2900Xt 1Gb Or 8800GTX 768MB

[Extelleron]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: nitromullet
I brought this up in one of the other comparison threads, but I'll say it here too. Sure, ATI is wringing out more performance out of the X2900s with new drivers, but in the mean time NVIDIA is working on the 9-series which will once again raise the bar. Seeing as how the OP has a decent card already that seems to meet his needs, I'd suggest waiting until DX10 games truly become a reality instead of just technology showcases to decide which DX10 card to buy. Who knows who will have the better card at that time, but I really don't think that picking up a $500 video card this late in the product cycle is a wise move.</end quote></div>

nVidia is working on the 9 series... you think ATI is doing nothing but sitting there writing new drivers? ATI is working on new hardware as well, and I think if they can fix some of the problems the R600 architecture has, they will have an amazing GPU. The next time ATI/nVidia launch cards, DX10 games will be widely available, and from what we've seen the HD 2900XT already outperforms the 8800GTX in DX10 - an R600 refresh on 65nm or 55nm with all of R600's problems, such as AA performance, fixed, should destroy what nVidia has right now and at LEAST compete with GeForce 9.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
You need to read past the first post sometimes, or maybe he was being too ambiguous when he said:

Originally posted by: RaptureMe
Currently I am using a Nvidia Evga 7950GT 512MB Ko and it still works super great for me.
So far it plays all games at max setting with full eyecandy with out anyslow down.
But Like I said before these are all DX9 games.
It wont be able to play DX10 games with all the full setting with this card.
So this is why I want a newer DX10 card.

My advice is still the same... I recommended that he either wait for DX10 games or consider a less expensive option, such as the XT 512MB, GTS 640, or even GTS 320... It simply doesn't make sense to buy a GTX or XT 1GB right now, since neither of them will have a lifespan much longer than their less expensive siblings...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with my GTX at all, but I've also gotten 8 months of use out of it already and they've only dropped about $100 from what I paid for mine on launch day.

To get back to the OP's question... If I was still using my 7900GTX and I got a serious upgrade itch that wouldn't wait I would opt for an 8800GTS 640MB. I am kind of an AA junkie, so the AA performance hit discussed on the X2900 would concern me a bit.

some may say you got 6 out of 8 months of buggy drivers ... and i do NOT envy the people who adopted Vista early.

i find it hard to believe you know how long the useful lifespan of a HD2900xt or 8800gts/s will be ... if the OP wants to upgrade, ANYTIME is a good time ... there are no "imminent" releases ... we are talking SIX more months ... maybe longer and we do NOT know how much faster or more expensive they will be ... or if they will even run "cool"

We do have excellent choices today - we are talking $550 for a GTX - right now - in 2-3 months it will be $400 at the *cheapest* ... does it bother you to pay an "extra" $100 for 2-3 months of satisfaction? it doesn't bother me at all

 

[nitromullet]

some may say you got 6 out of 8 months of buggy drivers ... and i do NOT envy the people who adopted Vista early.

Neither Vista nor the 8800GTXwere forced upon me, I had run Vista RC1 and RC2 prior to buying so I knew about what I was getting into.

i find it hard to believe you know how long the useful lifespan of a HD2900xt or 8800gts/s will be ... if the OP wants to upgrade, ANYTIME is a good time ... there are no "imminent" releases ... we are talking SIX more months ... maybe longer and we do NOT know how much faster or more expensive they will be ... or if they will even run "cool"

I do not know the useful lifespan of what an HD2900XT or GTX/GTS will be, but I do know that the performance delta between the GTX/XT 1GB and GTS/XT 512MB is not large enough for any game that is hopelessly unplayable on the lesser cards to be playable on the more expensive cards.

