The Short List: the Best Gaming Videocards for the money - Page 7
Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - The Short List: the Best Gaming Videocards for the money
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No 7600 GT available, this guy is AGP if he's running a Radeon 9550...
If you have to choose between the X1600 XT and X800 GTO... they will perform closely, the X1600 XT will have a slight advantage in most stuff, and it's newer technology so it allows for SM 3.0 class stuff like OpenEXR HDR.
Sorry, forgot to mention that I can do PCI Express x16. My MB has both that and AGP. ASRock 939Dual SATA
Well, if you cna afford it go with a 7600 GT for sure. Huge performance increase over the X1600 and X800.
On that note, I may even consider going with the x1800 GTO after rereading the list. I'm comfortable with O/C with atitool, and a small part of me would like to stick with the ATI cards, since I've always had one. (brand loyalty) Whatever I do end up deciding on, I'll try to remember to come back and let you know and give you my new 3DMark05 score.
The X1800 GTO is a great card and you'll be very happy with it. Stock 3dMark 05 score will probably be around 6000 - 7000, overclocked it might hit 8000 without too much trouble.
Would you still rate the X1800XT 512 MB GFX card a top choice for its price? $300 on newegg. I'm looking to upgrade form my X700Pro but don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a X1900XT.
My dilemma is that I'll want to upgrade next summer (most likely) but I want a performance boost over the course of the next year that'll still be able to play the newest top titles without falling short before I upgrade.
Should I go wth the X1800XT now? Or can I get away with spending a little less and get the performance I want to tide me over till next summer?
Coming from an X700? the 7600 GT or X1800 GTO would be a cheaper temporary solution that will show you excellent results over your X700.
But the X1800 is still an awesome card for the $$.
I forgot another question. Do you happen to know if either the 7600 GT or X1800 GTO require a direct connection to the power supply via the special cord? I know there are adapters I can get, since my PS doesn't have the hookup, but I'd like to avoid that.
7600 GTs don't need it, some X1800 GTOs do need the power cord (but not all)
| Quote : 7600 GTs don't need it, some X1800 GTOs do need the power cord (but not all) |
Are you sure about that?
Alot of reviews I've seen and alot of the cards on NewEgg show the GT with a 6 pin power connector, but not all.
D'oh! 
Forget it, confusing some capacitor or transistor box with a power connector;
http://www.firingsquad.com/media/a [...] sp/1816/05
You can kinda see it in this pic versus the true power connector a little closer to the edge on the GF6800GS in that pic.
I have discovered that the Sapphire X1800 GTO comes with the adapter to connect it to a power supply that does not have the 6-pin connection already.
FYI - I still haven't made up my mind between the X1800 GTO and the 7600 GT. I've given myself a 2-week deadline to make my choice. I know that either one will be awesome compared to what I'm currently at, but it's still a hard choice.
there might be a new sweet spot to go after. After spending some time researching into it,i disocvered that the X1900 All-In-Wonder card is the same fully unlocked R580 core, uses same type of memory and everything so the only differences are:
X1900XT/XTX:
512mb
600+mhz core
700+mhz memory
dual slot cooling
Crossfire
priced $400 or better
X1900 AIW
256mb
500mhz core
480 memory
single slot cooling
multimedia functions
no Corssfire
priced $280 or better
So in theory with a better heatsink the AIW card should be able to clock up to the same speeds as the XT/XTX which in turn would make that card a steal at its price... when my card gets here tomorrow, i will hook it up try out the stock cooler before i order a new heatsink and push it to the limit.
Also its rumoured that theres an X1900??? coming out thats the same thing as the AIW but without the tuner and multimedia functions at that 300-350 price range, which will became the ultimate bargain if its fully unlocked unlike the GT version
let ya know how it OCs, bye
The X1900 all-in-wonder will core overclock easily, but I doubt you'll ever get the slow memory anywhere near X1900 XT specifications.
In the end, the X1900 AIW's memory will certainly cripple it to run much slower than an X1900 XT, then again if you overclock it'll probably still be faster than the X1800 XT, so if you're an overclocker it's a good card in the $300 price range. Then again, so is the 7900 GT though...
its the same memory, its just not as much 512mb -vs- 256mb, and as is the case with system memory less memory = faster latency. i may never reach the 700+mhz of the XT/XTX but i figure if i can reach 600 or 650 my latency should easily make it just as good as the 700+
but as i said next week or so, whenever i determine the best heatsink i can buy for that card, i will push its limits and see if i can reach the XT specs
It's not the same memory, it's 200 Mhz slower.
