Shite! 2x7900GTO or a 7950 GX2!!!

[ebeattie]

Ok, here goes. For the last month, I was jonesing HARD for a 7950 GX2. Now that Im literally hours away from busting out the debit card and ordering my new video solution..... I AM HAVING A CRISIS!!!!!!!

Do I got with TWO 7900 GTO's for SLI, or do I stick with my original plan and grab a 7950 GX2? RRAAAAARRRRA_#*(%U@$!!!!!!!! I dont know what to do. Do I go with a single unit, or the SLI setup for the same performance?

Does anyone know if the EVGA step up program can be used for each NEW EVGA card purchase, or if ONLY ONE step up transaction can be utilized per customer?

NEED OPINIONS ASAP!!!

 

[krotchy]

you planning on overclocking?

Core clocks of the GTO are faster, memory per core is the same size, and I think the GTO's mem speed is about the same or faster. So odds are the GTO's SLI'd will be faster overall. However 4 slots.........

 

[Pabster]

7950GX2 FTW

Get the eVGA so you can step-up to G80 upon release.

 

[ebeattie]

Not worried at all about using up my slots. the only other card I have in my case right now is my old azz SB live! sound card.

also, I only have a 465W Enermax PSU, but I have 33 amps available on the 12V rail, if I decide to get the GTO's, will 33 amps be enough? I wil be saving for a new PSU in a few weeks.

thanks for the help guys, keeo the opinions coming!

 

[XJustMeX21]

why not wait till the end of november? and get an 8800?

 

[ebeattie]

I dont have it in me to wait. besides, Ive eaten like crap the last coupla weeks to save up. lol, I need my release!

 

[XJustMeX21]

well hell can't argue with that, personally i'd go with the 2 7900gto's in sli for the simple reason if one is bad you can still use the system during rma and they should actually be a little quicker.

 

[josh6079]

2x7900GTO's.

They're cores can run at higher clocks to give you more shading/texture processing power, they're quieter, you can easily aftermarket cool them (if you think you need to), more versatile because of how you can keep one and sell the other or sell them both seperately, etc.....It's basically two 7900GTX's in SLI and every review I've seen shows that beating one 7950GX2.

EDIT:

Does anyone know if the EVGA step up program can be used for each NEW EVGA card purchase, or if ONLY ONE step up transaction can be utilized per customer?

Each EVGA card you buy is able to step-up; even if you buy 6 cards, you'll be able to step-up each of those 6 cards because you still chose to give EVGA your money and that is their support for doing so.

...or the SLI setup for the same performance?

They're both an SLI setup, just one of them is SLI "in a box", "on a stick", "idiot-proof", etc. IIRC, 2x7900GTO's will beat one 7950GX2 every single time.

also, I only have a 465W Enermax PSU, but I have 33 amps available on the 12V rail, if I decide to get the GTO's, will 33 amps be enough? I wil be saving for a new PSU in a few weeks.

Your PSU will be fine.

 

[nitromullet]

Two GTO's get's my vote as well. Aside from the fact that you'll get more out of them than a single GX2, you can also stagger your step-up so you're never out of a card. I did that when I stepped up my 7800GTXes to 7800GTX KO's, eVGA even gave me an extension on my second step-up so I wouldn't be cardless.

 

[josh6079]

...eVGA even gave me an extension on my second step-up so I wouldn't be cardless.

:shocked: Another reason why I hope G80 is awesome!! God I miss using that company...

 

[ebeattie]

Then it looks like the GTO's have it!

thanks for all the help guys, and I relly feel confident about my new set up...and step up...hahahaha..... *crikets*.........lol

 

[josh6079]

Congrats, you'll love it.

You'll be condtending with CrossFire setups while using better multi-GPU drivers backed by EVGA's two-way step-up program all while hearing (although not really) the quiet operation that only ATI's newest cards beat.

:thumbsup:

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: josh6079

...eVGA even gave me an extension on my second step-up so I wouldn't be cardless.

:shocked: Another reason why I hope G80 is awesome!! God I miss using that company...

They didn't give me longer than 90 days... They don't do that, they aren't that nice. When you get approved for a step-up they give you two weeks or 10 days (I don't remember which) to get the card to them. I emailed them and let them know that I would be cardless if I had to make the window with my second card, so they extented it out for me.

 

[HexiumVII]

Geforce 8800GTX FTW

 

[josh6079]

Originally posted by: HexiumVII
Geforce 8800GTX FTW

For The Wallet?

 

[ebeattie]

Well, placed the order for two GTO's a coupla minutes ago! Thanks for the help with this guys and cant wait to FINALLY get my new rig put together. Pics when i can. peace!

 

[Gomce]

my take on this thread,

I used to own 2 x 7800gtx (golden samples, 500 core, 1300mhz mem) each with 256mb of ram. (total 512mb)

Sold them, got one Gainward 7950GX2 which without aftermarket cooling overclocks to 600 core / 1500mhz mem. The thing is, it has 1GB of ram.

I've noticed the 7950GX2 outperforms the 7800GTX SLI in real world conditions suchs as games. I usually play at 1680x1050 and planning on stepping up to 1920x1200.

The 7950GX2 being a single slot solution, offers, for me, better performance in games such as Battlefield 2. I used to get stuttering with the 7800GTX SLI (most noticable is say when you launch delian plant, get the chopper when the game loads, fly up high and do 360 degree turns.

