Upgrading from 9800 Pro....

[MitchieA]

Hi gang,

Relevant system specs:
P4 2.66
1 GB RAM
9800 Pro

Current vid card is okay, but it starts to choke with higher AA settings. I play mostly Battlefield 1942 and CS:Source. With Battlefield 2 looking to be a resource hog, me thinks its time for a vid card upgrade. Should I go with the X800 Pro or X800 XT? nVidia?

Thanks for reading!

 

[imported_DaveA]

price range?

 

[dug777]

i'd grab a x800xl rather thein either of those two, it's value for money is just about unbeatable at the moment at the high-end.

 

[Pete]

AGP, right? A ~$300 6800GT (@ NewEgg and the usual suspects) or a ~$340AR AIWX800XT (@ ZZF should be an incredible upgrade, offering probably twice the performance at high res with AA. Yeah, a $200 6800 (@ Outpost) would make a nice upgrade, but its 128MB is probably too limiting for newer games, especially if you want 4xAA at the higher resolutions.

Obviously you'll want to factor in the $100+ you should be able to get by selling your 9800P.

I'd probably wait for benchmarks first, though, in case BF2 plays better on ATI or NV hardware. CSS should play exceptionally well on either card.

Edit: I think X800XL is close to $300 in AGP form, which makes a 6800GT clearly superior, and the AIW XT superior if you want its "AIW" functionality.

 

[MitchieA]

My price range is $300-350 and I'm stuck with AGP for now.

Pete: Thanks for the feedback but I'm a little confused. Firstly, what does AIW stand for?And secondly, is your final recommendation the 6800 GT or the 800XL?

Sorry for being dense!

 

[imported_DaveA]

all in wonder = aiw. the x800 xt is best value here imo. it beats out the 6800 gt and x800 xl and is incredibly cheap!

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: dug777
i'd grab a x800xl rather thein either of those two, it's value for money is just about unbeatable at the moment at the high-end.

I don't know US prices very well, but from what i see on Newegg, the AGP X800XLs aren't the best value.

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122195

There's the slightly better AGP 6800 GT for only $300.

Or there's that X800XT AIW they're talking about.

To MitchieA: AIW allows you to input cable to your computer for watching TV.
Also works as an analog capture card.

 

[Keysplayr]

6800GT's can be had for about 300.00 USD at newegg.
Leadtek GeForce 6800GT AGP 256GDDR3 for 299.00. HERE

There are many to choose from at the 299.00 price point. But try to stay clear of XFX brand. I have heard too many people in here complain about them over the people that praise them.

 

[dug777]

yeah sorry, x800xl isn't so competetive in AGP flavour as PCI-E

the 6800GT would be my answer then i guess

 

[McArra]

In AGP 6800GT is king right now

 

[ROJAS]

I'm waiting for my X850XTPE that I ordered from Newegg. I am upgrading fromATI 9800pro.

 

[MitchieA]

Thanks for everyone's advice. It looks the 6800 GT is the winner.

One last question. What is the difference between the $299 Leadtek, the $360 AOpen and the $370 MSI? Makes me wonder if the Leadtek only has 128MB of RAM. I definately want a 256MB card since I use high rez AA extensively.

 

[Cheesetogo]

Originally posted by: MitchieA
Thanks for everyone's advice. It looks the 6800 GT is the winner.

One last question. What is the difference between the $299 Leadtek, the $360 AOpen and the $370 MSI? Makes me wonder if the Leadtek only has 128MB of RAM. I definately want a 256MB card since I use high rez AA extensively.

The leadtek has 256mb. It says it right in the title on newegg. The leadtek is less expensive because it's on sale. I'd consider it better than the aopen and msi ones.

 

[JBT]

I would get a X800XT Both HL2 performs better on ATI hard ware and I don't know specifially if BF2 will but BF1942 and Desert combat both did better on ATI hardware as well. So an X800 series card would be the clear choice.

 

[Pete]

Mitchie, the AIW (All-in-Wonder) line basically includes TV tuner functionality on the card. You can check an Anandtech review or ATI's website for more info, but it basically means you can watch and record TV on your PC.