I wouldn't count on reaching 650 on X1900 XT memory, 600 might even be a challenge although it's probably doable.
It really depends on what the manufacturer puts on the card. You might get lucky, you might not, but I wouldn't count on it...
The core is pretty much a given to overclock though. I'd pick an X1900 AIW over an X1800 XT, myself, for overclocking purposes.
This may be old news, or news nobody cares about but HKEPC has a review (in Chinese of course) on the upcoming AGP 7600GS vs the X1600Pro.
You can check it out here.
| Quote : its the same memory, its just not as much 512mb -vs- 256mb, and as is the case with system memory less memory = faster latency. i may never reach the 700+mhz of the XT/XTX but i figure if i can reach 600 or 650 my latency should easily make it just as good as the 700+ |
Just in case you don't get what Cleeve's saying the X1900 AIW has 1.6ns memory chips and the X1900XT hs 1.26 ns memory which is a BIG difference. The X1900XTX has 1.1ns memory which is actually quite a sizeable difference too.
That 1.6ns memory isn't going anywhere near the same level. You might be able to reach XT stock speeds with some water cooling, but the XT would far outpace that with the same setup. And the latency isn't enough of an issue to compensate for that 200(400)mhz difference.
time to give the x1800XT 256MB the nod at the $200-250 price range... the Sapphire 100154L's regular price is now $249 on Newegg, and it's even on sale currently for $219 after a $30 MIR. however, there's a 512MB MSI x1800XT for $269 after MIR... is it worth the extra $50 to pick up a 512MB version of the card rather than 256MB?
Hey guys, what's a good PCI E card below $100?
I'm using an ASUS board. and I'm running AMD 64 on it. thanks.
This one.
Yeah, it's time to update the list...
yeah it think it's time to update the list. Is Radeon X800 GTO 128mb still the best card for PCI E 16x under $100? This one is manufactured by ATI right?
Actually, the X800 is still the best sub-$100 PCIe card out there.
Yep, it's an Ati card.
Hey, I don't know if you count mail-in rebates--but if you do, would the new x1600 PRO AGP be the best AGP card under $100? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102666)
Nah, I don't count rebates or open box items. In fact, I don't like to put anything on the list unless it's widely available at that price.
Even so, the X800 GTO would stand up favorably to an X1600 PRO I think. But if the X1600's ever come down to that price consistantly, I'll put them on the list, too.
*** UPDATES JUNE 14 2006***
Minor cleanups. The X1800 XT 256 took the X1800 XL's place in the $200 to $250 range.
I put the X850 XT back in as an honorable mention because the price is so low compared to the X1800 GTO and 7600 GT.
Other than that, most of it is still pretty spot on.
Granted I do shop at NCIX too, but Canada Computers has ATI X800XL 256MB PCI-E for $170cdn (say $150 US).
Guessing ATI's X's are better than the tier 2's? Anyone with comments?
Better than a tier 2 what?
First of all--based on every query I've attempted, unless you count rebates in your "best card for the money" list, the X800 needs to be taken off the under $100 category unfortunately.
Secondly, the 7300GT is quite an oddball. Some versions are 64-bit memory interface like the GS and LE versions, but it seems there are also some 128-bit versions. Even stranger yet--look at this. Is it bullsh&*$, or is this for real? If real, will it fit into the best PCI-E card for under $100 replacing the disappearing x800 ATI cards?
EDIT: As all other 7300GTs claim to have 8 pixel pipelines, I will assume this one does as well, no?
Bottom line: Is a 12 Pixel Pipeline 128 bit interface better than an 8 Pixel Pipeline 256 bit interface, generally speaking? If it 'depends', then answer me this--assuming this 7300GT linked above is for real, would it perform better or worse than the XFX 7600GS at $109?
I'll look into the X800 GTO thingy...
The confusing thing about 7300's is, the GS' and GT's are completely different processors.
The 7300 GS is a 4-pipeline card with 64-bit memory. The core is 4-pipelines native.
The 7300 GT, on the other hand, is a 7600 GS core with 4 pipes disabled, so it's an 8-pipe card. As far as I know all of these guys have 128-bit memory, like their 7600 brothers.
