X800XL or 6800GT

R

renegadez

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 9, 2002
Messages
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between the two which would you suggest getting?
I'm still trying to stay within a price range of around $400 CDN

I read a roundup and the X800XL seemed to somewhat match the 6800GT closely in some aspects

http://www.digital-daily.com/video/pcie-vga-roundup2005q2/

X800XL turns out cheaper so I'm leaning towards that
probably going to be used for games such as CS:S and BF2
 
i just got a 6800gt oc actually, i'll let you know how it is when i burn it up next week :-D
 
renegadez said:
between the two which would you suggest getting?
I'm still trying to stay within a price range of around $400 CDN

I read a roundup and the X800XL seemed to somewhat match the 6800GT closely in some aspects

http://www.digital-daily.com/video/pcie-vga-roundup2005q2/

X800XL turns out cheaper so I'm leaning towards that
probably going to be used for games such as CS:S and BF2
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Are you going with PCI-e (which means that you're building an entirely new system)? Or are you going with your current rig (which means settling for an AGP version)?

You see, that round-up that you've linked to is for the PCI Express cards, which will not fit an AGP slot or a regular PCI slot.

If you're sticking with your current rig (the one in your sig), then the 6800GT would be the better choice (since the 6800GT is natively AGP, while the AGP X800XL is a PCI-e part bridged to AGP) - except that you will be limited by your current CPU with either card.

However, if you're building an entirely new rig for the new card (which means an Athlon64 Socket 939 CPU with an nForce4 motherboard or a Socket 775 Intel CPU with the appropriate mobo), then I'd go X800XL, since the 6800GT is AGP bridged to PCI-e and thus would not be worth the price premium over the X800XL.
 
6800GT - sm3.0/fp16 hdr support, similar speeds to x800xl, similar price. More future proof due to the sm3.0/fp16 hdr and will therefore last longer and allow you to see the latest graphical effects in new games like FarCry, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Half Life 2: Lost Coast, etc, that the x800xl will not be able to provide.
 
Well, i say XL, i've seen numerous benchmarks where it's out-performed 2x 6800GTs SLi'd in terms of FPS, and besides lack of shader 3.0 (which by the time it's used widely the 6-series will struggle to render anyway) ATI cards' software actually produces better image quality too, all the SMOOTHSHADER spiel isn't just stuff used to sell the card, it makes it look very sexy
 
Wally said:
Well, i say XL, i've seen numerous benchmarks where it's out-performed 2x 6800GTs SLi'd in terms of FPS, and besides lack of shader 3.0 (which by the time it's used widely the 6-series will struggle to render anyway) ATI cards' software actually produces better image quality too, all the SMOOTHSHADER spiel isn't just stuff used to sell the card, it makes it look very sexy
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dude, you're on crack. 2x 6800gts in SLI will woop an X800XL. I used to have a 6800gt, and now I own an X800XT. There is almost no real-world performance difference that I can see. Games all play about the same, but I get higher 3dmark05 scores. An X800XL is slower than an X800XT.

I say go with the GT. The image quality arguement is bs too. Now that I have an x800 series card, nothing is more "sexy" than it was with my 6800gt.

Get the 6800gt :D Unless an x800xt could become an option, then get that.
 
E4g1e: sorry i should have mentioned that...yes i'm planning to upgrade all parts. this rig of mine was great once but just won't cut it anymore...its done me well for about 3 years or so

i also probably should have mentioned....my friend knows someone who works for ati so i may be getting a discount.

unfortunately the X800XL is the highest card he is able to get for me discounted....
I would have shot higher but it wasn't an option...thats why I was leaning into ATI

If I go with X800XL how long would you say its good for?
I'm guessing I'll be upgrading again 3-4 years later
 
renegadez said:
E4g1e: sorry i should have mentioned that...yes i'm planning to upgrade all parts. this rig of mine was great once but just won't cut it anymore...its done me well for about 3 years or so

i also probably should have mentioned....my friend knows someone who works for ati so i may be getting a discount.

unfortunately the X800XL is the highest card he is able to get for me discounted....
I would have shot higher but it wasn't an option...thats why I was leaning into ATI

If I go with X800XL how long would you say its good for?
I'm guessing I'll be upgrading again 3-4 years later
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You're good to go, in that case. In fact, in PCI-e, the X800XL would pretty much outperform a single 6800GT in most games (Doom3 excluded).
 
If you go with a new system, the x800xl might be a good idea.

The 6800gt card by itself is faster than an x800xl...pci-e or agp.

But Crossfire looks to be more promissing than sli. You could have broader performance improvements in many (if not all) games with crossfire than sli. So if you're thinking of adding another card in a year or so, go ATI.