We do have excellent choices today - we are talking $550 for a GTX - right now - in 2-3 months it will be $400 at the *cheapest* ... does it bother you to pay an "extra" $100 for 2-3 months of satisfaction? it doesn't bother me at all

So, why didn't you buy an X2900XT 1GB or an 8800 Ultra even of an extra $100 doesn't bother you at all...? Why are you suggesting to someone else that they purchase cards that you yourself didn't buy? I find it peculiar that you seem to feel the need to argue with me even though I'm actually recommending the EXACT same components that you yourself purchased just weeks ago and seem to be pretty pleased with. I'll be honest, you did a good job on your new rig - you picked out a solid set of components that offer a great bang for the buck. I don't understand why you wouldn't encourage others to do the same...

 

[nitromullet]

nVidia is working on the 9 series... you think ATI is doing nothing but sitting there writing new drivers? ATI is working on new hardware as well, and I think if they can fix some of the problems the R600 architecture has, they will have an amazing GPU. The next time ATI/nVidia launch cards, DX10 games will be widely available, and from what we've seen the HD 2900XT already outperforms the 8800GTX in DX10 - an R600 refresh on 65nm or 55nm with all of R600's problems, such as AA performance, fixed, should destroy what nVidia has right now and at LEAST compete with GeForce 9.

Sure, they are probably both working on new hardware, but it's undeniable that NVIDIA has a bit of an advantage time wise. ATI just released the HD 2900XT only recently, while the 8800s are well into their product life cycle.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: nitromullet

some may say you got 6 out of 8 months of buggy drivers ... and i do NOT envy the people who adopted Vista early. </end quote></div>
Neither Vista nor the 8800GTXwere forced upon me, I had run Vista RC1 and RC2 prior to buying so I knew about what I was getting into.

i find it hard to believe you know how long the useful lifespan of a HD2900xt or 8800gts/s will be ... if the OP wants to upgrade, ANYTIME is a good time ... there are no "imminent" releases ... we are talking SIX more months ... maybe longer and we do NOT know how much faster or more expensive they will be ... or if they will even run "cool"

I do not know the useful lifespan of what an HD2900XT or GTX/GTS will be, but I do know that the performance delta between the GTX/XT 1GB and GTS/XT 512MB is not large enough for any game that is hopelessly unplayable on the lesser cards to be playable on the more expensive cards.

We do have excellent choices today - we are talking $550 for a GTX - right now - in 2-3 months it will be $400 at the *cheapest* ... does it bother you to pay an "extra" $100 for 2-3 months of satisfaction? it doesn't bother me at all

So, why didn't you buy an X2900XT 1GB or an 8800 Ultra even of an extra $100 doesn't bother you at all...? Why are you suggesting to someone else that they purchase cards that you yourself didn't buy? I find it peculiar that you seem to feel the need to argue with me even though I'm actually recommending the EXACT same components that you yourself purchased just weeks ago and seem to be pretty pleased with. I'll be honest, you did a good job on your new rig - you picked out a solid set of components that offer a great bang for the buck. I don't understand why you wouldn't encourage others to do the same...

me? i bought a HD2900xt 512 because the 1GB was not an option ... not does it appear to be much faster than what i can [apparently] get with an OC ... i don't think the "extra" 513MB makes much of a difference yet.
... and i got a GTS 640OC to compare with it ... i *might* still return BOTH cards for a GTX ... or get a 2nd 2900xt .. my upgrade may not be finished ... i am just sharing my "results" so far, with everyone

The OP asked for the "top card" ... am replying to HIS request

and i [really] DIDN'T think i was "arguing with you" at all ... just giving my expanded PoV - tailored to the OP's needs

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>nVidia is working on the 9 series... you think ATI is doing nothing but sitting there writing new drivers? ATI is working on new hardware as well, and I think if they can fix some of the problems the R600 architecture has, they will have an amazing GPU. The next time ATI/nVidia launch cards, DX10 games will be widely available, and from what we've seen the HD 2900XT already outperforms the 8800GTX in DX10 - an R600 refresh on 65nm or 55nm with all of R600's problems, such as AA performance, fixed, should destroy what nVidia has right now and at LEAST compete with GeForce 9.</end quote></div>

Sure, they are probably both working on new hardware, but it's undeniable that NVIDIA has a bit of an advantage time wise. ATI just released the HD 2900XT only recently, while the 8800s are well into their product life cycle.

