Which Video card to get?

A

Avengeance

Gawd
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Apr 10, 2004
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Ok well I finally have enough money to get a new video card. Right now I am either looking at the x800 pro, x800 xt or the 6800 gt or ultra. I hear mixed reviews about all the cards and I want to figure out a few things about them all before I buy one. First question is obviously, which one runs the best. I have read many reviews and it seems like the x800 xt does better when you turn up the AA and the AF. Seccond question is, if I have a 9800 pro waterblock, can I use that same waterblock on the x800 xt and pro? Thats my questions for now, I will probably think of more as more people post their ideas. Thank you.
 
Bargin: 6800GT

if want to play games with AA and AF then the XT is yur best bet
 
Your waterblock may fit the X800Pro and XT. It may not. The cards are different but are reasonably close.

The X800Pro is not a good buy vs. the 6800GT even with AA and AF the GT is just plain faster. The X800XT is faster at some games and takes less of a hit with AA and AF than the 6800GT and Ultra do. But you have to understand the difference between the X800XT and the 6800 Ultra is pretty small most of the time. This goes back and fourth depending on the game.

The 6800GT usually will overclock to Ultra speeds easily. However an Ultra guarantees that you will obtain those speeds at a minimum. However with an Ultra you can likely go even further. The X800Pro will never be what the X800XT-PE is as it has less pipelines. If you get a VIVO model you can likely enable the other 4 pipelines but you may not reach X800XT-PE speeds. Since the X800Pro is slower than the GT at nearly everything I recommend GT for the $400 price point. It's a toss up at the $500 mark, but I personally would go with the 6800Ultra as I think it's added features SM 3.0 and so on make it a better purchase for long term use. Or at least potentially.
 
Well with my current setup I dont know if i should go with a new video card or a new cpu/mobo. What do you think would increase my speeds more? Thank you for your replies
 
6800gt is the best price/performance value and has more features than ATI. It's the best bet. If you can spend $500 get an Ultra if you want, though I don't think its worth it unless you are definitely going to watercool, in which case I'd go for a 6800U over a 6800GT for the twin molex.
 
Well i have to water cool it :) but they sell the 6800U with the waterblock on it already but its like 600 dollars... thats a 100 dollar difference, dunno whats with that. But what I am trying to do is find out what I can play newer games with at higher res and better AF/AA and have it run really well.
 
You need to provide more information on what you are planning to do. If you are looking for an overall faster system in more than just games, obviously getting a faster video card wont do that. If your main consideration is gaming performance though then your current system is sufficiently fast enough to take advantage of any of the newer cards.

Also what limit are you setting for yourself with respect to the price of the graphics card? If you are ok with spending upwards to $500 then I'd recommend the X800 XT standard since its somewhat readily available and can be found for around $470. If your upper limit is $400 then I would say 6800GT since its the more potent performer in that level.

btw what waterblock do you use?
 
I am willing to spend about 500 dollars for the video card if it will really help a lot. But do you think I should just wait for PCI-E to come around or will that be a while from now? I use the dangerden maze 3 waterblock for the 9800 pro. Think that will fit on the x800 xt? For some reason it seems like only online vendors have got the x800 xt's because i called around and i cannot find a place that carries them. all they have is the 6800, and the GT, and the x800 pro.
 
Search Through The Other 900 Topics About This And Read What They Say Instead Of Making Another Fucking Thread.
 
Wow... i wasnt trying to make people mad I am just trying to figure out what would be best for my situation.
 
Avengeance said:
Wow... i wasnt trying to make people mad I am just trying to figure out what would be best for my situation.
Click to expand...

understandable..but at the top in red is the search bar, search for it..last thing we need is 900 threads asking "GT OR XT?" or "NVIDIA VS ATI WHICH IS BETTER?"
 
gordon151 said:
Also what limit are you setting for yourself with respect to the price of the graphics card? If you are ok with spending upwards to $500 then I'd recommend the X800 XT standard since its somewhat readily available and can be found for around $470. If your upper limit is $400 then I would say 6800GT since its the more potent performer in that level.
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Would you mind linking me to a place that has XTs in stock for $470. The ones on newegg are going for $550.
 
Avengeance said:
Well i have to water cool it :) but they sell the 6800U with the waterblock on it already but its like 600 dollars... thats a 100 dollar difference, dunno whats with that. But what I am trying to do is find out what I can play newer games with at higher res and better AF/AA and have it run really well.
Click to expand...

