X1800 XT or 7900 GT

[JPB]

Ok, I am upgrading to either a X1800 XT or a 7900 GT. I will be ordering here in a few days. Now...I have been a long time fan of ATi, But im think about Nvidia because of the step and warranty. Whichever card I choose, will absolutely never be overclocked. I know ATi has a little better IQ, HDR+AA, and so forth....But eVGA has great warranty, customer service, and step up. Guess you could say ATI has horsepower, and NV has top end speed. Or something like that. So...could you all give me your opinions on this matter as to I am stumped. Kinda scared of trying NV for the first time. Thanks and please help me decide. Ill add a poll also.....

 

[aniruddha23]

Inspite of bieng an ATI fan I would say 7900Gt in this case.

Even better if u are overclocking it.

 

[Ika]

X1800XT, if you don't plan on overclocking.

NVidia isn't bad, they make good equipment. a 7900GT is an excellent overclocker, but since you mentioned that you won't be overclocking, the X1800XT will top it out. eVGA's step-up won't really matter at this point, since the 7900 series is already out and nothing faster will be released for a while.

A comment, though - it looks like you already have an X1800XL. Do you really think it's necessary to upgrade? The XL isn't such a bad card...

 

[JPB]

Actually the X18 XL is for sale on ebay right now. Was originally selling to go with the GT. Although now Im confused about which to choose. I just want a little faster card to hold over till DX10. I know this card should do it. But in a few games, there are a few stutters here and there.

Edit...I should also add that the reason Im not overclocking is because of my case. In a month or two....im purchasing a Lian Li. So overclocking then would be an option once I have alot better cooling.

 

[Praxis1452]

X1800XT 512mb definetley if you aren't overclocking.

 

[JPB]

Which card of the two would be better at 1600x1200 res ?

 

[Cookie Monster]

X1800XT. But both cards are noisey

 

[996GT2]

The 512 mb X1800XT would have a sizeable advantage at higher resolutions and is selling for $299 right now.

 

[JPB]

Was thinking the Gt because also in a month or two ( or whenever the step-up dies down ) I can step up to the GTX....

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: x80064
Guess you could say ATI has horsepower, and NV has top end speed.

OT but USUALLY...horsepower=top end speed....hehehe, now back to the topic at hand.

I'd say X1800XT if you're not overclocking but you know what if you're gonna overclock once you get the case...you might wanna keep the X1800XL...I have mine up to 675MHz on the core which is 50MHz faster than the stock X1800XT but of course aftermarket cooling is a must.

If you do wanna keep the X1800XL, you should be able to cancel the eBay auction.

 

[JPB]

thilan29........what ns memory does your XL have? Well, I see that your using water cooling on your card. I would either use X2 or a Zalman for aftermarket cooling. Don't know why, but never thought much of water cooling. My XL has the 1.4 ns mem. If I went with the XT or the GT I would order aftermarket cooling at that time. Probably Zalman

 

[JPB]

Right now, im standing on top of the fence facing eVGA......I like to try different things too. But as I'm standing there, ATi is pulling me back by my shirt.........dang decisions

Oh, and in a few months...either Crossfire or SLI may be in my box....

 

[CaiNaM]

i had the same choice, was replacing a 6800gt. chose the XT, and am happy.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: x80064
thilan29........what ns memory does your XL have? Well, I see that your using water cooling on your card. I would either use X2 or a Zalman for aftermarket cooling. Don't know why, but never thought much of water cooling. My XL has the 1.4 ns mem. If I went with the XT or the GT I would order aftermarket cooling at that time. Probably Zalman

Mine has the 1.4ns memory also. Unfortunately the mem doesn't OC that well. But from what I've heard the timings on the XL memory are tighter than the XT memory so even with a lower speed you can get similiar performance.

I can't remember what site it was but they said that on air cooling the max volts they would use is 1.25 on the GPU core. AFAIK Tomshardware went up to 1.325v on an X1800XL when they tested some air cooler so the cores are able to handle the voltage.

 

[the Chase]

Surely not being able to step up to GTX is less painful than taking a bullet.......

 

[CCityInstaller]

I am also another happy owner of the X1800XT..It has great software o/cing so there is no need to volt mod like the 7900GT.

 

[CaiNaM]

 

[LW07]

I would go with the X1800XT.

 

[Sonikku]

X1800XT.

 

[Captante]

I just finished making a similar decision myself, but it was between the 7900GTX & the X1900XTX & I went with ATI this time & I'm happy with my choice, I'd either keep the X1800XL you already have or go with the XT over the GT.

 

[firewolfsm]

If you OC, even without volt modding, it should hit 560MHz which will be faster, except for less memory.

 

[JPB]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
If you OC, even without volt modding, it should hit 560MHz which will be faster, except for less memory.

The GT would be faster ? Or the XL ?

 

[RussianSensation]

Without overclocking:

- X1800XT is cheaper for even 512mb version
- X1800XT is much faster in a lot of key games:

BF2
FEAR
COD2
Oblivion

It can also support HDR+AA if you choose to and 512mb will surely be more usefull in the future if you intend to keep it for a while. Also you have the option of higher quality AF, and it has superior video acceleration to 7900GT. It's a no brainer stock for stock.

However, as has been mentioned, upgrading from X1800XL to any of these cards is a total waste of $$$. Lower some settings in games or overclock the card. Spending $300 US to play at 1 higher resolution or settings isn't worth it imo unless you at least double performance across the board - that's my upgrading philosophy. You should overclock your cpu to help you with minimum framerates. Also do you have 2 gigs of ram?

 

[JPB]

Well, I have enough $ from selling this XL and a few other things Ive been collecting that I no longer care about to get a faster card. No extra money needed. Right now got one gig...but adding another in a month....Maybe Crucial Ballistix

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: x80064
Well, I have enough $ from selling this XL and a few other things Ive been collecting that I no longer care about to get a faster card. No extra money needed. Right now got one gig...but adding another in a month....Maybe Crucial Ballistix

Go for X1800XT. It was always faster than 7800GTX 256mb by 15-20%. 7900GT is not much faster than that card, so nothing has changed.

More games with the 2 cards compared