An aging 6800GT - need an upgrade!

[7earitup]

Hey guys,

I have asked this same question multiple times in the past, but now that prices have dropped quite a bit. What would be a good bang for the buck in the AGP world at this time that would also give me a nice FPS increase over top of my 6800GT? All suggestions and recommendations are welcome, but keep in mind, I just want to replace the video card - nothing else.

Thanks!

EDIT: I found this, which is a good price IMO. How good is it really? ( I love eVGA by the way )
http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...dpNo=1831181&body=MAIN

 

[Skunkwourk]

I wouldn't buy that, its not that much better than the 6800GT and in certain games the 7600GT beats it. I know this is a bit pricier but I'd just buy this Visiontek x1950 Pro

http://www.compusa.com/product...t3&product_code=342815

You'd basically be at the top of the AGP foodchain unless the mythical 3750 AGP comes out, and who knows, maybe by that time, you'll finally have the means to go PCI-E.

 

[7earitup]

Thanks for the reply. How good is this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161209

 

[John]

The HD2600 Pro AGP is only a 128-bit GDDR2 card that is slower than a 7800GS. Check out the X1950 Pro AGP review from Firing Squad.

http://www.firingsquad.com/har...agp_review/default.asp

 

[7earitup]

That x1950Pro is very nice for 150 bucks. I may go with that. Thanks guys =)

 

[7earitup]

Any idea where I can find the 512MB version of the 1950PRO AGP8x? I would like to go with more memory since I run 1920x1200 resolution.

 

[Stumps]

hmmm you've got the 7800GS, 7600gt, x1950GT, 7900GS, x1950pro or 7950GT in agp to choose from

 

[taltamir]

for a rough idea of how cards compare use the tomshardware charts:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/...9&model2=722&chart=318

It just shows you a huge list of cards (not ALL cards though) and where they fall in comparison with each other... you can also input any two cards to get them to highlight a different color for easy comparison...

That page is the aggregate score achived by adding the FPS on all the tests performed... so it gives a good comparison of real life performance differences. Now its not PERFECT... and your resolution plays an important part in altering the differences between cards (are you playing on a 19 inch 1280x1024 monitor or a 24inch 1920x1200 monitor?). But the chart can tell you if a more expensive card you found with a higher numbered name is actually SLOWER...

Use it to find a few candidates, and then ask about them here to get a better idea on how they would compare under YOUR situation (ie, with your CPU, the games you play, and the resolution you use)... Or don't...

The chart is accurate in which card if faster, its the exact difference in performance that differs a bit, and on that the chart shows the AVERAGE numbers.. so unless you have an unusual condition than it is fairly accurate.

 

[7earitup]

Some questions..

I run at 1920x1200, should I look around and buy a 512MB version of the 1950Pro for more money?

I am using a 6800GT right now - from personal experience (not charts) how different would this be? (I play COD4 now with all low settings and 800x600 res usually)

I think this is a really good deal that m0mentary posted. Is COMPUSA good online?
http://www.compusa.com/product...t3&product_code=342815

Thanks again everyone.

 

[7earitup]

Any opinions on this?

 

[Inspector Jihad]

this is a pretty good choice too.

i'm thinking of picking that up.

 

[7earitup]

I heard the PRO version was better though, and the benchmarks show the PRO has an advantage too. I kinda want to get the best I can get for the AGP slot.

 

[Laminator]

The X1950 PRO version is indeed better; it's a higher-clocked version of the X1950 GT.

Depending on what games you play, though, the X1950 PRO (even the 512MB version) may not cut it for 1920x1200. I don't recommend solely relying on Tom's Hardware benchmarks since the games they use are somewhat dated, but it's still a good source. Try getting some Unreal Engine 3 benchmarks of the X1950 PRO (BioShock, Medal of Honor: Airborne, Unreal Tournament 3, etc.) as well as the newest games like Call of Duty 4. For example:

http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page9.asp

At medium settings, 1920x1200, the X1950 PRO gets 30 frames per second, which may be playable for a game like BioShock; I don't know. Anyways, the fastest AGP card you can get right now (before the AGP 38XX card comes out) is the AGP X1950 XT 512MB, which has 48 pixel shaders, 16 TMU's and higher clock speeds than the X1950 PRO, which itself has 32 pixel shaders and 12 TMU's. Good luck on your video card search.

EDIT: Whoops; the cards I listed were PCI-Express. Sorry.

 

[boatillo]

I ran the same Asus mobo and a BFG 6800GT (in fact still typing this on those! but my new card comes in today)

Here is what I decided.
1) Stick with AGP and buy a x1950Pro 512mb card. Have to be very lucky to find one used, new are $150-200+ and you can find one at Newegg.

2) Buy a s939 mobo with pci-e and take my pick of any card on market. I found a DFI nf4 Ultra-D board in perfect shape for $50 shipped. Then I spent a little more than I wanted on a 3870 and get a card that is maybe 2x faster than that 1950pro for maybe $100 additional cost. The board is also way more stable, better OC'r, and better layout than that old Asus.

 

[Denithor]

x1950pro is definitely worth the extra $20 versus the x1950gt. It's a guaranteed 15% faster core clock for 15% higher cost. 1:1 return on money is not very common in these components.

I haven't even heard rumors yet concerning launch date for Radeon HD 3850 but that one will be the card to have. The 3850 totally smokes the 8600GTS, 7950GT, and even the x1950xtx so if you can wait a bit get one of those instead of the x1950pro.

If you go with the x1950pro make sure you have a solid power supply. That card pulls some real watts and can choke your system if you don't have enough power available.

 

[7earitup]

What about this combo?

Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813186062

and

POWERCOLOR X1950PRO512MBAC Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814131055

Or is there a NVIDIA 8 series card for around 200 bucks that would dominate this 1950? I prefer NVIDIA to be honest. I have always had issues with ATI.

 

[Syntax Error]

Well there's the 8800GT, whose MSRP is around $250 (it was <$250 at launch), but you'll have tough luck trying to find that card at those prices, there's still a lot of demand for that.

HD3870 would be another alternative, from a lot of benchmarks, it's roughly the power of a 2900XT but at a lot less power usage and cost.

 

[Laminator]

At the $200 price point, there are two very obvious choices.

Radeon HD 3850 256MB (<$200)
GeForce 8800GT 256MB (faster)

 

[Inspector Jihad]

wowzers

man i really want that.

 

[Syntax Error]

If only the 8800GT had a cooler like that. *sigh*

That's a pretty good price and a card for an AGP rig, I would consider that if I couldn't be arsed to save up for a proper C2D and PCI-e computer.