If you had $800 to get a video card

psycho_klown66 · TweakNOOB Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 11

If you had $800 to get a video card AND you had to get a new motherboard and CPU... what would you get?

The $800 is allocated only for the video card. The motherboard and CPU is NOT part of the $800.

This will be used as a pure gaming computer. Currently playing WoW, and will be playing Elder Scroll IV (which will be a huge game!)

Thanks!

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2old2care · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:52 pm Post subject:

http://www.bfgtech.com/7800GTX_512_PCIX.html

Suppose to be even faster than the 7800gtx w/256mb.
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psycho_klown66 · TweakNOOB Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 11

I'm also leaning towards the Dual 7800 GTX and Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 motherboard.

According to some benchmarks, it crushed ATI's Dual Crossfire.

2old2care · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:26 pm Post subject:

Dual gtx's pop about a grand though.
That's why you see a lot of 7800gt sli setups.
Great stuff. Very Happy

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sickofsoyo · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 7:12 pm Post subject:

I would wait for Intel's new 975 chipset, PD EE, Dual BFG 7800 GTX OC's in SLI.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Always get the fastest all-in-wonder card available.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:46 pm Post subject:

dual X800 AIWs in crossfire

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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Ok........reality check............$800 is about what I have to spend on two months RENT.

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[KoG]^weaZel · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:49 am Post subject:

If you are looking for the fastest card out right now.Then you are looking for the 7800 GTX 512. But if you are wanting SLI and the $800 is for everything then get two 7800 GT's this would be the fastest set-up for that money.
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psycho_klown66 · TweakNOOB Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 11

I'm now debating between:

Dual 7800 GTs

or

Single 7800 GTX 512 (and get a second if needed later)

And between EVGA and BFG

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

I would go two BFG 7800GT 256mb's, myself. Reason being is 1gb of VRAM is just too much right now (if you were to get another 512 in, say, 6 months). Games aren't even touching the 512mb limit yet, and the more VRAM you add, the more latency you also add, even if it's in small amounts.

In an issue of MaxPC a couple of months ago, they tested a rig with dual 7800GT's in 512mb trim, and it was actually slower than a similar machine with two 256mb cards.
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[KoG]^weaZel · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 3:37 pm Post subject:

the issue about the vram just isn't holding true anymore. Soon the video cards are going to be carrying 1 gig of ram each. The G90 will be sporting that much from the start. It also will be sucking upto 250 watts in and of itself. Or so a little birdie told me from a very reliable psu manufacturer.

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2old2care · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 3:50 pm Post subject:

I read an article 2 or 3 days ago (I was looking for it and can't find it) that said, that the 7800gtx with the 512mb was faster than the 7800gtx w/ 256mb. I'm pretty sure though that the speed vs. memory size issue will be a gpu to gpu situation, and not a pat rule for all graphics boards.
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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

I assumed he was looking for a current board..........

Yeah, by late spring/early summer, the RAM issue will change a bit. I still don't know if it'd be worth that much cash yet. Even BF2 doesn't stress 512mb of VRAM.
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doc18 · TweakNOOB Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 161

yes, the gtx 512 is much faster than the original 7800 gtx.

7800 gtx 256: 430Mhz core, 1.2Ghz ddr memory
7800 gtx 512: 550Mhz core, 1.7Ghz ddr memory
(these are default numbers, vendor/user o/c is another story...)

Oh yeah, one other thing. on the 256MB version, half the memory chips are divided between the top and bottom of the pcb: bottom are cooled by fan+heatsink and the top are cooled by just a heatsink.. On the 512, all of them are on the bottom, so all of them are cooled actively by a fan/heatsink combo.

vertex/pixel shaders are the same, though: 8 vertex shaders and 24 pixel pipelines.

hope that clears up any confusion

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