My final recommendation is your choice. The GT is a nice card at a nice price, and it has SM3 functionality which allows for nicer special effects on a handful of current games. The AIW XT is also a nice card at a very nice price, just that you're basically trading SM3 for TV tuner functionality. Both cards have 256MB and 16 pipelines and are plenty fast. The GF6 series seems a bit faster per MHz, but the XT's core does have an extra 150MHz on the GT's. Both cards may be limited by their 500MHz DDR memory, though. I don't know which to recommend for BF2, as I don't know if the XT's higher core clock or the GT's higher potential efficiency will yield better framerates (and possibly nicer special effects with SM3 on the GT). Either card should be plenty fast for CS:S and BF1942, so those aren't really factors, IMO. If you want to be precise, I know the XT will be faster in CS:S (look at any benchmark), and I'm guessing it'll be faster in BF'42 (as ATI has a slight edge in BF:V).

If the GF6's SM3 and HDR features matter not a whit to you, and if they won't be exploited in BF2 for SM3-exclusive special effects, I'd probably go with the AIW XT, as you do get at least ~10% higher performance for the ~10% higher price--plus the tuner, for recording shows on your PC. SM3 is my only hang-up, but it may not be an issue with BF2 (and it isn't with HL2 or BF'42)

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: JBT
I would get a X800XT Both HL2 performs better on ATI hard ware and I don't know specifially if BF2 will but BF1942 and Desert combat both did better on ATI hardware as well. So an X800 series card would be the clear choice.

What'd you do with your 6800 GT :Q?

 

[JBT]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: JBT
I would get a X800XT Both HL2 performs better on ATI hard ware and I don't know specifially if BF2 will but BF1942 and Desert combat both did better on ATI hardware as well. So an X800 series card would be the clear choice.

What'd you do with your 6800 GT :Q?

Traded it for an X800XT. It should be getting here today.

 

[MitchieA]

Hey gang,

Thanks for all the info. ASFAIK, BF2 only requires a card which supports shaders 1.4 or above. Dunno if this means that means that SM 3 will get any extra gfx features. I really have no use for a TV Tuner, so I think the AIW is out.

I haven't had an nVidia product since the GF3 product cycle! Oh well, whatever works best. I'm not a vid card fanboy either way.

Thanks again fellas.

 

[UzairH]

Get the 6800 GT AGP, it may be equal to X800 XL and slightly slower in Half-Life 2, but in Doom 3 it just kicks the X800 XL's backside.

 

[UzairH]

... specially when you consider that a lot of upcoming games will use the Doom 3 engine, like RTCW 2, Quake 4, etc

 

[faye]

Originally posted by: UzairH
... specially when you consider that a lot of upcoming games will use the Doom 3 engine, like RTCW 2, Quake 4, etc

THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT.
HOW MANY GAMES ARE GOING TO USE DOOM3 ENGINE?!?!?!!?

nVidia seems blow every ATi card away in Doom3 engine,
ATi seems to be a little faster in HL2, but not the way nvidia acts in doom3!!!

 

[VIAN]

6800 GT

 

[Pete]

Looks like ATI's closed the gap WRT D3. An X800XT is comparable to a 6800GT, anyway, and HOCP shows the X850XT comparable to a 6800UE. To be fair, tho H shows the same framerates, they still say the GF6 feels smoother.

But, again, if D3 is the criterion, then I'd get the GT, as it's cheaper than the AIW XT (and you don't want the AIW features) and has SM3.

 

[SonicIce]

your computer looks fine to me. who needs AA

 

[ddogg]

Originally posted by: Pete
Looks like ATI's closed the gap WRT D3. An X800XT is comparable to a 6800GT, anyway, and HOCP shows the X850XT comparable to a 6800UE. To be fair, tho H shows the same framerates, they still say the GF6 feels smoother.

yup...ATI has definetely closed up the gap...barely any difference(nvis just a few framerates faster). i guess hardocp felt that nvidia had the smoother gameplay since it didnt dip as low as the 850XT.