ATI was months late with the X1800 and then launched the X1900 before nVidia launched their new cards.

 

[nitromullet]

ATI was months late with the X1800 and then launched the X1900 before nVidia launched their new cards.

Exactly... ATI was still messing around with R5xx while NVIDIA was preparing G80 for launch... The X1900 didn't compete against the 8800GTX/S well at all.

 

[nitromullet]

i *might* still return BOTH cards for a GTX ... or get a 2nd 2900xt .. my upgrade may not be finished ...

Sure, you might... I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences with X2900XT Crossfire. Personally, I'm done with dual card setups for the immediate future. You seem to have caught a pretty serious upgrade bug lately...

 

[Extelleron]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: nitromullet
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>ATI was months late with the X1800 and then launched the X1900 before nVidia launched their new cards. </end quote></div>

Exactly... ATI was still messing around with R5xx while NVIDIA was preparing G80 for launch... The X1900 didn't compete against the 8800GTX/S well at all.</end quote></div>

What? ATI launched X1900 in January 2006, before nVidia launched their 7900 series in March.

nVidia launched the 7800GTX in June of 2005, and ATI was way behind, launching the X1800's in October. Then, only three months later, their new card was ready and nVidia wasn't ready to launch the 7900's. While R520 was delayed significantly, R580 was right on track for its release target (early 2006). I'm speculating that a similar thing could have happened with R600 - it was delayed so much, that ATI's next card could be only a few months away.

The X1950XTX was launched in August, but that's just a a simple refresh of the X1900 with GDDR4 and a new cooler, and wouldn't have taken any significant resources away from R600 development.

 

[nitromullet]

Is that a good thing..? Everyone who bought X1800XT's (myself included) kinda got the shaft on that exchange... Paid a lot for a card that seriously plummeted in value in about 3 months. Which brings me back to why I'm recommending the OP wait a bit to see what happens... I know from experience, I've bought a flagship card before only to have it replaced in short order by a much better card. I'm a bit more cautious this year than I was last year.

If you are correct and ATI is really set to launch a vastly improved R6xx card, then I would definitely stay as far away from the X2900XT as possible.

 

[Ackmed]

You really only have yourself to blame buying the X1800XT, and seeing it drop in price so fast. It was well known that the X1900XT would be released soon afterwards, and it did. Being faster, and making the X1800XT drop very fast in price. Which was actually great for people who waited. Because they could get a X1800XT for $250 or so, and its faster than a 7800GTX, being cheaper, and with better IQ to boot.

I bought a X1800XT as well, being fairly certain it would only be top card for a few months. Sold it, and got two X1900XT's. No hard feelings my way.

That being said.. this X1900XT has by far lastest the longest for me. Not because I wouldnt benefit from an upgrade, or want one, but Ive been gone so much, I keep on waiting. I havent upgraded anything in my PC in a year, which is by far the longest droubt Ive ever had. Normally I go thru 3 cards alone. Gone for 7 months.. come back for a month, and gone again. Just got back from Australia being gone almost a month, where gaming is horribly expensive.

 

[Matt2]

All I know is the 512mb 2900XT is the right price and I'll have one before the end of the week.

 

[f4phantom2500]

ok man since your current card is still working great for you, just hold onto it until nvidia's new cards come out man, they'll be a lot faster than the current cards and will last much longer. as far as i'm concerned, they'll be the first *real* dx10 cards, in the sense that they'll be coming out when the first real dx10 games will be out, so they'll be designed to not only support the games but to run them well.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Ackmed
You really only have yourself to blame buying the X1800XT, and seeing it drop in price so fast. It was well known that the X1900XT would be released soon afterwards, and it did. Being faster, and making the X1800XT drop very fast in price. Which was actually great for people who waited. Because they could get a X1800XT for $250 or so, and its faster than a 7800GTX, being cheaper, and with better IQ to boot.

