8800GTS would cost 200 dollars after he sells his first one. It'll depend on how much money you've got op. If you've only got a hundred, go get another 7800GT, then sell the set when you've got another 100.
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You're talking about the 640mb version of the gt aren't you? A 320mb version would already be faster than the sli'd 7800s at any resolution. 640mb just buys you better performance at super high resolutions. ( > 1280)
 
go for the 640MB one i just went from a 7800GT to a 8800GTS 640 and OMG its so much faster

its like when i went from my 9600XT to a 6800GT
 
Well, then should I sell my 7800GT with the Maz4 Low Profile and swiftech heatsinks? I thermal exoxied them...but I could probably remove them using the freezer trick since I mixed some ceramiq in with the epoxy. I do have the stock cooler still.
 
Try to sell them with the watercooling block... I bet it'll command more.

Since the 8800 and the 7800 don't have the same mountings, you can't re-use it anyways.
 
Arcygenical said:
Try to sell them with the watercooling block... I bet it'll command more.

Since the 8800 and the 7800 don't have the same mountings, you can't re-use it anyways.
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So I have to buy the $134 water block + video card? (thats almsot $500) If that is the case I will just get a second 7800 Noise would be an issue with an aircooled 8800
 
Elios said:
BFG has one with a block already
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143099
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It is only more expensive to get it with the block installed. I guess they would warranty a liquid cooled card though. Still EVGA+ $134 block would be cheaper, but too much IMO...The cost of video cards is ridiculous, and touting DX10 does not mean much, by the time DX10 is out I will need to upgrade the card again to handle the DX10 games anyways....I fell for this marketing BS in the past and that is how it alwayse goes, they will change some shaders or blah blah meaning you need to upgrade the card to get the most out of DX10...
 
I had a 7800 gt sli setup and recently upgraded to a 8800gts 640. I was waiting and waiting for the next hardware refresh, but I finally couldn't take it anymore. I must say that I am really glad that I did. The performance increase was very noticeable in all of the games that I play, especially because I play at 1900x1200. There really is no comparison in the "gaming experience" between the two setups.

Also as a SLI user for a long time, I would just like to say that while sli does offer performance increases, there are idiosyncrasies with having an sli setup (NO dual monitors). For new games with no profile, it can be time consuming finding the optimal sli profile. With a single high power card you just install and go. It is a much more enjoyable experience.

Also SLI does not offer performance gains in all games so you might want to consider the fact that you might be limited to the performance of a single 7800gt in some circumstances.

In my opinion there is really no debate. Get the 8800 gts and avoid the 7800gt sli setup. You will be much happier in the long run. If you can't afford the price differential, just wait. You wont regret the 8800 gts purchase and you will regret buying another 7800gt.
 
Well I can't afford $450 for a GTS + block right now. Since most of my gaming is limited anyways I think I will wait till the net generation cards and just keep my soon to be worthless 7800 GT for now.


By next generation I'm assuming my ancient opteron 2700x2 will be obsolete as well anyways...I mean who uses regular DDR these days? Even if your runnign it at 530 mhz...
 
Justintoxicated said:
Well I can't afford $450 for a GTS + block right now. Since most of my gaming is limited anyways I think I will wait till the net generation cards and just keep my soon to be worthless 7800 GT for now.


By next generation I'm assuming my ancient opteron 2700x2 will be obsolete as well anyways...I mean who uses regular DDR these days? Even if your runnign it at 530 mhz...
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Most of us were trying to suggest to you that it does not have to cost you $450 to get a GTS.

1) Sell the 7800gt for $125
2) Purchase 8800gts 320mb for $260
3) Your upgrade to dx10 only cost you $135.
 
I need the water block too so add $140 for that. Basicaly selling my 7800GT with water block will only buy the the water block for the new card... I'm not even sure if this would be worth it on my PC since I only have an opteron 165 (see sig)
 
Justintoxicated said:
I need the water block too so add $140 for that. Basicaly selling my 7800GT with water block will only buy the the water block for the new card... I'm not even sure if this would be worth it on my PC since I only have an opteron 165 (see sig)
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or you could just leave the stock cooler on

why do you need to water cool it so bad even at 80% fan speed its very very quiet
 
Swiftech makes a MCW60 plus ramsinks or the new DTEK uni-sink for less than the full cover blocks from DD and EK. They have a special mounting plate to fit the 8800's. That's what I plan on doing when I retire my 7800's. And yes, the 8800GTS is faster than SLI 7800's, my friend has a stock E6400 with a GTS640 and it beats my rig in the sig in everything, 3dmark, oblivion, wow, the list goes on and on. You might think about selling off the opty setup while its still worth a decent amount as well. I did in january and I'm really happy I did. The Core2 is a noticable improvement over my old opty170.
 
Building a PC is always a headache though :( Every time I end up with defective parts no mtter where I buy them from I end up with 2-4 RMA's at least...

I don't really know where to sell everything I have either...I could try ebay but I don't have much feedback on there (never sold anything on ebay)
 
Justintoxicated said:
Building a PC is always a headache though :( Every time I end up with defective parts no mtter where I buy them from I end up with 2-4 RMA's at least...

I don't really know where to sell everything I have either...I could try ebay but I don't have much feedback on there (never sold anything on ebay)
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theres the For sale/trade forum here you could try
 
yea I sold some things on there before, sorry to get so off track.

Right now it sounds like my best bet is to replace everything including the video card... Meaning all new Water blocks, New MB, New Processor, new Memory, and new Video card. And well even ditching my Old CRT for a couple cheap 22" Acers or something

Should be able to do this for what $1500? - whatever I can get for my existing system?

The Swiftech block looks similar to my Maze 4 GPU block, what makes my block not compatable just the mounting plate? Just curious, it does look like a better option than DD this time aorund.
 
