To Upgrade or not?

[y0d4]

It it worth picking up an xfx AGP 6800 vanilla for $165 at newegg? Will i get a big performance increase in WoW, Quake 4 and FEAR, and newer games? I have a Sempron 3000+, 1GB Corsiar PC3200, and a Biostar nforce3 mobo. Will i be really processor limited with a 6800? Should i just stick with this 9800 and wait till AMD's m2 and a PCI express card and build a whole new machine? I like to run 1024x768 with everything on high, 4xAA 8xAF in my games, since my monitor only 1024. Just looking for some input


Thanks

 

[Hyperlite]

if you foresee the funds being availible in the future for a whole new rig, i would just wait. just out of curiosity, what does your 9800pro score in 3dmark05?

 

[y0d4]

I should have money next summer for a new mobo/gfx/proc hopefully. Maybe not till next christmas though. I havent run 3dmark05 in awhile, I believe I got around 2600. Anyone have any 6800 Vanilla -> 9800 Pro bechmarks? I searched anand and tom's quick but didnt see any. I saw a refurb x800 pro on ATI's site for 180, would that be a lot better than the 6800 and give a decent improvement over the 9800 if i did decide to upgrade?

 

[orangat]

A better upgrade would be the 6800GT which would give approximately double the fps. The 6800 sits between the gt and the 9800pro.
Check out VGA roundups on AT or Toms for more comparisons.

 

[Dman877]

Agree with orangat, X800XL or 6800GT level or better. Anything less and I think the performance boost will dissappoint.

 

[Lyfer]

Do this: Buy DFI N4x mobo from newegg with Sapphire X800GTO2 card (total should be ~$275ish). Now you have a Socket 754 board to use your old sempron and PCI-E. BTW the GTo2 is relabled X850XT which runs $330 streetwise (faster than 6800GT).

 

[blckgrffn]

The 6800 that you can find for about $160 is a killer deal at that price point and you will notice a pretty significant difference, especially on newer games.

Nat

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

Originally posted by: y0d4
I should have money next summer for a new mobo/gfx/proc hopefully. Maybe not till next christmas though. I havent run 3dmark05 in awhile, I believe I got around 2600. Anyone have any 6800 Vanilla -> 9800 Pro bechmarks? I searched anand and tom's quick but didnt see any. I saw a refurb x800 pro on ATI's site for 180, would that be a lot better than the 6800 and give a decent improvement over the 9800 if i did decide to upgrade?

For 6800 vs. 9800 Pro check out Firingsquad

You could wait till next summer when the G72 and the R580 makes their appearances and the R520s and G70s drop down in price significantly. You may be much better off that way but eight monthes is a long time to wait for a GPU upgrade so you may want to get something in the meantime. Yes, the X800 Pro is better than 6800 but you'll probably have a better chance unlocking the 6800 than the X800 Pro. Yes the X800Pro gives the 6800 a pretty good beatdown at stock speeds but with both of them unlocked, it's a closer contest . . .

For X800 Pro vs. 6800 check out Tom's Hardware

 

[Kogan]

I'd personally wait for something like an x800xl or faster (currently around $200-$220). But then again, these are the same speed as a 6800 in GL games, and are only faster in DirectX games.

Or make the switch a little easier and get one used. I've been trying to sell my 6800 for $145 shipped (check my sig)

 

[y0d4]

Theres quite the variation in the benchmarks. Only a 5 FPS difference in UT2k4, but about 24 in Far Cry, and 16 more in FC with 4xAA on. With AF and AA on it goes up to 30 frames difference. Doom 3 is about the same as FC in performace difference, so I'm thinking the 6800 will give me a good jump in quake 4 and especially elder scrolls oblivion. Does the 6800 support shader model 3.0 and HDR as well? If i can get 30 FPS increase in Q4 and elder scrolls 4, along with PS 3.0 and HDR support, i may go ahead and order. Is UT2k4 so close framewise becasue its processor bound?

And one more question, is 128MB memory enough for a 6800NU?

Thanks for your help guys

 

[Killrose]

I would look at the user reveiws and try and determine what make of 6800 vanilla card has the best chance of unlocking the extra pipes. That would certainly give you even more performance if you got lucky.

And PS3.0 and HDR is supported, but don't count on usable HDR.

 

[chinkgai]

no, get x800gto2 and unlock it to x850 xt...oh wait...u have agp...oh wells

 

[memories2002]

So, what did you get! Im in the same situation as you!!

 

[Munky]

The 6800 will give you a nice boost in games, but dont expect to be using any of the SM3 eye candy in the latest games on that card, it's still too slow. You'll need at least a 6800gt or faster. Also, like someone else already suggested, the x800 gto2 is easily the fastest card for ~$220 when you do a bios flash, but it's only PCI-e. Personally, I'd sell what you currently have and move to a PCI-e system, because AGP cards are becoming rare, and there are no new AGP cards planned for the future. Also, most PCI-e cards are cheaper than their equivalent AGP parts.

 

[Cooler]

I agree it is time to move on pci-e it does not look like any new cards will be produced for agp.