Must replace 7600GT...suggestions

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wolfman11

Member
Apr 29, 2006
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Well, have to RMA back a defective eVGA 7600GT...I've been using ATI cards for the last 5 years or so...I play MMORPG's / RPG's such as Dungeon Siege II, Guild Wars. I will be getting a copy of Oblivion next I think. I also like a good first person shooter from time to time.

My primary concerns are:

1) Bang for the buck.
2) Don't plan to overclock.
3) Noise.

I was happy with the performance of the eVGA 7600GT for the money. Is the 7900GT KO worth another $100? I'm tempted to go back to ATI as I've had such good experience with them...any recommendations there?

My system contains: Opteron 146 @ 2.4, 2 gig OCZ platinum, 74 gig raptor.

Thanks!
 
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Munky

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2005
9,372
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76
The x1800gto provides about equal performace the the 7600gt, for an equivalent price. That would be an alternative for the 7600gt. The next step up is either a 7900gt or a x1800xt. If you dont plan to overclock, then the x1800xt will have the highest prformance for the money out all the above choices, and can be had for under $300.
 
Avalon

Avalon

Diamond Member
Jul 16, 2001
7,571
178
106
Originally posted by: wolfman11
Thanks. I am seriosuly tempted by the x1800xt. Looks like Newegg has the model I am returning on sale for $149 after rebate...I might buy it again - anyone have any opinions on this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130283
Click to expand...

I have that model, and love it.
Only problem is that Oblivion runs like ass on this card. I'm stuck at 1024x768 with a bunch of terrain and shadow tweaks to keep the game running smoothly. I could really use some AA, but can't afford the hit.
 
M

Munky

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2005
9,372
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76
Originally posted by: Avalon
Originally posted by: wolfman11
Thanks. I am seriosuly tempted by the x1800xt. Looks like Newegg has the model I am returning on sale for $149 after rebate...I might buy it again - anyone have any opinions on this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130283
Click to expand...

I have that model, and love it.
Only problem is that Oblivion runs like ass on this card. I'm stuck at 1024x768 with a bunch of terrain and shadow tweaks to keep the game running smoothly. I could really use some AA, but can't afford the hit.
Click to expand...

You should tell that to the guy who wrote the latest user review on Newegg... :p
 
W

wolfman11

Member
Apr 29, 2006
151
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Hmmm....good to know that Oblivion would struggle a bit on the 7600 gt. That is a sweet price though. Sounds like the X1800XT is the way to go, but it's a stretch for me...There doesn't seem to be a good compromise between the $175 and $275 range. :(
 
Ika

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,264
3
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X1800XT is probably your best bet, you can find it for under $300 and it performs excellently, especially if you don't plan to overclock (which rules out the 7900GT).
 
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wolfman11

Member
Apr 29, 2006
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THANK YOU!
That's sweet - I can't stand the hassle of the rebates...$239 for that card is a great deal - it was $299 3 weeks ago when I bought the parts for this rig...That looks like a winner. Hopefully the fan won't be too loud...
 
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wolfman11

Member
Apr 29, 2006
151
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Well, just made the order. Thanks a lot for the link, I was browsing through the video cards at newegg but mustn't have refreshed the screen in over an hour as that price is different than what I had on screen. :)
 
L

LW07

Golden Member
Feb 16, 2006
1,537
2
81
Originally posted by: wolfman11
Well, just made the order. Thanks a lot for the link, I was browsing through the video cards at newegg but mustn't have refreshed the screen in over an hour as that price is different than what I had on screen. :)
Click to expand...


Oh, I want to tell you that OEM only comes with the card and driver CD and some cables. Nothing else. No fancy box or anything like that. Just wanted to tell you that so that you'd know what to expect. Sorry for being a bit late on that.
 
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wolfman11

Member
Apr 29, 2006
151
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Not a problem, if it works I'll be more than happy. Don't want to go through this whole RMA business again. :)

That was the card that I wanted when I built the machine 3 weeks ago but couldn't justify the difference in price over the 7600GT as I typically run 1280x1024. However, not long after ordering I was looking at the Anandtech Oblivion review and had to think about the 18 FPS difference (48 vs 30) on the gate benchmark and think maybe I should've just spent the extra cash...

Hope this X1800XT lasts like the 8500LE w/128 meg I was using till a month ago. LOL
 
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hans030390

Diamond Member
Feb 3, 2005
7,326
2
76
meh, personally I would have just taken a new 7600gt over the x1800xt. I just like the performance of the 7600gt for the price. but hey, if you had the money, the x1800xt is a good choice. I would have taken the 7900gt instead, but I dont know if it costs more or not...too lazy to check.

