x850pro vs nx6800gt

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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Hey all,

I am about to sell my present AGP8x system, and will take the money and buy myself a new system.

I am going to be having a SLi motherboard, ASUS nForce 4, but only one videocard for now. I am torn between two videocards, and I don't really know what I should be going for.

I run the following games alot; Call of Duty, HL2, BF: vietnam and soon BF2

I got two cards quoted, here are the details, I need some advice:

- Sapphire Radeon x850 Pro 256mb at approx. 430$ (CN)
- MSI NX6800GT 256mb at approx. 470$ (CN)

The card will be PCI-e, of course. If there are any ideas, maybe even a different card I would want, please inform me.

The sooner the answers, the better.

Thanks all
 

BillyBobJoel71

Platinum Member
Mar 24, 2005
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why is the x850 pro lower priced when its a btter card (or is that the xt pe)? if so, get the x850 but if you play doom 3 alot, get the 6800gt. i like it, its an amazingly fast card.
 

paadness

Member
May 24, 2005
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Full stop. X850 Pro is just a speed bump from the X800 Pro + higher price tag.

You only have 12 pipelines on the pro while the 6800GT has full 16.

MSI's 6800GT is ridiculously expensive because they give away the heftiest package of all.

some 16 CD's alone i guess. Because u need PCI-E, you should wait for 2-4 months coz i can buy an AGP X850 XT PE for < $500 but going to PCI-E adds almost $ 100.

There is nothing special in the X850 series from the X800 series, just a nice speed bump.

 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
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Well, it really depends on your desire at this point. I would go for an X800 XL if I wanted a great performing decently priced single card. On the otherhand, since you are getting an SLI motherboard, you might want to pick up the 6800GT, since you might be able to get a second one after the 7800 series launches for pretty cheap. You have to bear in mind though that either of these cards my seem "slow" after the 7800 series is launched.
 

fstime

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2004
4,382
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x850XT>6800U>6800GT/x800XL>x850p>x800p.


For $300 dollars the x800xl gives you 6800GT performance for $100 less.

If you want to spend $450 plus, get the x850XT, best card on the market.

The X8xx pro cards arnt that hot.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
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Originally posted by: machstem

I run the following games alot; Call of Duty, HL2, BF: vietnam and soon BF2

Every single one of these games runs faster on ATI cards. X800XL PCIe for now is a good choice at $260 or so. Later upgrade to G70 and SLI that if you find the need for SLI. R520 should be a beast too. X850Pro<X800XL for more $$$. Normally 6800GT is better than x800xl, but given these games and the fact that PCIe version is unjustifiably $100 more than AGP, X800XL is a no brainer here.
 

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: paadness
Full stop. X850 Pro is just a speed bump from the X800 Pro + higher price tag.

You only have 12 pipelines on the pro while the 6800GT has full 16.

MSI's 6800GT is ridiculously expensive because they give away the heftiest package of all.

some 16 CD's alone i guess. Because u need PCI-E, you should wait for 2-4 months coz i can buy an AGP X850 XT PE for < $500 but going to PCI-E adds almost $ 100.

There is nothing special in the X850 series from the X800 series, just a nice speed bump.

Alright. Well, I definitely need to buy a new system this week, as I'm selling my mobo and VPU to a friend, and before the price drops too much, I want my money's worth, without giving him a bad deal.

Well, I mentioned the MSI NX6800GT simply because it was the first I noticed that wasn't the ULTRA series. (my supplier) I don't deal with retail, only at cost.

I don't need any software with either package, and now that you mention it, MSI is famous for giving you more than neccesary. I'd like to keep going ATI, being Canadian and all, and this x800 blew my mind away, and is still pretty high end, just not PCI-E.

I'll price myself a x800 XL, as I seen what you mean; the x850 is too overpriced for a small performance leap. I figured since I was going new, I'd want the next best, and you can't go higher than the x850.

OK, so let's clarify:

If I am to buy a new videocard, for my SLi, it's between the x800 XL and the NX6800 GT.

What is the "pe" I see in forums? I don't know what it is. LOL, I run my own business, there's just too much to keep track of. I was going to put off SLi for ATI's crossfire, but I like nForce since it's in its 4th chipset. I've have nothing but good things with nForce2 and nForce3.

Thanks for the input, give me more!! :)

PEACE

 

machstem

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Nov 25, 2004
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Oh yeah guys, remember, my prices are Canadian, not USD. :)

We don't have good deals like in the US.

