Which one of the 7800GS?

[patrokle]

Hello,
I'm about to replace my Radeon 9800 Pro with the best available AGP video card and so far I found the nVidia 7800GS being the best choice.

I saw several models of 7800GS on TGStores and I have a hard time to pick one. The models come from BFG Technologies, EVGA, XFX or MSI. I also found on the internet and not listed on TGS models from Gainward (the only ones with 512 MB !!!). Club 3D, Albatron, Leadtek, Point Of View and Sparkle.

I definitely want a video card as quiet as possible, DVI output and 512 MB if possible (btw, performancewise, which can be the difference between 256 and 512 MB models?).

I've read comments on TGS about the BFG GeForce 7800 GS and this seem not very noisy.
I also found Gainward 7876-BLISS 7800GS Silent 512MB GS+ as the only one model with 512 MB and moreover the word "Silent" in the name intrigues me a bit.

I'd like to hear some advices or opinions from owners of a 7800GS which could help me make a decision.

I thank you for your time and hope to hear from you,
Patrokle

 

[GeneticWeapon]

What country do you live in?

 

[cleeve]

Gainward's is the best, but you can only really find it on the Europe side of the Atlantic. Gainward's isn't really a 7800 GS, they have full 7800 GTs or 7900 GTs they brand as 7800 GS cards... the ultimate AGP cards available at any price.

In the Americas, your best bet is a used 6800 GT, which has pretty much identical specs to the 7800 GS, but with lower clockspeeds.

 

[enewmen]

I got the eVGA 7800GS AGP. It's overclocked and never crashes.
The eVGA 7800GS is easy to find in America.
Too bad I am on the wrong side of the Atlantic for getting Gainward's.

 

[GeneticWeapon]

your best bet is a used 6800 GT, which has pretty much identical specs to the 7800 GS, but with lower clockspeeds.

The 7800GS has all of the features of the modern nVidia GPU's, a modern shader pipeline, and things like transparency AA....the 6800 series does not have these things. :roll:

There are reviews of this card on the web if you need an update.

 

[MarkG]

I have the XFX 'Extreme Edition'... I can't comment too much on noise, but it seems to be quieter than the 9500 Pro I used to have, and it's 3-10x faster depending on the game or benchmark in question.

Most old games (HL2 and earlier) run quite happily at 2048x1536 with 4xAA, and I think the FEAR benchmark was getting 25-88fps at 1280x960 with everything other than AA maxed out (might have had medium textures to stop it chugging when moving to new areas).

The only issue with the card was that it ran at 20% of full speed when the core was below 38C. However, XFX released a new BIOS which stopped it doing that.

 

[patrokle]

I live in France.

I saw on the Gainward site (www.gainward.net) a shopping section but I haven't tried it yet. I hope I'll can buy it there and have it delivered to France.

 

[Gavman42]

If you plan on keeping it for awhile I'd suggest the BFG, they have a lifetime warenty on all their cards. I have no experiance with gainward, but of the rest I'd say the BFG is your best bet.

 

[patrokle]

Wow, that's cool, lifetime warranty I also bought Corsair memory for their performance and their lifetime warranty.

I saw that BFG video cards have only 256 MB memory instead of the 512 MB at Gainward. I have a MSI Neo2 motherboard with an Athlon64 3200+ and 1 GB RAM. Will be there any difference in performance between those video cards one with 256 MB and the other with 512 MB?

 

[mas0n]

I have the BFG 7800GS OC 256MB and I am very happy. No issues running current games. It was $325 US

The gainward is closer to $400 if not more. If your A64 is socket 939 then you should get a new motherboard and PCIE video card. You have the CPU and RAM and a new 7800GT and motherboard will be the same price as a normal GS and CHEAPER then the gainward and you will get better performance.

 

[dvdpiddy]

325? Damn you got jipped did you buy it when they first came out?

 

[offender_mullet]

BFG 7800GS OC owner here. Get it. Lifetime warranty, very high build quality, great tech help and it just kicks a**. This blows my old 9800Pro 128mb out of the water.

And, BFG won't stop making agp cards, so expect them to eventually match Gainward's specs.

 

[mas0n]

325? Damn you got jipped did you buy it when they first came out?

Do you ever contribute anything to these forums dvdpiddy? I have yet to see a post of yours with anything other then 3 seconds of filler or mind numbing rehashing of other posters information. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but post counts will not impress girls, they should not go on your resume' and they are not redeemable for discounts at your local McDonalds, besides if they were they would not be usable in conjunction with your employee discount.

I did buy my 7800GS when they were first released but the brick and mortar prices are still around $349 US. Here is an example from CompUSA: http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=337091&pfp=SEARCH

The standard 7800 GS card is retailed usually at $299 but the over clocked or super clocked versions typically retail around the $349 mark before rebates.

