Advise on ATI AGP Video card... plz :P

[parlee]

im currently looking at 2 video cards from ATI for AGP... he first is an x800 GTO (199) and the second is the AIW x800 (260ish after rebates)... The price difference is pretty big, but im wondering if the AIW is a better preformer at games?.. I currently play a lot of WoW, CS:S, FEAR and BF2... Im upgrading from a 9600pro 256 mb card... Just wondering if anyone has the benchmarks for these 2 cards and how they stack up aganist eachother, and which one is better... i know the x800gto has 16 pipelines and is clocked at 980 mhz... whereas the AIW has 16 pipelines and is clocked in at 1000mhz... basically which is better for gaming????

AMD64 (754) 3700+
1 gb corsair xms 2-3-3-6
160 gb western digital
connect3d 9600pro 256 mb (help!!!)
thermaltake tsunami dream w/ 400 watt PSU

 

[mpjesse]

The only advantage you get with the AIW is a TV tuner and more connection options. As far as gaming goes, there's not going to be a real difference.

So the answer is... they're both equally good for games. The question you have to ask yourself is "do I really need a tv tuner?" And if you do, I would recommend getting a seperate HDTV tuner instead of an AIW. If you want TV that bad on ur system, why not go for the gold and get an HDTV tuner? You can watch shows in HD w/ a set of bunny ears. Cable not required. (and in most cases, cable HDTV is rip off... they give you like 5-6 extra channels... most of which are HBO, ESPN, Discovery, and Showtime).

-mpjesse

 

[parlee]

well id like to experiment with the TV tuner and just see how it works, and maybe record a few of my favorite shows... also the novelty of a remote... and wondering if i use it to play songs through winamp on my computer?.. but im still confused about the gaming aspect... strictly in fps which one would pull ahead? or would it be such a small margin that it doesnt matter?

 

[Admiral_Cecil]

Haro,

I heard the AIW's installation getting all the software is a little tricky. Depending which AIW, channel switching can be slow, TV quality good/ okay. Personally I'd get a X800 XL + a good TV card.

 

[parlee]

appearently i read wrong, so the 800gto is ruled out... it only has 12 pipelines, i dont wanna upgrade and have it be junk in 4 months :-/... ive seen x800xl's around on newegg... the AIW is the same price as the xt thats the only xl ive seen in a while. my price range is around $250, if you happen to know of a good site that still sells x800xt xl's or somthing of that sort for as cheap as newegg does it can u let me in on the secret ... also i hear x1600's are comming to agp im not sure if i should wait for them or not (release is planned for first quarter 06) and waht the price will be also if its a gain in preformence over an x800...

 

[pauldh]

You've got me confused. Do you have any links? Exacltly what AIW X800 are you refering too. 16 pipe clocked with 1000 mem sounds like an AIW X800XT. If so, it spanks the GTO and easily beats the XL due to higher clocks.

 

[Crashman]

The ONLY AGP All-In-Wonder X800 is an X800 XT. It's actually CHEAPER the standard AGP X800 XT. It has the same performance and everything, just adds a tuner, remote, some cool software, etc.

The lastest version of MultiMedia Center gets rid of most channel delay, making for a pleasant experience in use.

Poor mpjesse is still living in the stone age, ignoring the fact that this particular model is cheaper as an All-In-Wonder card, and has been ever since, oh, about a week after it was released.

You get more features, the same performance, and a lower price. Everything to make you happy and confuse poor pr0tek..er jesse.

 

[Crashman]

Hey Jesse, he's comparing an X800 GTO to an All-In-Wonder X800 XT!

 

[parlee]

aite so im pretty sure im all set now... yes its the AIW x800xt version... i was just worried because of the price difference between the regular x800xt... it seems wrong or off or maybe missing preformence considering the AIW is about 90 dollars less on newegg after rebates... but you answered my questions for the most part that the AIW doesnt lose preformence and is one of the fastest agp cards

 

[Crashman]

It's just a marketing problem. First off, there are gamers who think the AIW card "must be slower" because it has more features. It isn't. Second, there are gamers who say "I'm not paying for a tuner I'm not using" without even looking at the price. Third, the multimedia card crowd look at this thing and say "what the heck do I need a gaming card for".

ATI's failure was in marketing. So the price on the card fell. But the cheaper it gets, the more people like yourself suspect "there must be something wrong with it". So they don't buy, and the price keeps falling.

Good job! Now could someone please push down the prices of other high end cards by not buying them?

 

[Crashman]

Hey Jesse, I could use your help on this!

 

[pauldh]

I fully agree with you on the AIW X800XT. It's either been the same or cheaper than the plain one. But for the gamer, lately the X850XT has been at times cheaper than the AIW X800XT. In that instance, for the gamer not in need of the AIW features, I'd go with the faster card. AN X850XT for $250 USD is about as good as high end AGP deals have been online (at least for us average folk who have to buy our cards).

I don't get my hands on them for free like you, but I have owned 5 AIW cards. Apart from paying a premium and losing my tv tuner when in need of an upgrade, I love em. But if priced the same or cheaper, an AIW is a no brainer really.

ATI has so many variations of cards I wouldn't have doubted a strange crippled X800 AIW showing up sometime, so I figured I'd ask.

 

[Crashman]

ixnay on the eefray! LOL!