Upgrade to x1900xtx or 7900xt??

[AceFactor]

Hey guys, this is the third thread i have started, hopefully you guys can be just as much help in this one as you have in the other two

I've decided to start on upgrading my current setup and im stuck between the two above gfx cards. They are both gona be 512mb versions, and i will refit them both with AC aftermarket coolers. I keep seeing loadsa ppl just bragging how one is better than the other, and they have little to no serious knowledge of wtf they are saying lol so i was wondering what can you guys advise me to do? which card is better for fps games, and racing sims . . lots of neon's lighting etc, and i also whack up the AA and AF to shed the jaggies, so its gota be able to handle of that at highest settings

Just post me your thoughts, and or evidence guys

Thanks in advance

-Adam

 

[i_am_mustang_man]

if you want aa and af, i would go ati, because i hear nvidia doesn't do both with hdr or sm3.0 or something. basically, the 7900gtx (i'm assuming you mean the gtx) can't utilize all the tools the x1900xtx can.
the xtx comes at a premium to the gtx tho, and i hear the x1900xt can OC verywell, up to xtx, and beyond with and aftermarket cooler. i would save the 50 bucks or whatever it is under the xtx and get the xt, and put some of that saved money into the cooler you were going to buy anyways!

however, if you have an sli mobo, maybe you want nvidia? if you an ati based cf board tho, i would say x1900xt, just because sli isn't an option

 

[magibeg]

The x1900xt would probably be a better choice, or a nvidia 7900gt. You can save a lot of money and just overclock to get the same performance anyway! If i had to choose between the 2 though i would probably pick the x1900xtx. It has features as well as providing HDR + aa and all that. Both cards are pretty even when it comes down to all the benchmarks but i hear that the x1900 has better image quality then its nvidia counter part.

 

[HookeyStreet]

I agree with the others m8, ATi all the way (X1900XT or X1900XT-X) and make sure you get a CrossFire motherboard so you can upgrade it further in the future by adding another card

 

[i_am_mustang_man]

i recommend the x1900xt over the 7900gt, even considering the rather substantial price differential. the x1900 has 512 mb of ram, so the xt can oc and be just like the xtx, whereas the 7900gt has 256mb to the gtx 512. while this may not affect most games, if you are looking for the best, you want 512 for max res textures and everything! plus it's more future proof.

 

[AceFactor]

im definately gona make it a x1900xtx because it is only £12 more in the uk than the x1900xt atm im still not interested in multiple cards, im still gona go traditionaly with a single card setup.

I take it that there is a compatible AC cooler for the x1900xtx? cause thats what im hoping to get for it.

And i was only ever thinking about getting 512Mb versions of the cards, since i currently already have a 256Mb card, and i think it would be pointless to get another if im upgrading

Have you guys got any good links to show me any comparisions or benchmarks for the cards at all? since i have looked through some, but they seem to be compiled by biased muppets lol

Thanks again

-Adam

 

[magibeg]

Theres a huge variance in all of the benchmarks that you read online. The cards seem to be VERY closely matched though. Frame rate wise it actually seems like the 7900gtx is a tiny bit faster then the x1900xtx, but when it comes right down to it, the x1900xtx is a more feature rich card and will give you better image quality which more then makes up for the couple of frames it may be behind in some benchmarks.

Heres a few review sites:

http://www.techspot.com/reviews/hardware/gigabyte_radeon_x1900xtx/

http://www.tbreak.com/reviews/article.php?id=430

http://xtreview.com/review105.htm

 

[AceFactor]

thanks for those links magibeg they have proved to be very helpful!

seems that the 7800gtx beats the x1900xtx performance wise in most games, but the x1900xtx has more features. but that still leaves me with the choice of better performance or AA+ HDR features etc. but are all the features incorporated in current games, or future titles, and will it make that much of a difference to my gameplay experience? or will the better performance make the card last longer before i need an upgrade

I need of solid advice again

Thanks in advance

-Adam

 

[i_am_mustang_man]

Theres a huge variance in all of the benchmarks that you read online. The cards seem to be VERY closely matched though. Frame rate wise it actually seems like the 7900gtx is a tiny bit faster then the x1900xtx, but when it comes right down to it, the x1900xtx is a more feature rich card and will give you better image quality which more then makes up for the couple of frames it may be behind in some benchmarks.

that's exactly what i was trying to say, but you are much more eloquent and clear. bravo!

