The Buyer's Guide: 6600 GT - 8800 GTX / HD 2900 XT - Performance and Technology

Youri Carma said:
Very nice post, I booked it!

But what would be the overall conclusion:
1 - Best Buy for your Buck (Cheapest) Beginning 3D
2 - Best Buy/Buck Midrange (not top gaming)
3 - Best Buy/Buck As Fast as Possible (As long I don't feel ripped off)

And which compagny is on top of the tweak?
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That is a pretty difficult question, but I will do my best:

1. 7300 GT ($70)
2. X1900 GT ($170)
3. I have no idea. Maybe a X1950 XT ($250) which is fast and still cheap? A 8800 GTS is very fast but also very expensive, so it really depends on what you want to achieve (resolution, AA, etc.).

If tweak = technology then nVidia with G8X.
 
Yes, Indeed the biggest bang for your buck (midrange)!

Which to prefer? :)
Sapphire Radeon X1900 GT 256MB DDR3 € 170,-
GeCube Radeon X1900 GT 256MB DDR3 € 170,-

MSI Radeon RX1950 Pro 256MB DDR3 € 170.-
Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB DDR3 € 170,-

X1950 Pro 256/512MB (580/1400) (6.9/44.2) (AGP/PCIe) 256-bit HDCP* D-DLDVI
- 36 pixel shader units – 12 TMUs – 12 ROPs - 8 vertex shader units
The performance is marginally better than a X1900 GT which in turn puts it side by side a X1800 XT ??? 256MB. The fastest card using AGP.
* Till now everybody includes it despite the fact that this isn’t obligatory.
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Very :cool: Post.

(Highend too expensive for me just to let you know that the prices pritty much match up with what you said Sapphire Radeon X1950 XT 256MB DDR3 € 245,-)

Maybe the answer is already on this page (MSI Radeon RX1950 or the Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro is the way to go) but maybe I am overlooking/missing something?

And if this is realy "The way to go" which of the two?
Or another one not on this page?
 
OldGuy said:
I can host it if you want to make it a webpage.
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No thanks. I'm not interested in making a website, although my opinion might change in the future.

Youri Carma said:
Yes, Indeed the biggest bang for your buck (midrange)!

Which to prefer? :)
Sapphire Radeon X1900 GT 256MB DDR3 € 170,-
GeCube Radeon X1900 GT 256MB DDR3 € 170,-

MSI Radeon RX1950 Pro 256MB DDR3 € 170.-
Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB DDR3 € 170,-


Very :cool: Post.

(Highend too expensive for me just to let you know that the prices pritty much match up with what you said Sapphire Radeon X1950 XT 256MB DDR3 € 245,-)

Maybe the answer is already on this page (MSI Radeon RX1950 or the Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro is the way to go) but maybe I am overlooking/missing something?

And if this is realy "The way to go" which of the two?
Or another one not on this page?
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You can't go wrong with either. Flip a coin? :p
 
TnX for the tip, but I am not a gambling man.;)

Real serious question: Which of these Graphic cards is the King of 2D?
 
Youri Carma said:
TnX for the tip, but I am not a gambling man.;)

Real serious question: Which of these Graphic cards is the King of 2D?
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I guess you mean 3D, since there are no difference in 2D between them.

Fastest stock: X1950 Pro by a slight margin
Fastest OC'ed: tie? X1900 GT is apparently a better overclocker.

I would choose X1950 Pro.
 
If you had to sink $$ into an AGP card which would be the preferred card?

7600GT
7800GS
X800 or 850
other?
 
LunchboX3904 said:
I could make a website out of it. :)

Also, very awesome guide.
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No thanks. It's an awesome offer, though!

Thanks!

Ottman said:
If you had to sink $$ into an AGP card which would be the preferred card?

7600GT
7800GS
X800 or 850
other?
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Hi, and welcome to [H]!

7600 GT costs $190 therefore making it a better deal than the 7800 GS @ $206 (after MIR) or $236 without MIR.

X1950 Pro is much faster than the above and costs $240+.

Thus:
X1950 Pro if you can wait till it's in stock
7600 GT if you must buy now or soon
 
guezz said:
I guess you mean 3D, since there are no difference in 2D between them.

Fastest stock: X1950 Pro by a slight margin
Fastest OC'ed: tie? X1900 GT is apparently a better overclocker.

I would choose X1950 Pro.
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TnX! for the straight answer... yeah, mayby a stupid question about 2D but I asked this question nevertheless cause a Graphical friend of mine also bought the Eizo S2401 and he was always convinced about his Matrox Pharhelia is better in 2D than any other videocard but that's all on VGA in we are now dealing with DVI.

Problem with the Matrox Parhelia no 1920x1200 support! only 1900x1200 and also 2304 x 1440 for supporting the Sony/Sun/Hp 2304 x 1440 CRT of that time but no 1920x1200!
So he has to buy another Videocard.
 
