Graphics card conundrum

[zekrahminator]

Well guys, as most of you have absolutely no clue about, I've decided it's time to upgrade my graphics card. I walked into CompUSA one day having no clue about any of Newegg's various sales, and after some looking, decided to jump for a sale. I bought a 7900GS for $200, and a Zalman VF-900 for an additional $50. Not bad, eh? Too bad shopping at Newegg would have saved me $50...but I didn't feel like waiting :p.

Anyways, on to the fun part. I stuck the thing in my machine after uninstalling the old ATI drivers, I installed the latest NVIDIA ones (which are NOT very recent), and played Half Life 2. I practically orgasmed at all the SM3 pretties, and thinking that it would be just like that for everything, I proceeded to void all warranties by replacing the stock cooler with that VF900. At this point, you'd think I'd be very happy. I replaced my aging SM2 card with a midrange/highend SM3 video card, I had fun doing so, and I now have increased performance and image quality. Not so much, I'm afraid. I run UT2004/Halo, two of my FAVORITE games, and notice that I don't exactly like NVIDIA as much as I thought I would. While ATI's image was sharp and crisp (if a bit low-detail/aliasy due to SM2), the NVIDIA image focused on beauty, has unstable framerates (at one point it's almost laggy, at another it's screaming), and just seems to not pay so much attention to detail. I also notice that my power supply gets quite warm after playing my games (7900GS requires 20A on the 12 volt rail, I have 18A), I only gain about 1200 points in 3Dmark05 (my X850XT could get 6k easily, and I've pushed her to 7k before, while the 7900GS only gets to 7200 with small processor and mild RAM overclock (2.6GHz CPU, DDR433).

Basically, I replaced my X850XT with something from the green camp (aka NVIDIA), and I'm not too sure I like the results. My options are listed below. Stop whining, start playing with SM3 pretties turned all the way up! Sell my X850XT with VF900 fitted on it for $115 shipped in the BSTG threads.
Accept I made a mistake, sell the 7900GS with stock cooler refitted on it for $175 USD (it's actually pretty good/quiet for the card it's working with).
Go for the gold! Sell 7900GS with VF900 fitted on it for $210 USD, in hopes of grabbing a Powercolor X1950Pro with an Arctic Cooling heatsink fitted on it.
Now, just for the record, this card could really go places for an NVIDIA fan with a good power supply, I've gotten it to 600/800 before the power supply decided it couldn't keep up. What do you think?

[DaMulta]

Do a review over a 8800GTS Zek

[BigD6997]

sell the gs, stick with the x850 and wait for R600...

or buy a 8800gts like me :) and sell it when the r600 actually comes out

[zekrahminator]

Ah, I'd love one, however....
I'm no money tree
For someone who loves Vista and can't wait to upgrade, wouldn't a DX10 GPU with buggy drivers and unknown DX10 performance be a bad/risky idea?
My power supply would take a shit trying to run that thing.

Nice idea though, poll option added.

[zekrahminator]

Woah, you didn't tell me that they were "only" around $280 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082).
$210 7900GS + $115 X850XT + $30 PSU= $365 to spend.

At this rate I should just piece out my whole computer, and then spend all the money I get from that and all the money I've been saving for something nice :p.

[BigD6997]

Woah, you didn't tell me that they were "only" around $280 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082).
$210 7900GS + $115 X850XT + $30 PSU= $365 to spend.

At this rate I should just piece out my whole computer, and then spend all the money I get from that and all the money I've been saving for something nice :p.

glad to help, and for the price they are the best thing out:D ( i did spend the extra for the 640mb version for futrue games, but the 320mb version performs the same in todays games)

and they oc good to, mines at 645/1000 and gets 10451 in 3dm06

i sold my old unlocked x850pro "xt" and bought a 7800gt didnt like it and bought a x1800xt wich after a few months stopped working properly so i bought a 8800gts and love it... but depending on the performance of the r600 i might sell it

im not made of money either :p

[LiNKiN]

Go for the gold! Sell 7900GS with VF900 fitted on it for $210 USD, in hopes of grabbing a Powercolor X1950Pro with an Arctic Cooling heatsink fitted on it.
Now, just for the record, this card could really go places for an NVIDIA fan with a good power supply, I've gotten it to 600/800 before the power supply decided it couldn't keep up. What do you think?

