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X800XL or 6800GT ? (if both cost the same)

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Originally posted by: hatim
I am in a similar boat...Difference is, I might move to an Nforce4 board...The XL PCI-E is about 60$ here...

1. Sell 6800GT AGP, get X800XL PCI-e/6800GT PCIe
2. Forget the upgrade. I was thinking of getting a 3000+ winnie and overclocking it.
3. Upgade and get 2 6600GTs in SLI (The A8N SLI is the only choice I have anyways)...2 6600GTs cost the same as a 6800GT....
Click to expand...

Well newer Winchesters aren't overclocking very well in general, but having an NF4 PCI-E board would be nice for easy upgrading in the future to dual core.

PCI-E 6800GTs are too expensive right now. Cheapest is $373. I'd got with a $289 X800XL over it between the two with the price difference.

Personally, I'm going with a 6600GT PCI-E in my new NF4 SLI rig mostly because the PCI-E 6600GT's are a value right now at $170 and will recoup most of their cost if you sell them in under a year and a half which is enough time for NVidia's answer to the X800XL and R520 to have their effect on the market.
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: hatim
I am in a similar boat...Difference is, I might move to an Nforce4 board...The XL PCI-E is about 60$ here...

1. Sell 6800GT AGP, get X800XL PCI-e/6800GT PCIe
2. Forget the upgrade. I was thinking of getting a 3000+ winnie and overclocking it.
3. Upgade and get 2 6600GTs in SLI (The A8N SLI is the only choice I have anyways)...2 6600GTs cost the same as a 6800GT....
Click to expand...

Well newer Winchesters aren't overclocking very well in general, but having an NF4 PCI-E board would be nice for easy upgrading in the future to dual core.

PCI-E 6800GTs are too expensive right now. Cheapest is $373. I'd got with a $289 X800XL over it between the two with the price difference.

Personally, I'm going with a 6600GT PCI-E in my new NF4 SLI rig mostly because the PCI-E 6600GT's are a value right now at $170 and will recoup most of their cost if you sell them in under a year and a half which is enough time for NVidia's answer to the X800XL and R520 to have their effect on the market.
Click to expand...


But Do I really need an upgrade? Or Should I go for a complete system overhaul when dual cores/R520 come out?
 
Originally posted by: hatim
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: hatim
I am in a similar boat...Difference is, I might move to an Nforce4 board...The XL PCI-E is about 60$ here...

1. Sell 6800GT AGP, get X800XL PCI-e/6800GT PCIe
2. Forget the upgrade. I was thinking of getting a 3000+ winnie and overclocking it.
3. Upgade and get 2 6600GTs in SLI (The A8N SLI is the only choice I have anyways)...2 6600GTs cost the same as a 6800GT....
Click to expand...

Well newer Winchesters aren't overclocking very well in general, but having an NF4 PCI-E board would be nice for easy upgrading in the future to dual core.

PCI-E 6800GTs are too expensive right now. Cheapest is $373. I'd got with a $289 X800XL over it between the two with the price difference.

Personally, I'm going with a 6600GT PCI-E in my new NF4 SLI rig mostly because the PCI-E 6600GT's are a value right now at $170 and will recoup most of their cost if you sell them in under a year and a half which is enough time for NVidia's answer to the X800XL and R520 to have their effect on the market.
Click to expand...


But Do I really need an upgrade? Or Should I go for a complete system overhaul when dual cores/R520 come out?
Click to expand...

Here's how I look at it, personally. You pay a price for holding onto hardware for too long. The hardware eventually becomes 2-3 generations behind and loses its resell value at a steep pitch. At that point, you may as well take a knee and propose marriage to the hardware because its worth more to you than you could get for it. Ride it out until games become unplayable. That may be years, in all fairness.

