Dead for now! X800XL now $288 shipped! UPDATE 5/02

[feelingshorter]

indeed, anyone know if guildwars will be good with this card.

 

[Derektm]

This card is dropping in price everywhere. A few weeks ago I ordered the Built by ATI OEM from newegg at $300 now its $285. I'd say this is a mighty good deal.

 

[TrueWisdom]

Just dropped an order for it. Now to snag a Venice and a DFI, and I'm good to go!

 

[Boztech]

Originally posted by: user1234

Originally posted by: Barnacle Bill

Originally posted by: user1234
the gap between X800XL and 6800GT pci-e just seems to grow. The cheapest 6800gt pci-e I've seen is like $370, so this is $115 cheaper. pretty hot for a card which is 20% faster in HL2 and a bunch of other games.

Hi user1234,

Could you please provide some links which point to the benchmarks showing the 20% faster performance of the X800XL over the 6800GT? Are there any hardware differences between the X800XL and the X800XT and if so exactly what are they and is it possible to mod the XL (software or hardware) to make it an XT?? Thanks!

here's the HL2 benchmarks (also includes many other games in other pages of this article):

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/2004-27gpu2_11.html

excerpt from results for HL2 d1_canal @1024x768, no AA/AF : X800XL=101.1 fps, 6800GT=75.1, same demo @1600x1200, 4xAA, 16xAF: 51.1 vs 31.9

That is one result from one review and in only ONE demo... and the review goes on to explain they have driver trouble with their test rigs. Not exactly a good representation of overall performance, especially considering that specific game was coded just for ATI.

Look at other reviews to get a more comprehensive idea of how the card stacks up..

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NzAwLDU=
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2299&p=4

..from what I consider are more reliable sources in the first place. The difference is not so dramatic. In all other games besides Far Cry, at stock speeds, the GT is much more playable.

That's not to say that for $254 it isn't the best card you can buy, I would however be weary of the Connect3d brand and the fact you are buying OEM (less warranty). Not all cards are created equal especially the mem. chips that are utilized.

I just don't want it to be misrepresented as "20% faster in HL2 and lots of other games." It is roughly 5-8% faster in a game that is coded for it (HL2), in almost all other games, it lags behind either slightly or by a reasonable margin... and in Doom 3, the difference is massive.

 

[GRIdpOOL]

Buy it. For ~$250, you can't get a better deal. I think DOOM3 is one of the worst games out there, so I can give you an unrestrained thumbs-up for the x800xl. As for the Connect3D brand, it is worth the discount to try....

 

[Todd33]

Originally posted by: user1234

Originally posted by: xenolith

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor

The X800XL is only faster in a few benchmarks like HL2. Overall, it's a tad slower and won't be able to play AoEIII in all it's glory because of the lack of SM3.0.

In fact, I posted this thread, and I didn't even buy it. I'm sticking with my 6600GT for now.

I read some place (sorry can't remember) that SM3.0 is such a resource hog that even the 6800 Ultra would have a hard time running decent frames with it fully enabled. Kind of like the way the older cards handled FSAA was when it was first implemented.

So, you'll probably need to get a next gen card to run AoEIII with all the bells and whistles anyway.

Agreed. In my opinion running Chronicles of Riddick with the SM2++ mode (soft shadows) turned on is unplayable on my 6800GT (overclocked to Ultra speed). It's just too damn slow. In fact I stopped playing and was disappointed by the game until I read the article below which explains that the game turns this feature is on by default when it detects the new nvidia cards, but once it's turned off I could finally enjoy this great game.

http://firingsquad.com/hardware/chronicles_of_riddick_performance/

by the way, I believe this game is based on the doom 3 engine, and as such it shows a large advantage for 6800GT over X800XL. But if you choose to turn on the "soft shadows" mode the frame rate drop to a whopping 1/3 of the regular mode, which makes the game unplayable on anything short of top of the line SLI rig.

It can't be the doom III engine or opengl if it's using SM3.0, that's a D3D thing. Agreed though, it's not a issue this gen, it's too slow and not used much.

 

[BrokenVisage]

Awesome deal, this solidifies getting the XL over a 6800GT in PCI-E if you were to build a computer today.

 

[user1234]

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
Awesome deal, this solidifies getting the XL over a 6800GT in PCI-E if you were to build a computer today.

true, except fpr two major issues - SLI and Linux. 6800GT pci-e supports SLI which offers a very good future upgrade path. Second is Linux, where nvidia has very good driver support but ATI doesn't.

If ATI comes out and anounces that X800XL will work (as is) with their upcoming multi-gpu technology than it would make it a lot more attractive.

 

[Berg]

Has everyone here bought and recieved this deal yet? Does the OEM come with s-vid cables and what not? Or does this oem come with nothing? Is this just plain oem or is it an oem refurbished? Just curious since im planning to buy this card from monarch

 

[dheffer]

connect3d is a reputable company
For under $300, nothing comes close to touching this card
The OEM should come with a few misc. cables and a CD, but it's definitely not a refurb. Just call and ask, they're nice there.

 

[Berg]

Alright thx for the info, just wondering since alot of the OEM card on Newegg are refurbished. Yeah the X800XL is deffinately the best bang for your buck now, 1 of these is about 150 dollars less then 2 SLI-6600gts and run better as well. SM3 is nextgen tech for nextgen cards current cards with them will run them pretty badly so it doesnt really worry me. I cant wait till get mine =D

 

[goatse]

Anyone have a link to benchmarks between this card and a 9800 pro? Gonna upgrade and I'm wondering if its worth the move.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Originally posted by: Boztech

That is one result from one review and in only ONE demo... and the review goes on to explain they have driver trouble with their test rigs. Not exactly a good representation of overall performance, especially considering that specific game was coded just for ATI.

That's why I would never pay more than $100 for this card, no matter what the fanboys say ATI drivers always have and always will suck.

 

[user1234]

Originally posted by: Boztech

Originally posted by: user1234

Originally posted by: Barnacle Bill

Originally posted by: user1234
the gap between X800XL and 6800GT pci-e just seems to grow. The cheapest 6800gt pci-e I've seen is like $370, so this is $115 cheaper. pretty hot for a card which is 20% faster in HL2 and a bunch of other games.

Hi user1234,

Could you please provide some links which point to the benchmarks showing the 20% faster performance of the X800XL over the 6800GT? Are there any hardware differences between the X800XL and the X800XT and if so exactly what are they and is it possible to mod the XL (software or hardware) to make it an XT?? Thanks!

here's the HL2 benchmarks (also includes many other games in other pages of this article):

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/2004-27gpu2_11.html

excerpt from results for HL2 d1_canal @1024x768, no AA/AF : X800XL=101.1 fps, 6800GT=75.1, same demo @1600x1200, 4xAA, 16xAF: 51.1 vs 31.9

That is one result from one review and in only ONE demo... and the review goes on to explain they have driver trouble with their test rigs. Not exactly a good representation of overall performance, especially considering that specific game was coded just for ATI.

Look at other reviews to get a more comprehensive idea of how the card stacks up..

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NzAwLDU=
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2299&p=4

..from what I consider are more reliable sources in the first place. The difference is not so dramatic. In all other games besides Far Cry, at stock speeds, the GT is much more playable.

That's not to say that for $254 it isn't the best card you can buy, I would however be weary of the Connect3d brand and the fact you are buying OEM (less warranty). Not all cards are created equal especially the mem. chips that are utilized.

I just don't want it to be misrepresented as "20% faster in HL2 and lots of other games." It is roughly 5-8% faster in a game that is coded for it (HL2), in almost all other games, it lags behind either slightly or by a reasonable margin... and in Doom 3, the difference is massive.

"Hard" OCP is a grabage site for hardware reviews, especially CPU, motherboards, and Video cards. Their methodology is silly using all kind of meaningless comparisons, and the testing conditions themselves are poor oftern producing wrong results (see their Neo4 review, which stands in contrast to all other reviews). It's just a pathetic site run by a$$holes.

While I'm not saying that X800XL is overall a faster card then 6800GT, it can definetely be called equal as even though it trails in doom 3 and riddick, it does lead in more than just HL2. For example, in the new Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, the cards are tied without AA/AF but the X800XL takes a smaller hit when these are turned on, so it leads by more than 10%. So overall you cannot say that X800XL is inferior to 6800GT performance wise. It does however lack the SLI option and the linux driver support.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/splinter_cell_chaos_theory_1/

 

[Shaorinor]

The X800XL is comparable to the 6800GT, but where it wins out is its overall value. For its price, you can settle for the slight dip in performance. If price is no object, I would still go for the 6800GT, SLI or not. I, personally, do not feel that SLI is what it is cracked up to be at this point in time. So, for a single card solution, value = ATI, performance = nvidia.

 

[quorm]

feelingshorter: Guild wars works great with this card. The game has an ATI logo on the box, ater all. I used it for the beta and it worked fine at 1600x1200. Considering I just bought this card a few weeks ago for 280 shipped, this is an awesome deal.

 

[cpush]

I ordered mine, anyone get theirs yet?

 

[matrix5646]

I get mine tomorrow : ) I ordered free ground and they gave me 2 day fed ex. Does Monarch (first time ordering) typically do things like that?

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: JuicyLucy
Originally posted by: Boztech

That is one result from one review and in only ONE demo... and the review goes on to explain they have driver trouble with their test rigs. Not exactly a good representation of overall performance, especially considering that specific game was coded just for ATI.

That's why I would never pay more than $100 for this card, no matter what the fanboys say ATI drivers always have and always will suck.

I'm pretty positive he was talking about driver trouble with NVIDIA based cards during the testing. There is nothing wrong with ATI drivers. They work just as well as Nvidias, and I've used dozens of cards from both. Your problems with ATI are 99% likely user error.

 

[pcz]

Originally posted by: Commando8
All I can say about Connect 3D is that you get what you pay for. I have had some bad experiences with their cards in the past. On the flipside, I haven't had any problems with built by ATI cards or Sapphire (strangely enough)...

might of just had a bad card =P
I love this card for the price i paid for it (Even though i bought it off ATI's site for 283) (>.<)

Still a good card...

 

[cpush]

NO its over! Did anyone quote the price who doesn't plan on buying it? If soo.. plz pm me

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Originally posted by: cpush
NO its over! Did anyone quote the price who doesn't plan on buying it? If soo.. plz pm me

Monarch does that and most likely when I gets more in stock will lower the price back down again. You can get a retail box under $300 with 2 or 3 year warranty if you do a search on pricewatch or shopping.com. I've read in one buyers review that the cooling fan on the Connect3D is 'crappy'; perhaps other X800XL's have a better cooling fan. Buying a retail X800XL is a better option in my opinion; better warranty, software, customer support and resale value. I'd spend the extra $20 or $25 and get a retail box.

 

[cpush]

ok.. but still anyone with the quote, hit me up

 

[rizorith]

back in stock

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Price dropped to $249. This is getting harder to resist.