Gaming at 1920x1080, which upgrade for me?

[bigpow]

I've got one XFX 7800GT (480/1100) and have been having problem playing games at this crazy resolution (1920x1080).

Which upgrade would work best for me? Get another 7800GT (SLI) or get a single 7900GTX and sell my 7800GT

I'm leaning towards getting a single card since I'd have to restore the MSI northbridge HSF if I go SLI.

Thanks!

PS: I haven't seen any benchmarking with this kind of resolution, but looking at a few 1920x1200 ones, it looks like SLI will be faster than single GTX

 

[videopho]

Get another 7800gt is what I'd recommend. I play most games with 1920x1200 res using an XFX-7800GT just fine with the exceptions of FEAR or Oblivion @ max-settings.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: videopho
Get another 7800gt is what I'd recommend. I play most games with 1920x1200 res using an XFX-7800GT just fine with the exceptions of FEAR or Oblivion @ max-settings.

2 or 1 7800gts?

 

[videopho]

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: videopho
Get another 7800gt is what I'd recommend. I play most games with 1920x1200 res using an XFX-7800GT just fine with the exceptions of FEAR or Oblivion @ max-settings.

2 or 1 7800gts?

"Which upgrade would work best for me? Get another 7800GT (SLI) or get a single 7900GTX and sell my 7800GT"

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: videopho

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: videopho
Get another 7800gt is what I'd recommend. I play most games with 1920x1200 res using an XFX-7800GT just fine with the exceptions of FEAR or Oblivion @ max-settings.

2 or 1 7800gts?

"Which upgrade would work best for me? Get another 7800GT (SLI) or get a single 7900GTX and sell my 7800GT"

Get another 7800GT, since you play at higher resolutions. I considered getting another 7800GT, but I don't play above 1280 by 1024 to make it worth while, go for SLI. One concern might be the extra heat that an extra 7800GT would make over a 7900GTX, I think it might be a little more, hopefully more people respond to this thread.

 

[Lord Banshee]

What games are you playing that is giving your card a hard time?

I hate SLI(and crossfire) so i say single X1900XT or X1950XTX

But seriously you know you can scale your game to 1600x1200 and it is still a 21" monitor right.

 

[CaiNaM]

isn't a 7900gtx as fast as 2 7800gt's in SLI? and how much is a 7800GT? last i looked they were quite expensive (unless of course you're going used).

at least if you got a 7900 you still have an upgrade with another one... adding a 7800gt would force you to replace it next time. also heat/power consumption would generally suggest 1 card of equal performance is better than 2 cards of 1/2 performance (cause we all know sli doesn't scale 100%)

 

[imported_Crusader]

i'd go with the single 7900gtx.

if its not enough, sli 7900gtxs is a great value for your money (quiet operation: read silent, low power consumption and low heat output).. not to mention you are getting a huge value for the dollar performance-wise.

beating a 7950 by quite a margin, and quad sli is for very extreme situations (quality modes that you dont need such as 16x AA) and resolutions you'd need the dell 30" LCD to take advantage of. not to mention the added power requirements of quad ect..

factor in crossfires immaturity and sloppy setup with dongles ect and that nixes that out of the running.. not to mention nvidia drivers are better featured and well rounded overall than ATIs...
the 7900GTX setups are my favorite on the market today.

Though for the dollar, you should really consider a GX2. It might be inferior in everyway to a dual 7900GTX setup.. but it is pretty nifty in the price department in comparison.

 

[CaiNaM]

Originally posted by: Lord Banshee
What games are you playing that is giving your card a hard time?

I hate SLI(and crossfire) so i say single X1900XT or X1950XTX

good for you, but that's not really the topic as no one asked.

Originally posted by: Crusader
factor in crossfires immaturity and sloppy setup with dongles ect and that nixes that out of the running..

immature? that may have been true months ago, but crossfire is just as solid as SLI these days, and it's certainly more 'mature' than say quad sli, lol. frankly in many cases crossfire outperforms sli, and sli cannot match the superAA modes of crossfire.

the dongles I agree are not convenient, but frankly, there are few cases where it would interfere. I don't particularly like them either, but they are really no more than a minor inconvenience.

always fanboys around to try and start a flamefest by tossing unnecessary, not to mention undeserved "digs" out against the competition... but hey, look at the source..

anyway, back to topic.. single 7900gtx still seems the way to go over 2 7800's, for the reason mentioned earlier.