 

[BigD6997]

the only reason the gtx is faster is because it has less image quality, the depth and shadows just arnt there for nvidia as they are for ati, as well as normal AA and AF on ATi's beat nvidias HQ aa and af... also ATi has a better mem controll, the ring bus or w.e 512bit and this makes it so when AA and AF are on the performance doesnt go down that much

 

[gR3iF]

the x2 from ac is fiting on most x19xt or xtx cards its not really cooler but silent very silent

 

[Tatty_Two]

If you are talking complete package and raw performance then the x1900xtx does it but if you are talking "bang for buck" and still with serious performance then IMO you cannot beat the 7900GT, just got mine and have taken it already (without really trying) from 450 - 590 core and 660 - 850 memory on stock cooling, these babies on aftermarket cooling will do 650 core and 900 memory easy and I paid £175!

 

[gR3iF]

sry your card will f**** up (sry about that)

bfg and some other retailers sells oced 79gt and this cards bruns like hell after a while

nvidia did some tricks on the 79gt series which let them oc not "good" or better good but not for long


if you like to spend money buy a x18xt 512mb is pretty cheap and gives you the chanche to play every game out there in good fps (1024x1280)

 

[BigD6997]

yup i have a x1800xt and i love it.. nothin so far realy slows it down at 1280x1024

 

[trog100]

the only meaningfull difference tween the two would be the price.. and the fact the nvidia card draws a little less power and dosnt run so hot..

the ati card might go better if tomorrows games are more shader heavy..

but if your case cooling or psu is near the edge the nvida offering might make more sense..

trog

 

[Tatty_Two]

sry your card will f**** up (sry about that)

bfg and some other retailers sells oced 79gt and this cards bruns like hell after a while

nvidia did some tricks on the 79gt series which let them oc not "good" or better good but not for long


if you like to spend money buy a x18xt 512mb is pretty cheap and gives you the chanche to play every game out there in good fps (1024x1280)

yeah I have heard there have been problems which is why I am not running it too high perminently, however even at 500/750 the card still beats the x1800xt (and is cheaper in the UK!) but as mentioned.....no SM3.0 and AA at same time so I spose its about personal choice.

 

[BigD6997]

ATi- -nVidia

 

[Tatty_Two]

ATi- -nVidia

Suppose I had better crank my card up a couple of hundred meg!

 

[BigD6997]

Suppose I had better crank my card up a couple of hundred meg!

sorry i wasnt trying to be dissrespectful or anything, but ive owned both ati and nvidia and its just personal experience... i got great performance with my 7800gt but i was sooo dissapointed on teh image quality vs my older ati card... but 7800gts were selling realy well for a lot of money and i sold it and bought my 1800xt for almost the same price

 

[Tatty_Two]

sorry i wasnt trying to be dissrespectful or anything, but ive owned both ati and nvidia and its just personal experience... i got great performance with my 7800gt but i was sooo dissapointed on teh image quality vs my older ati card... but 7800gts were selling realy well for a lot of money and i sold it and bought my 1800xt for almost the same price

I hear what your saying and no offence taken, I found precisely that going from a 6800 vanilla to the 850xt and thats without SM3.0! much better imnage quality with the 850 however TBH, it does not compare with the 7900 which is "stunning" visually and as I said, in my case....cheaper than the x1800xt.

 

[Ketxxx]

I would wait until DX10 cards come out. yur X850 will do you fine until then.

 

[BigD6997]

I hear what your saying and no offence taken, I found precisely that going from a 6800 vanilla to the 850xt and thats without SM3.0! much better imnage quality with the 850 however TBH, it does not compare with the 7900 which is "stunning" visually and as I said, in my case....cheaper than the x1800xt.

yeah when i sold my x850 and whent to a 7800gt (again almost the same price from what i sold) i was very dissapointed (kinda regreted it)...

I would wait until DX10 cards come out. yur X850 will do you fine until then.

mos def. dont waiste ur money this late in the dx9 game

 

[AceFactor]

for the time being i think im gona stick with Ketxxx's advice and keep my current x850xtpe. I'm just gona do a re-format on my sata hard drive, and use that for games insted, and possible build another one for everything else lol

Thanks for all your help guys

-Adam

 

[_33]

I bet when the new 1950XT and X1950XTX come out, the X1900XT and X1900XTX will drop in price and of course a GTO2 version will take over.

 

[rpg711]

if u have 1050$ to spare... get 2 7950gx2's and wait for nvidia to get the quad sli forceware
because if ur going to spend 700+ on soon to come dx10 card... y not just get a even beter 1?