View Full Version : $340.00... Hmm .. what to do
A buddy want's an upgrade and has $500.00 to spend. He needs a new psu and PCI-e mobo and a kickin vid card for that money.
I'm suggesting a 500w fortron (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934)
and a roughly $80.00 mobo like an Abit with PCI-e
He then has roughly $340.00 to spend on a vid card. I'm wondering if the 512 x1800xt's are any decent, or if you guys suggest someting else for that dough.
pookyman
04-05-06, 10:55 PM
if you're looking at x1800xt, then look at the 7900 gt's as well, since the gt's seem to be beating the 1800's in many benches.
blitzkrieg1110
04-06-06, 05:24 AM
You can check out this thread: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=451460 for more info between a 7900gt and an x1800xt.
Of course ATI is better.. but the people on this forum try to stay unbiased since it's general gpu. ;)
chevro1et
04-06-06, 02:46 PM
Of course ATI is better.. but the people on this forum try to stay unbiased since it's general gpu. ;)
Lets not start playing with fire here....
LOL... let the flames BURN!!!!
actually, don't.
So those 2 seem to be the only suggestions in that price range?
What about going 2x 6600's in sli? Or some other cheapo cards in sli/crossfire?
He has decided to knock his pricing to $450.00 now, would the 850xt be suggested?
Of course ATI is better.. but the people on this forum try to stay unbiased since it's general gpu. ;)
Please.... I've owned ATI for over a year now, and the ENTIRE year before that I was doing the nvidias from the 6600gt to 6800gt to ultra and beyond.
I now have an x1900xtx and a 7900gtx on the way...
It always depends on the game you play, your monitor, and what filtering settings you expect.
LOL... let the flames BURN!!!!
actually, don't.
So those 2 seem to be the only suggestions in that price range?
What about going 2x 6600's in sli? Or some other cheapo cards in sli/crossfire?
He has decided to knock his pricing to $450.00 now, would the 850xt be suggested?
100% NO on the 2x6600s in SLI. It's a waste of money. You're better off getting a high-end card for the money.
As for his price being $450... why would you then say x850xt? That's a downgrade from the initial x1800xt you were referring to... the x850xt is def worth the $$ (at around $170 now).
For $450... get the X1900XT. If he's willing to go to $500, get a 7900gtx or an x1900xtx... don't listen to ANYONE who says one is better than another b/c I've read up... one beats the crap outa the other depending on the game. find out what gaming he will be doing, and then come back and tell us.
Also, someone mentioned the 7900gt in comparison to the x1800xt... I agree... look into that b/c also for that it depends on the game.
$315-$345 range - decide between x1800xt and 7900gt
$440-500 range - decide between x1900xt(x) and 7900gtx
$450.00 for the entire buy. Mobo, psu and vid card. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that.
I think an 1800xt may fit into that budget as well, but not sure if I want him to go that route.
He's upgrading from a 9800 xt 256 btw. He wants to go pci-e for future's sake and would like to see some performance gain with this upgrade.
As for gaming, he currently plays guild wars, CS:S,far cry, battlefield2, call of duty 2, and will be going with doom when it comes out. He pretty much plays it if it's on the market. He's got a decent new Viewsonic 19" CRT to play on.
$450.00 for the entire buy. Mobo, psu and vid card. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that.
I think an 1800xt may fit into that budget as well, but not sure if I want him to go that route.
He's upgrading from a 9800 xt 256 btw. He wants to go pci-e for future's sake and would like to see some performance gain with this upgrade.
As for gaming, he currently plays guild wars, CS:S,far cry, battlefield2, call of duty 2, and will be going with doom when it comes out. He pretty much plays it if it's on the market. He's got a decent new Viewsonic 19" CRT to play on.
Okay first thing's first...
If he's going with an X850XT, you may not have to go nuts on the PSU. Also, if you don't go nuts on the PSU, then when the vid card is upgraded in the future, he may need to.
Now, for Source, I think my X850XT ran it rather NICELY... I had filtering at like 2x/4x and it handled it no problems at my insane 1920x1200 resolution. If he's running a 19" CRT at 1280x1024, he may just be fine with the X850XT... I mean, it's HALF the price of the X1800XT/7900GT.
As for 'doom when it comes out'... what you mean? It's already out... is there another on the way?
He definitely needs a new psu. His antec 420 has rails all over the place. Figured since he's moving upward in power consumption, and knowing him as I do, thought the Fortron would be a good cost effective solution that would handle his next upgrade .. probably in a month or 2. Its only about $80.00.
As for doom, IDK...lol Whatever the new engine is that will be coming out in the fall or late summer that everyone is raving about. I'm sick and just woke up, so give me a break!!!!!lolol :shrug:
Once again, we are looking at a pci-e board, perhaps the Abit for around $80.00 and the fortron for about the same, trying to keep as much dough for vid as possible. His vid budget will be around 290-300. This (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102007) looks as if it may fit the bill. But not sure if the 256 x1800 will outperform the 850xt enough to justify the price.