 

[imported_Crusader]

Originally posted by: CaiNaM

Originally posted by: Lord Banshee
What games are you playing that is giving your card a hard time?

I hate SLI(and crossfire) so i say single X1900XT or X1950XTX

good for you, but that's not really the topic as no one asked.

Originally posted by: Crusader
factor in crossfires immaturity and sloppy setup with dongles ect and that nixes that out of the running..

immature? that may have been true months ago, but crossfire is just as solid as SLI these days, and it's certainly more 'mature' than say quad sli, lol. frankly in many cases crossfire outperforms sli, and sli cannot match the superAA modes of crossfire.

the dongles I agree are not convenient, but frankly, there are few cases where it would interfere. I don't particularly like them either, but they are really no more than a minor inconvenience.

always fanboys around to try and start a flamefest by tossing unnecessary, not to mention undeserved "digs" out against the competition... but hey, look at the source..

anyway, back to topic.. single 7900gtx still seems the way to go over 2 7800's, for the reason mentioned earlier.

Sure look at the source and the facts he presents.

Then look at who is making excuses for the facts presented.
Let the OP decide.
I might jab at ATI, but theres no need for jabs towards ME. Instead of discredit me, try discrediting the facts I presented instead fool.

As far as Xfire being as mature and an equal to SLI.. you are dead wrong. For just one example you must have missed the Definitive Multi-GPU World Tour.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/gpu/367/4/

"What I'm trying to say is that ATI is still playing catch-up and it'll take a while before they are at the same level as NVIDIA is. Many games lack crossfire support"

"Without a doubt NVIDIA comes out stronger than ATI"

"NVIDIA obviously dominate everything. NVIDIA are winning pretty much the majority of benchmarks that are produced by these sites"



Have you used either SLI or Crossfire? I have.. and review sites are backing me up.. not your "info" with no sources... which the OP and everyone else can see, you have none.

 

[bigpow]

thanks for the feedback, please keep them coming.

Yeah, going SLI by getting another 7800GT is the cheapest route (less than $200 used, or around $260 for a new 7900GT)
I just hate to deal with additional heat & noise, not to mention loosing my passive northbridge heatsink.
Plus I have to get another Zalman Vf700 or Vf900 for the 2nd card.
Brand new 7900GTX is around $450(?) - it's more elegant solution, but I just don't know which will perform better at this high of a resolution.
Of course, I'm also open to ATI's answer to 7900GTX (not too familiar with ATI)..

The monitor is a 42" Westinghouse 1080p.
My HTPC is powered by an AMD X2 3800+ (@2.5GHz), 2GB DDR-500 and a single 7800GT.
Cooling by Ninja Plus, Zalman Vf700 & NB47j. All fans @5V.

Only a few games can play smoothly at this resolution (Prey, FEAR, Oblivion - I'm afraid to even try!)
I know upgrading to Conroe would probably help, but if I got it right, GPU (and VGA RAM) is more important for high resolutions

and with Vista coming, I've been told to hold of any GPU purchase since it won't be long until we get DX10 GPUs

 

[KingofFah]

7900 gt and voltmod; sell 7800 gt

 

[akshayt]

Why don't you get a single 1950XTX or 1900XTX + overclocking
That is good enough though it might not for 1920, however I doubt whether 7800GT SLI is going to beat 1950XTX in any res

 

[PingSpike]

I'd sell it and get the 7900gtx. Isn't that about as fast as the two cards? And SLI is just a big pain in the ass IMO.

 

[MrWizzard]

bigpow, I have sort of the same setup, except I use a 37 Westinghouse. I used to use the X1900XT for it but in oblivion the FPS would drop low sometimes, I was playing at 1920x1080 also, I got a 7950GX2 and that fixed everything so far.

I suggest you look at this article I think this will answer your questions and help you decide what to do.

I linked you right to the Fear bench but take a look at the other pages I figure if you got 2 7800GT it would be somewhere between the 7900GT sli and 7900GTX.

