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View Full Version : $200 to spend, what card?

ps2cho
11-13-05, 04:16 PM
Ok my dad wants to upgrade from his old GeForce 3 Ti 200 so he can play DOD:Source and such games...

He has assigned me to the job and says $200 is his max.

Now. I was looking on newegg and i found two contenders.

eVGA 6800nu 128mb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130202
$184

Saphire X800GT 256mb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102618
$174

Any other suggestions?
I'm heading towards the x800GT...as its $10 cheaper and has the 256mb...But i know the 6800nu is a good card too.
Can the 6800nu be flashed to unlock pipelines or anything?
I dont think anything can be done to the x800GT

Thanks, ps2cho
Vio1
11-13-05, 04:19 PM
you could find better cards on ebay. I dont know why so many people buy there videocards new... there are a lot of great deals to be found on ebay. (ha, i sound like an ebay spokes person... im not).
ps2cho
11-13-05, 04:20 PM
Thats my plan. First find the card then scowl ebay to get the best deal. I just want to determine which card first.
bLack0ut
11-13-05, 04:24 PM
6800gs, pitch in 10 bucks of your own
Sjaak
11-13-05, 04:26 PM
The x800 has alot of oc potential, im very content with mine.

- wait..it's the GT version, not sure about those.
jonspd
11-13-05, 04:27 PM
I would have to say go with the evga as thats what I'am using ATM.
b1029384756
11-13-05, 04:30 PM
6800gs is PCIe only. If he's upgrading from a GF3, he's got AGP. Your best bet would be X800XL or X850Pro. Both are available on eBay for less than $200. If you look hard enough, you might also find 6800GT for under $200 on eBay.
bLack0ut
11-13-05, 04:34 PM
ehh my bad, x800xl would be good :(

frankly, why not get a 6600gt and spend the other money on other parts of the computer? that way the vid card won't have a bottleneck
Scott9027
11-13-05, 04:35 PM
I would get the 6800nu. On eBay you should be able to get it very cheap.
IWasHungry
11-13-05, 04:40 PM
Well if you're willing, you could get a X800PRO VIVO and flash it to X800XT.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=312063
MRD
11-13-05, 04:51 PM
I know he runs linux a lot, as he posts in the alt os forums. That should rule out ATI for him, as nvidia just destroys ati in linux. The drivers are just much better, as well as easier to use.

I'd go with the 6600GT probably for under 200. Maybe the 6800, but I don't think the performance difference is enough to merit the increased cost.

If you can go $275 or so, the 6800GT is a nice bump in performance.
trendx
11-13-05, 05:29 PM
Id go with the 6800nu, it will run games like DOD:S perfectly considering the rest of your system is decent. Also you will have that great newegg service just incase anything goes wrong. I wouldnt go with ebay, unless they have ALOT of positive feedback.
MRD
11-13-05, 06:38 PM
The problem with ebay is that most modern hardware really isn't much cheaper than it is on newegg or zzf. The 6800 GT's I saw were over $300, and ZZF has one for $275. If you want old hardware, you can get great deals. I got a k6-2 motherboard for $4. However, that doesn't help much with half life or far cry. =p
ps2cho
11-13-05, 10:48 PM
I got a k6-2 motherboard for $4. However, that doesn't help much with half life or far cry. =p

It wont with that attitude!

Ok I'll keep my eyes out for good deals. I saw a 6800GT going for $225 but he wouldnt bid within the last 5mins cos he didnt want to pay that much.

How does the x800XL compare to the x800GT?
b1029384756
11-14-05, 05:20 AM
X800GT is 8 pipes, 470MHz core/495MHz memory.
X800XL is 16 pipes, 400MHz core/500MHz memory.

The XL is almost twice as fast at the GT. ATI uses the term "GT" to refer to low-performance, and trying to take advantage of the way most people would misconceive it after being familiar with the 6800GT.
Sjaak
11-14-05, 05:49 AM
The XL is almost twice as fast at the GT. ATI uses the term "GT" to refer to low-performance, and trying to take advantage of the way most people would misconceive it after being familiar with the 6800GT.


Ah, i wasn't totlaly aware of that. So an overclocked x800pro spanks the GT no matter what. Good, go with the pro ;)
IWasHungry
11-14-05, 05:22 PM
The XL is almost twice as fast at the GT. ATI uses the term "GT" to refer to low-performance, and trying to take advantage of the way most people would misconceive it after being familiar with the 6800GT.
Not really. ATI and NVidia just don't seem to agree on anything.

GT means mid-range for Nvidia, low-range for ATI.
XT means high-range for ATI, low-range for NVidia.
b1029384756
11-14-05, 10:48 PM
In this case, though, it seems as if ATI is trying to mislead consumers a bit with the naming of the X800GT. Of course I have no proof but that's how it seems to me. X800GT was actually designed to be a competitor to the 6600GT, but ATI's name seems to imply that it's a faster card (particularly use of the X800 name), when X700-something would probably have been more appropriate. But again, of course I have no way to really know for certain what their marketing intentions were when naming the product.