HousERaT
04-07-06, 10:34 AM
If I were looking at just a videocard right now this would have my interest.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127180
If I were looking at just a videocard right now this would have my interest.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127180
That's EXACTLY what I was looking at before I opened up my retail x1900xtx... good find for him HR.
yo4444, if you're thinkign about a 256mb card, I would look more closely at the 7900gt to x1800xt 256 comparison.
If yuo're going with the x1800xt, for $30-40 more it may be worth to go with the 512... I would ask around more tho.
The X850XT will definitely hold him off... if he wants a good card for doom and the new doom (from what you say) is really not due for another 4-6 months, then maybe the x850xt is a better choice to 'hold him off'. By that team, he could sell the x850xt for not TOO much of a loss, and could save up even more money for a high-end card. By that time, the X1900 series may be in his ball park, or even a 7900gtx...
Yeah, that 512 was what I was looking at before he dropped his price range. The extra dough just isn't in the budget though, so the card will have to be $300.00 MAX. $290.00 is more like it.
So for the 256 flavor, the 7900 would probably be the best choice? I know the 850xt would easily hold him over, but he wants a decent boost in performance over his 9800 now, and something to hold him over for a while longer might m\be good.
Also, I didn't say new doom. I said I'm tired and sick and can't remember atm what it is that is coming out.
chevro1et
04-07-06, 11:18 AM
Is the 7600gt totally out of the question? Very good performing mid-range card if he is looking for a 'hold-me-over' card that should have decent resale value in 4-6 months...
]-[itman
04-07-06, 11:31 AM
I believe you're thinking of the Unreal3 engine. What I would like to know is, how does your friend feel about noise from the computer and is his case well ventilated?
Yeah, that 512 was what I was looking at before he dropped his price range. The extra dough just isn't in the budget though, so the card will have to be $300.00 MAX. $290.00 is more like it.
So for the 256 flavor, the 7900 would probably be the best choice? I know the 850xt would easily hold him over, but he wants a decent boost in performance over his 9800 now, and something to hold him over for a while longer might m\be good.
Also, I didn't say new doom. I said I'm tired and sick and can't remember atm what it is that is coming out.
I have to be completely honest, man... if he's gonna play Source, he can get the X850XT and still kick major ass... he's on an LCD so I'm sure vsynch will be off... you can kick ass with the x850xt on source if you don't set AA/AF too high.
As I said, at 2x/4x I got decent fps even at 1920x1200... at 1280x1024, he'll be happy.
Go with the x850xt to hold him over... it's a HUGEEEEE JUMP over the 9800pro... guaranteed DOUBLE the performance.
I broke 16K on 3dmark03 with an x850xt with *ease*... 14K should be a guarantee... the 9800pro probably scores 6-8K.
]-[itman
04-07-06, 11:39 AM
I have to be completely honest, man... if he's gonna play Source, he can get the X850XT and still kick major ass... he's on an LCD so I'm sure vsynch will be off... you can kick ass with the x850xt on source if you don't set AA/AF too high.
As I said, at 2x/4x I got decent fps even at 1920x1200... at 1280x1024, he'll be happy.
Go with the x850xt to hold him over... it's a HUGEEEEE JUMP over the 9800pro... guaranteed DOUBLE the performance.
I broke 16K on 3dmark03 with an x850xt with *ease*... 14K should be a guarantee... the 9800pro probably scores 6-8K.
The x850xt is good for now, but if he's looking to play Unreal3 with it, I think he'll be dissappointed. So for some clarification, how long is he looking for this card to hold him over? If you wanted, you could get a 7600GT for $180 and save the extra $100 for the next upgrade. But if he's looking for this card to last a year or more, then I'd suggest stepping up to a better card.
-[itman']I believe you're thinking of the Unreal3 engine. What I would like to know is, how does your friend feel about noise from the computer and is his case well ventilated?
Noise is not an issue and he's got decent airflow. I have his tornado running at low volts, so I can up it if need be.
Source is not all he plays, in fact, it's what he plays least. Mostly COD2, Far Cry, and is looking forward to unreal3 as stated by Hitman. He does want something to last a while, but if he can only afford to "hold over": he will settle. His next upgrade will be a cpu and perhaps more ram, he's got a gig now and a 3200. he will only be doing vid again if absolutely needed.
Also, he's on a CRT.
While folks fight over the video card, I would like to point out that the Fortron is a dual rail PSU and thogh it's a good one it may not be the best choice. If he does get it it's cheaper here (http://www.actbuy.com/details.asp?item=FS17500%2D2%2E0). The 550 watt Sparkle is a bit more but a better choice. Also,the Epox 9NPA is a better overclocking board than the Abit's and it's in the same price range.
