ATI Vs. Nvidia -- Help me decide?

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nineball

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I'm looking at buying an Nvidia 7600GT ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130017 ), but I'm very curious about ATI cards. Looking at what they're all capable of, I judged that the ATI equivalent to the 7600GT would be the X1600PRO ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102682 ). The prices are close, they fall at about the same point between the high-end and low-end cards in each line, and have similar specs. The ATI card can run at a lower power PS.

Is my assumption that these cards are competitive correct? Does anyone have a suggestion on which one I should buy, or is there another card I should look at?

I'm currently working with a 7300 GS, and it's just not doing it for me. There are a lot of things I'd like to do to upgrade my system, but it looks like I'll have to start from scratch to get what I want. The graphics card is just about the only thing I can carry over from my old system to a new one, so this decision is a pretty important one. I don't really want to spend much more than $200, unless someone can convince me thoroughly that going higher would be worth it. I've also heard of upcoming price drops and new technology hitting the shelves, so I wonder if it would be better just to wait? Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.
 
pauldh

pauldh

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http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/08/25/sub_200_pci_express_graphics_card_showdown/
You need to read Cleeves review. 7600GT, X1800GTO, X850XT go head to head with no clear winner. It's very informative and easy to understand, give it a read.
 
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nineball

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http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/08/25/sub_200_pci_express_graphics_card_showdown/
You need to read Cleeves review. 7600GT, X1800GTO, X850XT go head to head with no clear winner. It's very informative and easy to understand, give it a read.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that.

It looks like the 7600GT might be my best choice.
Now, I have to know, will it be alirght with a 300-watt PS or should I upgrade that too?

-edit-
there's the answer to my question. "minimum 400w Power Supply"...

How's this combo look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182019
 
B

baboonass

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Don't mind if I borrow your thread, but since we're on the same topic...

I've noticed two cards :

Winfast 7600GT Extreme Edition

HIS ATI X1800GTO IceQ3

I) The Ex-Ed of 7600GT brings it to the price of X1800GTO... is the Ex-Ed a worth it buy for the extra bucks or just a normal 7600GT/X1800GTO would suffice?

II) What's the most recommended X1800GTO brand/model out in the market at the moment?

III) Are there any near-future launches of Graphics Cards that would destabilize the prices of these two cards or dethrone them in this price category?

Cheers!
 
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prozac26

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http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/08/25/sub_200_pci_express_graphics_card_showdown/
You need to read Cleeves review. 7600GT, X1800GTO, X850XT go head to head with no clear winner. It's very informative and easy to understand, give it a read.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that.

It looks like the 7600GT might be my best choice.
Now, I have to know, will it be alirght with a 300-watt PS or should I upgrade that too?

-edit-
there's the answer to my question. "minimum 400w Power Supply"...

How's this combo look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182019
I don't know much about Rosewill PSUs, so I'll recommend a FSP PSU for couple of more dollars.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
 
E

enforcerfx

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http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/08/25/sub_200_pci_express_graphics_card_showdown/
You need to read Cleeves review. 7600GT, X1800GTO, X850XT go head to head with no clear winner. It's very informative and easy to understand, give it a read.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that.

It looks like the 7600GT might be my best choice.
Now, I have to know, will it be alirght with a 300-watt PS or should I upgrade that too?

-edit-
there's the answer to my question. "minimum 400w Power Supply"...

How's this combo look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182019

For the price of that 7600GT, even though its a silent pipe, you can get a x1800xt for less. I would suggest this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130017
Its a 7600GTKO but its 15 bucks less than the silent pipe. I will agree with prozac on the Forton source PSU though. Looking into to getting the same one....
 
E

ElPolloDiablo

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You should make sure your new PSU pumps at least 20-22A through the 12V rail as well!!!!!!!!! That way you can power your video and attach other things to the same rail!

This is something people overlook.
 
jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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Apr 19, 2006
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You should make sure your new PSU pumps at least 20-22A through the 12V rail as well!!!!!!!!! That way you can power your video and attach other things to the same rail!

This is something people overlook.
Click to expand...

