Help me choose a vga card

[Sticky]

I am looking at the following:

Gecube X1800GTO
Gecube X1900GT
Sapphire X1800XT
Colorful 7900GT 512MB

Could I have some advice please. I am considering the X1800GTO for its price, but I dont know how good it is. Also not sure how good a Colorful 7900gt 512 is....

Please help

 

[cleeve]

X1800XT's & 7900 GTs are the clear choices, both have very similar performance.

This question is raised in a million threads, the short answer is they're both great and neither is a bad choice, the X1800 XT might be a better choice for people who run their cards stock, slightly quicker in some things and better visual options, but the 7900 GT has more overclocking overhead and is a great choice for overclockers.

Neither card will dissapoint though.

 

[Sticky]

Thanks,

Is the x1800gto able to play oblivion, from a cost point of view
it is cheap but can it perform?

 

[raven_87]

Might have to aim for a little lower resolution and detail, but by all means yes the GTO can run Oblivion with acceptable frame rates.

 

[prozac26]

All cards on your list are able to run Oblivion. The ATI cards will probably run it better, since they're known to do that with Oblivion. 7900GT and X1800XT are the best cards on that list. The X1800GTO is a good card for the price, and should run Oblivion pretty good. Also, the X1800GTO is good for overclocking, and it could unlock pipelines.

 

[chuckshissle]

The 7900GT 512Mb looks nice however I can't find the company's site and it's warranty information. The 512 is useful for playing Oblivion at high settings, but given with it's unfamiliar manufacturer and it's warranty I doubt it. If it's warranty is lifetime like BFG then get it.

 

[sp6yd6er6]

Warranty goes a long way on video cards! You don't want to buy a kickass cards that works great for 3 months and then suddenly dies, leaving you with your thumb up your butt. Also, consider bundling as well. Some makes come with a game (or 4, if it's ASUS ) for free. Take it all into consideration.

 

[chuckshissle]

Yeah warranty is very important for graphics cards since it's expensive. Some offers 3-5 years warranty but BFG and ASUS offers lifetime. So that's how you know the graphics card is reliable and don't crap itself after one year.

 

[Sticky]

Here is the url for the colorful 7900gt 512mb

http://www.seethru.com.cn/SeethruProductEn/Product/products-vgacard.asp

Warranty I have no idea..... Im not from the US so around here
everything is a standard 1year :-(

I have narrowed it down to the above card and the Sapphire x1800xt 256MB.

Now i need the last bit of abvice to choose, so please help. Is the x1800xt a bit disabled cos it has only 256MB? How well does
it perform in comparison to the x1800xt 512mb or 7900gt 512mb?

 

[Sticky]

bump

 

[pauldh]

No direct comparisons between the cards you are refering to. 512MB helps in a few situations like in COD2, but overall has not really shown a significant bonus over 256MB cards.

The 256MB X1800XT is easily equal to a 7900GT. This review tests a 256MB X1800XT vs a 7900GT and the X1800XT handles the high resolution AA/AF settings better, which to me shows it's the more powerful card. Just glancing at the charts the 7900GT could look like the better card, but focus on 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 with AA/AF and it's almost a clean sweep for the X1800XT. And afterall who buys this caliber card and doesn't try to crank the eye candy. Of course it all depends on the games you play so either card potentially can be superior to the other depending on the individual.

Actually I have never heard of Colorful, but I hope the cards' performance as well as their tech support is faster than that website of theirs 8O :tongue: . The card seems factory clocked so I doubt just the 512MB mem is going to do much extra for it. My only issue with the 7900GT besides being worse in Oblivion, is the issues that many factory OC'ed ones are having. I'd have no problem buying one but it would be from a well known company like eVGA or BFG. If Colorful is know for outstanding customer support and warranty service :?: , then it's a fine choice. If not, I'd stay away. Anyway, just my $0.02.

 

[Sticky]

Thanks Im going for the Sapphire x1800xt 256mb. Hope this meets everyone's approval

 

[pauldh]

That's the exact card I own. Upgraded from a 7800GT CO for Oblivion, and so far I'm thrilled with the card in Oblivion, BF2, HL2 episode 1, and Farcry. Haven't tried Fear or anything else yet. It plays Oblivion well at 1024x768, high details HDR and 2X AA/ 16X AF. Good luck.

 

[sp6yd6er6]

How good of a difference did this upgrade make?

 

[Fagaru]

go x1800xt 512mb and if u r willing spend 400 on a vga card use that extra 100 towards a better cpu, thats what i say