If you're just going to get one card, and not worry about sli or crossfire, get the 6800gt.

If money is a concern, just get what's cheapest :D
 
sarbz said:
The 6800gt card by itself is faster than an x800xl...pci-e or agp.
Click to expand...

The problem is, it's not enough faster than the XL to warrant any price difference, so even if money were not a concern the XL is still as good a choice as any 6800GT.
 
sarbz said:
The 6800gt card by itself is faster than an x800xl...pci-e or agp.
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True - theoretically. However, practical performance of the PCI-e 6800GT would be brought down by the AGP-to-PCI-Express bridge chip to roughly the same level as or lower than the PCI-e X800XL. (Remember, the GeForce 6800GT is not a native PCI-e part, while the Radeon X8## series is.)
 
Un4given said:
The problem is, it's not enough faster than the XL to warrant any price difference, so even if money were not a concern the XL is still as good a choice as any 6800GT.
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True, but I still say the 6800gt is a better card than the x800xl when you don't consider the price. If you're just trying to fit inside a $400 budget, go with a GT. If you REALLY want to have some left over cash, pick up the xl.

You most likely aren't going to see any differences in games anyway. Just when benchmarking.

E4g1e said:
True - theoretically. However, practical performance of the PCI-e 6800GT would be brought down by the AGP-to-PCI-Express bridge chip to roughly the same level as or lower than the PCI-e X800XL. (Remember, the GeForce 6800GT is not a native PCI-e part, while the Radeon X8## series is.)
Click to expand...

PCI-e just isn't showing enough performance increase right now to justify that statement. The only major advantage to pci-e on current-gen video cards is dual pci-e w/ sli & crossfire.
 
OP: with this new video card and given the kind of monitor you have, what resolutions will you be playing most games at?
 
sarbz said:
True, but I still say the 6800gt is a better card than the x800xl when you don't consider the price. If you're just trying to fit inside a $400 budget, go with a GT. If you REALLY want to have some left over cash, pick up the xl.
Click to expand...

How so?
 
Un4given said:
How so?
Click to expand...

I've had experience with both. The 6800gt is slightly faster in more games than the x800xl. The x800xl will beat it in hl2, and 3dmark05 (probably some more i'm missing). But since the 6800gt wins in most situations, that makes it the better card. I'm not a fan-boy. I own an ATI card right now and absolutely love it! More than my old 6800gt!

Besides, the price difference isn't that great last I checked. A 6800GT can be had for $300US, and an X800XL for $275US.
 
in all honesty i'm a huge nvidia fan and would prefer to go with the 6800GT
but i think because of a possible deal i'm going to get with ATI I'm probably gonna go with the X800XL
 
renegadez said:
in all honesty i'm a huge nvidia fan and would prefer to go with the 6800GT
but i think because of a possible deal i'm going to get with ATI I'm probably gonna go with the X800XL
Click to expand...

How good is the deal you're going to get?

geekcomputing said:
better drivers
Click to expand...

that's subjective
 
sarbz said:
How good is the deal you're going to get?
Click to expand...

I'm still waiting for the quote but from i heard as an employee he gets somewhere around 30-40% off

still not positive yet
 
sarbz said:
dude, you're on crack. 2x 6800gts in SLI will woop an X800XL. I used to have a 6800gt, and now I own an X800XT. There is almost no real-world performance difference that I can see. Games all play about the same, but I get higher 3dmark05 scores. An X800XL is slower than an X800XT.

I say go with the GT. The image quality arguement is bs too. Now that I have an x800 series card, nothing is more "sexy" than it was with my 6800gt.

Get the 6800gt :D Unless an x800xt could become an option, then get that.
Click to expand...

Fraid not. I'd scan the benchmarks forma mag if i had copyright permission, but even THG did it and in certain games, not all ofc, that would be silly, an XL did beat the dual 6800GTs by between 0.1 and 10 fps
 
Wally said:
Fraid not. I'd scan the benchmarks forma mag if i had copyright permission, but even THG did it and in certain games, not all ofc, that would be silly, an XL did beat the dual 6800GTs by between 0.1 and 10 fps
Click to expand...

If you posted some links to these benchmarks people would probably take you more seriously. As of now nobody is going to believe that an XL can come close to SLIed GT's (in a SLI compatible game of course).
 
Look, i'm not gonna make this shit up for the sake of persuading some guy i'll never meet to buy a card, i mention it because it's true. As it happens, this stinking AOL won't display any images so even if i did manage to access THG without it being fecking blocked or just not responding, i'd not be able to put the benchmarks up anyway because i can't see them. Simple as this: it's THG, it's graphics, it's benchmarks. Try looking and i'll see if i can find the other places i saw it beat dual 6800GTs.
 
trinibwoy said:
(in a SLI compatible game of course).
Click to expand...