Actaully, nVidia cards using just one GPU chip are not very power hungry compared to ATI cards. For example, the XFX GeForece 7600GT XXX Edition is clocked at 560MHz/1400MHz (Core/Memory). As the following chart from Xbitlab's XFX GeForce 7600 GT XXX Edition Graphics Card Review, the GPU only consumes 38.2w, or 3.18 amps.

xfx7600gt_power.gif.gif


The 300GB 7200 RPM Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 hard drive draws about 25 amps from the 12v rail, or 2.08 amps on the 12v rail. It is among one of the more power hungry hard drives out there.

The Fortron PSU mentioned by prozac can provide 300w or 25 amps in total. Each 12v rails can provide a max of 15 amps, but combined it is still only 25 amps total. For simplicity, let's assume the 12v1 rail can provide 12 amp and the 12v2 rail can provide 13 amps.

If the 12v1 rail were to be used to power the 7600GT it would have 8.82 amps left; 12 amps minus 3.18 amps. That is more than enough amps to power three 300GB hards drives on that rail.

-PCI cards draws power from the 3.3v/5v rails.

-RAM draws power from the 3.3v rails.

-Most of the integrated components on the motherboard draws power from the 3.3v/5v rails. The only exception would be the integrated GPU (if any) that most likely draws power from the 12v rail.
 
jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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Apr 19, 2006
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But the 7600 cards don't have dedicated power hookups, so would that even matter?

The other PS i was looking at before you mentioned the FSP was this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023
I don't know about thermaltake products, but it's got a hefty 430-watts for the same price as the rosewill...
Click to expand...

Get the Fortron PSU mentioned by prozac, it provides a total of 25 amps on the dual 12v rails or 300w of power.

The Thermaltake you selected only provides 18 amps or 216w of power on the single 12v rail; 18 amps x 12v = 216w.

The price difference between the two PSUs is less than $2. Don't go cheap on the PSU. You will regret it.
 
M

merlin3791

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Nineball here's a deal that you might like check it out:

www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Special/xfx-promo-080406.jsp?intpromo=xfx_ultra_bundle-080406_HPG
 
pauldh

pauldh

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Jan 1, 2004
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http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/08/25/sub_200_pci_express_graphics_card_showdown/
You need to read Cleeves review. 7600GT, X1800GTO, X850XT go head to head with no clear winner. It's very informative and easy to understand, give it a read.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that.

It looks like the 7600GT might be my best choice.
Now, I have to know, will it be alirght with a 300-watt PS or should I upgrade that too?

-edit-
there's the answer to my question. "minimum 400w Power Supply"...

How's this combo look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182019

I agree with enforcer, that's way too much money for any 7600GT. It's higher priced than a X1800XT, which is on par with the 7900GT's. The 7600GT is a nice card if priced under $150 and $200 for the X1800XT is out of the question. I also wouldn't buy the Rosewill PSU. Fortron (FSP Group) are good for a reasonable price.
 
kwalker

kwalker

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Nineball here's a deal that you might like check it out:

www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Special/xfx-promo-080406.jsp?intpromo=xfx_ultra_bundle-080406_HPG
Click to expand...

Ultra PSUs suck. One of the many cheap PSUs to avoid like the plague.

damn :oops:
I wish I would have known that a year ago when I bought mine

Your right about the ultra if you use ati cards
The twelve volt rails won’t support high end gpu’s.
You’ll be maxed out
 
pauldh

pauldh

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Jan 1, 2004
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0
40,810
Nineball here's a deal that you might like check it out:

www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Special/xfx-promo-080406.jsp?intpromo=xfx_ultra_bundle-080406_HPG
Click to expand...

Looks like a good deal for someone who only wants a 7900GT and nothing else. But For $200 he could get an X1800XT, put the $70 toward any power supply he wants, and not have to mail in the 2 rebates and wait for the checks. The negative of that is no Lara Croft whispering sweet nothings through his new bundled headset. :roll:
 
N

nineball

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Thank you very much, everybody. The eVGA that Enforcer suggested was one I was looking at before I found the silent pipe. The only reason I jumped on that one was because most of the 7600gt's i was finding were dual slot cards, and the pipes seemed to provide what the dedicated slot fans were without taking up another slot. I've heard good things about eVGA as well, so I think i've made my decision about that. The FSP PSU you guys suggested looks like a great choice as well, and I'm starting to understand what to look for in these parts.

This is only the first step... Once I've got the money, I'd like to put together a complete custom.
 
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