Stretching the cash.

[MiranoPoncho]

Willing to drop some cash on a good cooler, so what should it be for gaming on a 21" monitor?
a volt modded 7900gt
or a volt moded x1900xt ?
Both would have a superb aftermarket cooler, such as a tidewater, v-1 ultra or arctic cooling/ zalman apparatus installed.

 

[Fenixgoon]

just wait till the next generation (or 2nd gen) of video cards comes out for DX10 support

 

[nitromullet]

7950GX2 is the fastest single card you can get and a better bet for the future than dual 7900GT's because of the 512+512MB or RAM. IMO, an X1900XT Crossfire rig would probably be your best bet for the long term, but it's pricey and not really worth it unless you have a 24+" screen. Plus, you'd have to buy a CrossFire mobo.

It usually doesn't pay to go with the absolute best in the expectation that it will last a long time. It makes more sense to buy something good, like either a 7900GT or X1900XT, and then replcae it when it needs to be replaced with something good again.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
7950GX2 is the fastest single card you can get and a better bet for the future than dual 7900GT's because of the 512+512MB or RAM. IMO, an X1900XT Crossfire rig would probably be your best bet for the long term, but it's pricey and not really worth it unless you have a 24+" screen. Plus, you'd have to buy a CrossFire mobo.

It usually doesn't pay to go with the absolute best in the expectation that it will last a long time. It makes more sense to buy something good, like either a 7900GT or X1900XT, and then replcae it when it needs to be replaced with something good again.

QFT

Especially since DX10 is coming out next year - if I were you, I would pick up a 7900GT, overclock it a bunch, play the games you want to play, then drop it when DX10 support is out in hardware AND software.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
7950GX2 is the fastest single card you can get and a better bet for the future than dual 7900GT's because of the 512+512MB or RAM. IMO, an X1900XT Crossfire rig would probably be your best bet for the long term, but it's pricey and not really worth it unless you have a 24+" screen. Plus, you'd have to buy a CrossFire mobo.

It usually doesn't pay to go with the absolute best in the expectation that it will last a long time. It makes more sense to buy something good, like either a 7900GT or X1900XT, and then replcae it when it needs to be replaced with something good again.

Agreed, 7950 GX2 is the best single card you can get right now but it's also the most expensive and is dependent on SLI profiles. The X1900XT or XTX are the second best cards and can hold their own very well against a 7950 GX2, especially when overclocked with HQ image quality settings. The volt modded 7900 GT is a nice value card as well but I wouldn't get it since it only offers 256 mb of memory.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

Originally posted by: 5150Joker

Originally posted by: nitromullet
7950GX2 is the fastest single card you can get and a better bet for the future than dual 7900GT's because of the 512+512MB or RAM. IMO, an X1900XT Crossfire rig would probably be your best bet for the long term, but it's pricey and not really worth it unless you have a 24+" screen. Plus, you'd have to buy a CrossFire mobo.

It usually doesn't pay to go with the absolute best in the expectation that it will last a long time. It makes more sense to buy something good, like either a 7900GT or X1900XT, and then replcae it when it needs to be replaced with something good again.

Agreed, 7950 GX2 is the best single card you can get right now but it's also the most expensive and is dependent on SLI profiles. The X1900XT or XTX are the second best cards and can hold their own very well against a 7950 GX2, especially when overclocked with HQ image quality settings. The volt modded 7900 GT is a nice value card as well but I wouldn't get it since it only offers 256 mb of memory.

:shocked: objective advice from Joker :shocked:

Glad to see you come to reality

I agree with you, BTW

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: gersson

Originally posted by: 5150Joker

Originally posted by: nitromullet
7950GX2 is the fastest single card you can get and a better bet for the future than dual 7900GT's because of the 512+512MB or RAM. IMO, an X1900XT Crossfire rig would probably be your best bet for the long term, but it's pricey and not really worth it unless you have a 24+" screen. Plus, you'd have to buy a CrossFire mobo.

It usually doesn't pay to go with the absolute best in the expectation that it will last a long time. It makes more sense to buy something good, like either a 7900GT or X1900XT, and then replcae it when it needs to be replaced with something good again.

Agreed, 7950 GX2 is the best single card you can get right now but it's also the most expensive and is dependent on SLI profiles. The X1900XT or XTX are the second best cards and can hold their own very well against a 7950 GX2, especially when overclocked with HQ image quality settings. The volt modded 7900 GT is a nice value card as well but I wouldn't get it since it only offers 256 mb of memory.