Well, I was just mentioning the 6800U for watercooling because the single molex on the 6800GT limits it to ~435mhz core overclock no matter how cool it is. However with the twin molex on the 6800U, its possible to get 480mhz+ overclocks.

dangerden also has a killer 6800GT/U waterblock that cools both core and mem, but its $125:
http://www.dangerden.com/mall2/more_block3.asp?fmmore=237

would look awesome if you have a clear side panel tho :)
 
Yeah there are quite a few too many "which video card to get" threads, but meh :). Anyway, retail availability of those cards are very spotty. You would have a better chance purchasing from an online store, especially since prices are going down. I just looked and Allstarshop has an x800xt for $455, which is pretty damn nice. You also have 6800GTs going for as low as $380. BTW I'm not completely sure, but I think theres a good chance your block would work with the x800. You would have to check for sure though.
 
phaelinx said:
Search Through The Other 900 Topics About This And Read What They Say Instead Of Making Another Fucking Thread.
Click to expand...
What this is crack and you're unable to keep your finger from the mouse and avoid a thread you already know you don't want to see. If you do not like the thread don't fucking read it.
 
Most if not all 9800 pro waterblocks fit the x800's. Waterblocks can be pricy so I would definatly go with either the x800 pro or the x800 xt.
 
Well money isnt a huge deal but if I do, do the 6800 Ultra then wouldnt I need a better PSU? I only have 420 Watts, says minimum is 480 watts.
 
Disclaimer: I'm biased! My 3 9800 pros were defective.

If your WB works on the XT, go with it. The XT seems to be a faster card than the 6800 GT, and it overclocks like a demon from what I can tell.

Alternately, go with the 6800 GT with a dangerden waterblock, total around $500 if you look for a good price on the GT.

The x800 pro just isn't competitive with the 6800 GT, and the 6800 U + a $125 gfx card is out of your price range.
 
phaelinx said:
Search Through The Other 900 Topics About This And Read What They Say Instead Of Making Another Fucking Thread.
Click to expand...

LOL

In spite of how true that is, Im going to continue and reply. Personally I would go with the 6800GT. Much more acceptable price than other options and still damn fast. ATI just doesnt seem like a good idea right now.
 
phaelinx said:
Search Through The Other 900 Topics About This And Read What They Say Instead Of Making Another Fucking Thread.
Click to expand...

What really bothers me about this post is why is every word capitalized? Is this a song I haven't heard?

Anyways, to keep on topic, if you use high resolutions / AA + AF, go x800XT. If you use 1024 normally, go with the Ultra. Really, as I always say, you might as well flip a coin. You won't see a performance difference against either if they were both in your computer, so flip a coin.
 
Well i just found out the local store near me has the watercooled 6800 ultra for 600 dollars and they have it in stock. What do you guys think?
 
Go big or go home. Provided you have a WC setup already. The card won't come watercooled, it just comes with a waterblock, you need a WC setup to use it, as far as cooling goes :p
 
Avengeance said:
Well i just found out the local store near me has the watercooled 6800 ultra for 600 dollars and they have it in stock. What do you guys think?
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I think it is outperformed by a regular 6800 U with the dangerden watercooler, for the same money.
 
I already have a whole water cooling setup, its in my sig. I am still maybe thinking about just going with the x800 xt but i dunno.
 
I'd go for the XT PE, but that's me. A lot of people on water are getting past 600 Mhz on the core, even on air with a few. If you're doing extreme cooling, from what I've seen, XT's OC a lot better on average than Ultras.
 
Avengeance said:
Well i just found out the local store near me has the watercooled 6800 ultra for 600 dollars and they have it in stock. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Might be easiest route, though dangerden's waterblock is probably better than the one in the store (if its bfg). however it would be easier and cheaper to buy the store bought one, and only diff is mem overclock wouldnt be as good. 6800U on water is way to go tho.
 
joecuddles said:
I'd go for the XT PE, but that's me. A lot of people on water are getting past 600 Mhz on the core, even on air with a few. If you're doing extreme cooling, from what I've seen, XT's OC a lot better on average than Ultras.
Click to expand...

Extreme cooling is bleh. If you're gonna spend that kind of money on your setup get a godamned SLI-rig and be done with it.
 
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