Zek where were you when I sold my 7950GT w/VFCU 900 for 175 two weeks ago.....:cry: I wouldve love to help you out. :roll:

[zekrahminator]

Two weeks ago I thought that I had to pay $900 a year for drivers insurance, and was saving every penny I could find. My dad told me I could pay it in $75 a month increments, so suddenly I have several hundred dollars in the bank account. Gas money and computer parts :roll:.

[LiNKiN]

Well, stop wasting time, because time is money.....Now get to ordering some parts! An 8800gts @ 275.00 is a great deal considering its only 50-100 dollars more than a x1950pro. You have the money so get a power supply while your at it and enjoy!!!!!! My 8800 should be here by the end of the week. I cant wait! :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:

[Jimmy 2004]

None of the above.

Sell the card for as much as you can get, then wait a few more months and see what ATI and NVIDIA offer other than the 8800 and R600 (ie mid range) and see how those perform before moving to a DX10 card. Let's be honest zek - is there any game that the X850 can't run acceptably for at least the next six months? One or two need SM3, but it would be worth waiting for DX10 and having a card with a longer lifespan.

[zekrahminator]

I'll tell you what, I'll sell the 7900GS, see how much money I can get for it, see how much more money I can shove in my bank account, and then see where I am and what I want. Because I've been looking at an X1950 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131031) for a while, and that one would come with a nice aftermarket thing already installed :).

Edit: Absolutely right Jimmy, and pretty much what I was planning on doing. I suppose I just wanted to see how much fun SM3 was.

And guys, learn from my mistakes. If you have a good SM2 card and you're debating moving onto an SM3 equivalent, stick with the SM2 card, ESPECIALLY if you'd moving from red camp to green camp. Forget what I said if you're moving from green to red :p.

[D007]

Well guys, as most of you have absolutely no clue about, I've decided it's time to upgrade my graphics card. I walked into CompUSA one day having no clue about any of Newegg's various sales, and after some looking, decided to jump for a sale. I bought a 7900GS for $200, and a Zalman VF-900 for an additional $50. Not bad, eh? Too bad shopping at Newegg would have saved me $50...but I didn't feel like waiting :p.

Anyways, on to the fun part. I stuck the thing in my machine after uninstalling the old ATI drivers, I installed the latest NVIDIA ones (which are NOT very recent), and played Half Life 2. I practically orgasmed at all the SM3 pretties, and thinking that it would be just like that for everything, I proceeded to void all warranties by replacing the stock cooler with that VF900. At this point, you'd think I'd be very happy. I replaced my aging SM2 card with a midrange/highend SM3 video card, I had fun doing so, and I now have increased performance and image quality. Not so much, I'm afraid. I run UT2004/Halo, two of my FAVORITE games, and notice that I don't exactly like NVIDIA as much as I thought I would. While ATI's image was sharp and crisp (if a bit low-detail/aliasy due to SM2), the NVIDIA image focused on beauty, has unstable framerates (at one point it's almost laggy, at another it's screaming), and just seems to not pay so much attention to detail. I also notice that my power supply gets quite warm after playing my games (7900GS requires 20A on the 12 volt rail, I have 18A), I only gain about 1200 points in 3Dmark05 (my X850XT could get 6k easily, and I've pushed her to 7k before, while the 7900GS only gets to 7200 with small processor and mild RAM overclock (2.6GHz CPU, DDR433).

Basically, I replaced my X850XT with something from the green camp (aka NVIDIA), and I'm not too sure I like the results. My options are listed below. Stop whining, start playing with SM3 pretties turned all the way up! Sell my X850XT with VF900 fitted on it for $115 shipped in the BSTG threads.
Accept I made a mistake, sell the 7900GS with stock cooler refitted on it for $175 USD (it's actually pretty good/quiet for the card it's working with).
Go for the gold! Sell 7900GS with VF900 fitted on it for $210 USD, in hopes of grabbing a Powercolor X1950Pro with an Arctic Cooling heatsink fitted on it.
Now, just for the record, this card could really go places for an NVIDIA fan with a good power supply, I've gotten it to 600/800 before the power supply decided it couldn't keep up. What do you think?