To get this thread back on track, again to the original poster if you have a S939 processor I would strongly urge you to consider buying a PCI-E motherboard and a 7800GT video card for similar money. I have a Socket 462 Barton so for me the AGP 7800 GS was my best option as I don’t intend on a full system upgrade for 12-18 months.

 

[cleeve]

The 7800GS has all of the features of the modern nVidia GPU's, a modern shader pipeline, and things like transparency AA....

And don't forget to mention, almost no extra performance to go along with all that! Even an X850 XT will beat it in alot of stuff.

There are reviews of this card on the web if you need an update... :roll:

I'd save the cash and take a used 6800 GT any day of the week over that overpriced and overrated card... and save that cash for an inevitable PCIe upgrade.

or better yet, upgrade now! A 7600 GT will match the 7800 GS' performance, you can pick those up for $150 after rebates, or $175 without a rebate. That extra $100 would go a long way toward a new platform...

 

[patrokle]

Unfortunately I'm on socket 754

 

[dvdpiddy]

325? Damn you got jipped did you buy it when they first came out?

Do you ever contribute anything to these forums dvdpiddy? I have yet to see a post of yours with anything other then 3 seconds of filler or mind numbing rehashing of other posters information. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but post counts will not impress girls, they should not go on your resume' and they are not redeemable for discounts at your local McDonalds, besides if they were they would not be usable in conjunction with your employee discount.

I did buy my 7800GS when they were first released but the brick and mortar prices are still around $349 US. Here is an example from CompUSA: http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=337091&pfp=SEARCH

The standard 7800 GS card is retailed usually at $299 but the over clocked or super clocked versions typically retail around the $349 mark before rebates.

To get this thread back on track, again to the original poster if you have a S939 processor I would strongly urge you to consider buying a PCI-E motherboard and a 7800GT video card for similar money. I have a Socket 462 Barton so for me the AGP 7800 GS was my best option as I don’t intend on a full system upgrade for 12-18 months. I keep my posts short and informative!

 

[GeneticWeapon]

And don't forget to mention, almost no extra performance to go along with all that!

No extra performance over a 6800?......sure :roll:

Even an X850 XT will beat it in alot of stuff.
There are reviews of this card on the web if you need an update... :roll:

I dont buy cards for their default speed performance(do you?)

I'd save the cash and take a used 6800 GT any day of the week over that overpriced and overrated card...

Overpriced it is...but overrated?.......who rated it? I think the card does exactly as advertised :? ......I dunno.

save that cash for an inevitable PCIe upgrade.

I unfortunately bought the card before I bought my Asrock mobo :roll:

A 7600 GT will match the 7800 GS' performance

It comes close at default speeds, but here we go again with that default word.

 

[chunkymonster]

You can't go wrong with BFG products as they offer a lifetime warranty. So, the BFG 7800GS would be a good choice. I'm actually running an EVGA 7800GS Superclock (460/1350) and I have no complaints, real nice card, I recommend it, have been enjoying some old favorites with the eye candy turned up a bit; CoD, CoD2, Max Payne2, Pacific Assault.

The 7800's have come a down a bit in price and I've seen them for less than $300USD. If you can find a Gainward, by all means get one, but be warned, they run at about $500USD.

Good luck!

 

[GeneticWeapon]

I bought the cheapest 7800GS there was, the MSI model, and I will pit my 3dmark score against any of these "Superclocked" cards that any of you guys have....

To have a fast 7800GS, you dont need to go the superclocked route.....they'll all hit around 500Mhz core/1500Mhz memory anyways....because they're all nVidia reference cards(even the Superclocked ones).

I'm not going to pay for some company to overclock my card, when I'm going to still overclock it anyways...

Pfffft...

 

[darkstar782]

They are *not* all nVidia Reference cards.

The standard card is a 16 pipe card with stock speeds giving very similar performance to the 6800 Ultra (a 16 pipe card).

There are 20 pipe and 24 pipe Gainward 7800GS cards that perform MUCH faster, like 50% for the top ones.

 

[GeneticWeapon]

They are *not* all nVidia Reference cards.

Excluding the Gainward supercards, that arent even available in the United States......they are.

Did you read the entire thread?.....we're talking about the standard 7800GS moron.

 

[baddog1]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but post counts will not impress girls, they should not go on your resume' and they are not redeemable for discounts at your local McDonalds, besides if they were they would not be usable in conjunction with your employee discount.

Classic!!!!

 

[GeneticWeapon]

Is this your family business?

 

[cleeve]

I dont buy cards for their default speed performance(do you?)

WE don't, but this guy sounds like he does... and it's for his benefit that I give the advice.

If he's a monster oc'er, my apologies. But that's not the vibe I'm getting.

We are in the minority, you and I.

So we should at least let him know the default speed score before judging the hardware based on potential, not out-of-the-box perf, right?

 

[GeneticWeapon]

We are in the minority, you and I.

I'd like to think we arent :!: