x700pro & 6600gt

[stelleg151]

Ok, I know this topic has been shot to death and then kicked a few times, but I havent seen any threads directly addressing the issue for these cards. I have a x700pro, got it for cheap off of ebay. Part of the reason I bought it was because I like supporting the underdog. (ATI) And I dont like getting the same card as everyone else(everrrryone is getting a 6600gt these days. The biggest reason was that I read two reviews on the x700pro that said in their subjective opinion, although the benchmarks for the 128 cards are better, the gaming on the 256mb cards was smoother, and there was no texture thrashing that was noticed slightly on the 128mb cards. Also, I am hoping to OC mine to around xt speeds, because although anandtech didnt get any of theirs there, I have seen others do it.

My question is, who thinks the x700pro is a decent deal for an OC'r because of the 256? I have heard people recommend the 256mb 9800 pros and the x700s are faster than the 9800s, so why does everyone rip on the x700 pro, as it should be able to use the 256 better than the 9800.

I am not a fanboy by the way, this is my first system build, and I thought it would be safer to go with 256mb card.

 

[kmmatney]

Everyone rips on the X700 Pro because it doesn't perform as well as the 6600 GT, even when overclocked, and the 256 version costs more. The 128 MB version costs less, but performs even worse. Unless you can get a really good deal, there's no reason to buy the X700 Pro.

If you paid $160 for the 256 MB version, then you got a good deal, but there's no reason to pay the normal price.

 

[KevinH]

Originally posted by: stelleg151
Ok, I know this topic has been shot to death and then kicked a few times, but I havent seen any threads directly addressing the issue for these cards. I have a x700pro, got it for cheap off of ebay. Part of the reason I bought it was because I like supporting the underdog. (ATI) And I dont like getting the same card as everyone else(everrrryone is getting a 6600gt these days. The biggest reason was that I read two reviews on the x700pro that said in their subjective opinion, although the benchmarks for the 128 cards are better, the gaming on the 256mb cards was smoother, and there was no texture thrashing that was noticed slightly on the 128mb cards. Also, I am hoping to OC mine to around xt speeds, because although anandtech didnt get any of theirs there, I have seen others do it.

My question is, who thinks the x700pro is a decent deal for an OC'r because of the 256? I have heard people recommend the 256mb 9800 pros and the x700s are faster than the 9800s, so why does everyone rip on the x700 pro, as it should be able to use the 256 better than the 9800.

I am not a fanboy by the way, this is my first system build, and I thought it would be safer to go with 256mb card.

It's about bottlenecks. At resolutions where the extra memory comes in handy...the X700 won't be able to play any of hte latest games at any playable resolutions (i.e. 16x12 with splashes of AA/AF thrown in etc.).

 

[stelleg151]

I know about bottlenecks, but I am wondering if you think these cards are fast enough to use the extra 256 in games like HL2, because it seems to me that they are.

 

[kmmatney]

You can see here that the extra memory does help out:

X700Pro round up

With AA + AF, the card approaches the 6600GT in half-life, and passes when overclocked. However you can pick up a 6600GT for $179 at NewEgg, while the XPro256 is $208. The price for the 256 MB part needs to come down to lower than $170 to be worth getting over the 6600GT.

 

[Pete]

Well, you won't be using 256MB at 1600x1200 w/4xAA, but the extra memory should be nice for games with ultra high res textures, and maybe multiplayer ones with lots of player models.

 

[Auric]

I wouldn't consider any of 'em acceptable at 1280 with AA/AF. Whither cheap X800's?