7600 GT @ $110 or 7900 GS @ $150 ? Feedback please.

[vinayag]

I had a budget of $100-$120 for a new video card I was almost going to order the eVga 7600GT for $130-$20 MIR at newegg when I see this 7900gs at Best buy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp...cat01151&type=product&id=1155072371459

Seems like a very good upgrade for me at just $40. However, I thought I would run my
decision with the pro's at Anandtech !!! What do you think ? I really feel this is a wonderful price given that I can walk-in to bestbuy if there is a problem.

What do you think of think of my dumping the 7600gt@$110 for the 7900gs@$150 ?

 

[vinayag]

I see the amount of replies that people get on a question about the 8800 "X" version or "Y" version and realize that its almost impossible to survive with basic video cards in todays frenzy with the latest and greatest.

Im a occasional gamer (3 hour sessions once a week) and am looking at the best bang for buck. I would really appreciate feedback on whether the 7900gs is worth plunking $40 more on (yes, Im not a $600 video card guy). Also, any issues with the PNY cards ?

Im currently living on a Radeon 9600pro and really need to upgrade !!!

 

[Kromis]

That 7900GS sounds worth it. Not sure about PNY's warranty and stuff. If only it were EVGA...

 

[happy medium]

I'd go for the 7900gs and overclock it

 

[LW07]

I would still recommend the 7900GS.

 

[magomago]

am i the only one that will say 7600GT IF the differences are anything like what is seen on the AGP versions of the cards...don't bother!

 

[customcoms]

The 7900GS will last longer and is in a different "league"-its based on the same core as the 7900GT, 7950GT and 7900GTX. The question is what games are you playing? Are you having issues playing the games you currently play with your current hardware? Do you want to wait for more affordable DX10 cards in the spring?

here are some medium to high end performance comparisons: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2858&p=5
here are the 7600GT vs. 7900GS comparisons: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2827&p=6

Those $600 8800gtx's are basically the equivalent of 7900GTX SLI, plus a ton of extra features.

In the $200 range the ATI X1950Pro ahs the potential to be the best, but they aren't getting it to market. And with 7900GS's going for like $150 its hard to justify the ATI card (which is now really up against the 7900GT)

The 7900GS offers around 15-20 fps more in most games.

The difference on PCI-E is pretty significant. AGP is dead and the card makers are no longer offering the same performance level in a AGP card as a PCI-E card (actuall this began with the 6600GT-the agp variants were slightly slower than the PCI-E versions).

 

[Josh7289]

I'm in the same boat. I was thinking of getting a 7600 GT sometime soon (probably by the end of the year), but I was waiting for it to go just a little bit lower, like $99 after rebate, but when I saw this deal in today's Best Buy weekly ad, I'm starting to reconsider. I'll have to think about it a bit more, but I'm just a little worried about PNY's quality and support, since eVGA's is absolutely top-of-the-line. The performance boost would be nice, though...

 

[WT]

I saw an eVGA 7600GT for $109 after a $20 MIR, but I just finished modding my Woot purchased 7900GS and it screams .. great card for the money.

 

[Zap]

That's a good price on a 7900GS, and doesn't look like any rebates either. I'd vote for that. BTW vinayag, you upgrading the rest of your system? AFAIK the Radeon 9600 Pro was AGP... unless you have a combo board like the ASRock.

 

[AllWhacked]

I've been in the same boat as you--looking for parts and comparing prices/performance.

Based on what is out there right now, this is probably the best card to buy right now for the price/performance. As said by others, this card will reap anywhere from 10-30FPS extra performance. It is slower than the x1950PRO, but that card sells for $200 (with the exception of the Asus 1950 Pro that briefly sold for $165 on NewEgg).

But in any case, if you live near a Best Buy you can order instore pickup, use a 12% off coupon (found on the Hot Deals forum) that will knock the price down to $132+Tax. At this price, it's almost the same cost as the 7600GT before $20MIR rebate. I would rather spend an extra $20 to get 10-30FPS extra performance than to sit back and debate whether I should have bought the 7900GS rather than 7600GT.

Also, if you're wondering if prices will drop further, I don't think they will significantly drop anytime soon. The 7900GS retails at $200 and online it is still $185 before rebate. If prices do drop, they will drop to exactly the $150 range. You won't be saving yourself much money unless you want to wait another 6 months.

As for the quality of PNY, while I've never used a PNY card, it does come with standard 1 year plus 2 year extended warranty (after filling out reg card). So, you have 3 years warranty to enjoy the card. I feel that by then you will want to upgrade to something better.

And on a final note, if I did not already buy an X850XTPE for $124 a week or so ago, I would definitely jump on this deal.

 

[acegazda]

The 7900gs is a great deal. What res. are you gaming @? I'm not sure how well it will perform at resolutions like 1680x1050 or higher.

 

[Azndude2190]

I've been debating on getting the 7900GS.$150 dollars is pretty good considering i'll likely be selling my 6600GT and some old xbox games to be thrown in as well.Mainly getting this card for MTW2.

 

[Rockhound1]

If I needed a card NOW, I would jump on the 7900GS. But I already have a 7600GT, so I can afford to wait for the next generation of sub-$200 cards that will be DX10 capable. By the way, I really like my 7600GT.

 

[vinayag]

Overwhelming number of votes for the 7900GS !! So I went ahead and ordered it at BB online (Out of country currently, so cannot walk into the shop and get the 12% rebate )-: )

My choice of gaming is very different from the crowds bought up on Quake and Doom ! I play a lot of EA sports, FIFA 2004, AOE III and far vision Shooters like Far Cry and Delta Force. For these kind of games, the 7900 should be able top carry me on for three years !!!

 

[vinayag]

And just in case someone is still contemplating getting this card at $150, you could walk into Circuit City and do a 110% pricematch on the beat buy ad. and save more !

 

[SpeedZealot369]

Don't forget to OC that 7900gs, it's a great oc'er to say the least..