6800GS V Radeons?

[pendulum79]

Hi all, first post .

I'm looking to get a new rig after 6 years this christmas with my trusty P3 450MHz . I'm eagerly anticipating my first computer with the graphics chipset not onboard. I've been looking at what video card I could get but ATI's names are hurting my head. The best nvidia card for me for value and performance is the 6800gs, the cheapest i've found that is £146 ($250!!). From the article on AT I've sort of worked out a pecking order of:
6600 GT £100/$175
X800 GTO £130/$230
X800 XL £146/$250
6800 GS £146/$250

I know the 6800gs has the best performance and value there but how does it stack up against the X800GTO² for £155/$270? I probably wouldn't soft-mod it whilst i'm in warranty. If I did though and the mod failed would the card be permanently borked or could I just go back use it as a GTO² like normal?

Help is greatly appreciated guys as well as possible alternatives (X1800/7800 GTX is not an alternative ).

 

[johnnqq]

the gto2 might outperform the gs, but the gs has sm3 and doesn't need to be unlocked (good for dummies like me). it's up to you. a gs outperforms an xl .

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: pendulum79
Hi all, first post .

I'm looking to get a new rig after 6 years this christmas with my trusty P3 450MHz . I'm eagerly anticipating my first computer with the graphics chipset not onboard. I've been looking at what video card I could get but ATI's names are hurting my head. The best nvidia card for me for value and performance is the 6800gs, the cheapest i've found that is £146 ($250!!). From the article on AT I've sort of worked out a pecking order of:
6600 GT £100/$175
X800 GTO £130/$230
X800 XL £146/$250
6800 GS £146/$250

I know the 6800gs has the best performance and value there but how does it stack up against the X800GTO² for £155/$270? I probably wouldn't soft-mod it whilst i'm in warranty. If I did though and the mod failed would the card be permanently borked or could I just go back use it as a GTO² like normal?

Help is greatly appreciated guys as well as possible alternatives (X1800/7800 GTX is not an alternative ).

The GS is your best bet. Not only does it out perform all of the others on that list but it has a lot more features.


A soft mod should not hurt a GTO2, unless you overclock it really high and the fan falls off.

 

[Slitherythesnake]

The GTO^2 are guaranteed to unlock to 16 pipes and run at X850XT speeds although it does not have SM 3. The 6800 GS has SM 3 and overlocks well. It would come down to which games you play. Both cards are good choices though.

 

[Munky]

If you do get a gto2, you'd be missing out on some nice free performance boost by not flashing it. It's not hard, and all the gto2's unlock 100%. Just make sure you make a backup of the original bios before you flash, that way you can go back to 12 pipes for whatever reason.

 

[Leper Messiah]

aye, if you've ever updated the bios on your mobo, its about as easy to do it to your GPU.

 

[thesurge]

My GTO (stock fan, $170) is a beast at good temps.

62xx 3dmarks

hax?

 

[dingetje]

gs or xl, i would get the gs

 

[imported_thefonz]

I would check out Xbit labs huge review on all those cards

heres the link

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/games-2005.html

and then you can decide for yourself

although if your looking at a GTO that review dosent take into account that you can overclock them ALOT, and after overclocking a GTO it would be comparable to a GS for about 30 denaro cheaper

I would reccomend the XL>GS or GTO>GT

 

[pendulum79]

Thanks for that link fonz. Is it just me or does the comparison of SM3 and SM2 on that screenshot of Age III make SM2 look better?

That review has got me thinking again now. The original X800XL is exactly the same price as the 6800gs whilst the GTO² is about £10 more. Most people say they've flashed their GTO² to an X850XT PE; how much is the average X800XL able to overclock by? The 6800gs is meant to be a decent ovcerclocker isn't it?

Any article on overclocking these or similar cards is appreciated .

 

[thesurge]

x800XL is a fair/poor overclocker.