upgrading from GeForce 5900

[lomas]

I currently have a the following specs.

Asus K8V SE Deluxe MB.
Athlon64 3400
1GB of RAM
GeForce FX5900 <--- looking to upgrade

I'm currently looking at a new video card. Seems I've been in the dark for sometime now. lol. When I checked sites I noticed 512mb cards are selling less than 256mb cards when checking out Nvidia and ATI cards. Guess there is much more to look at than just the memory size.

In regards to the Radeon X1950 for example, I see who cards here. Just curious what's the difference. One is X1950 Pro XGE with 256mb of RAM for $299.00. The other is X1950 with 512MB of ram for $249.00. One says XGE and other is not. When checking both, I can't really see the difference. Below is their description.

VisionTek RADEON X1950 PRO XGE 256MB GDDR3 AGP Graphics Card
$299.00 - from Bestbuy.com

Sapphire Radeon X1950 PRO 512MB AGP 8x Video Card w/Dual-DVI & HDTV-Out Retail ***Free Shipping***
$249.99 - from zipzoomfly.com

Right now, I only play World of Warcraft. I'm planning on switching to the expansion come January 2007. I don't really play any other games and want to find a good card that will keep me going until end of 2007, and possibly into beginning 2008 when I plan to upgrade to a new system. For now, I just want to stick with AGP.

I'm in California, so we do have many local stores around. I saw the benchmark, but noticed it's not always the same from game to game and would rather see benchmarks with WoW, but I just don't' see any.

Here is what I have available at my local stores.

CompUsa
$299.00 PNY Verto GeForce 7800GS Video Card, 8x AGP, 256MB GDDR3
$299.00 ATI Technologies X1650 PRO Video Card, 8x AGP, 512MB
$199.99 Diamond Multimedia Viper x1600 Pro Video Card, 8x AGP, 512MB DDR2
$179.99 BFG Technologies GeForce 7600 GS OC Video Card, 8x AGP, 512MB DDR2

Best Buy
$299.00 VisionTek - RADEON X1950 PRO Graphics Card AGP 256MB
$249.00 BFG - GeForce 7800 GS OC Graphics Card 256MB
$235.99 VisionTek - RADEON X1600XT XGE Graphics Card 256MB
$199.99 PNY - Verto GeForce 7900 GS Graphics Card 256MB
$199.99 PNY - Verto GeForce 7600 GS Graphics Card 512MB

Fry's Store
$299.99 BFG GF7800 GS OC 256MB AGP Graphics Card
$199.99 ATI Radeon X1600 Pro AGP Graphics Card with 512MB Memory
$179.99 Diamond X1600PRO AGP X1600 PRO / 512MB

 

[kaotao]

If your budget can handle it, I'd wait for the X1950pro to come back in stock at zipzoomfly. $240 is a great deal for that card, and is superior to the 7800GS. IMO the only one worth buying in that price range.

 

[quantumsheep]

If your budget can handle it, I'd wait for the X1950pro to come back in stock at zipzoomfly. $240 is a great deal for that card, and is superior to the 7800GS. IMO the only one worth buying in that price range.

Exactly what i was guna say!

 

[Xazax310]

Have you checked out newegg.com? their store base is in Cali and i buy from there snice being in cali myself, cheap and ships in 2 days! I would by the 7300GT from newegg.com its AGP and will run WoW perfectly and won't cost you 300$.

Seeing as you SOLELY and ONLY play WoW which isn't a graphically demanding game at all a 7300GT AGP for 100$ but 80$ with MIR will suit you just fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145139

 

[Hameedo]

Have you checked out newegg.com? their store base is in Cali and i buy from there snice being in cali myself, cheap and ships in 2 days! I would by the 7300GT from newegg.com its AGP and will run WoW perfectly and won't cost you 300$.

Seeing as you SOLELY and ONLY play WoW which isn't a graphically demanding game at all a 7300GT AGP for 100$ but 80$ with MIR will suit you just fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145139

Exactly !

a 7300GT outperforms 6600GT in most games .. and it can overclock very well .. keep in mind that a 6600GT was the recommended card to play World Of Warcraft in 2004 .. if you want to be in the very safe side .. take the 7600GS .. it's more powerful than both .. and will handle WOW perfectly .

If you only play WOW .. there is no need at all to pay a 300$ for a non DX10 card now .

 

[kaotao]

If he wants it to last him until the end of 2007 to early 2008, he'd be better off getting something more powerful than a 7600GS. Something new is bound to come along in the next few months that he might want to play instead of WoW.

 

[Hameedo]

Seeing that you kept your 3 years old Geforce 5900 just to play WOW ..you'll be safe with a 7600GS till 2008 .. provided that you only Play WOW or it's expansion pack .

otherwise .. if you think you could purchase any other game .. better stick to X1950pro .. it will hold you better in the future .

