agp graphics card advice

[qwerty2k]

hey, just wondering what you guys thought, im currently looking for a new graphics card to replace my dated ati 128mb 9600pro, at this point im considering nvidia only (dont want ati, linux issues etc).

i have a 2.4gig p4 (only 533fsb not the 800) and 1 gig of ram.

will my cpu (which is fairly dated) be the limiting factor in my pc setup which means that going for a mid to high range card will be pointless?

im only looking for a sort of 6month stop gap til i build a new pc (hopefully with conroe or 4 core processors by then).

so far ive looked at the 6800gs (for around £150ish) or the 7800gs (for around £180), is it worth spending the extra on the 7800gs or will my cpu limit it so a 6800gs will be fine?

also if anyone has any other suggestions for possible cards go ahead and suggest away, i shall be purchasing next week

thanks in advanced for your help.

 

[GeneticWeapon]

If the 7800GS doesnt break the bank for you, that would be my choice.

.........actually, that was my choice :roll:

 

[prozac26]

The CPU shouldn't hold bacj the 7800GS. If you can spend the extra money, go for the 7800GS.

 

[cleeve]

For 6 months? I'd get a used 6800 GT on ebay, or maybe the 6800 GS you were looking at.
Just make sure itr has a 256-bit memory interface.

The 7800 GS is a little pricey for a 6 month tour. Costs about the same as a 7900 GT in PCIe, but the 7900 GT will eat it alive. ZThe money'd be better spent holding on to it for 6 months for the new cards...

 

[qwerty2k]

is a Gainward Bliss GF 6800GS 512MB AGP Golden Sample, 8x AGP DVI, HDTV Out worth it over a normal 6800gs? i know the card isnt really fast enough to make proper use of the 512mb of ram, however the clocks are clocked higher than standard clock speeds, and by quite a margin:

450+MHz core clock, 1200+MHz memory clock.

 

[cleeve]

Depends on the price, if it's around the $200 mark I'd say go for it.

 

[qwerty2k]

its about £160 (about $290), a 'normal' 6800gs however is about £150 ($275)

 

[cleeve]

Ouch those prices hurt.

Look, I know you can get a used 6800 GT on ebay around the $150 USD mark the last time I checked... that'll give you in the neighborhood of 90% the performance of a 7800 GS (at stock clocks), and is much better than most 6800 GS' (although that gainward looks nice).

The 7800 GS is a monster overclocker though, so if you have the cash and inclination it's a much better modder, but if you're into a 6-month stopgap card and you're not an overclocker, the 6800 GT looks real sweet...

If you need to buy new though, the gainward 6800 GS is definitely worth the extra $$ over the other ones - assuming the 7800 GS isn't close in price over there.

 

[qwerty2k]

just orderd the: Gainward GeForce 6800GS "BLISS" 512MB GDDR3

it has:

512mb 1.4ns DDR3 memory
450+MHz core clock
1200+MHz memory clock

any way, not the 'best' card ever, but certainly a stepup from my ati radeon 9600pro 128mb

was only like $30 (£10 or so) more than a 'normal' 6800gs and they only have a 350mhz core, which means an extra 100mhz, which can only be a good thing

 

[cleeve]

Yep, with those clockspeeds it's probably as fast as the AGP 6800 GT. A very good stopgap card.

 

[qwerty2k]

thank you cleeve for your thoughts/advice/help on this, much appreciated.

 

[pauldh]

Ouch, those prices are killers for sure. That card should hold you over very well for six months or even longer. And I agree it was worth the 10 pounds more to get the Gainward. But if you have the money, I would have spent the 180 for the 7800GS over the 160 for a 6800GS OC. It's worth the 12% more IMO.

 

[Darth_Relayer]

For 6 months, I wouldn't spend that much on a 7800 GS.

That being said, I have a similar system (2.4 P4 on 533 bus, 1.5GB RAM) and I purchased the 7800 GS OC from BFG, upgraded from a 9800 PRO I've had for 2 years and I don't regret it one bit.

Oblivion and FEAR run nicely, not to mention some older games that were a bit choppy before (KOTOR 2, Gothic 2, Dark Age Of Camelot for example).

Of course I don't plan on upgrading to PCI-E for at least another year, maybe a year and a half, so getting the 7800 GS made sense for me (especially since I wanted to play Oblivion in all it's glory!).

But if you're still playing mostly older games or like you said, plan on upgrading soon, get something cheaper.