PCI-E x850XT or 6800GS

[SitrukFlow]

I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card, and if I decide to buy new, these are both in the same $200 price range.

These look like the best bang for your buck without using any bios flashing. I prefer to just straight overclock without any of the hassles of bios flashing. Which card would you choose and why? I'm trying to keep this a budget system, mainly for CS:S but I also play a few other games. This will be my lan gaming rig.

My System Specs:

Sempron 2800+ @ 2.5ghz working slowly towards 2.75 or 3?!?! - I doubt it I know...
Biostar Tforce 6100 754
2x512mb Corsair XMS DDR 400 PC 3200
Aspire Q-Pack - 420watt P/S
WD 80gb Sata HD

 

[Sniper82]

http://www.ixbt.com/video/itogi-video/1205/itogi-video-cd-wxp-1280-pcie.html
http://www.ixbt.com/video/itogi-video/1205/itogi-video-f-wxp-1280-pcie.html
http://www.ixbt.com/video/itogi-video/1205/itogi-video-d3-wxp-1280-pcie.html

If you don't play Doom III or anything using that engine the X850 because it's faster. If you play games like Fear,BF2,UT series,HL2,ect then the x850 no questions asked. Doom III engines just run better on Nvidia and always have.

 

[Blastman]

The 6800GS will probably be about as fast as the X850 in OGL games, but in DX games (90% + of games) the X850XT will be substantially faster than a 6800GS in a lot of cases ?

xbit ? 12x10-4AA/16AF

? ? ? ? 6800GS ? ? X850XT

BF2 ? ? ? .. 56.3 ? ? ? ? 70.3
FEAR ? ? ? 23 ? ? ? ? ?38 ? ? ? 65% faster
Quake4 ? ? 62.8 ? ? ? ? 87.3 ? ? ? 39%
SC:CT ? ? 33.8 ? ? ? ? 48.6 ? ? ? 44%
AOE ? ? ? 14 ? ? ? ? 34.2 ? ? (GS running SM3.0 vs X850 SM2.0)
COD2 ? ? .. 32.1 ? ? ? ?44.4 ? ? (no AA/AF ? bug in ATI drivers for 256 cards with AA/AF)
SS2 ? ? ? 27.1 ? ? ? . 15.6

Add to the equation that the 6800 is only benched in Q mode (with poor IQ -- texture shimmering). The 6800GS will take a 10-15% hit in performance if you run it in HQ mode making the X850 XT even that much faster.

 

[PingSpike]

So are those sapphire x800GTO2 still unlocking 100% of the time?

 

[SitrukFlow]

From everything I've read, yes the GTO2's are unlocking to 16 pipes, but the prices for GTO2's I found are the same for the x850XT, so I really don't see the point. Can anyone explain to me what the benefit would be? I'm probably just over looking something.

 

[Sniper82]

Originally posted by: SitrukFlow
From everything I've read, yes the GTO2's are unlocking to 16 pipes, but the prices for GTO2's I found are the same for the x850XT, so I really don't see the point. Can anyone explain to me what the benefit would be? I'm probably just over looking something.

my guess is X850XT prices have dropped some where GTO's stayed roughly the same since they unlock and are selling good. As for the difference I don't think there is any other than you don't have to mod the X850XT .

I to am deciding on what card to get but I don't want to spend $200 because I need $$$ for other upgrades. I am limited to buying used and am hoping to save $40 or so.

 

[SitrukFlow]

Honestly, I'm just looking for a card that will give extremely smooth gameplay @ 1024x768 in CS:S. I'm currently running the onboard in my 6100 and I'm going out of my mind.

I was using a 5900xt 128mb using directx 8.0 before, and while it did decent, it wasn't up to par. It could have been I didn't have the CPU Power, X 2500+ Mobile.

I just want a card that I can run at 1024x768 with 100 fps solid. I know that the x850XT will be able to achieve this, but I'm wondering if it won't be overkill. Although the price to perfomance ratio right now justifies the purchase. Anyone suggest anything cheaper that could achieve this, and has a nice price to performance ratio? I currently don't play any other games, and if I did, it would only be mild gameplay.

- Sitruk

 

[selfbuilt]

Go for the X850XT, definetely a better deal for the same price

 

[Sniper82]

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/dig...1105/itogi-video-hl1-wxp-1024-agp.html

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/dig.../itogi-video-hl1-wxp-aaa-1024-agp.html

Then honestly I think you should go in the FS/FT forum and pickup a 6600GT. I've seen several go for little less than $100 and a little over. They can't be beat for the price if your only into CSS. I played CSS at 1280x1024 on one for a year and have never see any slow down at all.

 

[hooflung]

Both have crap official drivers. So I would have to say the Nvidia since 78.82s are far more stable if you can get it them recognize the GS.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Getting in an X850XT vote before the SM3.0 police come busting in.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Sniper82
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/dig...1105/itogi-video-hl1-wxp-1024-agp.html

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/dig.../itogi-video-hl1-wxp-aaa-1024-agp.html

Then honestly I think you should go in the FS/FT forum and pickup a 6600GT. I've seen several go for little less than $100 and a little over. They can't be beat for the price if your only into CSS. I played CSS at 1280x1024 on one for a year and have never see any slow down at all.

Some of the new maps that valve released with HDR are pretty brutal. I'd actually recommend buying something with a little headroom if this trend continues. I know my 6800nu struggles with some of the extras turned on a couple of those new maps, nothing to bad to me but it definately isn't steady 100fps territory.

 

[firewolfsm]

the gap between OGL on nVidia and ATI is less now, thanks to the 5.11 (i think) catalyst

 

[SitrukFlow]

Some of the new maps that valve released with HDR are pretty brutal. I'd actually recommend buying something with a little headroom if this trend continues. I know my 6800nu struggles with some of the extras turned on a couple of those new maps, nothing to bad to me but it definately isn't steady 100fps territory.

What Resolution were you playing at? What effects and settings did you have turned on? I'm just curious because I'm looking for a card that won't break the bank but will get the job done at 1024x768. I'm not looking for it to play pretty, but I don't want it to play so ugly that it takes away from the game.

- Sitruk

 

[S1nnless]

X850XT has a better performance, but 6800GS has SM3. For now, SM3 is not essencial, but in the future it can be almost essencial, like it is in Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory. But my vote is for X850XT

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: SitrukFlow

Some of the new maps that valve released with HDR are pretty brutal. I'd actually recommend buying something with a little headroom if this trend continues. I know my 6800nu struggles with some of the extras turned on a couple of those new maps, nothing to bad to me but it definately isn't steady 100fps territory.

What Resolution were you playing at? What effects and settings did you have turned on? I'm just curious because I'm looking for a card that won't break the bank but will get the job done at 1024x768. I'm not looking for it to play pretty, but I don't want it to play so ugly that it takes away from the game.

- Sitruk

I'm playing at 1024x768, all high. 2-4xAF 0xAA. However when HDR effects were on I noticed some slow downs, not bad ones, in nuke and militia. I turned them off and it seems fine. I think the CS:S stress test gave me around 100-155FPS at these settings. Then again, valve can be wonky so it might have just been some unrelated hitching. But I never noticed a problem before those two maps. Hell, even inferno played pretty good except when the bomb went off back on my old ti4600.

 

[MrPabulum]

X850 XT, particularly if all you play is CS:S.