Umm pretty sure that the MCW60 is just designed and assembled differently than the DD block, so the mounting plate won't be usable on the DD maze4. And yeah, you can build a MONSTER machine for 1500, assuming you can recycle a couple things from your old pc like HD's, optical drives, case, psu, and other accessories.

I mean seriously, upgrade for the sole reason that DDR2 is ridiculously cheap right now. :)
 
$1500 will also upgrade my ATV quite a bit, new cylindres pistons and crank! I do have other hobbies...

However getting a 2900XT looks like it may be a better buy than the 8800GT. Because I can re-use my water block, the price is about the same.

I have no loyalty to either brand, but have never had an ATI card die, while I have gone through Many Nvidias in the past...DDR2 is cheap, but if I upgrade it might make more sense to just get a DDR3 board.
 
Water cooling rarely equals bang for the buck. It will get you maybe 5% of performance on your video card over stock cooling tops, but you're better off putting that money into your ATV :)
 
After switching from air cooled to Liquid I won't be going back. Air cooling is too unreliable in the summer heat! AND LOUD!
 
Normally I wouldn't suggest SLI for anybody, but if you can really get another 7800 GT for $100, that's probably going to be the best bang for buck.

But what you have to ask yourself before any upgrade is with which games does your current system give unacceptable performance? If the answer is "none", then you shouldn't upgrade, period. Upgrading because it's been 2 years since the last one or in anticipation of future games is frankly stupid. Remember how many people upgraded for Half Life 2 and then it turned out you could run the damn thing just fine on a GeForce 3?

There are also solid reasons why now would be a bad time to upgrade, especially if you're replacing a whole system. July 22nd will see a Core 2 Quad Core finally drop to a reasonable price, and the dual core line-up will have ridiculously low prices. AMD is also coming out with the Phenom, which may or may not unseat the Core 2. I also wouldn't be surprised if ATI refreshes the HD 2x00 series after only a few months. With a die shrink to get power and heat under control, it's possible that the R600 architecture could be the 8800 killer the HD 2900 XT was supposed to be, given the insane overclocks people have had with it. There's always something better around the corner, but there are nonetheless times when there's something much better right around the corner, and I believe that now is one of those times.
 
arthur_tuxedo said:
Normally I wouldn't suggest SLI for anybody, but if you can really get another 7800 GT for $100, that's probably going to be the best bang for buck.

But what you have to ask yourself before any upgrade is with which games does your current system give unacceptable performance? If the answer is "none", then you shouldn't upgrade, period. Upgrading because it's been 2 years since the last one or in anticipation of future games is frankly stupid. Remember how many people upgraded for Half Life 2 and then it turned out you could run the damn thing just fine on a GeForce 3?

There are also solid reasons why now would be a bad time to upgrade, especially if you're replacing a whole system. July 22nd will see a Core 2 Quad Core finally drop to a reasonable price, and the dual core line-up will have ridiculously low prices. AMD is also coming out with the Phenom, which may or may not unseat the Core 2. I also wouldn't be surprised if ATI refreshes the HD 2x00 series after only a few months. With a die shrink to get power and heat under control, it's possible that the R600 architecture could be the 8800 killer the HD 2900 XT was supposed to be, given the insane overclocks people have had with it. There's always something better around the corner, but there are nonetheless times when there's something much better right around the corner, and I believe that now is one of those times.
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Thanks for the info :) I might just hold off another month...no big deal. I just saw the hotdeal on the 2gb DDR2 for $71 and it got me in upgrade mode.

As far as all games running fine, part of this is because I have a 22" CRT so I can adjust the resolution. If I ran it at maximum 2048x1536 I'm sure I would have some real laggy gameplay.
 
I'm pretty sure the desktop phenom's won't be out until Q3 or even Q4, so I'd go core2 unless you're dead set on buying another AMD chip. In either case, sell off your 7800 and grab a 2900XT or 8800GTS for now, then grab new guts in the fall if you can't afford it or feel the opty can hack it a couple more months. As arthur said, prices only get cheaper and new stuff always comes out.

Have you confirmed that the maze4 will mount on the 2900 properly? I know the core on that card is turned 45 degrees, so I'm not sure if it'd work, but that's just me guessing. I'd look into it if you haven't already.
 
Imitation said:
I'm pretty sure the desktop phenom's won't be out until Q3 or even Q4, so I'd go core2 unless you're dead set on buying another AMD chip. In either case, sell off your 7800 and grab a 2900XT or 8800GTS for now, then grab new guts in the fall if you can't afford it or feel the opty can hack it a couple more months. As arthur said, prices only get cheaper and new stuff always comes out.

Have you confirmed that the maze4 will mount on the 2900 properly? I know the core on that card is turned 45 degrees, so I'm not sure if it'd work, but that's just me guessing. I'd look into it if you haven't already.
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Yea it fits, but I'm tempted to just sell my work of art with the card (the Swiftech heatsinks had to be bent to clear the barbs on the LP Maze 4 on my 7800GT). I tried to play the BF demo an dit wasent running too fast on the 7800 I think I could use a newer card, but I might be ok untill Q3 or Q4 for now since theres not a whole lot of good games out right now. It runs Fear ok... I also need to buy a backup drive though so I'm not sure if the money will go for the card or a 1Tb backup drive that won't be any fun (but good to have).

My Opteron NEVER uses 100% CPU, so I think it can hack it for now, but I don't know what I will do with it later if I don't sell it now. It was increadable dumb useless speeds 2 years ago when I Purchased it :) I don't feel like I wasted too much money considering the specs in my Landlords Mac that they purchased a year after me and has No Where Near the same level of hardware, and cost three times more :)
 
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