If you had $800 to get a video card

psycho_klown66psycho_klown66 New
edited November 2005 in Hardware
If you had $800 to get a video card AND you had to get a new motherboard and CPU... what would you get?

The $800 is allocated only for the video card. The motherboard and CPU is NOT part of the $800.

This will be used as a pure gaming computer. Currently playing WoW, and will be playing Elder Scroll IV (which will be a huge game!)

Thanks!

Comments

  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    First of all, what Display do you use?
    I will contribute with suggestions, but the display is of importance.
  • psycho_klown66psycho_klown66 New
    edited November 2005
    MackanzOCZ wrote:
    First of all, what Display do you use?
    I will contribute with suggestions, but the display is of importance.

    As in Monitor or screen resolution?

    For the monitor, it's an older Viewsonic 19" CRT monitor.
    Screen resolution is 1152x864
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    In that case, 1600X1200 is probably the most you can get out of the monitor.
    If you had a monitor that couldn't be set higher than 1280X1024, any cards better/more expensive than a X850 PE would be a waste of money.

    If i had $800 for videocards solely for gaming, i would choose 2X7800 GTX 256 (they cost $450 now, but will drop to 400 in a few weeks). Put those on a mainboard that have space betweeen the slots and use a good aftermarket cooler on both.

    I have had 2 7800 GTX 512 for a while now and the gaming power is absolutely incredible. But these costs way to much and i wouldn't recommend it unless you have a load of money.
  • psycho_klown66psycho_klown66 New
    edited November 2005
    I'm also leaning towards the Dual 7800 GTX and Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 motherboard.

    Which 7800 GTX manufacturer do you recommend?
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    I would choose the one with the best stock cooler at the best price on either the Asus A8N-SLI Premium or the new Asus A8N32 SLI Deluxe.
    If you are in Europe, POV makes one of the better and less expensive cards. The shop i work for have sold at least 800 of the 7800 Gt's and we haven't had a single card back yet.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    I would go to EVGA and get 2 7800GT's and get the free mobo's with them... keep one and sell the other on ebay for $70.00 and take that cash and get a better cpu!

    EVGA probablly has some of the best 7800 series cards around! and with a lifetime quarentee!
    MackanzOCZ wrote:
    I have had 2 7800 GTX 512 for a while now and the gaming power is absolutely incredible. But these costs way to much and i wouldn't recommend it unless you have a load of money.

    May I ask how long? As Nvidia only started to mass produce them 2 months ago and retailers got them 3 weeks ago! so unless you work for Nvidia, I would say awhile now isn't the statement to use :)
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    A while means a given time and for pc hardware, it's pretty short. In other words, it's none of your business :D
    Nvidia started mass-producing the cards in late may actually so they have been in the "channel" for a while. Nvidias NDA is pretty tight though.

    2 GT's performs very close to the same as one GTX 512 so i would not advice on 2 gt's today. However, they will be a great buy when they drop to sub-$250. They will do so in a short time cause Nvidia will have a load of cores that can't do the GTX specs. Huge piles of cores is the most expensive part in the industry. Both for cpu's and for gpu's. The rather re-program them and sell at half the cost rather than pile them. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 7800GS shortly with 12 pipes and GTX clocks. That would be their next $199 card for sure.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    you know the 7800GT is still a very high end card to what most people buy these days! and out perform the new X1800XL is most things. Not everyone can drop $699 every 6 months on the latest and greatest!

    I have 3 SLI setups now! all EVGA Cards!

    6800GT in SLI
    7800GT's in SLI
    7800GTX's in SLI

    performance on all 3 are plain out freaking awesome! I would buy anyone of the cards out of any of the series again!

    I do have a 7800GTX 512 in my office, but have not had the time to play with it yet! thanks to my buddies at Nvidia! cost = nothing :)
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    If you haven't noticed, the OP of this thread have $800 exclusively for videocard(s) and i believe that funds isn't the bottleneck.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    you know the 7800GT is still a very high end card to what most people buy these days
    No kidding. The 9800 would be a high end card for me!
  • psycho_klown66psycho_klown66 New
    edited November 2005
    MackanzOCZ wrote:
    If you haven't noticed, the OP of this thread have $800 exclusively for videocard(s) and i believe that funds isn't the bottleneck.

    Funds is definately not a bottleneck. I threw out $800 but could easily spend $1500 (which I think would be overkill). :D
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    I under stand that but 2 7800GT's are arounf $700.00

    my 7800GT's scored 13,400+ in 3dmark 05 no 7800GTX 512 can get that score!
  • psycho_klown66psycho_klown66 New
    edited November 2005
    I'm now debating between:

    Dual 7800 GTs

    or

    Single 7800 GTX 512 (and get a second if needed later)

    and between EVGA and BFG
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    Well if I were you I would stick with a Good old dual 7800GT's........ as Nvidia will start to mention hints about the next Card in about 6 to 7 months! and with that in mind, no games that are rolling out in the next year will ever take those 7800GT's down! sure a 7800GTX 512 is a great card, but with how often they are releasing cards, it will be outdated in due time :)

    But I can't lie the factor of new cards rolling out every year will never stop me form buying the newest one on the market....
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    Sledgehammer,

    Do you have a comparelink to that 13.400 score?
    The reason i ask is that there are 8 scores above 13.400 with 7800 GT's between 2 ghz and 3.5 ghz.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    It came earlier than i expected:

    http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2616&p=1

    16 pipes and lower clocks is the opposite to what i thought; less pipes and higher clocks. Still the same pcb, memory and same core as the GTX. This also means that Nvidia have great control over the pipelines and that they are of good quality. Anandtech thinks that this card will land at over $300 which i think is a little high. I guessed sub $200, but i think i have to change that to $249. At any rate, the people with up to 19 inch LCD have a great card here as it clearly have problems showing playable framerates at 1600X1200 with the bells and wistles on. If this can be used in SLI and is willing to clock, this is a clear winner in the valuerange.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    What do you mean Compare link? my 7800GT's vs a 7800GTX 512? Im going by the scores I got with my setups not by people who do there setups and we have to try to belive what they are saying! I have always gone by the performance I have seen and have created! most of my computer builds get scores much higher than what we see online!
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    That's allright but i find it strange that you do not upload the results on the orb since you clearly must have one of the fastest 7800GT's in 3D05. 13400 is a VERY good score.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    The reason it is not posted is because I don't have the full version, it is the trial! :( I spent all my money on the cards so I can't afford to buy a beching program! and I only bench my systems to see how well I built them :)
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited November 2005
    psycho_klown66, just a thought but you may want to put some of that money into a new display. I plan on going dual LCD projectors (big "screen" AND high rez) within 6 years.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2005
    Sledgehammer70 wrote:
    The reason it is not posted is because I don't have the full version, it is the trial! :( I spent all my money on the cards so I can't afford to buy a beching program! and I only bench my systems to see how well I built them :)

    All 3dmark benchmarks are freeware you know ;)
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