IMO, your rig is on the verge of that decline. That said, for normal gaming, that machine is far far more than adequate. You just need to decide (guess) whether or not dual core 64-bit 939 processors will obsoletize your XP and put its resell in the dirt. If money isn't that much of an issue, then certainly wait to upgrade all at once since it may be quite a while before you actually need to and by then and next gen hardware will have dropped a little from its premium early-adopter prices. If you want to minimize your expenditure, then right now might be a good time to think about upgrading your MB and CPU.

I, for example, got a Neo4 SLI Plat and a 3000+ Winchester from Monarch for $300 shipped and traded the HL2, Far Cry, and Napster stuff included for $45, then I sold my DFI NF3 and 754 2800+ for $220. So the upgrade cost me $35 out of pocket and now I'm SLI and PCI-E and dual core ready.

To recap, I think your current rig is still a fantastic gaming rig. If you aren't concerned with minimizing depreciation on your hardware, then, by all means, hold onto your current machine for another year or two. But NF4 and 939 have been out a while and there are starting to be some pretty host deals on them.
 
Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
:roll:
Both cards are so close proformance wise, just having SM3.0 doesn't make it furture-proof AND doesn't mean it will play UE3 at good FPS. Its your money though, but when you have to buy another card with a nex-gen core just to get good frames at 12x10 remember who tried to tell you not to overspend.
Click to expand...

Whats SM3.0 and whats UE3? and i assume 12x10=1280x1024???
 
Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
:roll:
Both cards are so close proformance wise, just having SM3.0 doesn't make it furture-proof AND doesn't mean it will play UE3 at good FPS. Its your money though, but when you have to buy another card with a nex-gen core just to get good frames at 12x10 remember who tried to tell you not to overspend.
Click to expand...

He said PS3.0 makes is "more future-proof", not "future-proof". And that, frankly, is indesputable except by flaming fanbois.

You see, every word in a sentence is important. You can't just skip some of them arbitrarily and get the same meaning.
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: hatim
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: hatim
I am in a similar boat...Difference is, I might move to an Nforce4 board...The XL PCI-E is about 60$ here...

1. Sell 6800GT AGP, get X800XL PCI-e/6800GT PCIe
2. Forget the upgrade. I was thinking of getting a 3000+ winnie and overclocking it.
3. Upgade and get 2 6600GTs in SLI (The A8N SLI is the only choice I have anyways)...2 6600GTs cost the same as a 6800GT....
Click to expand...

Well newer Winchesters aren't overclocking very well in general, but having an NF4 PCI-E board would be nice for easy upgrading in the future to dual core.

PCI-E 6800GTs are too expensive right now. Cheapest is $373. I'd got with a $289 X800XL over it between the two with the price difference.

Personally, I'm going with a 6600GT PCI-E in my new NF4 SLI rig mostly because the PCI-E 6600GT's are a value right now at $170 and will recoup most of their cost if you sell them in under a year and a half which is enough time for NVidia's answer to the X800XL and R520 to have their effect on the market.
Click to expand...


But Do I really need an upgrade? Or Should I go for a complete system overhaul when dual cores/R520 come out?
Click to expand...

Here's how I look at it, personally. You pay a price for holding onto hardware for too long. The hardware eventually becomes 2-3 generations behind and loses its resell value at a steep pitch. At that point, you may as well take a knee and propose marriage to the hardware because its worth more to you than you could get for it. Ride it out until games become unplayable. That may be years, in all fairness.

IMO, your rig is on the verge of that decline. That said, for normal gaming, that machine is far far more than adequate. You just need to decide (guess) whether or not dual core 64-bit 939 processors will obsoletize your XP and put its resell in the dirt. If money isn't that much of an issue, then certainly wait to upgrade all at once since it may be quite a while before you actually need to and by then and next gen hardware will have dropped a little from its premium early-adopter prices. If you want to minimize your expenditure, then right now might be a good time to think about upgrading your MB and CPU.

I, for example, got a Neo4 SLI Plat and a 3000+ Winchester from Monarch for $300 shipped and traded the HL2, Far Cry, and Napster stuff included for $45, then I sold my DFI NF3 and 754 2800+ for $220. So the upgrade cost me $35 out of pocket and now I'm SLI and PCI-E and dual core ready.