Youri Carma said:
TnX! for the straight answer... yeah, mayby a stupid question about 2D but I asked this question nevertheless cause a Graphical friend of mine also bought the Eizo S2401 and he was always convinced about his Matrox Pharhelia is better in 2D than any other videocard but that's all on VGA in we are now dealing with DVI.

Problem with the Matrox Parhelia no 1920x1200 support! only 1900x1200 and also 2304 x 1440 for supporting the Sony/Sun/Hp 2304 x 1440 CRT of that time but no 1920x1200!
So he has to buy another Videocard.
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I'm sorry for the late answer.

Cards for professional work are not my specialty so I can't really give you a valid advice - also I talked about the 2D IQ difference between GT and Pro.

He can try to make a custom resolution. It's weird that 1920x1200 isn't available. Is he using the latest driver?
 
Great info OP. Perhaps you might add some "how to's" for the various AA modes and purevideo/avivo.
 
Jodiuh said:
Great info OP. Perhaps you might add some "how to's" for the various AA modes and purevideo/avivo.
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I will take it into consideration.
 
Great guide. The only thing missing from it is the price estimates for the cards.
 
guezz said:
No AF....................................16xAF
noaf20jf.jpg
withaf8tm.jpg

If you look down at the ground besides your feet it's highly detailed, this is the base texture map.

As you look down the street it becomes more and more blurry, these are mipmaps (lower resolution versions of the base texture map). If the base texture map is 1024x1024, then you can have ten mipmaps (512x512, 256x256, etc) to use. The reason for the blurriness are pixels being blended together at a higher and higher rate as the resolution of the mipmap gets smaller. AF tries to fix this by using higher level of texture samples.

Your picture:
- Colours = different mipmaps
- Distance from viewer = when different mipmaps are used (may be dependent on the angle the mipmap is viewed from)

Thus this being very good:
g80-colored-aniso.png
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thanks but, i already knew all that.

I mean, what is the test that generates these flower like things? how does it generate these? seems to me what a computer would do w/ aa in that situation is just blur them gray, where does it come up with the amazing colors?

can i run my 6600GT thru this test?
 
and uhh, one thing worth mentioning and deserved of its own post is www.GPUreview.com every review, ever stat, every name, everything, about any card, ever. Everything from the first Voodoos to the 8800GTX (although, imho, mods still havnt figured out how there gonna represent the SPs).

How does the 7900GTX stack up against the X1900XTX? find out here! The extra TMUs allow it to surpass the X1900XTX in performance in high resolution texture games, like LOMAC, where as the X1900XTX will surpass the 7900GTX in highly shader intensive games, like Oblivion! Its all there!
 
MrWizard6600 said:
thanks but, i already knew all that.

I mean, what is the test that generates these flower like things? how does it generate these? seems to me what a computer would do w/ aa in that situation is just blur them gray, where does it come up with the amazing colors?

can i run my 6600GT thru this test?
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D3D AF-Tester (which was used in the example)

The colours are artificially there just to make the mipmaps easier to see and compare IQ wise - nothing amazing, really

Normal (without colours) with a X1900 XT:
16xAF (the famous "flower")


16xHQAF


This is why colours are most used.

Edit
Yes, your 6600 GT can run it.
 
guezz said:
I'm sorry for the late answer.

Cards for professional work are not my specialty so I can't really give you a valid advice - also I talked about the 2D IQ difference between GT and Pro.

He can try to make a custom resolution. It's weird that 1920x1200 isn't available. Is he using the latest driver?
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Yeah, he's a Tweaker too it's realy idiotic that MATROX cannot deliver 1920x1200 :mad:
I found some nice cards for the 2D folks out there:

€ 100,- ATI FireGL V3300 128MB DDR2 (PCI-e, 2xDVI)
- Dual DVI-I supports any combination of digital and analog displays1
- Maximum resolution of 2048x1536 per display (dual mode)
- 3840 x 2400 support (dual link2)
- Independent resolution and refresh rate selection for any two connected displays
- Dual integrated 10-bit per channel 400 MHz DACs
- Integrated 165 MHz TMDS transmitter (DVI compliant)
http://ati.amd.com/technology/Avivo/index.html
AVIVO: http://ati.amd.com/technology/Avivo/features.html

€ 200,- PNY Quadro FX 550 128MB DDR3 (PCI-e, 2xDVI) VCQFX550-PCIE-PB
Unparalleled Subpixel Precision, 12-bit subpixel precision delivers high geometric accuracy, eliminating spreckles, cracks, and other rasterization anomalies.
For Maya users NVIDIA is the best choice.