Thanks
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
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ATI R480/R430 Product Lineup

Corec memc ppipe ddvi mem fab price
Radeon X850 XT PE 540mhz 1.18ghz 16 yes 256 0.13 $549US
Radeon X850 XT 520 1.08 16 yes 256 0.13 $499
Radeon X850 Pro 520 1.08 12 no 256 0.13 $399
Radeon X800 XL 400 980 16 no 256/512 0.11 $349

As you can see X800XL is 6400 fill-rate and x850pro is 6240. X800XL memory should overclock to 1.15ghz.

But given the price you've provided for x850pro, imo this ATI Technologies X800XL Retail Box for $389.99 provides a better value.
 

thegimp03

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2004
7,420
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Every single one of these games runs faster on ATI cards.

Not so. The majority of them do but Call of Duty won't since it's based off of the openGL Quake III engine and nvidia has always owned openGL.

Though I do agree he should pick up the x800xl. Great price/performance card.
 

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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Once again guys, thanks for all the help.

I'll definitely take a deeper look into the x800 xl, I always thought XL meant "cheaper and not as powerful" :)

It's great to see such various opinions on one forum.

One thing though, I do want the higher end videocard, and I DON'T overclock, because I don't find it's worth ruining your warranty. So, still the x800 XL?

I'm ready to spend about 500$ on the videocard, since I spent the same on the x800 Pro AGP8x a while back.

PEACE

EDIT: I found the x800 XL 512mb for 499$, compared to the x850 Pro 256mb for 429$, if this gives more insight
 

machstem

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Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: thegimp03
Every single one of these games runs faster on ATI cards.

Not so. The majority of them do but Call of Duty won't since it's based off of the openGL Quake III engine and nvidia has always owned openGL.

Though I do agree he should pick up the x800xl. Great price/performance card.

Yeah, COD was made for the nVidia chipset, you can normally tell when they offer nVidia "fog" ;)
 

mwmorph

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2004
8,877
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get a x800 or x850 series then. the games you like are faster on ATI(Half Life 2 is faster by far)
Also, the sli upgrade prosepct uis only good if you plan to upgrade in a year. if you dont, there will be new standards out that your card wont support os sli upgrade is only for those that like to upgrade often.(if you got speed but inability to run highest settings, why are yuo upgrading if you dont get the visual candy?)
 

machstem

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Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: mwmorph
get a x800 or x850 series then. the games you like are faster on ATI(Half Life 2 is faster by far)
Also, the sli upgrade prosepct uis only good if you plan to upgrade in a year. if you dont, there will be new standards out that your card wont support os sli upgrade is only for those that like to upgrade often.(if you got speed but inability to run highest settings, why are yuo upgrading if you dont get the visual candy?)

I hope by after Christmas, that what I am buying for 500$ right now will drop to about 350$, very feasible. I want to add another card after Xmas money, just in time for some newer next gen games. Is that what you were wondering?
 

mwmorph

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2004
8,877
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Originally posted by: machstem
Originally posted by: mwmorph
get a x800 or x850 series then. the games you like are faster on ATI(Half Life 2 is faster by far)
Also, the sli upgrade prosepct uis only good if you plan to upgrade in a year. if you dont, there will be new standards out that your card wont support os sli upgrade is only for those that like to upgrade often.(if you got speed but inability to run highest settings, why are yuo upgrading if you dont get the visual candy?)

I hope by after Christmas, that what I am buying for 500$ right now will drop to about 350$, very feasible. I want to add another card after Xmas money, just in time for some newer next gen games. Is that what you were wondering?

yeah, that's fine then. sli will do well, but by the 8xxx series(next year, maybe mid next year) WGF 1.0 and SM4 will be out. WGF is slated by Microsoft ot replace Direct X as the defacto standard for most games for windows for the future. i dont know how long your sli setup will last then.
 

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: mwmorph
Originally posted by: machstem
Originally posted by: mwmorph
get a x800 or x850 series then. the games you like are faster on ATI(Half Life 2 is faster by far)
Also, the sli upgrade prosepct uis only good if you plan to upgrade in a year. if you dont, there will be new standards out that your card wont support os sli upgrade is only for those that like to upgrade often.(if you got speed but inability to run highest settings, why are yuo upgrading if you dont get the visual candy?)

