Comparing Vid Cards

[Mike88]

Hey guys, i've had my Geforce 6800 for a lil while and I like it a lot. I was wondering if anyone knows how much better the 7800 is compared to it and if you know a site where they show comparing screenies that would help too. Thanks guys.

 

[frsrblch]

Id check out Tom's Hardware.

 

[Smith|]

It'd be a semi-nice upgrade, especially if you play in extreme resolutions where the 7800 can shine and the 6800 and x800s cannot. From what I've read, though, people say it's not worth the $500 extra dollars.

Oh, and a Video Games moderator move this to tech section.

 

[Fire Phoenix]

I have 1 gb ram, 250 gb hd, 3.4 ghz intel p 4 and a nvidia 5200 fx. Do you think that it would be wise to upgrade to a 6800 or a 7800? Or neither?

 

[Hash]

I have 1 gb ram, 250 gb hd, 3.4 ghz intel p 4 and a nvidia 5200 fx. Do you think that it would be wise to upgrade to a 6800 or a 7800? Or neither?

It would probably be a good move to upgrade, considering a 5200 fx is pretty weak compared to newer cards, and is definately holding your system back from playing the newest games at there best quality.

And on whether to get a 6800 to 7800 depends entirely on what you want to spend. If you have no limit on money, or want to play all the newest games and games to come at the highest quality then get a 7800. But if your strapped for cash then a 6800 will make a very suitable upgrade. If I were you though, i'd save the extra money and get a 7800, the jump in power from your card to a 7800 would definately be worth the money.

 

[frsrblch]

How the hell did a 5200 end up with a system like that? Methinks you got shafted. Wouldnt be a Dell, by any chance, would it?

I recently upgraded to a 9800 from my 5200. I needed a new power supply as 250W didnt cut it anymore, but the power! It is benchmarked at 3-4 times faster than the 5200 on Toms Hardware and I believe it. I went from a 2 to 4 digit 3DMark score (along with an extra gig of RAM ).

Id say go with something thats been out for a while. Its not the latest and greatest, but thats the point. The longer you dont buy that card the less it costs. Going with an x850 rather than a 7800. You could get the x850 for 2/3 the price of a 7800 (eBay ftw, see below), and itll be between the 6800 and 7800 in performance. If youre set on a 7800 though, wait for ATIs new model, due sometime in Q4. Competition will cause the 7800 to drop in price.

http://computers.search.ebay.ca/x85...56QQsadisZ200QQsaslcZ3QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbs
http://computers.search.ebay.ca/780...56QQsadisZ200QQsaslcZ3QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbs

Just dont be a fool and get caught up in the latest and greatest, youll only waste your money and end up kicking yourself when you see what you could have saved.

 

[Smith|]

How the hell did a 5200 end up with a system like that? Methinks you got shafted. Wouldnt be a Dell, by any chance, would it?

I recently upgraded to a 9800 from my 5200. I needed a new power supply as 250W didnt cut it anymore, but the power! It is benchmarked at 3-4 times faster than the 5200 on Toms Hardware and I believe it. I went from a 2 to 4 digit 3DMark score (along with an extra gig of RAM ).

Id say go with something thats been out for a while. Its not the latest and greatest, but thats the point. The longer you dont buy that card the less it costs. Going with an x850 rather than a 7800. You could get the x850 for 2/3 the price of a 7800 (eBay ftw, see below), and itll be between the 6800 and 7800 in performance. If youre set on a 7800 though, wait for ATIs new model, due sometime in Q4. Competition will cause the 7800 to drop in price.

http://computers.search.ebay.ca/x85...56QQsadisZ200QQsaslcZ3QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbs
http://computers.search.ebay.ca/780...56QQsadisZ200QQsaslcZ3QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbs

Just dont be a fool and get caught up in the latest and greatest, youll only waste your money and end up kicking yourself when you see what you could have saved.