ATI FireMV DTP Videokaart
ATI FireMV 2200 64MB PCI, Dual DVI/VGA
ATI FireMV 2400 128MB PCI, Quad DVI/VGA
ATI FireMV 2200 128MB PCI-E, Dual DVI/VGA
ATI FireMV 2400 256MB PCI-E, Quad DVI/VGA

NVIDIA NVS DTP Videokaart
PNY NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 PCI-E x1, Dual DVI/VGA
PNY NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 PCI-E x16, Dual DVI/VGA
PNY NVIDIA Quadro NVS 440 PCI-E x1, Quad DVI/VGA
PNY NVIDIA Quadro NVS 440 PCI-E x16, Quad DVI/VGA

TnX for this post ledz I just ordred the Asus X1950XT 256MB 2xDVI/VIVO! :D

Radeon X1950 XT
Codename: R580+, 90 nanometer technology
48 Pixel shaders, Eight Vertex shaders, 16 Texture units, 16
RasterOperatorUnits
256 bit external memory bus (512-bit internal ring bus)
625 MHz core, 900 MHz DDR (2000 MHz effective) Memory

The X1950 XT is an amazing deal at the $260 (I payed exactly Euro 260 so again Euro's can be translated 1:1 in pricing) price point.
Its core runs a mere 25 MHz slower than the X1950 XTX, and its memory runs a
full 250 MHz (effective) faster than the X1900 XTX. Translated into plain
English, this is a blazing fast card for the price - sometimes faster than
the previous X1900 XTX champ, and quick enough to run at high resolutions
with nice eye candy. It will handily beat a 7950 GT, and will even best a
7900 GTO or 7900 GTX at most applications. You simply can't buy anything
better at this price point right now.
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The Best Gaming Video Cards for the Money: January 2007

Some folks ask me why I didn't wait for the 8800?

Euro 400,-+ 8800 GTS
Euro 500,-+ 8800 GTX

Thats why I guess
 
tomiboy59 said:
vote for sticky! This thread helped me a ton when shopping for video cards.
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This is why I created the guide, so it's nice that you found it usefull. What did you buy?

Youri Carma
Great choice you made!

I just got my 8800 GTX :D
 
At first I was looking for an upgrade for my personal rig, still rocking a 6800GT. I knew nvidia cards very well but I didn't know ati cards that well at all. So I was shopping ebay and various e-tailers, but in the end decided to just wait until the the R600 and the 8-series refreshes from nVidia. However, my friend just bought a new Dell C2D system and wanted to upgrade the video card for mostly Visual Design purposes, but a little bit of gaming. He was looking at a lot of the lower end cards, like x1300, x1600, 7300, etc. So the comparisons to nvidia's cards, and even the 6-series cards helped me a ton and telling him the potential game performance of some of the cards. I forget what he ended up getting, but it was some lower end card with 512MB VRam, for his Visual design stuff.
 
Maybe the FX 4500 X2 or the FX4500?

NVIDIA Quadro FX 5500 Memory Size 1GB PCI Express
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 X2 Memory Size (512MB per GPU) 1GB PCI Express
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 Memory Size 512MB PCI Express
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4000 Memory Size 256MB AGP 8X

I am n'either a 2D specialist I am afraid but I just try to learn now.
 
Youri Carma said:
Maybe the FX 4500 X2 or the FX4500?

NVIDIA Quadro FX 5500 Memory Size 1GB PCI Express
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 X2 Memory Size (512MB per GPU) 1GB PCI Express
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 Memory Size 512MB PCI Express
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4000 Memory Size 256MB AGP 8X

I am n'either a 2D specialist I am afraid but I just try to learn now.
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I think you should look at some reviews and compare the performance/price ratio:
X-bit Labs: Professional Graphics Accelerators of Today: ATI vs. Nvidia
 
Why the hell is this thread not stickied? It's not easy to find at page 9...
 
18 February 07: Added: 8800 GTS 320MB, X1950 GT and provided more information about G80 performance. Update: video decoding (e.g. added G8X).
 
Oh, and I forgot to mention Guezz could you add the 7950GT 256mb to the line up.
 
19 April 07: Added: 8500 GT, 8600 GT, 8600 GTS, 7950 GT AGP and X1950 XT AGP. Corrected: small performance adjustments for 8800 GTS and GTX.

What do you think about the "Bang for buck" cards?

Edit
shmitty said:
Oh, and I forgot to mention Guezz could you add the 7950GT 256mb to the line up.
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Done
 
p[H]ant0m;1030332504 said:
To answer all of the questions regarding why this isn't a sticky, the original version was for a while, at which point an admin unstickied it for reasons only known to them. As such, this one has not been restickied.
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Someone older and wiser in a kingdom far far away unstickied it....thus it can be sticky no more...:( :confused: :rolleyes: :(
 
bump to get this back to the first page of my subscribed threads

sticky this plz
 
You're going to need to update the comparison tables , perhaps post # 3. Other then that, very informative post for users trying to get back up to speed.

BUMP
 
Sixthsense said:
You're going to need to update the comparison tables , perhaps post # 3. Other then that, very informative post for users trying to get back up to speed.

BUMP
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Yeah, I have a few cards which are missing or incomplete. This will be taken care of soon.

# 3? Do you mean G84/G86's superior H.264 performance?
 
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