Upgrade or wait?

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famguyfan

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Aug 23, 2005
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Well its summer tme so that means i finally have time to do some serious gaming. I currently have an x800xl and play games at 1600x1280. Iam sorta happy with the gaming performance i can still play at full res with low/medium settings but i want more. I was thinking about the x1900xt which can be had for $390 or somewhere around there. So would the diffrence in performance justify $400? Or should i wait one more generation?
 
I know from experience that the next best new thing is always just around the corner. If you feel the urge (and you have the funds), just do it. Otherwise you wait to eternity.
 
The next gen stuff is going to be DX10 and will require Vista to play newer games.

If you plan on getting Vista, then just wait on the card.

If not, grab a 7900GT CO, a Zalman VF-900, and a conductive pen. Voltmod the 7900GT to 1.4V (takes 2 mins), install the VF900, and off you go. Your 7900GT should run around 650/1700 and will be just as fast as a 7900GTX but for $320 instead of $500.
 
you could also look into the x1800xt which can be had for like 250 i think, but im not sure. it is supposed to out preform the 7900gt in a few games, but not when the 7900gt is OC'ed and stuff like above.
 
ScYcS said:
I know from experience that the next best new thing is always just around the corner. If you feel the urge (and you have the funds), just do it. Otherwise you wait to eternity.
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Yup, I've been in this game since about 97 and one thing I learned is if you're scared to upgrade because the "next generation" is just around the corner....you'll end up with a Pentium 2 rig for life. :p I try to stay about 1-2 notches below the latest and greatest to give me upgrade headroom and keep costs low.
 
I wouldn't bother upgrading to a 7900GT. the x800 series cards can still hang. Wait for the next generation, but keep saving and buy the best card out at that time.

Then again, I don't upgrade until I start having problems running new games at 1024x768. You might have other considerations if you have an LCD, with the native resolution being higher than that. Also what I consider acceptable gameplay might be different than your limits, my lowest limit is 40fps, and some of the newest games do require toning down the effects to attain that, which might not be acceptable to you.

Still, if I were in your shoes I would try to hold off and keep saving. I either go for ~$200 cards that perform good enough or ~$600 cards that are the top of their game. The $300-$400 market just doesn't appeal to me - I'd rather wait until I have the extra cash to get the best if I'm going to spend that much.
 
Child of Wonder said:
If not, grab a 7900GT CO, a Zalman VF-900, and a conductive pen. Voltmod the 7900GT to 1.4V (takes 2 mins), install the VF900, and off you go. Your 7900GT should run around 650/1700 and will be just as fast as a 7900GTX but for $320 instead of $500.
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With the problems that the 7900GTs are having, it amazes me how anyone could suggest voiding the warranty. It just doesn't make sense.
 
I would say wait until you can't stand your card anymore and then upgrade. Then you'll get the best value. I might play games in the future (I only play Starcraft, right now) and I'm waiting. DX10 is coming out and I'm waiting to see what that will do. Then when I learn more about DX10 and what it can do I'll get the next generation of DX10 as it'll be cheaper and more optimized. That's just me though.

But still, if I were in your shoes, I'd hang more too. I'm a cheap ass bastard though.
 
SharpieFiend said:
With the problems that the 7900GTs are having, it amazes me how anyone could suggest voiding the warranty. It just doesn't make sense.
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It doesn't. eVGA's warranty even covers overclocking.

If something were to happen to the card, simply take a lint free cloth, wipe away the conductive pen mark, reinstall the stock HSF, and RMA the card.
 
Are you running the X800 XL at stock speeds? If not, spend a couple bucks on an ATI Silencer and see how far you can stretch your performance. Or just try with the stock HSF and see what performance boost you get for free.
 
actually i have tried overclocking but it starts artifacting with just a little overclocking
 
nigerian_businessman said:
Still, if I were in your shoes I would try to hold off and keep saving. I either go for ~$200 cards that perform good enough or ~$600 cards that are the top of their game. The $300-$400 market just doesn't appeal to me - I'd rather wait until I have the extra cash to get the best if I'm going to spend that much.
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So, a X1900XT and 7900GTX have to be priced at $600 for you to consider buying them? YGPM - I've got two brand new / sealed BFG 7900GTX OCs that I'd love to sell to you for that price ;)
 
joemama said:
Yup, I've been in this game since about 97 and one thing I learned is if you're scared to upgrade because the "next generation" is just around the corner....you'll end up with a Pentium 2 rig for life. :p I try to stay about 1-2 notches below the latest and greatest to give me upgrade headroom and keep costs low.
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I fully agree.
 
well i figure i won get vista untill at least 6 months- 1 year after its out so i have decided to get the x1900xt the only question i have now is will there be any significant price cuts in the next month (dont have a clue about ne new cards coming soon or nething sorry)
 
WhoBeDaPlaya said:
So, a X1900XT and 7900GTX have to be priced at $600 for you to consider buying them? YGPM - I've got two brand new / sealed BFG 7900GTX OCs that I'd love to sell to you for that price ;)
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No, that isn't even close to what I said. I said to wait for the next generation of cards, and then spend around $600.

Product cycles for graphics cards are pretty predictable. First they come out with a new generation that offers up a nice sized boost over the old as well as some new features that the old won't have. Then they release a product refresh that just streamlines the current generation cards, making them a little bit faster but really offering no new features to speak of. No sense in spending 3 or 4 hundred on a product refresh when waiting and saving a little bit more will pay off with the next generation of cards.

Now of course, if he had something other than an x800xl, I might be singing a different tune, but you can still play every game out right now with that card. There's just no compelling reason to spend a whole bunch of money on a top of the line card right this moment.

G80 will be out around the end of summer, beginning of fall, just in time for the holiday shopping season. With an x800xl that can handle any game out right now, why go and spend 3 or 4 hundred on a new card when you can wait for 3 months or so, save up another couple hundred, and have a card that will leave all the current gen stuff in the dust. The benefits of this approach are that as soon as the product refresh comes out, you can sell your card while its still worth quite a bit and step up for a fraction of the cost.

If you were to buy a 7900gt right now for about $240, how much do you think you'd be able to get for it when the new generation comes out and all the previous gen stuff gets cheaper? $150? Whereas if you had the 7900GTX right now, when that new card comes out you could still get around $400 for it. See what I'm getting at?
 
famguyfan said:
well i figure i won get vista untill at least 6 months- 1 year after its out so i have decided to get the x1900xt the only question i have now is will there be any significant price cuts in the next month (dont have a clue about ne new cards coming soon or nething sorry)
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G80 will be here late summer/early fall. If you can wait a month for a price cut, why not 3 for a new card?
 
maybe look at a faster processor or more system memory and just keep your current card

..go dual core if you havent already ...or invest in a better psu that will hang with you thru many upgrades to come to run next gen 300wtt cards

or maybe a better case with better air flow possibilities ..or better heatsink on your cpu/gpu ..


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