 

[lomas]

That is correct. The only game I've mainly played for the past two years is WoW. The current guild I'm in, we raid about 4 times a week and I usually do some PVP during the off days. I don't have time for other games. The expansion comes out around 01/16 and I figured it will take at least two months at most to get up to max level, then another 6 months at least to raid the higher level instances. Not so much the game, but the comradeship you have with other members of raiding together.

I used to upgrade a lot during the times we played much of the Diablo and Warcraft games, but once WoW game out, my system upgrades have really slowed down. lol.

The reason for just an upgrade with video card, is to later upgrade my monitor from 19inch to 24inch wide screen. I play WoW at 1600x1200 and all settings at medium to high, but AA turned off. On my Notebook, when not playing on my Desktop, I have that at 1920x1200 with all settings maxed, except for AA and love the graphics. I would love to have all graphics maxed, with AA turned on at 1920x1200 for WoW as that's the only game. If GeForce 7600GS can do that, I would be happy, and get my 24in. Monitor. Just don't know if it's very noticeable between the 1950 and 7600GS on WoW. Don't want complete overkill; because I want something to keep me going until end of 2007.

 

[Xazax310]

Hmm since you game at such high resolutions you do need a powerful card. I then suggest the 7800GS for 205$ at newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

That will run the resolutions you demand and do it on high settings with AA.
Other suggest the x1950 AGP i would to but right now its too pricey and hard to find only bestbuy hold em and its 300$ whereas 7800GS is only 200$ and performs the same.

Too much? like others said you can go for the 7600GS AGP but seeing as for only 70$ more you can get a way more powerful card i don't recommend it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130076

 

[almerac]

for the resolutions you want, a 7600GS (with no AA) might work.... a 7600GT will almost certainly handle it. most 7800GS's are not worth it, and that one he linked to is $240, (never count on rebates when buying parts), only get a 7800GS if you can find it below $200USD. otherwise the 7600GS is almost as powerful, and a 7600GT will beat it hands down (think of it as a 6800XT). a X1950 pro would defiantly handle anything WOW has, AA or not. if anything i would recommend the GT first, then the X1950 pro.

 

[Xazax310]

They do have at newegg the XFX 7600GT AGP heres the link but seeing as its 190$ the 7800GS is the better buy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150210

 

[almerac]

They do have at newegg the XFX 7600GT AGP heres the link but seeing as its 190$ the 7800GS is the better buy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150210

no its not, sry if my last post was confusing (i didn't mean it to be) but the 7800GS gets BEAT by a 7600Gt, the 7600GT is the better of the two cards. the fact that the 7800GS costs more then the 7600GT and is worse then it, does mean something. it means that unless you can get a 7800GS for CHEAPER then a 7600GT it is not worth the money.

what i meant with the 6800XT comparison is that the 7800GS is like the 6800XT, it is overpriced, and does not perform as well as the name would indicate. honestly the two fastest AGP cards on the market are the X1950Pro, and the gainward 7800GS+ (actually what it is is a 7900GT, with some of the pipelines disabled, and with and a PCIe to AGP chip, normal 7800GS's are crippled 7800GT's) in that order, however the 7800GS+ is not sold in America, (it is in Europe, and even then its hard to find). so that leaves the 7600GT, which is defiantly more powerful then a normal 7800GS

and again never count on rebates, you may never get them, or you may get them in the form of credit with that company.

 

[Mach5Motorsport]

They do have at newegg the XFX 7600GT AGP heres the link but seeing as its 190$ the 7800GS is the better buy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150210

no its not, sry if my last post was confusing (i didn't mean it to be) but the 7800GS gets BEAT by a 7600Gt, the 7600GT is the better of the two cards. the fact that the 7800GS costs more then the 7600GT and is worse then it, does mean something. it means that unless you can get a 7800GS for CHEAPER then a 7600GT it is not worth the money.

what i meant with the 6800XT comparison is that the 7800GS is like the 6800XT, it is overpriced, and does not perform as well as the name would indicate. honestly the two fastest AGP cards on the market are the X1950Pro, and the gainward 7800GS+ (actually what it is is a 7900GT, with some of the pipelines disabled, and with and a PCIe to AGP chip, normal 7800GS's are crippled 7800GT's) in that order, however the 7800GS+ is not sold in America, (it is in Europe, and even then its hard to find). so that leaves the 7600GT, which is defiantly more powerful then a normal 7800GS

and again never count on rebates, you may never get them, or you may get them in the form of credit with that company.

The 7600GT will have better numbers in some games when comparing stock speeds. The 7800GS will overclock far better than a 7600GT, thus it is overall a faster card for all situations if you are willing to spend the extra cash.

btw, if a card is not available or almost impossible to find in stock, then it is hardly worth mentioning to consumers. You can't buy/play games using "phantom" cards.

 

[cleeve]

a 7800GS performs the same as x1950Pro ??

