Upgrade on a budget - 7600GS or What ?

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cryptonx

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Hi ,

I've posted some time ago about a 7600gs DDR2 vs 7300GT DDR3 , anyways I couldnt get either of these , Thanks to a mobo blow up and now now I am stuck with my old 6600 AGP agian .

after a few months of my last post . prices has certainly dropped
so I am totally ignoring the 7300GT also because the DDR3 version is not available any more here .

please note that most prices here ( at my country ) are like $40 to $80 more expensive than online retailers or any other place .

so after much searching I found the 7600GS priced at ( $120 - $160 here ) should be my perfect upgrade option , as thats as much I want to pay for a new graphics card .

the problem is , the offerings ...
MSI 7600GS - Silent - 256 DDR2 + Brother in arms = $120 , thats the cheapest 7600GS here .

Gigabyte 7600GS - Silent - 256 DDR2 + SeriousSam 2 = $160 , very expensive for the 7600gs line ( GPU clock +100 than default )

XFX 7600GS - Silent - 256 DDR2 -$162 - still expensive but with my current XFX 6600 , I certainly love XFX .

the MSI comes with 3 years waranty , Gigabyte with one , XFX with two .
I've seen a recent comparison review between the Gigaybte and the MSI one , in terms of speed , the Gigabyte was obviously faster at stock , since its alreayd oced , but when both were overclocked ..the MSI really kicked the gigas butt .

so what I am simply asking , Should I go for the MSI ? I have read info/spec from the website stating that its a PURE 256 MB DDR2 , tho some STUPID retailers here list it as TC , is that possible ? altho there's not a single word on teh box saying its TC .

Are there any offerings from the same price tag I could look at ?
the 7600GT ( Gigabyte ) with 256 DDR2 is priced at $210 , which is totally overpriced .

there's also a strange long packaged looking X1600 PRO , from Gigabyte at $140 , I didn't bother to look much as Iam not really into ATis numbering and models .

so should the 7600GS from MSi do for me for now ?
( Until a DX10 8600GS :D comes out ! )

or are there any other suggestions ?
Thanks in advance people .

edit : here's the comparison review between msis 7600gs and gigas
http://www.overclockers.co.nz/ocnz/review.php?id=06vga00nv7600gsnv7600gsmsivsgig0105
 
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bazza

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dont go for a fanless one unless you live in a cold country

at idle they only run 10deg more but on loading it can be as much as 30degC

previous fanless designs worked because they were big and used copper, these new cheap ones use Aluminium

76GT is a good choice, but tbh isnt a huge upgrade over a 6600GT
 
FeareX

FeareX

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From my experience it isnt that big (then i mean 3dmark05, because 06 is very cpu dependant with those included cpu tests), but with toms vga charts with their expensive cpu's and all, my 6600 always had the same score, but even still, i wouldnt call stepping from a 6600gt to a 7600gt a small upgrade, but rather big.
 
pshrk

pshrk

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A 7600GT would be your better choice. But if all you can afford is the GS then there isn't much else you can do.
Click to expand...

I agreee, you would be much better off if you could find a way to afford the 7600GT. Either save up for just a little longer or search for some better prices.

Just re-read your post, you're looking for an AGP card? Could only find one 7600GT on newegg and it was 20-50 dollars more than the GS. 179.99 here. Good luck :wink:
 
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cryptonx

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First of all , thanks for all of your FAST replies :)

Let me clear a few things out

First I own the Vanila 6600 AGP 128 DDR , not the 6600GT, so a 7300GT is a HUGE step for a 6600 :p

anyways excuse me for not brining my system specs here ,

Athlon 64 3000+ ( running at 2.2 ghz )
MSI Neo3-F ( Nforce 4X chipset ( Agp + PCI-E ) )
2x 512 Kingston Rams ( forgot the timings , but they were not sexy :p )
2x80 Segate Barracuda 7200.7 RPM ATA disks
XFX Geforce 6600 128DDR AGP8X ( oced 478 / 600 )
Lite-ON 16 DVD-RW Drive
Samsung Synmacster 17" Perfect flat monitor

I know my system is not exactly a Good one , but since this new MOBO crippled my AGP card , I at least want to enjoy my games as they were , so getting a PCI-E card is the way to go for me , and a cheap one cuz the whole system wont last another year I see , with all these dual cores babes arround me .

So basicly I am stuck with the 7600gs according to you guys , but if I saved a bit I could get the 7600GT ... well the only 7600GT I can get , is a 256 DDR2 one from Gigabyte , priced at $210 .. I shall search for more results

I might be able to buy a 7600gt but on installments .. not cash ( some companies do that here but they add 3.25% intrest per month )

Thanks again , waiting for more info..
 