----

Another thing to note.

a) 7950GX2 consumes less power than any other SLI or Crossfire sollution
b) 7950GX2 can be used on motherboards with intel chipset, for example I upgraded to Core2Duo, E6600, 2.4 oc to 3.4ghz on an Asus p5w-dh deluxe.
The Intel 975 chipset boards, support crossfire, and have 2 x PCIex slots, but the thing is they DONT support Nvidia SLI!!! (Only NVidia motherboards do so far) and naturally they don't ship with a SLI bridge. So if youd like the latest and the greatest at the momment, which is Intel's Core2Duo and Intel's Quad Core, you'll be limited to either 7950GX2 or the upcoming N80, as the fastest offering from Nvidia. You can't use SLI until Nvidia's 570 or 590 motherboards start coming out.

---------------

on the 7900 GTO front, those card without a doubt are amazing. Few days ago I built a machine for my assistant using the 7900GTO. When I went to purchase the card, I just wanted 7900GT and they brought me the 7900GTO (I didn't know what it was, checked to make sure its not some sort of cripled version ). Got it home, installed it, fresh install on a X2 4200+ at 2.5ghz. I cant remember but the clocks were high, 700or something on the core, 1600 on the memmory, maybe more. 3dmark06 score was like 5500 I think.

 

[NoStateofMind]

Originally posted by: Pabster
7950GX2 FTW

Get the eVGA so you can step-up to G80 upon release.

The best advice ignored

 

[imported_Crusader]

Originally posted by: Pabster
7950GX2 FTW

Get the eVGA so you can step-up to G80 upon release.

^^^


Unless you plan on stepping up to TWO G80s upon release? Sounds like a pricey affair to me.
7950GX2, then a stepup to a single 8800GTX FTW and the wallet.

 

[josh6079]

Originally posted by: Crusader

Originally posted by: Pabster
7950GX2 FTW

Get the eVGA so you can step-up to G80 upon release.

^^^


Unless you plan on stepping up to TWO G80s upon release? Sounds like a pricey affair to me.
7950GX2, then a stepup to a single 8800GTX FTW and the wallet.

Hey, if two G80's would cost him around the price of one G80 after using the step-up for two ~$250 cards, than it is a better performing investment with the abiltiy to keep a card during the shiping and switching. Also, the two 7900GTO's perform better and quieter for about the same price. The equivalent to two 7900GTX's in SLI, a setup that even competes with the X1950XTX CF is a better investment.

 

[m21s]

Originally posted by: Crusader

Originally posted by: Pabster
7950GX2 FTW

Get the eVGA so you can step-up to G80 upon release.

^^^


Unless you plan on stepping up to TWO G80s upon release? Sounds like a pricey affair to me.
7950GX2, then a stepup to a single 8800GTX FTW and the wallet.

My thought exactly also.

Think about it.
The 7950GX2 is going to be plenty for you.

Then the G80 comes out next month, and now you can step up to the current gen.

No brainer.

 

[josh6079]

Please, look at the difference in FEAR once the game really tries to stress a setup:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2821&p=9

No AA: 7900GTX SLI / 7900GTO SLI= 99 fps

No AA: 7950GX2= 74 fps

4xAA: 7900GTX SLI / 7900GTO SLI = 62 fps

4xAA: 7950GX2 = 44 fps

That is a ~20-30 fps increase for roughly the same price. The 7950GX2 is just an underpowered 7900 pancaked into an SLI package with an overpriced sticker on it. I don't see any reason to get any Nvidia cards that are more costly than the 7900GTO at this point in time.

 

[m21s]

OKAY?

At 2048x1536 resolution. Is he gaming at that res? no I don't think so.

The 7950GX2 Would be MORE THAN ENOUGH, then he can upgrade it to the G80 in a month.

Why go with an older SLI setup with new power on the horizon.

Should have gotten a "single card" and then steped up.

I'm not here to argue the fact that SLI setups are faster than a 7950GX2 we all know this.

Its a matter of spending the money to set yourself up to upgrade it later.

 

[josh6079]

Originally posted by: m21s
OKAY?

At 2048x1536 resolution. Is he gaming at that res? no I don't think so.

True, he probably isn't going to be that high in resolution but it just goes to show that he'll get more for his money if he goes with two cores that can reach clocks higher than the GX2's.

The 7950GX2 Would be MORE THAN ENOUGH, then he can upgrade it to the G80 in a month.

As would two 7900GTO's. However, being able to cut a video card setup in half and still operate with one GPU while the other one is in the mail or what not is a nice benefit that the GX2 can't do.

Why go with an older SLI setup with new power on the horizon.

Because it is more logical to buy the hardware after it has matured and worked out any issues that the new technology might encounter.

Being right behind the horizon of new hardware is actually ideal money/performance-wise. No first batch problems, games have patches ready to go for when you finally get the hardware to get them, refreshes often give better performance/price ratios, and other third-party software utilities and hardware cooling solutions are more available after that maturity has taken place rather than when it first arrives.

Should have gotten a "single card" and then steped up.

Eh, that's for him to decide. I honestly think that having two identical cards to juggle around that can combine to give better performance than another supposed "single card" is a nicer deal.

I'm not here to argue the fact that SLI setups are faster than a 7950GX2 we all know this.

Its a matter of spending the money to set yourself up to upgrade it later.

In which case he has two step-up paths to consider/utilize over just one.

 

[m21s]

Still think he should have gotten a 7950GX2