all in wonder x800 xt questions

[tommythefreakingcat]

I am planning to upgrade an AGP system.

I have been looking at a few cards and found something unexpected with the All in wonder x800 xt

You can pick up an all in wonder x800 xt AGP for just over $150

but the best I can find for a regular ATI x800xt AGP from ATI is in the $300 price range.

This seems very strange to me. Traditionally the all in wonders have been much more expensive than the comparable standard radeon cards. Why is it the opposite with the x800 xt versions? Is there some issue with the all in wonder that makes it less appealing than the standard radeon with the x800 xt GPU?

I am looking for the card strictly for gaming. I have no need for a tuner or a frame grabber so the extra features of the all in wonder mean nothing to me at all, but given a significantly lower price I see no reason to pay more for the same core in a card with less features.

I have also been reading quite a bit lately about how many of the ATI cards are outperforming the nvidia cards in benchmarks because they do not support pixel shader 3.0 (or something along those lines) and the nvidia cards are actually perfoming more rendering which is why they are falling behind in the benches. Does the X800 XT support pixel shader 3.0? If not, what does that mean to a gamer?

Are there any other issues with the x800xt all in wonder that would make it a bad idea for a gamer.

Is there anything that a gamer should know about the x800 xl all in wonder AGP before considering a purchase?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[trinitron64]

x800 supports Shader Model 2.0 and not 3.0

3.0 does Oblivion style HDR. Which is "real HDR".

Who cares.

SM 2.0 can do bloom. And the added performance the x800 series gives because it doesn't have to hand over all its processing power to crunch SM 3.0 junk is great for fps.

If you want a cheap card that will let you play BF2, CSS, FEAR etc. etc. etc. at 1600x1200 with most settings fairly high then grab that x800xt.

Hell, overclock the sucker with AtiTool and grab some more performance out of it.

x800 is a wise decision to hold you over till the gaming industry finally breaks your arm and forces you to sell your soul for a DX10 rig.

 

[tommythefreakingcat]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the response. I think I'm gonna have to get the AIW x800xt. I don't see how I can go wrong for $150.

 

[tommythefreakingcat]

On the same note:

What would make a better pure gamer card?
an x800 xt or an x850 pro?

 

[MCGTech]

On the same note:

What would make a better pure gamer card?
an x800 xt or an x850 pro?

The X800XT is tops in the X800 series if I remember corrrectly.

As for the pricing, you're right. The AIW variants are generally an extra $100.00. I'm stumped on that one where were you looking? Sure you weren't looking at an X850-XT? Then the pricing makes sense.

 

[MCGTech]

I take back what I said earlier. X800XT Platinum is top dog in the X800 series. Even better is the X850XT Platinum.

Try ATI's Comparison Utility

 

[tommythefreakingcat]

check it out
AIW x800xt
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__ATI_All_in_Wonder_Radeon_X800_XT_Video_Card,__6728106/search=x800+xt+agp

standard x800xt
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2969780/search=x800+xt+agp

I don't understand it. Ive never seen an AIW with a lower pricetag than the comparable standard radeon.

 

[illuminatirex]

actualy thats not the first time there was a time in which the 1800xl AIW was cheaper than the 1800xl, but that was maby for about a week or so, then it went back to the same price for both, then the aiw did cost more, i was actualy price hunting then for a new system, lol good i didnt get it then lol i wouldnt want to swich so easily to a dx10 card then lol even considering the enhanced visuals that the dx10 cards will offer.

 

[MCGTech]

They must be dumping inventory I guess.. Paid $235 on Ebay for mine just a few months ago.

Oh well, you get used to it.. I don't regret toe extra $90.00 I spent, great card! I'm an AIW junkie. This is my 5th? model.

 

[tommythefreakingcat]

I take back what I said earlier. X800XT Platinum is top dog in the X800 series.

OMG that card is going for $400 used.

Way more than I would ever consider for stretching this AGP Platform.

Thanks for the info.

That ATI utility is exactly what I was looking for.

Looks like the big difference between the x800 xt and tha AIW x800 xt is that the regular x800 xt has 16 pixel shader processors and the AIW version only has 8.

That is exactly the info I was looking for. I have no interest in the AIW features, and knowing that key difference tells me I cant rely on any of the benches I've sean for the x800 xt when considering a purchase of the AIW version.

 

[illuminatirex]

the prices went down u can get a x850xt for $120 (pciexpres thou)

 

[ledgema]

Looks like the big difference between the x800 xt and tha AIW x800 xt is that the regular x800 xt has 16 pixel shader processors and the AIW version only has 8.

That is exactly the info I was looking for. I have no interest in the AIW features, and knowing that key difference tells me I cant rely on any of the benches I've sean for the x800 xt when considering a purchase of the AIW version.

The Radeon X800 XT uses PCIe.