Good luck. Those screens are great huh

LINK to article

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: Crusader
factor in crossfires immaturity and sloppy setup with dongles ect and that nixes that out of the running.. not to mention nvidia drivers are better featured and well rounded overall than ATIs...
the 7900GTX setups are my favorite on the market today.

Though for the dollar, you should really consider a GX2. It might be inferior in everyway to a dual 7900GTX setup.. but it is pretty nifty in the price department in comparison.

x1950xtx crossfire is faster than 7900gtx sli in just about every benchmark - Text. How's that for an immature, sloppy setup? And look how "well-rounded" SLI performs in Pacific Fighters. How about that Quad-SLI not working 90% of the time?

To the OP - if you have an SLI board, then Crossfire is not an option. If you can get a used 7800gt for under $200, then it may be worth going SLI. Otherwise, a single high end card like the x1900xt or the 7900gtx is a better choice.

 

[Boogak]

I have SLI 7800GT's pushing 1920x1200 to my Dell 2405FPW monitor and it's starting to chug on newer games. I'd get a x1900 xt but if you want to stay nvidia, go for the 7900GTX.

 

[bigpow]

Awesome!

Sounds like the best antidote is a single 7950GX2, but my my how expensive is that!
I think I'm gonna try the SLI route (getting a used 7800/7900GT) while waiting for the new DX10 GPUs.

Thanks agains Dudes!

 

[CaiNaM]

Originally posted by: Crusader

Originally posted by: CaiNaM

Originally posted by: Lord Banshee
What games are you playing that is giving your card a hard time?

I hate SLI(and crossfire) so i say single X1900XT or X1950XTX

good for you, but that's not really the topic as no one asked.

Originally posted by: Crusader
factor in crossfires immaturity and sloppy setup with dongles ect and that nixes that out of the running..

immature? that may have been true months ago, but crossfire is just as solid as SLI these days, and it's certainly more 'mature' than say quad sli, lol. frankly in many cases crossfire outperforms sli, and sli cannot match the superAA modes of crossfire.

the dongles I agree are not convenient, but frankly, there are few cases where it would interfere. I don't particularly like them either, but they are really no more than a minor inconvenience.

always fanboys around to try and start a flamefest by tossing unnecessary, not to mention undeserved "digs" out against the competition... but hey, look at the source..

anyway, back to topic.. single 7900gtx still seems the way to go over 2 7800's, for the reason mentioned earlier.

Sure look at the source and the facts he presents.

Then look at who is making excuses for the facts presented.
Let the OP decide.
I might jab at ATI, but theres no need for jabs towards ME. Instead of discredit me, try discrediting the facts I presented instead fool.

As far as Xfire being as mature and an equal to SLI.. you are dead wrong. For just one example you must have missed the Definitive Multi-GPU World Tour.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/gpu/367/4/

"What I'm trying to say is that ATI is still playing catch-up and it'll take a while before they are at the same level as NVIDIA is. Many games lack crossfire support"

"Without a doubt NVIDIA comes out stronger than ATI"

"NVIDIA obviously dominate everything. NVIDIA are winning pretty much the majority of benchmarks that are produced by these sites"



Have you used either SLI or Crossfire? I have.. and review sites are backing me up.. not your "info" with no sources... which the OP and everyone else can see, you have none.

lol.. i'm not the one trolling or looking for an excuse to excercise brand loyalty and pimp my video card by slamming other products

and from your precious "world tour" series:

There?s nothing bad I can say about SLI, it works and works great, but NVIDIA really needs to do something about their image quality. Their Anti-Aliasing quality lags behind that of ATI?s in just about every case, but of particular inferiority is their texture filtering.

I can reason out the AA complexities, but why is it NVIDIA feels they need to resort to absurd filtering schemes like ?brilinear? filtering to gain a few extra frames per second is beyond me. You get a shiny new Geforce and expect all the nice SM3.0 eye-candy, only to have it all ruined with this brilinear crap.

yea, kudos to nvidia

like i said, that may have been true months ago, but not today. sli is certainly a more elegant solution (as i suggested earlier), but again, it's no more "mature".

as for performance, others have posted links...

both solutions have their good points and bad points; just depends on what's most important to the particular user, but i was trying the help the OP with his question, not looking for opportunites to stroke my own ego by playing fanboy as others have attempted to do in this thread.