just wondering about these cards

[parlee]

right now im trying to decide on an upgrade from my x700pro because some1 from my school is paying what i paid for it (dont ask how)

i just saw and x1600xt for agp, its price is 138, it has a 128 bit interface with 256 memory 500/800 clocks and 12 pipelines, seems like a decent upgrade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102665

the 2nd i found is the 6800gs... ive heard it quite a nice card it has 12 pipes speeds of 350/1000 256 bit interface with 256 mb memory, for 209, i understand that 256 bit is double 128 so it should be faster, but the core on the x1600 is 150 higher, wouldnt this make a difference? and keep in mine that the x1600 is 80 dollars cheaper, which is the better value?

i also found a refurbed x800xl AIW and im guessing thats the best buy for 209, no rebates or anything its just a refurb, is it a good idea to buy a refurb video card? im hoping that its because the buyer was an idiot and couldnt get it to work because of not plugging in the power, and everything is unopened... i know refurbs are 100% guarenteed to work, but has any1 had experience with problems with a refurb... i dont want to waste a long ass time for a refund if its DOA...

at the moment im thinkin the x1600 is a significant increase from the x700, but im open minded, id rather stay with ATI because i can just plop the card in and go, rather than reformat or reinstall drivers, but if its a much better value id consider the 6800gs... can anyone help me out

 

[Maxiius]

I thought I saw on the eVGA website that they just released a 7800GS AGP or something like that dont know exact specs. Lemme post a link for ya.


http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=256-A8-N509-AX

 

[parlee]

yea, im trying to keep the price around 200 dollars though and get a significant upgrade from my x700, i just noticed that the x1600pro is ddr2 so its probably going to be slower than my x700 or about the same speeds, and also the x800xl AIW is a refurb and newegg says that they DO NOT check to see if the product is working, they simply reship it out the way it came back... i dun really wanna take that kinda risk, having to wait a month for ati to send a replacement.... im starting to really like the look of the 6800gs, and the x800xl aiw retail is out of the question because they just jacked the price from 230 to 300 in 2 nights time, whereas the x800xl refurb has gone down to 209 from 218 overnight, i duno should i risk it and get the refurb for an incredable deal? has any1 delt with ati's customer service? is it a bitch to get an RMA? do they even RMA refurbed products? or will newegg send me a new one quickly? with little hassle?

 

[Maxiius]

newegg has really good customer service

has any1 delt with ati's customer service? is it a bitch to get an RMA? do they even RMA refurbed products?

As for ATI, i dunno, you could check on there website FAQ prolly for the RMA of refurbed parts question.

 

[parlee]

the thing is my friend is buying it for me because hes making a purchase soon, and if it doesnt work i dont wanna hassle him by making him RMA it through newegg, so id like to get it from ATI and also if it was messed newegg would send me another refurb most likely, and ati would send me a new 1, but im not sure how long shipping would take...

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

This might help give you a bit of insight;

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

Just remember it's immature drivers so there may be a little more performance left in the tanks, but that's the performance you can expect, anything more should be considered a surprise bonus.

 

[dvdpiddy]

parlee the 6800gs would be better becuase of the 256 bit memory interface and it has an extra vertex shader i think im not sure though

 

[parlee]

yea, i realized the 6800gs is the best choice besides the x800xl (not the xt...) AIW... and since a refurbed x800xl is cheaper than a 6800gs id choose that if i got a new card... but i may just spend it on a new monitor instead, this gayeway2000 vivitron is starting to fade...