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cryptonx

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A 7600GT would be your better choice. But if all you can afford is the GS then there isn't much else you can do.
Click to expand...

I agreee, you would be much better off if you could find a way to afford the 7600GT. Either save up for just a little longer or search for some better prices.

Just re-read your post, you're looking for an AGP card? Could only find one 7600GT on newegg and it was 20-50 dollars more than the GS. 179.99 here. Good luck :wink:


My mobo is a MSI Neo-3F , a MODDED NForce 4 chipset for the old Athlon64 Socket 735 , which insted of SLI , they transformed one of the PCi-E 16x ports to a AGR SLOT ( AGP emulated slot ) which supports some AGP cards . however it cripples thier performance by more than 60%

I used to score 2900 marks in 3Dmark2005 with my oced 6600 AGP , after the new mobo , it doesn't reach 700 marks !!

same story at games .

so basicly Insted of getting another AGP mobo .. I could get a better PCI-E card , since the motherboard itself other than that stupid AGR slot is fine .
 
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cryptonx

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Sorry mate I was making assumptions based on your first post where you included a link to a New Zealand based Site. :oops:

160.00 EGP Egypt Pounds = 14.6993 GBP United Kingdom Pounds

85.00 GBP United Kingdom Pounds = 925.219 EGP Egypt Pounds 8O 8O

according to this converter http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Click to expand...

yepp thats why we never buy stuff from the UK :p
 
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cryptonx

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ok after a DEEEEEP search thru the markets here , my offerings are :


MSI Geforce 7600GS - 256 DDR2 - Silent - ( Brother in arms bundle )
thats $122 (here) .

XFX Geforce 7300GT 256 DDR2 , that's $114 , POINTLESS !!

Gigabyte Geforce 7600GS - 256 DDR2 Silent ( Serious Sam 2 )
$164 ( dunno why )

Gigabyte Geforce 7600GT - 256 GDDR3 ( CIV4 bundle )
$254 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


some useless X1600s ( not X1650s )
and some other useless 7300GTs ( no GDDR3 tho )

there is however
a GALAXY 7600GS With ZALMAN cooling for $135
I am not sure about it ,any info ?

and it has +100 on both gpu / memory clocks
 
J

jonkc

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76GT is a good choice, but tbh isnt a huge upgrade over a 6600GT
Click to expand...

NOT big? in 3dmarks you go from 3500 to 6000, wich i call a big upgrade

I would have to agree that the 76 is a BIG upgrade to the 66gt...
According to the VGA charts using HL2 @ 1024x768 with 32 bit 4xAA 8xAF the 66GT got 40fps and the 76GT got 72 fps which is almost double the fps...

This makes me especially happy cause I just bought a 7600gt :)

JonC
 
melarcky

melarcky

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First of all , thanks for all of your FAST replies :)

Let me clear a few things out

First I own the Vanila 6600 AGP 128 DDR , not the 6600GT, so a 7300GT is a HUGE step for a 6600 :p

anyways excuse me for not brining my system specs here ,

Athlon 64 3000+ ( running at 2.2 ghz )
MSI Neo3-F ( Nforce 4X chipset ( Agp + PCI-E ) )
2x 512 Kingston Rams ( forgot the timings , but they were not sexy :p )
2x80 Segate Barracuda 7200.7 RPM ATA disks
XFX Geforce 6600 128DDR AGP8X ( oced 478 / 600 )
Lite-ON 16 DVD-RW Drive
Samsung Synmacster 17" Perfect flat monitor

I know my system is not exactly a Good one , but since this new MOBO crippled my AGP card , I at least want to enjoy my games as they were , so getting a PCI-E card is the way to go for me , and a cheap one cuz the whole system wont last another year I see , with all these dual cores babes arround me .

So basicly I am stuck with the 7600gs according to you guys , but if I saved a bit I could get the 7600GT ... well the only 7600GT I can get , is a 256 DDR2 one from Gigabyte , priced at $210 .. I shall search for more results

I might be able to buy a 7600gt but on installments .. not cash ( some companies do that here but they add 3.25% intrest per month )

Thanks again , waiting for more info..
Click to expand...

OK you have 2 - 3 options. Either the GF7300GT DDR3 which is pretty much a GF7600GS. And I have heard over Clocks well because of its GDDR3 memory.
(STAY AWAY FROM THE DDR2 models. they are equal to you GF6600 which , wouldn't be an upgrade at all).Also their is the GF7600GS which is a good card and would be a nice upgrade from your card.
Also the GF7600GT has been found in a lot of places being really cheap. And it is a great card.
Has anyone thought about the ATI 800GTO I have seen them for around $100.
Further more 3D MARK scores SUCK.. I don't even look at them anymore... After I saw the ATI x1300pro get a higher score then a GF6800ultra...(which we all know is such BS!)
 
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cryptonx

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Thanks again fellas

The only GDDR3 7300GT here is the GALAXY one with ZALMAN COOLING
but it costs more than a 7600GS , if a 7300GT equals a 7600gs and beats it when OCED , then getting an EQUALY priced 7600GS and OCing it will sure beat the 7300GT , right ?

I've seen the MSI one I am looking at oced 100+ cpu and 125+ memory with no extra stuff .

which makes it cool , since my current Vanila 6600 128AGP stocks at 300gpu/500mem , I've oced it go 475cpu/625mem ( thats the maximum it goes without artifcatcs )

but the gfx card reaches degrees of 75 to 85 C ( not F )

I guess I will go for the MSI 7600GS for now , I will keep you guys updated , Thanks again
 
pauldh

pauldh

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cryptonx

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Yeah thanks for the links

I checked with the GALAXY dealer here again , the Zalman 7300Gt is out of stock

only the ZALMAN 7600GS is there !! according to the site u gave me , its merely 2% to 9% slower than a Reference 7600GT in all tests :D without even OCing it , comes with 2 Bios and A Silent Zalman Cooling Fan .

Its for $228 , the Gigabyte Reference 7600GT 256 GDDR3 is for $254

so the prices .... well they don't differ much ...
 
purdueguy

purdueguy

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You've listed only nVidia offerings. Are you able to get anything from ATI? Do you know if the X850Pro is available to you?

It's only SM2 compared to SM3 for the cards you are looking at but it's faster card.
 
C

cryptonx

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You've listed only nVidia offerings. Are you able to get anything from ATI? Do you know if the X850Pro is available to you?

It's only SM2 compared to SM3 for the cards you are looking at but it's faster card.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply ,

Well Like I mentioned I am not really following ATi news and products , the only time I was intrested in an ATi card , was when I was buying my 3rd PC , A Pentium 3 1.0 GHZ system , 4 or 5 years ago , The only graphics cards available then were RIVA TNTS and ATi Rage series here , until I saw a advertisement in the PAPERS about the all new ATi Radeon 64 , it was called just that :D , and it was for about $210 , a friend of mine got one Instantly to his newly P4 1.7 ( was the fastest back then :p ) but he gradualy hate it , as it give him hell in drivers issues ... textuers errors and alot of troubles . Anyways I was off when I saw the Geforce 2MX 32SDR , was the first MX to reach my country and in fact was the first GEFORCE ever I've seen , for $100 back then it was like a dream come true , I never REGRET getting this card , it was a bang for its bucks and I really enjoyed my gaming at least 2 years ahead .

Back to the point , ATis offering here are very weak , especialy in the mid-range/high end market .. all of the popular Offerings are OLD MID RANGED CARDS ( X600 - X700s ) and new Low End ones , X1300 and X1600 .

but If I remember correctly and THG VGA chart is also proving this , that my VANILA 6600 is not very much different than a x600 - x700 , in fact its faster than an X600 in hl2 , slower by a small margain from the X700 .

same story with the X1600 , X1600 pro , discluding the 1600XT series .
the 7600GS is almost faster than all of these , even the X1650 and is close to the X800 GTO.

anyways , a Fast look at the market , ( no prices tho ) these are my ATi options :

Usual finds (ALOT ALOT of them in stock ) :

ATi Radeon X1300
ATi Radeon X1600
ATi Radeon X600
ATi Radeon X300
ATi Radeon 9800
ATi Radeon 9600

and alot of cheap stuff :
ATi Radeon 9200
ATi Radeon 9000
ATi Radeon 9250

some RARE wierd STUFF :

ATi X700 512 DDR2
ATi X850 256 GDDR3

these are the only ATi cards available here , And I am not sure about their pricing , I thought I should ask you ppl first about them .

from my humble knowledge of GFX cards ... Nvidia always seems to win the MID RANGE segment , these years with the 7600GS/7600GT , past years with the 6600GT , and at low end segments , Nvidia cards are cheaper and close or better than the ATi offerings , as for high end ones , I am not really sure and I don't really care since I can't possibly spend more than $175 on a GFX card , No I am not that gamer ! especially noting that I am only using a 17" Flat Samsung Syncmaster CRT . :)

if u happen to know a card for AT MOST $175 our market price , ( That's almost $120 to you ) and better than a 7600GS - 7300GT GDDR3 , from even MATROX :p lol ,, plz let me know !!
 
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