To recap, I think your current rig is still a fantastic gaming rig. If you aren't concerned with minimizing depreciation on your hardware, then, by all means, hold onto your current machine for another year or two. But NF4 and 939 have been out a while and there are starting to be some pretty host deals on them.
Click to expand...

Moeny will be an issue...but Ill hardly get $100 on my mobo/proc...I bought 'em for $160 a year ago....

Only thing im worried about is 6800GT prices skyrocketing downwards....Big question is will newer boards support AGP as well as PCI-E? Is there any such board out? To what does my a64 compare to anyways???

I can get an A64 2800+ S754 with a via mobo for $100 more than my current stuff...SO what to do?



 
Originally posted by: Wizard12
I'm actually more concerned about future games...such as BF2, Quake4...

either cards will give me sufficient fps on hl2/doom3
Click to expand...

You sound just like me.

I wondered if I should get a X850XT PE myself.. but I'm eagerly awaiting BF2 and Quake4.
So NV it is.

HL2/Doom3.. either brand is fine for me.
 
Originally posted by: hatim
Moeny will be an issue...but Ill hardly get $100 on my mobo/proc...I bought 'em for $160 a year ago....

Only thing im worried about is 6800GT prices skyrocketing downwards....Big question is will newer boards support AGP as well as PCI-E? Is there any such board out? To what does my a64 compare to anyways???

I can get an A64 2800+ S754 with a via mobo for $100 more than my current stuff...SO what to do?
Click to expand...

I don't know of any true AGP + PCI-E motherboards, but there are some with an AGP-Express slot, but that's a HORRILE solution for a high end AGP card since it runs over the PCI bus. To be honest, I doubt many people would trust any board trying such a hybrid monster. Highend PCI-E only solutions from MSI, DFI, and Asus are so robust and mature that it's not worth going outside those for some specialized need. Their focus is on these products, and all the support and testing and innovation goes into making them top performance and reliability boards.

If your assessment of your rig's value is correct, I wouldn't upgrade. The move to 754, though it might give you a 20% boost or so, makes no sense right now with 939 prices as low as they are.

The video card question is a tricky one and complicates the decision. It's a guessing game, really and I'll just give you my guess. The 6800GT is worth probably $310 used now thanks mostly to the 6600GT coming so close in performance for so much less so I don't see it depreciating much more from here and your CPU/MB has already taken it's biggest hit, so you're going to want to squeeze some more usefulness form both before upgrading. In one year, the GT will still probably be worth in the min-high $200's and the mb/cpu will be $80ish, so it's only going to cost you another $70 in depreciation to wait. That's going to be equivolent to the depreciation a NF4 SLI 939 combo would suffer during the same timeframe.

There are other factors like the coming of age of 64 bit apps and whether or not consoles will take over the gaming world with NextBox and PS3, so this is hardly anything but a flimsy cursory wild guestimate.
 
I?d say the X800 XL. It?s higher fillrate (400MHz vs 350) and SM2.0b will more than make up any SM3.0 advantage. It?s faster overall in DX which is the majority (90%+) of games.
 
I suggest deleting this topic, its crap. Read a damn review instead of creating a topic that is probably gonna become a flamewar.
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: hatim
Moeny will be an issue...but Ill hardly get $100 on my mobo/proc...I bought 'em for $160 a year ago....

Only thing im worried about is 6800GT prices skyrocketing downwards....Big question is will newer boards support AGP as well as PCI-E? Is there any such board out? To what does my a64 compare to anyways???

I can get an A64 2800+ S754 with a via mobo for $100 more than my current stuff...SO what to do?
Click to expand...

