Video Card advice from Dothan Users

[bhoward]

I know that this should go in the video card section but I am targeting Dothan users for advice and most of them hang out here

I have the following setup
P-M 750 @ 2.75(10x 175) on a P4P800-SE
1g Corsair XL running @ 275 timing 2.5-3-3-6
using onboard sound and lan
Gateway 21" WS LCD Monitor 1680 x 1050

Video Card is a Sapphire X800XT which I run at 525/540 ..basically like X800XT PE. The card does not OC very well.

My SuperPI is low 26's (best 25.5)
My 3DMark03/05/06 are similar to X850XT stock

Would it be of benefit to change the video card for a eVGA 7800GS Super OC with 490 core and OC as much as I can? I plan to keep the rest for the remainder of this year until Vista comes out so that I can get a better picture of the hardware requirements.

Oh ... I am a BIG gamer! .... >75% usage

[Da_maniaC]

Well, i can tell you the 7800 GS does outrun the x850xt and the most important thing about that card is that its way more modern using SM 3.0 for example. So it will simply last you longer.

The card has a stock 20 % OC (KO Superclock) which is nice, but dont expect to be able to OC it another 20 % ;)


Ive got a question for you though.

Why is the 750 not running @ 2.80 GHz? :)
Was it unstable at that speed, or are you obtaining better latencies with your memory this way?

[AgonxOC]

Whats youe 3DMark?

I would go with the 7800Gs KO SuperClock. Its not faster than an X850XT PE, but it doesn have SM 3.0. Now since you dont have an X850XT PE, then the 7800GS is the best bet.....


Alex

[Da_maniaC]

Hehe, i dont know where you got your information but a 7800GS nearly beats a x850xt on every front. Take a stock OCed 7800GS card though and its way out of the league for the x850xt. ;)

Take a look at this for example:

http://www.bit-tech.net/content_images/bfgtech_7800_gs_agp/bps_cod2.jpg
http://www.bit-tech.net/content_images/bfgtech_7800_gs_agp/cod2.png

Final Thoughts:
The BFG Tech GeForce 7800 GS OC AGP is based on the fastest AGP solution that we've ever seen, and that seems to be the case across all shader-heavy games. From our testing, it seems like F.E.A.R. is one of the only games where the Radeon X850XT came close to the performance of NVIDIA's new AGP monster. BFG Tech's card is fast, but we have been informed by other board partners that there are even faster versions being announced today. We understand that EVGA will be launching a card clocked at 490/1400MHz, priced at just under £300.

We didn't have much success overclocking our sample, but we're sure that others will fare better with retail products. It's also impossible to say that BFG Tech's GeForce 7800 GS OC is a generally poor overclocker based on the results from one card. It's quite possible that you would be able to reach the heights of 490/1400MHz with one of BFG Tech's 7800 GS OC video cards, so you have to ask yourself whether you're prepared to pay an extra £60 for an 18% core speed improvement.

ATI has suffered from the fact that they've not launched a high-end AGP-based video card for over a year now, as the Radeon X850XT/Platinum Edition remains the fastest AGP card that they've released. We found huge variances in the price of Radeon X850XT's and couldn't find any Platinum Editions in stock anywhere. Overclockers UK have a PowerColor Radeon X850XT 256MB on pre-order for just under £200 inc VAT, but we're not sure whether we will see any stock arrive there. Scan has a Sapphire Radeon X850XT listed for £312, but there's no stock there either.

All in all, the GS is a decent performing card, and will quite possibly be the last bastion of the AGP gamer. We've examined the value of the PCI Express upgrade path, and you'll have to decide if that is for you or not right now, based on the pricing economics. As it is, this is easily the best thing you can add to your ailing AGP system.

Source: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2006/02/02/bfgtech_7800_gs_agp/1.html

--

And thats only one of the many reviews i have seen.
All in favour of the 7800GS, some even gave it the name "x850xt killer". :)

[AgonxOC]

Is that the PE, Dont think so...... Either way at 1600 x 1200 I get fames in the 70+ avg with 8XAA and 16XAF in COD II.
And if you look at AnAndTech reviews the favor the X850XT and the AGP king still, but I dont remember if it was the PE.


Alex

[Jimbwlah]

Or you could get the p4gpl-x and get a PCI-E graphics card

[bhoward]

Thanks all for the discussion so far ....

Why is the 750 not running @ 2.80 GHz?
Was it unstable at that speed, or are you obtaining better latencies with your memory this way?