Either way, it's still a good replacement
 
E

Extelleron

Diamond Member
Dec 26, 2005
3,127
0
71
Originally posted by: hans030390
meh, personally I would have just taken a new 7600gt over the x1800xt. I just like the performance of the 7600gt for the price. but hey, if you had the money, the x1800xt is a good choice. I would have taken the 7900gt instead, but I dont know if it costs more or not...too lazy to check.

Either way, it's still a good replacement
Click to expand...

The 7900GT costs around $300.
 
G

Gstanfor

Banned
Oct 19, 1999
3,307
0
0
Here is your value for money - a 512mb 5900GT for the same price or slightly cheaper than most 256mb 7900GT's sell for.

It features a dual slot cooler and heatsinks for the memory too.

Image
550/1400 default clock speeds.

xpertvision product link

If xpertvision doesn't float your boat, you can get (literally)the same thing by Gainward

Memory on both cards is rated @1.2ns, comare that with most 7900GT's using 1.4ns memory, plus a decent heatsink that should definitely hewlp core overclocks.

Interesting factoid: Palit owns both Gainward and xpertvision. The cards are identical other than pcb color and silk screening. That should help ally any concerns over xpertvision (some doubted their reliability in my 6600GT 256mb thread).

The auspcmarket link above is no longer valid (they must have sold all their stock), so here is a partial list of sellers & prices in Australia.

Also, sparkle also have a 512mb 7900GT out, but with slower clocks. Text
 
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hooflung

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2004
1,190
1
0
From what I have read the X1800 series were crap. If oblivion is the only reason why you want to invest in ATI tech then I wouldn't suggest one of the X1800s go with a X1900 or a 7900GT if you like other games too and dont' wanna deal with poor OpenGL ATI support.
 
J

josh6079

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2006
3,261
0
0
Originally posted by: Gstanfor
Here is your value for money - a 512mb 5900GT for the same price or slightly cheaper than most 256mb 7900GT's sell for.

It features a dual slot cooler and heatsinks for the memory too.

Image
550/1400 default clock speeds.

xpertvision product link

If xpertvision don't float your boat, you can the same thing by Gainward
Click to expand...

Dude, that thing looks like an ATI card even though I know its not. Nice to see that they're offering a 512 Mb card in something other than the highest versions of a GPU. I don't think ATI has done that. I mean, the X1800XT's were the highest you could get with the X18 series and they were 512, but the XL's were only 256.

Originally posted by: hooflung
From what I have read the X1800 series were crap. If oblivion is the only reason why you want to invest in ATI tech then I wouldn't suggest one of the X1800s go with a X1900 or a 7900GT if you like other games too and dont' wanna deal with poor OpenGL ATI support.
Click to expand...

Whoa buddy, might want to read around a little bit more before making such bold statements. The X1800 series was, and still is, a pretty solid card. Reading only gets you so far, especially if the sources are biased. I mean, last I checked the OpenGL performance was pretty close between cards on the current games I would play at my resolution (1680 x 1050). Not trying to call you stupid for saying that or nothing, but everyone seemed to be giving good advice until you bluntly, and a little inaccurately stated that they were "crap". Why does everyone make such drastic exagerations when the performace between companies per price range is this close?

Besides,

Originally posted by: wolfman11
Well, just made the order. Thanks a lot for the link, I was browsing through the video cards at newegg but mustn't have refreshed the screen in over an hour as that price is different than what I had on screen. :)
Click to expand...

You were a little late on the advice.

 
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wolfman11

Member
Apr 29, 2006
151
0
0
Well, I got the Sapphite X1800XT in the mail today. Installed and immediately tried the benchmark including the test that was repeatedly failing on the eVGA 7600 GT. It ran fine, so it looks like it was a bad video card as nothing else in the system has changed.

Thanks a lot everyone. BTW, here are the score differences in case anyone was wondering:

3dmark 2001 (old, but what I have installed)

Opteron 146 @ 2.4 DDR400, 1T CAS 2 w/ 7600 GT = 24,610
Opteron 146 @ 2.4 DDR400 1T CAS 2 w/ X1800XT = 27,230

Thanks again. This card seems no louder at idle and was actually quieter while running the benchmark than the 7600GT which really suprised me...
 
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