If you still want the latest, but not the greatest, go for a 7800GT. 7800s really shine in the extreme resolutions due to a physical limitation for older cards :X. But yea, an x800 or 6800 will be fine for now.

 

[ZeroNightmare]

i have a ****ty compaq with some stock video card, i think tis an extreme graphics 2

bwa ha ha! and you people complain about ESF...

 

[Mike88]

I have 512 mb of ram on my comp, how much better would it be with a gig?

 

[frsrblch]

Depends on what youre doing.

 

[Mike88]

I mostly play high graphics games like Call of Duty, C-Strike Source, BF2, and Half-Life 2

 

[frsrblch]

Then yes, but I would recommend more than a gig. Youll only end up needing more in a year or so.

 

[Mike88]

how much does ram run for? say a 1g slot?

 

[Smith|]

Anywhere from 50 - 200 dollars depending on the quality.

 

[Fire Phoenix]

Meh, I hope this thread isn't dead. Ok. So yes, I do have a limit. I'd like to keep it with in a $500 price range. Anything over $550 is way too much for me.

If I may ask. What is the difference b/w the 6800 and the 7800 other then one is a bigger number. And more importantly which one has a better price for what it can do. (Of course I'm sure time has something to do with it)

And on last thing. Is it hard to install a video card? I mean. I know the interior of a computer pretty well (not as well as some people on these boards though) and i know i could take out my video card and replace it with a new one. I just don't know if I have to take any special precautions or anything. I was thinking of going to best buy to get a new card. Or do you think that I should get it somewhere else? (don't tell me online- taxes kill you and shipping too)

 

[Devion]

Meh, I hope this thread isn't dead. Ok. So yes, I do have a limit. I'd like to keep it with in a $500 price range. Anything over $550 is way too much for me.

If I may ask. What is the difference b/w the 6800 and the 7800 other then one is a bigger number. And more importantly which one has a better price for what it can do. (Of course I'm sure time has something to do with it)

And on last thing. Is it hard to install a video card? I mean. I know the interior of a computer pretty well (not as well as some people on these boards though) and i know i could take out my video card and replace it with a new one. I just don't know if I have to take any special precautions or anything. I was thinking of going to best buy to get a new card. Or do you think that I should get it somewhere else? (don't tell me online- taxes kill you and shipping too)

If you knew your "interiour" of your pc, then you know that installing a videocard is no problem at all.

7800GTX is the best videocard out there atm, but you need a retardedly fast CPU and heavily overclocked to even keep a balanced system.
The only way you really notice its full potential is when you put it on 1600x1200 8xAA 16xAF.

The only down side is, the 7800GTX is heavily overpriced, get a 7800GT.
It's about 450-500 dollar.

My advice, if you have a lower CPU rating then Athlon 64 3500 or equivilant, dont get the 7800GTX or GT.
Get the 6800GT for about 250 dollars.

Also I noticed that you have an fx5200, so you prolly have an AGP slot.
So you HAVE to buy the 6800GT(Ultra is overpriced) or Ati equivilant(They bit more expensive atm) AGP version, they dont make te 7800 series in an AGP version.

 

[Fire Phoenix]

I do know my interrior... I just have never installed a new video card >.> I am told that you need to like brace your self and everything. Again. Like I said. I don't know what precautions to take.

 

[frsrblch]

After you pull all the chords from the back (having turned it off beforehand) press the on/off button to ground the system. Now, you can either buy a grounding wristband or work with one hand on the metal plate at the back of your computer or on your power supply at all times to avoid any static buildup. The physical installation is easy enough. Pull the old one out and stick in the new one. Some newer cards will require power from your power supply to run, so use one of the leads coming from the hard drive and stick it into the appropriate slot on the graphics card.

Youre on your own with drivers though. Just Google it, help should be easy to find.

 

[Fire Phoenix]

Well I did it. Wasn't that hard. w00t for me. Though for now I'm satisfied ^.^ I got the 6800GT and I can play Doom 3 on all high settings with no lag/frame drop.