Q: Should I switch my x850xt to a 7800gt?

[dornick]

It would probably cost me about $50-100 to do so. I'm thinking I could grab the newer card that performs better and then hold on to that for a while since it will retain its value much better than the x850.

What do you guys think?

 

[Cooler]

I have x850xt pe I really dont see a reason to get next gen video card yet I would wait till mid 2006. I can play all the games right now with aa on.

 

[mOeeOm]

Originally posted by: dornick
It would probably cost me about $50-100 to do so. I'm thinking I could grab the newer card that performs better and then hold on to that for a while since it will retain its value much better than the x850.

What do you guys think?

Is there a game you wanna play with higher settings that the x850 not letting you? If not no point in switching, but for $50-100 its not that bad.

 

[secretanchitman]

only 50 bucks to upgrade?

DO IT MAN!

 

[Madellga]

If you play 1280x1024 or lower, keep the ATI.

At this resolution there is no need to upgrade. Get a newer card if you play 1600x1200 with AA and AF or higher.

Having an ATI, you might not like the standard IQ quality from Nvidia. Be aware you can have the shimmering problem also, but it seems most people here don't care about it.

I went from the X800 to the 7800 because I bought a Dell 2405 (1920x1200). Today I wish I would have waited a bit more....

 

[dfloyd]

Like others have stated base it more on a need, dont need basis. If you have a game thats not running up to par then consider it.

But also do some research on some of the issues with the 7800. They dont bother some people but would bother me quite a bit as I pay alot of attention to Shadows and I still play UT 2004 and Far Cry quite often. There was a big post on here over the last couple days talking about the shadow issue. And dont take this as a suggestion to go with Ati or anyone else, that is not what i am doing. I am just stating there is a few issues that you may want to check out before you consider upgrading.

 

[dornick]

I appreciate the help. I really have no reason to upgrade at this moment because I game at 1280x1024. My plan, however, is to hold on to this card for a couple years, and I think the 7800gt would do much better in that respect. First of all, it performs better, and second, two years from now, when I sell my current card, which of the two will be worth more?

I have heard about the shimmering thing but I didnt think it would be a big deal. Plus, wouldn't having stuff like SM3 and HDR sort of make up for it?

EDIT: I should also mention, I sort of do prefer NV cards, mainly for the drivers. I didnt think there was a big difference in IQ.

 

[dornick]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on the XFX 7800gt. Anybody have any good reasons not to?

 

[TraumaRN]

Pull the trigger! Check out my OC I got on a stock cooler

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: dornick
I'm really close to pulling the trigger on the XFX 7800gt. Anybody have any good reasons not to?

If you have the money to blow..do it. No one is stopping you

 

[jiffylube1024]

If you can get the swap done for under $100 then do it!

 

[dornick]

Just as an update to anyone considering something similar, I made the switch and am glad I did it. I ended up getting the EVGA 7800gt which came with CoD2 for $340 and then sold my x850 xt pe for $280. So I think it was $60 well spent.

 

[tuteja1986]

I would wait untill end of this month... price would go down and you should get some better deal or a cheaper 7800gt

 

[jiffylube1024]

OK I've had my 7800GT for a couple of days now, and here are my impression of it (coming from an X850XT PE @ 600/620): the NV card is about 20% faster than the ATI card, give or take (more in FEAR, less in Far Cry + HL2). Far Cry performs about the same, but you now have the option of running HDR, which does kill performance (expect about a 50% drop), but still runs fine up to about 1600X1200 (some big outdoor levels do chug with HDR, but considering you can't do HDR on the ATI card at all, it's a bonus).

Half Life 2 runs about the same; 1680X1050 runs great for me in regular HL2 with AA/AF, and is a tad choppy in Lost Coast (with 2xAA/8xAF), just like the X850XT.

Multi-monitor support is similar; load temperatures are similar; 2d quality is similar. If you're using stock cooling on both, the X850XT PE is noisier @ high fan speed than the 7800GT; unfortunately, the GT pumps up your case temperatures a fair bit since it blows into the case, not out of it like the dual-slot X850XT. I recommend getting an NV silencer.

FEAR runs much better than on the X850XT PE (although I sold my card before the "rename FEAR.EXE" fix came out. Nevertheless, I don't think it would improve high-res performance that much). At 1680X1050, I was getting 32fps average, with dips into the teens on the X850; with the 7800GT, I run at 48fps average, with a minimum of 30fps.

 

[Unkno]

If your running at high res and that the upgrade is only around $50 then upgrade. Anything near $80 or higher isn't really worth it