Refurb 7800GTX vs. New 7900GT

[Dadofamunky]

The system in my sig has space for a single-wide card. Somehow, it's running a 7800GT beautifully despite the fact it has only a 240W PS. So, I'm seriously looking at getting either a refurb 7800GTX from NewEgg or just going for a new 7900GT - in either case I hope to get some more frames and eye candy from stuff like Oblivion. I'm very happy with the system, and I'm not a big gamer, I just want a little more juice for the times when I decide to fire one up. The box is rated to run a 7800GTX.

So which of these two cards will give me the most bang for my buck? They're basically equal in price. I expect to do a new build in a year or so, probably Intel, and this will be the last $200 I ever spend on this baby.

 

[akshayt]

Stock 7900GT =+- Stock 7800GTX

At OC, 7900GT > 7800GTX

Provided both are 256MB

 

[regnez]

The 7900GT is the better choice. It can outperform the 7800GTX, albeit slightly, but since it is new and not refurb, that is the one I would go for.

 

[Stumps]

IIRC a 7900GT uses less power than a 7800GTX...it would be less of a strain on your PSU.

 

[A554SS1N]

Are there any 7950GT's going for just a little more? An X1950Pro might be a good value choice if overclocking.

 

[Canterwood]

The 7900GT uses less power than a 7800GTX and runs slightly faster, so its the one to go for.

Originally posted by: A554SS1N
Are there any 7950GT's going for just a little more? An X1950Pro might be a good value choice if overclocking.

The X1950 Pro is a good card, but slower than a 7900GT and I don't think the OP's power supply could handle it either.

 

[CP5670]

The 7900GT would be a bit better (more so if you're overclocking) even if they were both new.

 

[TheRyuu]

You know, a vmod makes it a 7900GTX

 

[Canterwood]

Originally posted by: wizboy11
You know, a vmod makes it a 7900GTX

Yeah, but remember its a Shuttle with a 240w psu.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: Canterwood
The 7900GT uses less power than a 7800GTX and runs slightly faster, so its the one to go for.

Originally posted by: A554SS1N
Are there any 7950GT's going for just a little more? An X1950Pro might be a good value choice if overclocking.

The X1950 Pro is a good card, but slower than a 7900GT and I don't think the OP's power supply could handle it either.

Yeah, I was wodnering about an ATI card as well, but I tend to be a NVidia loyalist....

Thought the 7900GT would be better in terms of voltage as well...

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: A554SS1N
Are there any 7950GT's going for just a little more? An X1950Pro might be a good value choice if overclocking.

Tell ya the truth, that's the card I'd REALLY prefer, (that is, the 7950GT) but the voltage requirements may be higher for that one. Anyone got any insight into that?

 

[BFG10K]

Keep in mind that the stock cooler on a 7900 GT is extremely noisy.

 

[Dadofamunky]

I guess I'll have to get an aftermarket one - good point.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Well, this is very cool. Screw the 7900GT or the 7800GTX. I finally thought of Googling the power consumption for the 7800GT (Which I now have) and the 7950GT. The results are:

7800GT 85W
7950GT 82W

So I strongly suspect the 7950 will work just fine, and it's the card I want anyway.

Damn, sometimes I wonder how I survived without the Google search engine.