Another GPU decision: 7800GT or X1900XT?

[dannyboy731]

Hello all,

I am going to be building a new system as soon as my tax refund comes in (i.e. by the end of Feb). Where I am stuck, like everyone else it seems, is on which graphics card to get. I am looking at either the eVGA 7800GT CO Edition (~$315) or the ATI Radeon X1900XT (~$520). This system is going to be probably 65% for gaming, 35% for everything else.

My question is obvious, is it honestly worth the extra $200+ for the Radeon? I know how it goes with these things, but I'd like to not be disappointed in six months if possible. Waiting for G71 or whatever else is not really an option, as my current system is approximately as fast as pen and paper.

Worth noting is that the eVGA has a lifetime warranty, as opposed to 1 year on the ATI (I think the Sapphire version is 3 years). I'm sure I'll probably be tired of either card in 3 years though. I plan on playing mostly games like HL2, WoW, BF2, Fear, etc. at 1280x1024. Of course, I'd also like to be able to play new ones as they come out.
I don't really plan on doing SLI or Crossfire (despite my mobo choice ;-p).

Whatever money I save or spend on the GPU won't really affect the other parts I get, and here's what I'm looking at:
Athlon X2 4200+, Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe, Enermax Liberty 500W, 2xSeagate 160Gb in Raid 0, Corsair TwinX2048-3200C2PT

I don't mind splurging if the ATI is going to be that much better, but if it's just overkill I'd rather go with a solid, more affordable choice. Sorry for the lengthy post, and thanks for your input guys!

 

[RobertR1]

The difference between a 7800GT and a x1900xt is quite large. The x1900xt will fare a lot better over 3 years than a 7800GT.

 

[Wreckage]

At 1280x1024 save your money and get the GT. Later on down the road you can always add a second one.

 

[Cookie Monster]

12x10, get the GT. The X1900 is abit over kill for that monitor resolution.

 

[imported_JeReMY]

Get a X1900XT. It's going to last you a while and I'm pretty sure it beat 2 7800GTs in SLI.

 

[DeathReborn]

7800GT suits your resolution and it would enable you to use the step up program to get a G71 if you want one later on.

 

[Frostwake]

x1900xt - pump up the AA etc and be happy, then 2 years from now itll probably still manage 1024x768 at medium settings in current games, most people are actually deciding between GT SLI vs x1900xt... a single gt is a joke compared to it

 

[RussianSensation]

for 65% price increase you'll get more than 65% gaming improvement. It'll approach 2x7800GTs. However, if you are going to play at 1280x1024, you should be OK for now. In COD2 and FEAR, you wont be able to play at 4AA and 16AF with 7800GT though. But the 90 day step up program is an advantage 7800GT holds. Assuming G71 is faster, it might make sense. Of course we cannot predict if it will be for certain. I would still probably get 7800GT since paying $520 for a card is too much imo. You can later sell 7800GT for $190 or so and if you find you need more perfomrance you can step it up. On the other hand X1900XT might fall a lot more in value once something better comes out so you'll lose a larger % on the sale of the latter.

 

[Aznguy1872]

I have to say, go with the x1900xt if u have the free cash, otherwise the 7800 gt is still a pretty good card.

 

[dannyboy731]

Thanks for your help so far guys. I never really was trying to compare the two cards, I know the X1900XT will own the 7800GT. My thinking was just that if the GT was adequate for me for now, it would be less of a pain to upgrade later since I hadn't invested as much in it. But I guess you can argue this kind of stuff a million ways, eh?

Keep the info coming, thanks!

 

[lopri]

7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

 

[Pete]

G71 is supposed to be announced around the end of Feb. or beginning of March, so I'd just wait for that (and to see what it does to GT, XTX, etc. prices).

Otherwise, the answer is pretty simple. If you care about fan noise, you might want to go with the GT (tho it's louder than the apparently heavenly GTX, it's still quieter than the XT). If you care about AA+AF, well, just look at Anandtech's (and others') X1900 reviews to see how a GT or GTX (as the GT CO apparently is as fast as a GTX) performs at 12x10. AT's #s show you can do 12x9 and 4xAA with BF2 at 60+fps, but forget about it with FEAR (~33fps)--it's no AA (~66fps) or possibly 2xAA. Which game is more indicative of future games? Neither, specifically, but you can only expect future games to run slower, so FEAR seems more prophetic in that respect.

(Edit: I peeked at FEAR and BF2 #s in AT's, xbit's, and TR's reviews. I'm almost positive HL2 will be fine with either card, but you can double-check.)

In that respect, the XT is more future-proof simply b/c it's faster--and it can be close to twice as fast as the GT in newer games at high res or with AA+AF. So, both cards seem to be a comparable price/performance proposition, it's just that a XT, being much faster now, is probably more likely to keep you gaming at 12x10 with good framerates for longer than the GT. Then again, you could just upgrade the GT sooner.