ZEK!! arrrggg!! why didn't u just shell out the extra 60-70 bucks and get the 8800? man I'm loving this card.. though ati is supposed to come out with a new card that actually has a physics processor in it i think.. well thats what i heard from my dsl guy..lol.. but man, I've had over a thousand units on screen with this set up in supreme commander and no lag.. except when they do those dumb arse close up explosions. and even then it's no big deal.

im also stock with only a slight oc to the video card and no oc to the processor.. the evga 8800 is the best price you will find and right now you can get supreme commander free with it and it's brand new and very worth it man.. game costs 50ish bucks so you can kind of save too.. the card will run about 260-280 ish with the game or without it regardless. so basically it comes to 230 ish for the card and 50 for the game if you look at it that way.. you can't beat that.

[zekrahminator]

ZEK!! arrrggg!! why ddin't u just shel out the extra 60-70 bucks and get the 8800?
I didn't know man, I didn't know :cry:. I thought a G80 was still in the $400-$600 category, and would need a new power supply. Oh well, live and learn, I suppose.

[DaMulta]

Major ATi fan here is disappointed that you didn't buy the N card now that's ironic.

[D007]

I didn't know man, I didn't know :cry:. I thought a G80 was still in the $400-$600 category, and would need a new power supply. Oh well, live and learn, I suppose.

yea the gtx is.. but not the 8800 gts 320 mb.. if you just overclock the memory a bit it will handle anything out on the market im sure.. it's ok man... *pat on the back* lol it'll be all-right... yea you'd need a new psu likely.. i think the base needed is a 450 w... my brother was lucky my case came with a 500 w psu so i just gave it to him and used the 700 w i bought.. figured may as well have it to sli if i can afford it soon lol.. but man 2 of these cards are gonna produce sooo much heat.. one of em runs hot anyway..but i have no water cooling and i can run days on end gaming with no sleep and causes no issues.. yea I do that sometimes when I find a serious game..lol..

[zekrahminator]

Haw Haw :p.

X850's back in, and it's looking better already...and I haven't even installed the drivers yet :laugh:.

Everything's just sharper with an ATI card. 'Nuff said :cool:.

[zekrahminator]

So. Anyone want a nearly-new 7900GS? It overclocks very nicely :p.

[pbmaster]

Man with your same CPU at the same clock, I get over 9000 in 3dmark 05 with a 7900 GT.

[LiNKiN]

So. Anyone want a nearly-new 7900GS? It overclocks very nicely :p.

I'll sell it in my FS/FT Thread (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=23681) for a 10% commission! :rockout: :rockout: :rockout: :rockout:

[zekrahminator]

Naw, I think I might sell it myself, if I'm selling it at all.

See, it cost me $200 to get from CompUSA. I'm thinking, because no TPU member in their right mind would pay $200 for a used midrange/high-end video card, I might as well return it and keep the VF-900 :). Thoughts?

[LiNKiN]

I'm thinking, because no TPU member in their right mind would pay $200 for a used midrange/high-end video card....

Probably not after you said all this....:roll:

Not so much, I'm afraid. I run UT2004/Halo, two of my FAVORITE games, and notice that I don't exactly like NVIDIA as much as I thought I would. While ATI's image was sharp and crisp (if a bit low-detail/aliasy due to SM2), the NVIDIA image focused on beauty, has unstable framerates (at one point it's almost laggy, at another it's screaming), and just seems to not pay so much attention to detail. I also notice that my power supply gets quite warm after playing my games (7900GS requires 20A on the 12 volt rail, I have 18A), I only gain about 1200 points in 3Dmark05 (my X850XT could get 6k easily, and I've pushed her to 7k before, while the 7900GS only gets to 7200 with small processor and mild RAM overclock (2.6GHz CPU, DDR433).

[D007]

lol Link has a good point.. I'd just return it for a full refund .. I bought a dam floppy even from comp usa and im regretting that lol.. i could of got one same price that has the picture card reader built in.. actually it was cheaper from a mom and pop shop and it looked cooler too..lol.. dam inpatience will kill me lol..

[zekrahminator]

Full refund it is then, card has stock cooler on and is AOK, and a lot warmer because of it :p (small hunk of aluminum with a tiny fan in it, my 9800SE had a better heatsink).

[DaMulta]

Not a full refund you have to pay 15% stocking fee I have bought cards just to try them out from them in the past.