I bought a X1800XT as well, being fairly certain it would only be top card for a few months. Sold it, and got two X1900XT's. No hard feelings my way.

That being said.. this X1900XT has by far lastest the longest for me. Not because I wouldnt benefit from an upgrade, or want one, but Ive been gone so much, I keep on waiting. I havent upgraded anything in my PC in a year, which is by far the longest droubt Ive ever had. Normally I go thru 3 cards alone. Gone for 7 months.. come back for a month, and gone again. Just got back from Australia being gone almost a month, where gaming is horribly expensive.

Oh no doubt, it was a good thing for people that waited... Which is in fact my recommendation. I'm also not blaming anyone, and I too picked up a an X1900XTX. It was a great card with excellent IQ. That being said, it still contend that if ATI is planning on releasing a better replacement for the X2900s soon that it wouldn't be a good time to buy one right now.

I'm actually kind of in a 'drought' myself. I haven't changed anything on my PC except for Vista and a new mouse since Nov when I got my GTX... it's a good thing apoppin is picking up our slack

 

[pcslookout]

nitromullet do you feel, what you paid for your GTX, it was a well worth while upgrade ?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>i *might* still return BOTH cards for a GTX ... or get a 2nd 2900xt .. my upgrade may not be finished ... </end quote></div>

Sure, you might... I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences with X2900XT Crossfire. Personally, I'm done with dual card setups for the immediate future. You seem to have caught a pretty serious upgrade bug lately...

you think so?

i just got Call of Juarez ... tell me it is NOT like Gun .. i have an "upgrade itch" supported by intense desire to do the benchmarking myself
-and i am learning SO much ... this is how i pay for my 'education'

and thank-you for saying nice things about my rig ... it is my Penryn-Platform ... hopefully, IT will last a couple of years ... with GPU/CPU/Ram upgrades

and i am not sure how to explain it ... each of my strangely piecemeal upgrade brought new knowledge ... and a "not quite there" feeling of unreal disconnect to my games.

the x1950p was first ... which naturally required a better PS that i am using now ... i then realized it was held back by my NW P4 at 3.31G and got a great deal on the Extreme Edition P4 3.4 which was perfect for my Pro at 3.75Ghz ... unfortunately my MD died and it was far cheaper - try $100 cheaper - to get an open-box ASrock then to replace my Abit IC7 and i sold my P4 for what i paid for it which was the exact cost of my new e4300

... so i paid $250 for my AGP x1950p/512 and used it for 6 months and hope to get $150 for it ... RAM is cheap ... and my MB was reasonable - especially as it will accept the 45 nm intel CPUs

of course that left my HD2800xt for $320 ... and i DID get a little carried away with my Thermalright ... but that cooling solution should last a few upgrade cycles .. and 500GB of 'cuda Raid-0 HD for $135 was something i did not need, but couldn't pass up

and ... i'm STILL "not quite there"
--hence the testing ... but i am *closer* then ever before

I'm actually kind of in a 'drought' myself. I haven't changed anything on my PC except for Vista and a new mouse since Nov when I got my GTX... it's a good thing apoppin is picking up our slack

My pleasure .... the only thing i would not have got now is Vista .. and $320 for a 2900xt is hard to beat [says the guy currently with the GTS/640-OC he can't even hear in his rig]

-------------------

Originally posted by: Matt2
All I know is the 512mb 2900XT is the right price and I'll have one before the end of the week.

you got one nailed down ... are you satisfied from looking at out benches? personally, i "feel" it is about 2x the speed of my x1950p/512 ... but still not enough for you hi-res monitor ... i would have no problem at 14x9, 12x10, 16x10 and MAYBE 16x12 - if i required more than 2xAA

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: pcslookout
nitromullet do you feel, what you paid for your GTX, it was a well worth while upgrade ?

Yeah, it was, but you also have to understand that I sold two 7900GTXes to fund the purchase, and I spent less than what I got for both of them.