Can you deal with the fan noise, though? I'd give that serious thought if noise is a priority (as it is with me) and you plan on living with the card for years.

Honestly, if you're building end of February, just wait an extra week or so to see what the 7900 looks like. If nothing else, GTs and XTs should be cheaper by then, and maybe by then you'll see some X1900s with quieter coolers.

As for the day-to-day experience of using either card, I can't say much about either. I mean, I use a 9800P and have only two IMO inconsequential problems with it: HL2/CSS now crashes when I alt-tab from them (tho this is a recent occurence, so I can't tell if it's due to new drivers or a Steam update), and I don't care for CCC's horribly slow response time (tho I use ATI Tray Tools without issue). I guess if you use Linux, or plan to game in it, you'll want NV.

 

[dannyboy731]

Well, I'm still going back and forth in my head. I guess what it boils down to is - 1. If general speculation/rumor is that the G71 might be anywhere near the price of a X1900XT by say, May, I can go with the 7800GT and maybe step-up to G71, or 2. I can get a 1900 now and not look back for a year or two. I can't really see that the G71 would be that cheap since the GTX 512s are still so pricey, but I'm def. no expert.

There is a third option, I could save my money and go get a coupla six-packs and play some Tetris, hmm...

 

[hans030390]

If you can afford it, get the x1900xt without a doubt.

 

[RampantAndroid]

Originally posted by: lopri
7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

You're quite wrong. My single 7800 GT does very well at 12x10 on those games.....that's WITH settings maxed out, and 4xAA/8xAS

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

ok w hat you do is buy the evga card adn step up when the g71 comes out =)

 

[Sunrise089]

Don't pay $315 for the GT, pay $280 for a 445/1070 eVGA or $300 for a 470/1100.
Don't pay $520 for an XT, pay $490.
Get the GT if you use 1280x1024 or less and don't plan to change within 1 year.
Buying a XT for staying power past one year does not make sence to me. It will cost you an extra $210. In one year a 2nd 7800GT will probably be $210. Keeping it for three years is even worse. It will not be very good in three years, IMHO you're better off spending ~$300 every year and a half. Basically my math is buy one X1900XT now for $490 OR buy a $300 7800GT. Sell it in 18 months, get probably $150. Then buy another $300 card. Total net cost is $450. You save a little, and the 7800GT will play games OK in the near term, and the $300 card you buy 18 months from now will most likely destroy the X1900XT down the road.

 

[JPB]

Originally posted by: lopri
7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

What ? I play Chaos Theory now on 1280-1024 with high settings on a X800 Pro...with no lag at around 40fps.... average is 50

Quake 4 even runs better....AOE 3 right now is on 1280....with everything on high....

 

[jim1976]

For the timeframe that you set I would surely go for the x1900xt. It might be an overkill for today but with a future perspective it will last you longer, especially if you consider the fact that games will become more and more demanding

 

[nib95]

Originally posted by: x80064

Originally posted by: lopri
7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

What ? I play Chaos Theory now on 1280-1024 with high settings on a X800 Pro...with no lag at around 40fps.... average is 50

Quake 4 even runs better....AOE 3 right now is on 1280....with everything on high....

That doesnt seem right. Are you sure those are your average fps?
Have you ran fraps on them?

I have a 6800 GT OC and a 6800 Ultra and I dont get this kind of performance.
Well on Quake 4 I do, but Age of Empires runs pretty poorly.

 

[lopri]

Originally posted by: lopri
7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

My bad.. I thought you guys were talking about 16x12. Yeah.. While I haven't used 12x10 LCDs for years but I guess 7800GT should suit them well for now. Sorry about my mis-reading and wrong argument.

 

[dannyboy731]

Thanks again guys, pretty sure I'll go with the GT for now.

On a sorta related note, what do you all think about going with the eVGA CO Edition or the standard 445/1070mhz one & overclocking? Probably going to get the Arctic Cooling NV Silencer for it either way, and right now the stock version is 20 bucks cheaper plus a $20 rebate. Only problem is I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to overclocking & don't know how comfortable I am with replacing the HSF and all that yet. Anyone know of a good walkthrough for that sort of thing? Or does like 25/30mhz extra make much of a difference?

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: lopri
7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

Considering that my 6800GT handles those games fine at that res... i call BS.

 

[Elfear]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: lopri
7800GT will NOT be enough for 12x10 resolution in the near future. Well, indeed it is not currently

Call of Duty 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Quake 4
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires 3

The list will only get bigger as time goes by.

Considering that my 6800GT handles those games fine at that res... i call BS.

I think lopri was talking about max eye-candy settings. A 7800GT struggles in those games at max eye-candy.

 

[rgardner]

Buy whatever you want but make sure it supports Dual-Link DVI (not two DVI connectors) in case you upgrade to a high res panel down the road ... you don't want to find out *then* that your card doesn't support it.