Just another graphics upgrade

WeedoWeedo New
edited March 2007 in Hardware
I'm lookin at goin from a 6600 GT w/128 to a 7950 GT w/512. It's just time for an upgrade. I don't want to be disappointed but I don't want to spend $500 either. I'm lookin for something that would do justice to MS Flight Simulator X. With the 6600 I have to run low to very low on the grahics to get smooth performance. I don't have any experience with the 7950 GT so I don't know what to expect.

Comments

  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited November 2006
    If you are planning to spend that much money for a graphics card, you might also look at the graphics cards that are using the X1950XT GPU also. The 256 MB versions of that card run at around the same price range as the 7950GT cards. But either line should give you good performance with running FSX. I'm running a 7900GTX in my Conroe system and FSX runs real well with the eye candy turned on and it is really nice to play like that. I just got the game right before I came out to work and I played around at the local New Iberia airport and flying in the vicinity of it. It surprised me how much detail they do have in that game. :cool:

    Newegg also has an Asus X1900 Crossfire (512 MB) open box card for $285 and the new ones for $320, just to give you a couple of more options.
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited November 2006
    Are you saying the X1950XT would out perform a 7950 GT for the same money? I'll take a look. I haven't decided what to get.

    I was lookin at the power requirements for the card I was considering. 400w psu 12v with current rating of 26amps. I ain't got that. Mines a 350 rated 12v at 15amps. I wonder if thats really a big issue.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited November 2006
    Weedo, I believe that your 350 watt psu will be a problem with any of those cards listed, even the 7950GT. All the higher end graphics cards are pretty much all power hogs nowdays, with the ATI cards generally drawing more power than the corresponding Nvidia based cards.

    As far as the X1950XT and 7950GT are concerned, both have a few tradeoffs. The 7950GT cards generally all have 512 MB of ram (except 1 listing at Newegg) and the X1950XT cards only have 256 MB graphics ram. But the GPU on the Radeon cards has been looking to be a little better performer than the 7950GT's gpu on quite a few applications and games though. But either line should game just fine and the 7950GT should play FSX just great. After all, it's basically the same card as mine, just clocked lower on the GPU and memory. One other thing to think about is if you run the Folding@Home project, the X19xx series can also process work now with the new folding client that Stanford has developed. But if you don't do F@H there is no reason why you shouldn't buy the Nvidia cards.
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited November 2006
    Yep, you're confirming what I concluded last nite. I found a 485w PSU that put out more amps on the 12v rail (44 total on 2 rails) and ordered it. I never gave much thought to PSU's in the past. Just looked for quiet ones. This particular upgrade turned into a lot of homework... meh, I love it.

    I noticed that about the memory. Also, (and I'm lookin at Newegg too) I saw that some of the 7950 cards were clocked higher than others, ranging from 550 to 600 with the ATI's at 625. Hmm. XFX has a 7950 with passive cooling which is interesting. Decisions.
  • ins4n17yins4n17y Cabanatuan City, Philippines Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    muddocktor wrote:
    Weedo, I believe that your 350 watt psu will be a problem with any of those cards listed, even the 7950GT. All the higher end graphics cards are pretty much all power hogs nowdays, with the ATI cards generally drawing more power than the corresponding Nvidia based cards.

    As far as the X1950XT and 7950GT are concerned, both have a few tradeoffs. The 7950GT cards generally all have 512 MB of ram (except 1 listing at Newegg) and the X1950XT cards only have 256 MB graphics ram. But the GPU on the Radeon cards has been looking to be a little better performer than the 7950GT's gpu on quite a few applications and games though. But either line should game just fine and the 7950GT should play FSX just great. After all, it's basically the same card as mine, just clocked lower on the GPU and memory. One other thing to think about is if you run the Folding@Home project, the X19xx series can also process work now with the new folding client that Stanford has developed. But if you don't do F@H there is no reason why you shouldn't buy the Nvidia cards.

    just what i was gonna say.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited November 2006
    Yeah, this time around, upgrading is costing quite a bit more. New graphics slots (PCI-e), graphics cards drawing a lot more power as well as the processor's themselves generally, new ram standards (DDR2 for Intel and newest AMD) and the switch to 24 pin ATX connectors on the mobo are making an incremental upgrade a chore right now. Hopefully these new standards will stay around a while so it won't cost so much to do an incremental upgrade instead of having to change a whole lot of parts out at once.

    And I tell you what, I'm very satisfied with my 7900GTX vid card's performance too. Games really look good with all the eye candy turned on and it still plays my games without jerkiness. :D That vid card is by far the most I've ever spent on a graphics card, but I'm glad I did now.
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited November 2006
    Amen on the cost. I didn't intend to spend this much. So this is what I decided on. The $35 rebate helped make the decision. It's in Neweggs hands now.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814170104
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited November 2006
    Nice choice! :thumbsup: I just hope the rebate company that handles Albatron's rebates doesn't play games with you on sending you the rebate.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    a 6600GT to a 7950GT is a huge leap in performance... You are going to love your new purchase...
  • ins4n17yins4n17y Cabanatuan City, Philippines Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    Sledgehammer70 wrote:
    a 6600GT to a 7950GT is a huge leap in performance... You are going to love your new purchase...

    i agree :)
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited November 2006
    You're getting me overly excited now.
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited November 2006
    So my new psu and video card came into today and I got it in. I'm putting it through it's paces with FSX. I was hoping to run everything on ultrahigh or close to it but it's not quite happening. I'm still trying to find the sweet spot but it seems to be less than what I was hoping for. Maybe I don't have a setting right somewhere or something.
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    You will find that some settings only slow things down without visual benifit. You will need to play.
    How much memory are you running?
    What monitor resolution?
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited November 2006
    I've got 2gb of ram and am running at 1024x768. I'm still playing around with the settings to find the right balance.
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited March 2007
    Well it looks like Albatron is not going to honor the rebate offer they made. I emailed them about it a couple weeks ago and have heard nothing. It was all properly done and within the proper time frame. This is the first time I've ever been scumbagged on a rebate.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    Nothing from the pre-8800 generation can run FSX on ultra high, and it's a crapshoot with 8800 cards.
  • WeedoWeedo New
    edited March 2007
    Yeah. It's good enough though. Certainly better than the 6600 by far.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    Albatron is fired...
  • Radio91PRadio91P Layton, UT New
    edited March 2007
    I just went from the 7900GT to the 8800GTS 640 and can't believe the difference in performance. I would probably go with the 8800GTS with 320mb memory. They are on egg from $299 to 320. All of the pre-8800 are still pretty expensive.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    the 7900GT to a 8800GTS is a huge leap in performance... no games on the market can even make use of one single 8800GTX due to bottlenecking at the CPU's.
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