7900GTX or X1900XT ?

[ArbY]

Newegg is presently offering the 7900GTX and the X1900XT for the same price. It would seem that the matter boils down to preference, but I don't want to settle for preference. I'm interested in the performance aspect, and will easily take one over the other if I can be convinced accordingly.

The 7900GTX has a Core Clock of 650MHz and a Memory Clock of 1600MHz.
The X1900XT has a Core Clock of 625MHz and a Memory Clock of 1450MHz.
In terms of raw numbers, the NVIDIA card obviously has the advantage.

The 7900GTX has 24 pixel pipelines, with no mention of pixel shader processors.
The X1900XT has 16 pixel pipelines, though also advertises 48 pixel shader processors.

What does this all mean?
In terms of real world performance, would the 7900GTX be the better buy, seeing as they're the same price? Or does the X1900XT have some mystical power which enables it to defeat the NVIDIA counterpart?
I personally think the 7900GTX would be better simply because ATI is planning to release the X1950XTX to compete directly with the 7900GTX. That has to say something about performance comparisons.

Price is a huge factor, and I'm not comfortable spending over $400 for a video card. $399.99 is the limit, and that's what Newegg is presently asking for with these cards.

Your opinions and insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


ArbY

 

[raven_87]

Not comfortable paying $400.....but $399.99....... :lol:

The cheapest 7900GTX I can see is $429.
But the cheapest X1900XT I can find is $294 after Mail in rebate.

All things considered, and not making to long winded a post...

X1900XT would be my choice.

 

[pengwin]

magical powers.

X1900XT is better. the shaders out perform Nvidia, but the Nvidia is good too. But the Nvidia cant run HDR and AA at the same time. Therefore giving the X1900Xt better picture quality.

 

[okstatefan]

I am battling this one over in my head as well. I just got a 7900gt from Fry's for $300, and it turned out to be one of the bad cards from eVGA. I called thier tech. support and was advised to return it for a different part number..... but Fry's checked through about 20 cards, and they all had the identical part number (n564). So now I have to order a card online anyway.

I see that the Asus eax1900xt is down to $350, so a little cheaper on that one.

I don't play a lot of FPS, and I'm really into Oblivion and AOE3 right now. It seems that the 1900 might be the best card for me; but that doesn't make it the best card for you.

Maybe some others will chime in on this one, I'd like to get a new card ordered by tomorrow (onboard video SUX).

 

[ArbY]

Thanks for the responses!

So far it looks like you all would choose the X1900XT over the 7900GTX.
I'm interested mostly in first person shooter games (HL2, CS:S, etc.), would the X1900XT be best for those games? Or is that dependent on whether the game is an OpenGL vs. Direct3D title?
I'm not completely savvy on video cards, so I may be tossing around jargon out of context. Please correct me and/or educate me if you see something out of place.

I look forward to reading more opinions on this subject!

 

[okstatefan]

I just found this card, and I think I'll be ordering it in a few minutes..... unless someone gives me a good reason not to.

http://www.pagecomputers.com/store/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=Video+Cards+%26+Adapters&category%5Fname=33g33c200s2205&product%5Fid=1082153

 

[raven_87]

Yeah...

$100 rebate and under $300 for an X1900XT.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127206

Then you could take $30 and buy a Zalman VF900 that imo would provide
a little better cooling than the Artic design.

 

[necroshine67]

I've had this card one week now!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814142063

Put it in an aspire case and it keeps cool at 55C
i've been playing doom3 on ultra with 4x aa with no slow down
battlefield 2 maxed out..
the x1900xt rocks!!

 

[okstatefan]

I guess I didn't see your post quick enough, and I ordered the HIS. Those rebates don't ever work out for me anyway. I did find a link to a $40 rebate on the HIS, but I'm not sure if it is available from the same vendor I ordered from. I guess it might be worth a stab though.

 

[GeneticWeapon]

7900GTX is the card you want, but since you're posing this question on an ATi lovers forum, the replies you got dont suprise me in the least..

 

[raven_87]

Ouch..... :lol:

 

[GeneticWeapon]

Ouch..... :lol:

Are we going to play tag all night? :lol:



....I'm actually off going off to bed now

 

[raven_87]

Are we going to play tag all night? :lol:

That was kinky the way you put that :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol

....I'm actually off going off to bed now

I'm actually wait ing for a couple friends to show up....god knows when that could be.

 

[okstatefan]

After checking the HIS website, and finding that PageComputers is an authorized seller, I should be good to go with the $40 rebate. That puts my total cost, with shipping at $324. I paid the exact same for the 7900gt that was broke out of the box. That still puts me a little below the GTX.

