7800GS 256mb 256bit Vs. X850pro 256mb 256bit - upgrade

[BlackhawkOKARNG]

I am glad this site still rocks! Ok I have been out of the loop for over a year as far as new technology for pc, but here is what i built in 2004:

mobo: p4c800-e
cpu: p4 3.2ghz 1mb L2 w/Thermaltake Big Typhoon 120mm fan
ram: 768mb ddr400
hd: 160gb SATA
video: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb 256bit
psu: Antec 380w - True380s
case is antec mid-atx w/120mm rear fan only - side door always off

So what i do know is that my RAM should be upgraded to at least 1g, so I am buying 1: G.SKILL 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 cause this thing is cheap. Also my power supply might not pack the punch, so I hope to limit the amount of crap runnin on my mobo i.e. no extra pci cards and just the 120mm rear fan and 120mm cpu fan. btw that big typhoon is amazing, started out with a spark7+ that woke up the neighbors- this typhoon is just ambient noise and keeps my 3.2g under 50C gaming BF2.

Here is my question: will I be able to pull off running the eVGA GeForce 7800GS 256mb 256bit video card? Would I notice enough boost in performance to justify the $400+ if I need new psu?

If I can't run it with a 380w psu, would the Radeon X850PRO 256mb 256bit that I know i can run on 380w have a considerable boost in performance over my 9800pro?

I should also mention that I plan to buy whatever dell's best machine is a couple years from now, so I want to be able to play all new games w/ at least medium settings, but not waste over $500 on this old-tech pc.

Thanks in advance!

 

[apache_lives]

I am glad this site still rocks! Ok I have been out of the loop for over a year as far as new technology for pc, but here is what i built in 2004:

mobo: p4c800-e
cpu: p4 3.2ghz 2mb L2 w/Thermaltake Big Typhoon 120mm fan
ram: 768mb ddr400
hd: 160gb SATA
video: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb 256bit
psu: Antec 380w
case is antec mid-atx w/120mm rear fan only - side door always off

So what i do know is that my RAM should be upgraded to at least 1g, so I am buying 1: G.SKILL 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 cause this thing is cheap. Also my power supply might not pack the punch, so I hope to limit the amount of crap runnin on my mobo i.e. no extra pci cards and just the 120mm rear fan and 120mm cpu fan. btw that big typhoon is amazing, started out with a spark7+ that woke up the neighbors- this typhoon is just ambient noise and keeps my 3.2g under 50C gaming BF2.

Here is my question: will I be able to pull off running the eVGA GeForce 7800GS 256mb 256bit video card? Would I notice enough boost in performance to justify the $400+ if I need new psu?

If I can't run it with a 380w psu, would the Radeon X850PRO 256mb 256bit that I know i can run on 380w have a considerable boost in performance over my 9800pro?

I should also mention that I plan to buy whatever dell's best machine is a couple years from now, so I want to be able to play all new games w/ at least medium settings, but not waste over $500 on this old-tech pc.

Thanks in advance!

first, P4C800-e is a socket 478 motherboard, and no 2mb cache cpus came out for that socket bar the ee

second, 768mb of ram - get dual channel and get the performance boost with it, get matching sticks of ram for your system - 1gb minimum

third, overclock the cpu and see some benifits of a faster system (prescott cores with good cooling will see ~4ghz, i got a 3ghz to get to 3.66 on stock cooling )

fourth, the 9800 pro has 8 pipelines, the 7800 will have 20+ (hang on, how many does the GS have anyone?) so thats an instant performance hit, your power supply should cope fine with it aslong as it IS an antec.

 

[prozac26]

I wouldn't get either with less than 1gb of RAM. This upgrade is basically a must if you want better gaming.

Now, the 7800GS is better, but the price might be too high. You won't need a new PSU for it, your PSU will handle it.

If you're paying almost $300 for the card, it is not worth it. Too much to spend on AGP.

X850Pro will be very big boost over a 9800Pro also. This would be my choice, because of the price.