OK, now yu can continue the GPU wars.:)
]-[itman
04-07-06, 01:47 PM
While folks fight over the video card, I would like to point out that the Fortron is a dual rail PSU and thogh it's a good one it may not be the best choice. If he does get it it's cheaper here (http://www.actbuy.com/details.asp?item=FS17500%2D2%2E0). The 550 watt Sparkle is a bit more but a better choice. Also,the Epox 9NPA is a better overclocking board than the Abit's and it's in the same price range.
OK, now yu can continue the GPU wars.:)
I'll 2nd that. Zipzoomfly has the 550watt sparkle on sale for $91 right now, just picked it up myself and honestly, I'm lovin it. Huge amperage on the 12v rail and if he ever goes sli/crossfire, large single 12v rails do better than split.
If he's really looking forward to playing Unreal 3 and all the games that use the technology, I'd personally wait until that time to get a video card. Nothing between now and then is really slated to come out that he's going to need more horsepower for and at the very least, the cards we're looking at today should be much cheaper to come by.
Best scenario for him would be a 7900GT situation where the 2nd from the top card at the time performs as good or better than the top of the line card from previous line and costs much less, which is a very good possibility given how far out we are from UT2007.
So, all in all, here's my recommendation. Get a good, cheap card that will hold him over until the end of the year, bank the extra cash, and wait for the performance cards then. I'd say $150 is your max right now. Don't be in a rush, wait around, look for a really good deal, one will come along. If he decides he must have more power now that should play Ut2007 pretty darn well, I'd go with the x1800XT 256mb or 7900GT. I give the nod to the x1800XT, but look at the "I'm torn between..." thread to get more informed.
-[itman']The x850xt is good for now, but if he's looking to play Unreal3 with it, I think he'll be dissappointed. So for some clarification, how long is he looking for this card to hold him over? If you wanted, you could get a 7600GT for $180 and save the extra $100 for the next upgrade. But if he's looking for this card to last a year or more, then I'd suggest stepping up to a better card.
Hmmm... the 7600GT does sound like a good choice to hold over.
I see the 7600GT scoring about the same as the x850xt in 3dmark05.
If you're going with the 7600GT, here is your best choice in my opinion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130283
That's a highly clocked eVGA, which is $170 + ship AR. eVGA definitely eats up the market when it comes to nVidia, with XFX usually keeping up with it as well.
eVGA has a stepup program, so after 90 days (I think that's what it is), your friend can "step-up" to a 7900GT for another $150 or so I believe. you may actually wanna get eVGA just for the sole purpose of the step-up program. If you don't know what it is, visit eVGA and read up on it...
chevro1et
04-07-06, 02:25 PM
7600gt = SM3.0 + HDR supported
x850 <> (NOT) SM3.0 + HDR supported
LOLOL.... :bang head
The friggin ******* just changed up the situation AGAIN!!!
Now, total package is $550.00 with shipping. That leaves room for that 1800xt of the 512 flav, and maybe even that sparkle.. Lemme look and calculate.. brb.
$91.00 with shipping for Sparkle.
$336.00 with shipping for x1800xt 512
leaves $123.00 for mobo with shipping. Thinking of staying cheap and non-sli, especially with the ATI card, but considering an SLI board for future purposes anyway. The ATI can be sold...
Can't get true 32pipe sli for that price though.. perhaps not worth it. Probably go single pci-e and save money for next mobo/cpu upgrade.
Honestly, I don't think I'll ever do SLI... I don't care for an SLI motherboard... especially if you're getting the ATI, don't worry about it. That card will last him, and by the time he does upgrade, he will probably be upgrading his mobo anyway...
Indeed, that is what I am thinking. I'm reading the reviews on the Epox board, they look good. This guys a nooob, so the fact that the Epox is easy and stable is appealing, and If I decide to bump it up a bit for him, the OC's look decent on it.
He's just running a Seagate ATA drive, and doesn't need peripherals of any kind, so I think its a good bet.
Looking between the $79.00 EPoX EP-9NPAJ, the $85.00 EPoX EP-9NPA3ULTRA, and the $94.00 EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra. Don't exactly know the differences/benifits of one over the other.
Ahhh.. nforce4 vs nforce4-ultra, Sata 3gb and firewire. He won't use half of that if any, but better safe than sorry.. the +ultra it is.
beavismorpheus
04-08-06, 08:59 AM
If hes cutting 50 bucks from the budget, take it out of the psu, not the graphics card. i bought a 400w Fortron off newegg for 40 bucks. its the one with a ton of good reviews. It handles my 7800gt.
rather have a 400w PSU and a 7900gt then a 500w psu and a x850
EDIT:
nm, for 550 this sounds nice
ASROCK mobo dual sata 2 $67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081
FPS 400w PSU $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
x1900xt $429
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103008
you wont beat that
Placed the order last night
Got the x1800xt 512
Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra
Sparkle 550
and had a bit of room left for the zalman nb passive cooler and a new tube of as5.. mine is in ny.
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