It will run at 2.8 but it is the max. I have some VDroop. I can bench most things but is will eventally hang. Very stable at 2.7 or 2.75

Or you could get the p4gpl-x and get a PCI-E graphics card
That motherboard is not available in Canada

The question is not that it is faster than an OC'ed X850XT PE ... the question is since I am willing to keep my AGP setup for 10 to 12 months with a poor OC'ed X800XT, would this be a worthwhile upgrade. The EVGA E-GEFORCE 7800GS CO Sc 460MZ 256MB 256BIT 1.35GZ DDR3 for $390 cad.

This card will absolutely be faster than mine and provide the latest features. But is there any point in investing in AGP!

(I am sure there are more people in the same boat as I am)

[bhoward]

Forgot to add my 3Dmark scores

2001 = 32,474
2003 = 14,240
2005 = 6,438
2006 = 2,168

[Ychocky]

Thanks all for the discussion so far ....



It will run at 2.8 but it is the max. I have some VDroop. I can bench most things but is will eventally hang. Very stable at 2.7 or 2.75


That motherboard is not available in Canada

The question is not that it is faster than an OC'ed X850XT PE ... the question is since I am willing to keep my AGP setup for 10 to 12 months with a poor OC'ed X800XT, would this be a worthwhile upgrade. The EVGA E-GEFORCE 7800GS CO Sc 460MZ 256MB 256BIT 1.35GZ DDR3 for $390 cad.

This card will absolutely be faster than mine and provide the latest features. But is there any point in investing in AGP!

(I am sure there are more people in the same boat as I am)

Same boat, Leadtek 6800 and Dothan 730 @ 2.5, P4P800 SE 1 Gig of Mushkin XP 4400 @ DDR 500 <- max volts unmodded board.

[AgonxOC]

Forgot to add my 3Dmark scores

2001 = 32,474
2003 = 14,240
2005 = 6,438
2006 = 2,168

Not Bad.

I get about the same in 01, 32,623
I get 7,221 in 05

Specs in the sig.

[lowfat]

I actually don't think its worth the upgrade to a better videocard. A 7800GS isn't a whole lot better than an X800XT. So unless you are playing mostly games that support SM3.0, i wouldn't bother.

[Da_maniaC]

You guys really dont see the bigger picture?

Id like to do another comparison with these same cards in a year from now.

When practically every game will use SM3 and HDR.

Where is the X850 when HDR comes into play?

Exactly... its nowhere to be seen. ;)

The other biggest plus btw, is the overclock potential the 7800 GS has.

As i said... at stock speeds the x850 comes close but if you get into doing a decent oc then its nowhere to be seen either.

Of course its still your choice. I'm not an ATI fan at all and i work at a computer company that specializes in building custom machines for customers, (either gaming, high end, CAD, terminals... you name it) so i have plenty of experience with both.
And my personal experience tells me more then just benchmarks even though they point to the same direction. :)



It will run at 2.8 but it is the max. I have some VDroop. I can bench most things but is will eventally hang. Very stable at 2.7 or 2.75


Damn thats too bad, if all goes accordingly ill be getting my 750 at the end of the month but i really hope to get it stable @ 2,8 GHZ on air. :)

[AgonxOC]

I dont think you know what you are talking about. I think you are BIASED....Conroe is almost here. Whats the point of gettting a AGP card now that its not much better? He is etter off saving the money for the Conroe/Merom. What OC potential does the 7800 GS has? Its not faster than an X850XT PE and that was the KO SuperClock that Anandtech tested. Yeah SM 3.0 is not worth 300 USD and HDR its not worth that much when the new architecture is right down the corner.


Alex

[softpain]

You guys really dont see the bigger picture?

Id like to do another comparison with these same cards in a year from now.

When practically every game will use SM3 and HDR.


In a year from now... you know sm4.0 will be out in 10 months....and games with it will be out in 18 months so sm3.0 will be uncool in 1 year...

I do understand your point but as you know the video cards technology move so fast it's crazy...

[StixxX]

I also don't think 7800GS is worth it.$300 dollars for sm 3.0 n a little faster in performance ain't going to cut it when AGP is no where to be seen by the end of the year.Instead it will be better if you used the $$ to get the P4GPL-X.Yes I know it is not avaliable in Canada but I am getting it.If you want PM me and we will see what we can do.:) With that motherboard you can get a 7800GT for $330 Canadian or a x800GTO2 for $198 if money is a issue.;)

[cirthix]

i dont thik it's worth it for you