I hope by after Christmas, that what I am buying for 500$ right now will drop to about 350$, very feasible. I want to add another card after Xmas money, just in time for some newer next gen games. Is that what you were wondering?

yeah, that's fine then. sli will do well, but by the 8xxx series(next year, maybe mid next year) WGF 1.0 and SM4 will be out. WGF is slated by Microsoft ot replace Direct X as the defacto standard for most games for windows for the future. i dont know how long your sli setup will last then.

I look at it this way, if and when MicroShaft decides this move, most companies won't be ready to start using this technology. Hell, there are still lots of courses being given in DirectX, because it's still a prominent technology for upcoming games. If I wait, I'll keep waiting. I already know ATI is coming out with Crossfire sometime this summer, but am I ready to wait that long? HELL no! :)

Another thing to keep in mind, is that the gaming market is undergoing a huge undertow, think of how good those PS3 video games looked at E3. Sony is promising ingame to look like that, and even HL2, imho, doesn't compare to that. The major gaming market is going to take a huge downfall if the hardware becomes too dependant on gaming. Who wants to spend 2000$ every year just to stay up to date? I wanted SLi last summer, but PCI-e was just being introduced. My next big gaming purchase will be the PS3, the PC (i hope) will become my second source of gaming.

Thanks for the input

 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
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Originally posted by: thegimp03
Every single one of these games runs faster on ATI cards.

Not so. The majority of them do but Call of Duty won't since it's based off of the openGL Quake III engine and nvidia has always owned openGL.

Hmm....

1600x1200 4AA/16AF - X800XL > 6800GT

However, tom's shows what you said....so I might have been off here:
6800GT beats X800XL here

512mb for x800xl isn't worth it. What's wrong with the $390 x800xl I linked? If you want to spend $500 on a videocard, please wait for G70.
 

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Originally posted by: thegimp03
Every single one of these games runs faster on ATI cards.

Not so. The majority of them do but Call of Duty won't since it's based off of the openGL Quake III engine and nvidia has always owned openGL.

Hmm....

1600x1200 4AA/16AF - X800XL > 6800GT

However, tom's shows what you said....so I might have been off here:
6800GT beats X800XL here

512mb for x800xl isn't worth it. What's wrong with the $390 x800xl I linked? If you want to spend $500 on a videocard, please wait for G70.

I dunno...lol

I get confused sometimes, I need to see real specs, and you just linked exactly what I wanted to see. But...from what you linked, the 6800GT is actually better than any x800 or x850 series, whether it be XL or not....Am I being led into thinking that the 6800gt is better, and hardly worse than the 6800ultra?

I figured the 512mb version isn't worth it, I read somewhere that it's just a marketing scheme.

OK, so to make things final:

What is better? x800 XL 256mb or NX6800 GT 256mb, I mean, some of it is marginal (between 6800GT and ultra) but a pretty big difference between any x800 series (for COD)

Oye, so much confusion, so many choices...thanks for your patience.
 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
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I hope by after Christmas, that what I am buying for 500$ right now will drop to about 350$, very feasible. I want to add another card after Xmas money, just in time for some newer next gen games. Is that what you were wondering?
I assume that you are aware that as of right now it is not known whether or not CrossFire will ever work on an nForce4 SLI chipset. If you plan on buying the X800 XL now, you may have to purchase more than just the CrossFire X800 card in the future. You might have to get a new motherboard that supports CrossFire as well. At this point, if I was planning on running a dual video card setup in the future, I would either go with nVidia or wait until CrossFire actually comes out. Don't get me wrong, the XL would be a great single slot card, but I don't think you have enough information available yet to make a good call on whether or not it is wise to get an nForce4 SLI mobo and an X800 XL with the intention of running it in a CrossFire setup in the future.
 

machstem

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Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: nitromullet
I hope by after Christmas, that what I am buying for 500$ right now will drop to about 350$, very feasible. I want to add another card after Xmas money, just in time for some newer next gen games. Is that what you were wondering?
I assume that you are aware that as of right now it is not known whether or not CrossFire will ever work on an nForce4 SLI chipset. If you plan on buying the X800 XL now, you may have to purchase more than just the CrossFire X800 card in the future. You might have to get a new motherboard that supports CrossFire as well. At this point, if I was planning on running a dual video card setup in the future, I would either go with nVidia or wait until CrossFire actually comes out. Don't get me wrong, the XL would be a great single slot card, but I don't think you have enough information available yet to make a good call on whether or not it is wise to get an nForce4 SLI mobo and an X800 XL with the intention of running it in a CrossFire setup in the future.