I've just finished this little system build, and I'm upgrading from a 9500Pro. This should be one heckuva leap for me. I haven't had any problems with ATI drivers in the past, so that is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.

I also have several Nvidia cards, TNT, GF2, GF4200ti; and they've been workhorses for me without much problems. IF the 7900gt wouldn't have been trash, I would have ran it without complaint. As it stands, I get a second chance to make the right decision.

Here is to hoping that the 450w PS in my Antec Sonata II is up to the task.

 

[raven_87]

O dear god man, I hope you really dont intend to have that thing last with a PSU of that caliber.

 

[okstatefan]

O dear god man, I hope you really dont intend to have that thing last with a PSU of that caliber.

Let me know something quick on this one. I was pretty much under the impression that it was a good PS, or I wouldn't have gone that route.

While I'm asking.....here are the parts:

X2 3800 am2 @2400
ECS c51gm-m
WD Cavier se16 250g
Pioneer 16x DVD
and.... this video card when it gets here.

 

[raven_87]

Whats your amperage and flux coming of the rail(s)?

 

[NaDa]

I would go x1900xt if I had to chose between the two.
The nvida has got raw power but ati is more advanced.

You cant really compare the clocks of those cards because they are very different. You can only compare clocks of the sam brand.

Those pixel shaders are gonna matter the most in newer games!

Over the years I have owned many nvidia cards but lately I have switched to ATI. They have faster antialiasing and anisotropic filtering (you are not buying that card to play games without 4xAA and 8xAF).
They even have temporal anti aliasing that uses different samples between frames so if you can run your game at more than 40FPS you will get double the amount of antialiasing for free. This is one great thing that I believe nvidia lacks. I use it on my X800XT all the time. I set it to 2xAA and get 4xAA or 4XAA and get 8xAA.

Actualy nvidia put out 7950GX2 because its 7900GTX couldnt beat the x1900xtx.

 

[okstatefan]

Whats your amperage and flux coming of the rail(s)?

I've only got an inexpensive meter, and it would be a pain to try to measure amperage on each rail under load. I couldn't keep simutaneous contacts to measure flux from one rail to another under load, and If I broke the connection, I'd lose power to my HD (or whatever I was measuring). Unless it is QC tested and stated somewhere, I don't know how I would ever know.

 

[0p3n]

I would honestly just wait till DirectX 10 cards come out... or if you are not planning on using Directx10 anytime soon.. I would go with the nVidia card.

 

[raven_87]

You might be alright, as long as your PSU can handle a full load on boot.
But if your looking to OC, then your going to know where your biggest limit will be :!:

edit: Its going to be quite a while before we see DX10 come to light, so making this purchase now isnt going to kill you.

 

[necroshine67]

he should be ok.. i looked his psu up on newegg and it has 32 amps on the 12 rail..
rail one has 15amps rail two has 17 amps.

i have the antec 500 only 50 watts above his and doing fine. mine has 36 amps on the 12 rail though..

 

[NaDa]

I dont care how many amps it has on a rail it can still be faulty.
But if it's a quality PSU then probably not.
The PSU, the mobo and the HDD fail the most.
Who knows I have run into some wierd sh** with comps and you never know.

 

[ArbY]

Thanks for the comments pertaining to the topic.

So far only two people have provided information to back their recommendation. I'm inclined to reach for the X1900XT based on how their information helped reaffirm some of my former uncertainties.

I was thinking of the connect3D Radeon X1900XT for $399.99 ($299.99 after $100 Mail-In Rebate) - link

Though it looks like I can save $5.00 if I go for the MSI Radeon X1900XT for 394.99 (294.99 after Mail-In Rebate) - link

There's also the Sapphire Radeon X1900XT selling for $339.99 ($309.99 after Mail-In Rebate) - link

I could go with any of these, but if I were to choose one brand over the other and end up spending some extra cash, I'd like to know why. Shouldn't they all perform the same? Is one brand more reliable than another?
I seem to notice Sapphire being recommended moreso than MSI or connect3D. Is this because of personal preference, a proven brand name (reliability), good customer service, better third-party memory?
I'm just eager to understand some of these things before I make a purchase. Hopefully you guys can continue to help me! Thanks.

 

[NaDa]

Same sh** different package i'd say. They all look like reference boards so it's the same. I saw that the bundle is the same only that Connect3D doesnt show the power cable? Probably a mistake? I think it needs one.