9800XT to X850 XT PE ??

[theYipster]

Hello all,

I posted a few days ago asking for advice on upgrading the 9800XT in my 2 year old Dimension XPS Gen2. The computer has kept up remarkebly well, but I'm beginning to feel that the 9800XT is getting on in years, especially with newer games such as FEAR. The only downside to my desktop is that it's stuck with AGP, and since it's a Dell, upgrading the mobo isn't much of an option. (The computer has a 3.0Ghz/HT Pentium 4 Northwood and 2 gigs of RAM.)

At first I was considering a GeForce 6800GT/GS, but now I'm leaning towards an X850 XT PE. Money is not really a concern... I just want the best AGP card available (something that will last me reasonably well for another 18/24 months.) Anyway, I'd greatly appreciate any input as to the merits of the X850 XT PE. Should I expect a significant boost over the 9800XT? Furthermore, I'm considering the ASUS version, because it's the cheapest one on Newegg. I've had good experiences with their MoBos (and good experience with their MoBo repair service,) but I've never bought a graphics card from them. Is there anything to be concerned about or is ASUS good to go?

Thanks,

Mark Roboff

 

[SynthDude2001]

Yes, you will see quite a boost over the 9800XT. The X850XTPE is (still) the fastest AGP card available. I've never had any first-hand experience with ASUS video cards, but as long as you find a good price on an X850XTPE, I'd say go for it...

 

[Powermoloch]

X850XT AGP is the shizznat (owns one..)

 

[effee]

Definetly, 9800XT is still from a generation of older cards

 

[Sonikku]

Meh. I'm still playing World of Warcraft on a 9600XT as I can't afford anything better right now. >_< What I need is a 7800GT. Hell, a X850XT would be VERY nice to have.

 

[Dkcode]

I jumped from a 9800pro to a 6800gt a while back and the improvement was remarkable so the jump to a X580XT PE will be even more awesome. However be warned FEAR brings my GTX to its knees so dont expect to run it in all its glory.

 

[Termie]

I jumped from a 9800pro to an x800xt pe (about the same jump you're making), on a Dell 8300 (3.0 Northwood AGP), and it opened up a whole new set of games for me, and doubled my 3DMark05 score. Far Cry and BF2 run well (~40fps), although I'm pushing it at 1680x1050 w/ AA/AF. As for lasting 18-24 months, that might be asking too much. But...because money's not an issue, definitely do it.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

my friend jumped from a 9700pro to a x800xt pe......liked it for a week, then it started buggering up. Sapphire shipped him a X850XT (basically the same card) as a replacement and he hasnt been happier since. great card.

still i PWN his ass with my 7800GT's

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

I've just upped from a 9800pro to x800xt and it feels like double the performance for all intents and purposes (e.g. BF2, Q4 and even FEAR... unless you consider 30-40 fps to be unplayable).

 

[theYipster]

Thanks for all the replies so far, you've all been great!

I'm not much into benchmarking. Basically, my goal is to play the games I have (FarCry, HL2, Doom3, Fear, etc.) plus games that are coming out in the near future at 1600x1200 (or at least 1280x1024) with options maxed (excluding AA and AF, which I'd set accordingly.) The 9800XT can actually achieve this to a reasonable degree with FarCry and HL2 if AA and AF are turned off, but it craps out in other games. I'm perfectly content with framerates in the 30 to 60 range. My thinking in getting an X850 XT PE is that the little extra bit of juice (when compared to an X850 standard or X800) will extend the useful life of my pc, even if only by a bit. For instance, when I purchased my PC with 2gigs of RAM over two years ago, a good sense of me thought it was overkill, but it actually has proven to be a great boon for my gaming experience. So I'm thinking the same thing with getting the top graphics card.

Regards,

Mark.

 

[apoppin]

i am in a similar position and i say 'no' . . . at it current price it is not worth it . . . but then i play at 10x7 and 11x8@85hz on my CRT . . . all my current new games run well [except the FEAR demo; which is playable] . . .

i am waiting for one of ATI's partners to realize demand for a high-end AGP card. i'd say by January - with r580 scheduled for release - we will see it. IF not, the xtpe will be [well]below $200 by then and my final card for this aging rig . . . i'm gonna pick up a cheap xtpe [or whatever beats it in AGP] and an xbox360.

problem solved till i want to upgrade [everything]

 

[RussianSensation]

Visiontek X850xt pe $345

Otherwise, your only hope is a 6800GS in AGP. Dont go with an asus board (why pay extra?)

Performance increase should double.

X850xt vs. x850xt pe vs. X800XL vs. 6800GT vs. 6800Ultra

 

[theYipster]

Thank you everyone for your posts,

I've purchased a VisionTek Xtasy X850XT PE to upgrade the 9800XT. I'm pretty much convinced that it was a prudent move for my gaming goals. Now, I get to play the waiting game...

Regards,

Mark.

 

[Eureka]

Haha, great. I'm planning to upgrade from the 6600GT (just about the same as a 9800Pro/XT) to the x850XTPE sometime.

Norm

 

[Andres3605]

9600xt to x800xt PE HUGE upgrade