:shocked: objective advice from Joker :shocked:

Glad to see you come to reality

I agree with you, BTW

I'm always objective and recommend the best hardware. I've never recommended inferior hardware to anyone nor do I plan to. When the 7800 GTX was on top I recommended it; when the X1900XTX was the absolute best I recommended it and now that the 7950 is the faster card, I have no issues with recommending it and labeling it the fastest single card on the market (but it does still lack a few key features despite its speed).

 

[MiranoPoncho]

Alrighty, I now have a delimma: 7900gt, vold mod and oc the hell out of it, ortry my luck doing the same to a x1900xt.

 

[josh6079]

X1900XT. Twice the amount of memory (and more effecient memory at that), and better performance and IQ overall without the hassel of volt modding.

 

[Wreckage]

If money is the issue the 7900GT is your best bet.

They run about $230 now and with a volt mod and overclock they will peform like a top end card.

 

[akshayt]

Performance vise:
Radeon 1900XT
Radeon 1800XT 512mb

Value Vise:
Highly overclocked and modded 7900GT
1800XT 256mb
1800XT 512mb
Geforce 7900GT
Radeon 1900XT

Go with the 1900XT, 9 months down the line, sell it

 

[MiranoPoncho]

As i did a little bit ago on here. Thanks guys! btw, what do the xt's generaly overclock to with an accelero on them?

 

[akshayt]

Rather than getting a conroe 3.0ghz+, get a conroe 2.6ghz or so and get a 1900xt or crossfire man

 

[MiranoPoncho]

But of course! I would never dream of getting a high end conroe, just one with 4mb of level 2 cache, and then o/c it to its maximum stable speed and game off of that. anywho, I'm going with a 1900xtx, got it at a decent price, as for the conroe, if I get an intel build, could I play anything on either a celery d or an 805 until the wait is over?

 

[akshayt]

get Intel conroe, no AM2

 

[MiranoPoncho]

That is indeed the route I am going to take, but while I wait in salivation, would either a celery d or an 805 tide me til i get my 6600 past 3ghz?

 

[n7]

X1900XT.

Unless you can't afford, then go 7900GT.

 

[Elfear]

X1900XT

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: n7
X1900XT.

Unless you can't afford, then go 7900GT.

That pretty much sums it up.

Either should last well till the DX10 cards. (and perform well)

 

[akshayt]

actually shouldn't it be 1800xt if you can't afford a 1900xtx/xt

 

[MiranoPoncho]

Actually, I managed to swing a x1900xt for a little bit less than an x1900gt, as it should clock a bit past xtx speeds, I say that is decent shopping. So, in terms of pushing oblivion on a 21" monitor, should i be covered?

 

[akshayt]

you don't need to overclock, but if you really feel the need(lagging) even with a good cpu, then you can try, it may give some performacne boost

 

[Sc4freak]

I believe that the X1800s and X1900s can do software voltmods, so you don't need to do anything to your card physically to do a voltmod.

 

[akugami]

Originally posted by: MiranoPoncho
But of course! I would never dream of getting a high end conroe, just one with 4mb of level 2 cache, and then o/c it to its maximum stable speed and game off of that. anywho, I'm going with a 1900xtx, got it at a decent price, as for the conroe, if I get an intel build, could I play anything on either a celery d or an 805 until the wait is over?

I would have suggested keeping your card, supposedly around Aug will have refresh cards from both ATI and nVidia then deciding if it's worth upgrading at that time or wait till the new generation of cards. But if you got a great deal on an X1900XT, then go for it. I don't think the next gen of cards will be around until Oct/Nov time frame anyways despite some fanboy optimism on a July release of the next gen cards.

The problem with Conroe is supply and demand. Initial supplies (which are already limited) will be largely taken by the OEM's so any CPU's in the retail segment will be limited and probably overpriced for the first few months. You might be better off getting an AM2 system since it's expected to have a huge price drop to combat Conroe. Of course, these are just predictions as no one will really know until Conroe is officially released.

 

[LW07]

I would get the X1900XT as voltmodding a 7900GT might not always work, and with the X1900XT you're at least guarenteed that level of performance, and are getting 512mb of Vram, which will make it a bit more future proof, and future games will perform better on the X1900XT due to the 512mb of Vram.

I'm very pleased with my X1900XT's performance myself. I highly recommend it.