- Jul 20, 2006
- 5
- 0
- 18,510
Ok guys, i got a problem thats been bugging me for what seems forever. Bu september, i'll have £180-£230 to spend on a grapics update. Before i start, here's my current system spec:
AMD 64 3400 (2.31Ghz OC) Socket 754
Nvidia Geforce FX 5900
1.75GB PC3200 DDR400 RAM
90GB Harddrive (2x HD)
400W PSU
I will say i've looked at every option available, but i still just cannot make my mind up. I'm pretty sure i want to stay AGP as PCI-e mobos are not so easy to find for 754, i think only Asus make them at the moment. If i stay AGP, where to go? I looked at the 6800 which is solid, and decided to go next step up. The x850 PE XT looked nice but lacking SM3.0 support, the only other option is the 7800GS. XFX, BFG, EVGA, all have the 7800GS at similar speed clocks and specs (16 pixel pipelines, 6 shader modes, 1.2Ggz mem ish & 420Mhz Core roughtly) although the Gainward did something special. They released the 7800GS Gainward Bliss and 7800GS+ Gainward Bliss. The big difference from the other 7800GS cards is the pixel pipelines. While the 7800GS Gainward has 20 pixel pipelines, at stock, which is same as the 7800 GT, the 7800GS+ uses 24 pixel pipelines and the g71 7900GTX chip. Why this is 7800GS+ and not 7900GS+ i don't know. The 7900GS+ at the moment is knocking £270 which is a little rich.
I saw a good deal for the XFX 7800GS Xtreme Edition at clock speeds of 1300/400. Pretty good, still the same old spec as the others. If i got the XFX 7800GS i hear it's highly overclockable, (upto 1500/460) but doesn't have much impact on FPS rate, 5-10 fps increase. I'd happily overclock but i'd rather spend my money on a card that won't need me to overclock. 16 Pixel Pipelines, SM3.0, 6 Shader modes. Not bad really for £195. With that said, i don't know what to do. I'm left with the following choices:
- XFX 7800GS Extreme Edition
- Gainward 7800GS
- Gainward 7800GS+
- PCI-E (Avoidable if possible!!!!)
I've pretty much out-ruled ATI almost all their AGP cards rule out SM3.0, which is the future of gaming and already has an impact on current games. The fastest ATI have to offer is the X850 XT PE, which is extremely pricey, around £270, and will quickly outdate as it's now old technology. Although i'm always up for suggestions on ATI. The X1600 is the only card SM3.0 series for AGP (I think....) but doesn't give much performance, not what i'm looking for.
I would be willing to get my self a 7800 from Gainward, which looks the likely pick, but i'm not very sure about it as they're quickly running out of stock and i don't know if the extra 4 pixel pipelines make much of a difference. The other series 7 PCI-E seem to beat the AGP 7800GS. The 7800 GT does get the win on your standard 7800GS AGP card, not sure if it does the same for a Gainward 7800GS+ though!
I would appreciate any suggestion you guys have, as i'm only 15 years old and not the experienced graphical hardware upgrader. It's something i've not done much of. Gone through a MX400, FX 5200, 9600 Pro, and now FX 5900. All very much out dated now i'm afraid.
As a hardcore online gamer, i like to have high FPS, but i like to play my single player games looking glorious as ever. I wouldn't let my fps drop below 30-40 as it becomes rather annoying and defeats the whole object of a mid-top end card.
Thanks a bundle for any posts.
Monkey5900
P.S. My fingers ache....
AMD 64 3400 (2.31Ghz OC) Socket 754
Nvidia Geforce FX 5900
1.75GB PC3200 DDR400 RAM
90GB Harddrive (2x HD)
400W PSU
I will say i've looked at every option available, but i still just cannot make my mind up. I'm pretty sure i want to stay AGP as PCI-e mobos are not so easy to find for 754, i think only Asus make them at the moment. If i stay AGP, where to go? I looked at the 6800 which is solid, and decided to go next step up. The x850 PE XT looked nice but lacking SM3.0 support, the only other option is the 7800GS. XFX, BFG, EVGA, all have the 7800GS at similar speed clocks and specs (16 pixel pipelines, 6 shader modes, 1.2Ggz mem ish & 420Mhz Core roughtly) although the Gainward did something special. They released the 7800GS Gainward Bliss and 7800GS+ Gainward Bliss. The big difference from the other 7800GS cards is the pixel pipelines. While the 7800GS Gainward has 20 pixel pipelines, at stock, which is same as the 7800 GT, the 7800GS+ uses 24 pixel pipelines and the g71 7900GTX chip. Why this is 7800GS+ and not 7900GS+ i don't know. The 7900GS+ at the moment is knocking £270 which is a little rich.
I saw a good deal for the XFX 7800GS Xtreme Edition at clock speeds of 1300/400. Pretty good, still the same old spec as the others. If i got the XFX 7800GS i hear it's highly overclockable, (upto 1500/460) but doesn't have much impact on FPS rate, 5-10 fps increase. I'd happily overclock but i'd rather spend my money on a card that won't need me to overclock. 16 Pixel Pipelines, SM3.0, 6 Shader modes. Not bad really for £195. With that said, i don't know what to do. I'm left with the following choices:
- XFX 7800GS Extreme Edition
- Gainward 7800GS
- Gainward 7800GS+
- PCI-E (Avoidable if possible!!!!)
I've pretty much out-ruled ATI almost all their AGP cards rule out SM3.0, which is the future of gaming and already has an impact on current games. The fastest ATI have to offer is the X850 XT PE, which is extremely pricey, around £270, and will quickly outdate as it's now old technology. Although i'm always up for suggestions on ATI. The X1600 is the only card SM3.0 series for AGP (I think....) but doesn't give much performance, not what i'm looking for.
I would be willing to get my self a 7800 from Gainward, which looks the likely pick, but i'm not very sure about it as they're quickly running out of stock and i don't know if the extra 4 pixel pipelines make much of a difference. The other series 7 PCI-E seem to beat the AGP 7800GS. The 7800 GT does get the win on your standard 7800GS AGP card, not sure if it does the same for a Gainward 7800GS+ though!
I would appreciate any suggestion you guys have, as i'm only 15 years old and not the experienced graphical hardware upgrader. It's something i've not done much of. Gone through a MX400, FX 5200, 9600 Pro, and now FX 5900. All very much out dated now i'm afraid.
As a hardcore online gamer, i like to have high FPS, but i like to play my single player games looking glorious as ever. I wouldn't let my fps drop below 30-40 as it becomes rather annoying and defeats the whole object of a mid-top end card.
Thanks a bundle for any posts.
Monkey5900
P.S. My fingers ache....
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