That's the key.

But Wally's original post implied that the x800xl is just plain faster than dual gt's. Wally, you have to be specific and say "in non SLI profiled games".
 
It's actually 50% off for the X800XL PCI-E with the employee discount. It's $199 CAD.

If I were you, I would go for the X800XL and save $200.
 
A 50% discount? Yeah, go with the ATI. You're not gonna get a better deal right now.
 
my thoughts too
and put the money to something else or just have extra in my pocket and enjoy the thought of saving
 
cayuga2305 said:
It's actually 50% off for the X800XL PCI-E with the employee discount. It's $199 CAD.

If I were you, I would go for the X800XL and save $200.
Click to expand...

drool........that's awesome. I didn't think it would be that good of a discount. Seems like a no-brainer now.
 
I just upgraded my box to PCI-E, and have a X800XL coming tomorrow. It will server me until the next gen video cards get settled in. I've read tons of reviews and benchmarks, and the X800XL is almost dead even with the 6800GT in most benchmarks, and even beats it in a few. Just google "X800Xl Review" and you'll have all the proof you need.
Based on Price vs. Performance, X800XL > 6800GT.
 
yeah most of the reviews i've read up on they were neck and neck

how important would you guys say Shader Model 3.0 is?
it seems thats the only thing they can suggest in the 6800GT over the X800XL
 
jarman said:
Guys,
Read the [H]ardOCP review of the X800XL. The X800XL tops the 6800GT.
X800XL vs 6800GT

Click to expand...

It all depends on what games you use to compare. IMHO [H] uses a pretty lame batch of games to test with...or maybe I'm the only one that's never played Vampire the Masquerade, NFSU2, and Madden 05...*shrug*...where are the CoR benches?
 
renegadez said:
yeah most of the reviews i've read up on they were neck and neck

how important would you guys say Shader Model 3.0 is?
it seems thats the only thing they can suggest in the 6800GT over the X800XL
Click to expand...
Well, seeing as many game developers will most likely be putting this feature in their games as they write them, it's probably pretty important. Problem is, there's now a waiting period for us gamers before it becomes widespread. How long? Who knows. There are a few games that already have it. What kind of visual difference is it? For example (and I'll use this a lot) Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. The game is absolutely stunning looking with SM3.0 on. Without it, it still looks really really damn good.

There is a bit of a performace hit with SM3.0, depending on what game it is and of course the hardware running it. Screen resolution is another factor. I play most of my games at 1024x768@100Hz with mild AA/AF, so there's not much of a hit, but it's still there and it's noticeable. If you play any current gmaes supporting this feature at 1280x1024 or higher with good AA/AF, then most current gen cards will take a very noticeable hit when it comes to SM3.0. It is in the very early stages of implementation, so an X800XL for 50% off the list price would still probably be your better choice, despite not having this feature.
 
I'd say if your staying stock or low overclock, go with the cheaper one.

Personally I'm going for huge overclock on water, so 6800GT will get me much further.
 
jarman said:
Guys,
Read the [H]ardOCP review of the X800XL. The X800XL tops the 6800GT.
X800XL vs 6800GT
Click to expand...


Did we read the same article?? I can see that it appears to see-saw back and forth between the X800 XL and the 6800 GT. Comparing the winners(between X800 XL and 6800 GT) in the tested games -
  • Doom 3 - 6800 GT
  • Far Cry - X800 XL
  • Half Life 2 - 6800 GT (weird)
  • Vampire - 6800 GT
  • NSFU - tie (2x for ATI, no AA for Nv, same fps)
  • Madden - tie (ati has slightly higher AA/AF, but Nv has slightly higher fps)

But in the end - they make a direct comparison to the 6800OC, NOT the 6800 GT:

"Comparing performance directly to the GeForce 6800OC we found the Radeon X800XL simply offered a better gaming experience. The BFGTech GeForce 6800OC can be found for a price around $298 online. What we have here are two cards that are similarly priced but one, the Radeon X800XL, is offering much better gaming performance and allowing higher quality settings."

So if you can find a 6800 GT for $300, then this becomes an entirely different proposal.

Funny enough, this is their quote about Half Life 2, an area ATI usually dominates:

"The Radeon X800XL and Radeon X800Pro have large spikes up and down, while the GeForce 6800GT and BFGTech GeForce 6800OC keep a more consistent framerate throughout the game, which simply makes gameplay better."

Anyway, just pointing out that this review was mainly comparing X800 XL to 6800OC, not GT. It does have some useful comparisons, but they take price into consideration for their recommendation.
 
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