I read the specifications of Crossfire, and as mentioned, I'm not really interested in purchasing a Crossfire comptible card, nor am I willing to buy a ATI chipset motherboard (1st revisions are never a good idea). I'd rather put my money in SLi, as the technology has had time to improve, etc. I want to buy one videocard, whether it be nVidia or ATI for my SLi, and at Christmas or just after, buy another one of the exact type, or maybe one model higher..depending on price then.

Thanks

 

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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While I have your attention, I see alot of talk about the 6800 ultra SLi...(forums, reviews, etc)

I am on the impression that I can put two x800 XL 256mb cards on SLi, and have better performance than running one x800 XL....am I mistaken? That is going to be my ultimate goal. I seen an article with a 6800 GT and a ATI x800 Pro running together, but I'm not sure about performance increases. Any ideas on that?

Would I need to purchase two 6800 Ultra 256mb to take full potential of SLi? Will ATI give me the same performance increase that I would get with 2 nVidia cards?

Thank you
 

n yusef

Platinum Member
Feb 20, 2005
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ATI cards cannot do SLI. If you want to do that, you need to get a Crossfire mobo, or nVidia cards. The X800 XL will provide equal performance with a 6800GT(greater in some games, worse in others, but never more than a five FPS difference), but will provide mo SLI support.
 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
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I suspected that you were confused about SLI and CrossFire...

SLI is nVidia's dual card setup, it currently requires an nForce4 SLI motherboard and two nVidia SLI compatible cards. CrossFire is ATi's dual card setup. It requires 1 PCIe Radeon X8x0 card, 1 CrossFire card, and a CrossFire compatible motherboard. Currently, the only known compatible CrossFire motherboards are those with ATI's Xpress 200 CrossFire chipset. It is not sure whether or not CrossFire will ever work on an nForce4 SLI chipset motherboard.

...this is why I keep suggesting the 6800GT if you want a dual card setup and the X800XL if you plan on going with a single card rig.
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,498
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OP, the only choice to me would be the XL, or 6800GT. I dont know Canadian prices, and how much cheaper the XL is, if its more than $50, I would surely get the XL.

To me the X850 Pro is a badly priced, and marketed card.

Originally posted by: thegimp03
Every single one of these games runs faster on ATI cards.

Not so. The majority of them do but Call of Duty won't since it's based off of the openGL Quake III engine and nvidia has always owned openGL.

Though I do agree he should pick up the x800xl. Great price/performance card.

Not true. They doesnt always have the best OpenGL performance. Most of the time for sure, but not always. Not even in CoD. When it came out, ATi had the much faster card in it. I have no idea if the GT is faster than the XL in CoD today, I assume it is though.

 

machstem

Member
Nov 25, 2004
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Originally posted by: nitromullet
I suspected that you were confused about SLI and CrossFire...

SLI is nVidia's dual card setup, it currently requires an nForce4 SLI motherboard and two nVidia SLI compatible cards. CrossFire is ATi's dual card setup. It requires 1 PCIe Radeon X8x0 card, 1 CrossFire card, and a CrossFire compatible motherboard. Currently, the only known compatible CrossFire motherboards are those with ATI's Xpress 200 CrossFire chipset. It is not sure whether or not CrossFire will ever work on an nForce4 SLI chipset motherboard.

...this is why I keep suggesting the 6800GT if you want a dual card setup and the X800XL if you plan on going with a single card rig.

Alright, now we're getting somewhere.

I wasn't confused, really. I knew how Crossfire works, and I knew how SLi works. What I didn't know, was whether or not I could use the SLi capabilities with a ATI videocard. From what I've read, it's no! :)

So, I guess my next big question is this:

If I want a system as "fast and performant" as a full SLi system, meaning 2 x 6800GT or Ultra, what motherboard could I get, non-SLi, that would benefit me? I would like to stick with nForce4, but not sure if it's a SLi thing only. I'll look into it a bit more. Remember, I DON'T want Crossfire, I don't like new motherboard chipsets.

So, if I get a ATI x800 XL 256mb, which motherboard would be good to use? I'm not going to get a SLi motherboard, if I can't use a double ATI card on it, using the SLi technology.

I'm thinking this motherboard will be more than I need, and will continue to be a great motherboard for the coming year:

ASUS A8N-E

Any clues or ideas? Should I stray from ATI and go for the SLi and get one 6800 Ultra right now, and add another Ultra after Christmas? Should I even bother with SLi?

Thanks