Gainward makes a 7800 GS that is actually a 20-pipe 7900 GS. That has a chance of meeting the X1950 PRO, but you can't get it in North America. (they even used to make a 24-pipe 7800 GS based on the 7900 GT)

Gainward's 7800 GS is overly expensive, however.

But as far as every other manufacturer's 7800 GS, the X1950 PRO will always humiliate them.

 

[Mach5Motorsport]

a 7800GS performs the same as x1950Pro ?? you forgot about shaders I think you think a lowly7800 would perform the same in oblivion or other shader heavy games ?? its not likely even able to touch the minimum fps of a x1950 at resolutions of 1600 and up. Look futureproof not Nvidia profit margins

Where did I mention the x1950Pro? READ I was discussing the 7600GT and 7800GS. sheesh :? A "lowly" 7800??? wtf? What does that make a 7600GS then? gah, Your off topic rant not withstanding. And where are those X1950Pro AGP benchies, btw?

 

[cleeve]

And where are those X1950Pro AGP benchies, btw?

THEY'RE COMING! I have alot of work on my plate this time of year...

 

[almerac]

woah hold on, this doesnt need to turn into a flame war. here i got benchies so that this can be settled.

the 7800GS is not really a 7900GS, they are actually two different cores, and not clocked the same. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_7_Series#GeForce_7800_GS_AGP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_7_Series#GeForce_7900_GS

the 7900GS is faster on all stock speeds, and has more pipelines.

the gainward GS+ is essentially a 7900GT, in its entirety with an AGP slot interface.


here is the gainward GS+ vs the X1950pro

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=543&model2=607&chart=199
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=543&model2=607&chart=206
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=543&model2=607&chart=214

the 7800GS is not lowly, it is simple not worth the money for one (unless you get one that overclocks well) i personally have never made it a matter of habit to pick cards for solely on overclocking ability, otherwise i would get cards like 7300's and X1300's.

 

[lomas]

Eating popcorn

 

[Mach5Motorsport]

woah hold on, this doesnt need to turn into a flame war. here i got benchies so that this can be settled.

the 7800GS is not really a 7900GS, they are actually two different cores, and not clocked the same. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_7_Series#GeForce_7800_GS_AGP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_7_Series#GeForce_7900_GS

the 7900GS is faster on all stock speeds, and has more pipelines.

the gainward GS+ is essentially a 7900GT, in its entirety with an AGP slot interface.


here is the gainward GS+ vs the X1950pro

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=543&model2=607&chart=199
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=543&model2=607&chart=206
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=543&model2=607&chart=214

the 7800GS is not lowly, it is simple not worth the money for one (unless you get one that overclocks well) i personally have never made it a matter of habit to pick cards for solely on overclocking ability, otherwise i would get cards like 7300's and X1300's.

Hey, that's great. I'm not on those brave souls who have toiled away in their labs to provide bench numbers. I just don't like lazy posters who spout off and don't read carefully.

In this day and age, ANY card over $200 can be considered "not worth" the money. (Arguing about the x1950 and 7800GS differences of say 5 to 10fps onthe test resolutions and games not really that significant to the naked eye, imo. Both are extremely playable.

 

[lomas]

Well, for $249.99 I couldn't pass it up and ordered Sapphire Radeon X1950 PRO 512MB last night from http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=326860

Really looking forward to this upgrade.

 

[cleeve]

the gainward GS+ is essentially a 7900GT, in its entirety with an AGP slot interface.

the old 7800+ BLISS was. The new Gainward Golden sample is 20 pipelines.

I've been talking to Gainward, they told me the old BLISS is an 'end of life' product when I asked for a 24-pipe BLISS for testing...

The new Golden Sample 7800 GS is 20 pipes, even says so on their site. Haven't seen the sample yet but I'll be surprised if it's not a 7900 GS core.

 

[almerac]

that wouldn't surprise me to much either. forgive me if i came on a bit strong, i just don't think any 7800GS is worth the money, if for no other reason then faster cheaper products have come out, and the fact that those that are good are hard to find, the GS+ for example.

as for "phantom products"(directed towards mach5motersport), he did not state where he was from, so in all reality i could not be certain that he was from the US, (people from all over the world post here), thus why i noted the gainword, which admittedly i am not very familiar with. (probably because i can not buy it where i live, and no longer have needs for AGP parts)

as for a mere "5FPS difference", 5FPS is alot when your hovering around 25FPS. (even if it was a small difference like 110 vs 115, if the latter was consistently above the former then it is the better product) but this is all mute and just begging to get flamed since he already bought a card. :lol:

 

[pauldh]

And where are those X1950Pro AGP benchies, btw

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/powercolor_radeon_x1950_pro_agp_review/page10.asp

 

[lomas]

The Sapphire Radeon X1950 PRO arrived today and must say it's AWESOME! I have everything maxed out on the settings and it runs pretty smooth. Heck, I see effects in WoW I never seen before

 

[Xazax310]

Congrads mate i hope your happy! does it do the resolutions u want?