I don't know of any true AGP + PCI-E motherboards, but there are some with an AGP-Express slot, but that's a HORRILE solution for a high end AGP card since it runs over the PCI bus. To be honest, I doubt many people would trust any board trying such a hybrid monster. Highend PCI-E only solutions from MSI, DFI, and Asus are so robust and mature that it's not worth going outside those for some specialized need. Their focus is on these products, and all the support and testing and innovation goes into making them top performance and reliability boards.

If your assessment of your rig's value is correct, I wouldn't upgrade. The move to 754, though it might give you a 20% boost or so, makes no sense right now with 939 prices as low as they are.

The video card question is a tricky one and complicates the decision. It's a guessing game, really and I'll just give you my guess. The 6800GT is worth probably $310 used now thanks mostly to the 6600GT coming so close in performance for so much less so I don't see it depreciating much more from here and your CPU/MB has already taken it's biggest hit, so you're going to want to squeeze some more usefulness form both before upgrading. In one year, the GT will still probably be worth in the min-high $200's and the mb/cpu will be $80ish, so it's only going to cost you another $70 in depreciation to wait. That's going to be equivolent to the depreciation a NF4 SLI 939 combo would suffer during the same timeframe.

There are other factors like the coming of age of 64 bit apps and whether or not consoles will take over the gaming world with NextBox and PS3, so this is hardly anything but a flimsy cursory wild guestimate.
Click to expand...


So to what extent does my AXP bottleneck my 6800GT?
 
Originally posted by: BouZouki
I suggest deleting this topic, its crap. Read a damn review instead of creating a topic that is probably gonna become a flamewar.
Click to expand...

The irony is that you are the only one to flame so far.

Good job!

On Topic:

For the same price, I'd get the 6800GT

Here in the USA, the price difference is much more significant, which is why I currently have an X800XL in my computer.

-D'oh!
 
This is pointless and people are making fanyboy remarks. THink about this, yes the X800 is a great value, however the 6800GT is superior in every aspect. You cannot argue it! The reason this is controversial is because the 6800GT normally is another $50 or so, however this time it is not. WHat is so hard about this???

-Kevin
 
Seems like a no-brainer to me as well. I'm not sure why people are suggesting the X800XL when the 6800GT is only $7 more.
 
well, if its the same price, I'd go for the 6800 GT,
frankly not an Nvidia fan.. but just to justify worth between both cards
 
The X800 XL does have some feature advantages over the 6800 GT that does make it desireable to some. There are no VIVO 6800 cards as far as I'm aware of, and I believe all X800 XL cards have native YPbPr output, and some have VIVO as well.

Since the performance is so similar, you don't lose anything by going with X800 XL, and if you have a use for VIVO or output to a digital Widescreen with component video you definately have advantage with the ATI card.
 
I could see that in those special cases, but for the standard gamer, the 6800GT is going to deliver higher framerates overall, as well as support SM 3.0. If the prices were further apart, I would recommend the X800XL...but for only $7 more, I would jump at the 6800
GT.
 
There?s other advantages on the XL too. The XL?s gamma corrected AA has a IQ advantages in some situations over the GT ? (see the power lines) ?

hardocp
hardocp

You also have temporal AA on the XL and a usable 6AA (The GT is pretty well stuck at 4AA due to performance hit of its higher AA?s). So if you like AA the XL is the card for you.

And then there?s the IQ problems NV has had on the 6800 with texture shimmering. NV has fixed the problems somewhat -- but it?s still an issue?

beyond3d

originally posted by martrox ?

? It's just not the speed, it's the IQ. Between the 6x FSAA vs. 4X FSAA and the texture crawl on the 6800's - which still exists - It's actually painful to try to go from a X800 to a 6800. Now don't get me wrong, the my X800TT runs everything, cept the aformentioned DIII, faster and smoother than my 6800GT at 425/1150. And DIII on the X800 is not very far behind at all. But it's IQ I couldn't live without......

while the texture shimmering has gotten better, it's still very noticable in everything I play


originally posted by mustrum ?

The shimmering is much better with newer drivers but in some games still present. ?
Click to expand...
 
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