If 8-pipe 7300 GTs are commonly going for under $100, and the X800 GTOs are gone, they will most likely take the sub-$100 spot. Nice find. 
What about this 7300GT? It has 256MB of 1.4GHz GDDR3. I haven't been able to find this card for sale, though. I was able to find the card on the Inno3D website. I just wonder how they can clock the VRAM at 1.4GHz without any cooling.
I had also noticed that 256-bit 7300GT on newegg; it's probably a typo. I looked for the model number on the XFX website, and I didn't find anything.
Nice ram!
256-bit... gotta be a typo there, unfortunately...
| Quote : Nice ram!
|
...bump (x800 current price range status?)
Interesting...if you look up "PCI x16" and "Radeon X series" it will not show this card--it shows another x800 GTO that is $109, and of course, those other x800 flavors that are priced well above that.
Weird that it is on the "Radeon X1K series" list...Newegg simply put it in the wrong place I guess. My bad :|
Update: Hooray, this is my 600th post (woot!)
The one I linked to is also a 256MB version not a 128MB as Cleeve's list notes. I suspect this is a fluke meaning Newegg may only have limited stock and it could disappear soon. $100 for an X800GTO (PCI-E) is a good deal.
There is also this plain Jane X800 that works out to $73 but only after a rebate.
LOL, while we are debating this, another contender reaches the $0-$100 range: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125021
What now, Cleeve?
There you go. That's why I try not to change the sticky until there has been a long-term trend in pricing. I'm going to hold off until I've seen a few more benches of the 7300 GT.
Either way, the X800 GTO is probably better than the X1600 PRO.
Wow, the 7300GT looks very promising. It looks like it hands an old 6600GT its rear, especially when overclocked to 640/1600 like in the review. I hope it becomes more widely available. At around $100, it is a great budget gaming card.
I am supprised that nobody as been talking up the Nvidia 7900's and now the 7950 GX2.
For $250-300, I would rank the 7900GT CO for best bang for the buck. Nothing else can touch it in that price range. Not to mention, with proper cooling, these thing OC like crazy.
Also, for the $500+, You cannot go wrong with the 7950 GX2. Two chips, I card 512mb DDR3 X 2 = 1024 MB Total memory. SLI on one card. And, in the next few weeks, we should see MOBO bios updates and Card driver updates, to run two of these in a quad setup.
My two cents.
nVidiot alert ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. The 7900 GTs have, and will continue to have, a place in the best buy category. They are ranked best bang for the buck in the $250-$300 range along with the X1800 XT 512mb... check the first page of this sticky for the list
2. The 7950 GX2 doesn't look all that good at all, from where I'm sitting. Then again, I'm not a big multi-GPU/Xfire/SLI fan because of the power req's and heat, but still... at $600, you'd probably be better off with a couple 7900 GTs, no? I can't find the 7950 for less than $600 right now, frankly I'd advise saving the $200 and getting an X1900 XT that'll deliver great performance , unless you absolutely MUST be running the highest possible resolutions and AA...
lol
Clearly you are pushing the envelope of stupid.
nice quintuple post
So, I'm still debating between the 7600 GT and the X1800 GTO. I thought I was leaning towards the X1800 GTO, but based on the prices I've seen over the last few weeks, I'm completely torn. Basically, they are both going to easily handle everything I want to do, so it comes down to which one produces the best quality, which is the X1800 GTO, I've been told
However, here's the problem. I haven't seen the X1800 GTO drop below $190.98 with shipping. I can get a PNY 7600 GT for $151.67 or a BFG for $177. Does anyone think the X1800 GTO is worth an extra $13-$39? Are the features it supports going to make that much of a difference?
It comes down to this:
If you're an overclocker, it's well worth it.
If you don't plan to overclock, the 7600 GT is the obvious choice.
[Edit: deleted the entire thing as it was useless. Posted before reading the rest of the thread. Sorry]
x1800gto, and dont use this thread, lets get it to go away, its from december, the x850xt is also a plausible choice
| Quote : and dont use this thread, lets get it to go away |
Um, no... The list is updated about once a month, at the very least.
What part seems out-of-date to you?
umm the there are several x1900xt's under 400 now.
That's a pretty recent change, I just checked that recently and they were all still above $400.
But thanks for the update. 8)
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