[zekrahminator]

Well, I just got off the phone with CompUSA and they said they'd give me a full refund. Newegg's the one that does 15% restocking fee :). So yeah, after this mess, I'll be saving my money towards something that'll actually give me a performance increase :p.

[DaMulta]

CompUSA has always made me pay 15%

[zekrahminator]

To all parties interested...

I got all my money back :). Because everything I returned (VF900, 7900GS, 2 year warranty on 7900GS) worked flawlessly, and because I bought them two days earlier, I simply signed some receipts and got my money back, no (major) questions asked. I even got my sales tax refunded :D.

The moral of this story is...

Do your homework before buying lots of expensive hardware, no matter how good the sale is!


PS- Definitely should have looked at the Newegg G80, I got more money back than it would have cost me for an EVGA 8800GTS ;).

[GLD]

Zek, i would hold out on spending that money on another video card at this time. I would spend that money on a kick arse psu at this time and hold of untill we see what DX10 cards are available, beside the hyped G80's. I imagine the G80's are nice, but whay not wait to see what the competition has to offer?

I have both a X850XT and a 7900GS. I am currently using the X850XT. It plays just fine for me. The 7900GS is in my Vista rig, thats another story.

You know you are going to need a better psu to power a X1K or G80. Take a look here: http://www.pcpower.com/home/

[zekrahminator]

Yeah, I'm keeping my money in the bank for a while longer. Now is not the best time to buy a GPU. Now is, however, an excellent time to buy that 2 GB kit of RAM I've wanted, and that A64 X2, and that Freezer 64 Pro...:D.

[tkpenalty]

X1950PRO FTW!!! (I accidentally voted "keep X850XT"

[infrared]

Is it possible to unlock the pipes and turn it into a fully fledged 7900GTX?

[tkpenalty]

No wai... Nvidia cut the pipelines and BGA mounts.

[D007]

Sweet Zek gl with whatever you get but fyi.. the geforce 8800 gts 320 is clocked at running virtually the same as the 640.. especially when overclocked.. the only difference it at very high resolutions.. which are unnecessary anyway.. 4x alias and 16x alis offer very slight visual improvment, virtually un noticeable.. and runing something at 1600x1200 is pretty much pointless because at 1280 x 1024 your going to see pretty much the same thing anyway.. I've been looking into it alot and i see the core is recorded at a range of about 630 mhz oc'd and the memory oc'd to 1010 mhz.. thats pretty dang solid for 260 bucks..lol.. I looked at how it stacked up in games like oblivion and all that and it runs virtually neck and neck and in some cases I saw even a higher frame rate.. but you know how it vaires sometimes, could of been biased.. none the less it has way more bang for the buck than the 640.

or you could wait for the new ati's lol.. but im to impatient to wait..lol..
might be a good idea though man.. their supposedly including a physics prosessor in them.. should be bad arse.. but who knows.. it could be 500 bucks or more too lol.. and with that physics in it im sure it wont be cheap..

[zekrahminator]

I'm waiting for the DX10 options from ATI, selling my main computer, and then spending the profits I get from the system combined with a bunch of cash in the bank to make a brand new supercomputer :).

[LiNKiN]

Dont forget to save some money back for insurance, Zek! ;)

[zekrahminator]

Haw haw oh right that thing :p.

[KennyT772]

x1950pro awesome card. I would get that card with a new psu, well a new psu reguardless.

[Casheti]

Now, I'm not trying to be nasty here, but I'm gonna say one thing...

Serves you right for buying nVIDIA. :D I'm staying with this thing until it can do no more.

And I'm staying with ATi FOREVER :rockout:

[wazzledoozle]

Buying another DX9 card now is a superb waste. The 8600 will be out in mid april (~3 weeks) and they will be on par or better than a X1950XT + DX10.

[Zalmann]

I'm not biased either way, just as long as the bloody VC performs to my satisfaction. Just cut your losses, upgrade to the 8800GTS and new PSU, or if you can wait, go for an R600 based solution.

[Pinchy]

The 8600 will be out in mid april (~3 weeks) and they will be on par or better than a X1950XT + DX10.

In DX9, an X1950XT would win easily...an X1950 PRO would beat it in DX9 :p

[Zalmann]

In DX9, an X1950XT would win easily...an X1950 PRO would beat it in DX9 :p

Are there any benchmarks supporting that statement Pinch? I haven't seen any so far.