New GC

I'm torn between getting a spanking new X800XT, or a 6600GT.... The price difference is amazing, but I'm not sure if the performance difference is as amazing.

At the moment I'm running a GF FX5700. I reside in Aus, and I rely on these 2 shops for my computer needs: www.cpl.net.au, www.msy.com.au.

Prices:
Sapphire X800XT: AUD$399
Leadtek 6600GT: 209
Asus 6600TD: 189
XFX 6600GT TD: 359
Winfast 7800GS: 535

I was really hoping to spend only 250 at most, but I really can't be bothered sticking to that budget now. The 7800 is definately out of reach, but I'm really interested in somehting that'll perform on a 19" LCD at native resolution. Hopefully 32bit colour.



And I'd like to point out that I can only take AGP cards, the upgrade to PCIe is too costly. Besides, this current upgrade will keep my comp updated for at least another 3 years....

I just want to avoid paying a huge premium for a small boost in performance. Thanks for any reply.

Sounds like the 6800GT is just right for you (are those american dollars?). If you can't afford that, get the 6600GT. It will save you a lot of money, and is an incredible card. I have it and love it.

Lemme add a few more cards:
XFX 6800GS: 359
Gigabyte 6800: 270
Leadtek 6800XT: 225

They are all AUD$.

I can't find any 6800GTs. As I said, forget the original 200 bux budget. Its definately gone up. I'm investing in a nice 19" monitor, and would love to use it at native res for the latest games.

Not sure if a 6600GT is up to it. I'm willing to come up with the 399 for the x800xt, if its value for money. Of course if the Leadtek 6600GT is just a tad slower, no point spending all that extra money....

The 6800GS is a really good card. If possible, don't get an ATI card. They don't have the best features, and their performance isn't as great per dollar. The 6800GS is best, and then the 6800XT. Good Luck.

I can't find those.... Only the listed ones are obtainable. To me at least. I can't go to newegg and buy them...

But those were the ones you listed! One post above mine! Oh well, I guess you'll be happier with the X800 then, but if you can find a 6800GT, 6800GS, of 6800XT, they are the best to get. Good Luck!

The x800xt is much better than a 6600gt. But not for that price, 6800gs, I'd say. ATi>nvidia! PS3.0 is not all it's hyped up to be.
The 6800gs will be slower than a x800xt overall. Any of these cards will do 1280x1024 of most 17in and 19in LCDs.

So x800xt>6800gs>6600gt. Forget about the others.

If you can get a 6800GT, it will school all of the ATI cards up to the X850XTPE. That is the best card. Try to get one if you can, or a 6800Ultra. ATI cards aren't as good as nVidia, except their newest (which is $650 America dollars!).

newegg has a 1900xt under $500, 1900xtx under $600. A 512mb 7800gtx is well over $650, and not as good as eather one. 7900gtx?

But, just to restate, x800xt is a very fast AGP card.

Granted it is fast, but the 6800GT is muc better. And even though I don't agree with you about ATI vs Nvidia, lets not start a war over that right now. Are you sure that you can't afford a 7800 AGP. They are really good.

Hello.

The 6800GS is probably the best bang-for-the-buck video card for mid-price range. Despite losing 4 pixel pipelines to 6800GT, the GS in on par if not outperform in every category. For your price range, I'd look into the 6800GS and the x800GTO. Although since you can only take AGP cards, you will have a bit more difficult of a task when researching. I can't make any specific suggestions since I don't know the stores for Australia. Good luck.

Here is a read on PS3.0
http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NjA5
Sounds good, but it's over-hyped. An inquier artical said nvidia had used DX8 to compare it to at a trade show to help proove how much better it is. In fact, its hard to tell much difference.

This was exactly what I'm thinking. The pixel shader crap.

For me, eye candy is nice and all, but its not essential to me. The only reason why I'm upgrading is to support my new monitor.

And since I am upgrading, I hope it will be able to last for at least 3 years playing the latest games. Min setting is alright (I played Q4, HL2, and what not on my 5700).

Unfortunately, my knowledge of computer graphics isn't all that good, but I need to know something: Will the lack of SM3 cause me not being able to play games later on?

Sorry, didn't notice that I updated the list.

I'm now confused as you see. I am a supporter of nVidia (all my powerful cards are nVidia). Or I should say, was a supporter.

The latest reviews and stuff I read last year shows that ATI has become a tough competitor for nVidia. Heck, their best cards are better than nVidia as you mentioned earlier. Which is why the card I bought last year was an ATI.

If performancewise, the X800XT outperforms the 6800GS, I'm inclined to get the X800XT.

However, this is an XFX card, and I believe XFX pre-overclocks their cards? Or maybe certain models. Whatever it is, I have this strong impression XFX's cards are better than others. Better overclockability perhaps.

Also, I might be interested in OCing my cards a little, the X800 might find itself being an X850. Not to mention if I bought the 6800GS, it'll probably turn out to be a 6800GT.

Key word is "might".




Either way, this purchase will be taking up all my savings, but even then, I'm not gonna take a lifetime to decide Probably will buy it in one/2 weeks time. Which will coincide with me buying my monitor. Perfect.

Okay, I just dug out a nice article about the 7800GS for AGP.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/02/13/nvidias_geforce_7800gs_becomes_a_better_buy/index.html

They are all for the card in terms of performance, but these are OCed cards.

And performance increase isn't all that great compared to the X800XT. Price iincrease is about 150 bux. Almost 50% increase.

I might have missed something, and the price might still come down, the SM3.0 is quite attractive at the moment....

The 7800 will be able to play games for a much longer time than the X800 can. It has newer features, and will be much faster on future games. I advise getting it, or the 6800GT.

I stll think a 6800gs is the best value.

ATi has much better video for DVD playback, as good as high-end players. Nvidia has poor quality, as bad as cheapo players. Just a thought, if it matters to you.

Mirob: Actually it does matter. Thanks for telling me. My current TV is a 21" crt. Pretty ancient as far as I'm concerned, and all my money goes into my computer . My DVD watching and stuff is done on my computer, given that it has better color, better sound, and a more comfortable chair

So that settles it: I'm getting the X800XT. Thanks for all the help guys.

Actually, that's not true. I have a 6600GT, and I watch movies on my computer all the time. My computer looks much better than our TV, and is on par with any TV I've ever seen. Some Nvidia cards may not process TV as well, but the newer cards are just as good as ATI. Likewise, some ATI card aren't as good at video as some Nvidia cards, but some are. It all balances out. As far as I'm conerned, the 6800GT is the best card under $250. The 7800 is the best card for AGP period. The X800 is a good value card, but if you look at Maximum PC, they rate the X800 Pro as a 6, and the 6800GT as a 7. They are close to the same price too. I know you can't get the 6800GT, but if you have the cash, the 7800 is THE best AGP card, and very well priced too. If you want the X800, get it. I'm not saying it's bad, just that it's not as good as Nvidia card in the same price range. There is nothing wrong with it. If you can't get the 6800GT, and you don't have the cash for the 7800, get it by all means. Good Luck!

Okay, given that its a real close comparison, there shouldn't be much of a difference which card I get anyway, right? So I should settle on the cheapest card in a $50 range and I wouldn't see the difference?