Full Review: 9800GX2 vs HD3870X2!!!

[warhammer]

It would be interesting to see how the 9800x2 performs with AA

 

[Nitro-Max]

The x2 and gx2 drivers are still very premature id like to see results with time.the x2 did ok with 4x AA enabled as far as i can see.
But the gx2 pricing scares me as it did when the gtx was released i think id rather save money and crossfire two x2 cards.

 

[intel igent]

The x2 and gx2 drivers are still very premature id like to see results with time.the x2 did ok with 4x AA enabled as far as i can see.
But the gx2 pricing scares me as it did when the gtx was released i think id rather save money and crossfire two x2 cards.

i agree with you about the drivers and im kind of surprised that the Nvidia card is doing as well as it is ATM but ID personally still go for the X2 based on price if i was in the market for either of those

 

[Nitro-Max]

i agree with you about the drivers and im kind of surprised that the Nvidia card is doing as well as it is ATM but ID personally still go for the X2 based on price if i was in the market for either of those

Well considering the gddr4 x2 is coming out and the gx2 im hoping to see a drop in x2 pricing for the gddr3 versions then im gonna buy another.

Is anyone running quad x2 yet? got any benchies?

 

[cdawall]

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// 0040 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Series GPU/GeForce 6800 Ultra
// 0041 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800
// 0042 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 LE
// 0043 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XE
// 0044 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT
// 0045 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
// 0046 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
// 0047 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS
// 0048 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT
// 004D - NVIDIA Quadro FX 3400/4400
// 004E - NVIDIA Quadro FX 4000
// 0090 - NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX
// 0091 - NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX
// 0092 - NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
// 0093 - NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GS <<<<<<<<<<============ LOOK
// 0095 - NVIDIA GeForce 7800 SLI
// 009D - NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500
// 00C0 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS/XT
// 00C1 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800
// 00C2 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 LE
// 00C3 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT
// 00CD - NVIDIA Quadro FX 3450/4000 SDI
// 00CE - NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400
// 0140 - NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT
// 0141 - NVIDIA GeForce 6600
// 0142 - NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE
// 0143 - NVIDIA GeForce 6600 VE
// 0145 - NVIDIA GeForce 6610 XL
// 0147 - NVIDIA GeForce 6700 XL
// 014A - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 440
// 014C - NVIDIA Quadro FX 540M
// 014D - NVIDIA Quadro FX 550
// 014E - NVIDIA Quadro FX 540
// 014F - NVIDIA GeForce 6200
// 0160 - NVIDIA GeForce 6500
// 0161 - NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache(TM)
// 0162 - NVIDIA GeForce 6200SE TurboCache(TM)
// 0163 - NVIDIA GeForce 6200 LE
// 0165 - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285
// 0169 - NVIDIA GeForce 6250
// 016A - NVIDIA GeForce 7100 GS
// 01D0 - NVIDIA GeForce 7350 LE
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// 01D3 - NVIDIA GeForce 7300 SE/7200 GS
// 01DD - NVIDIA GeForce 7500 LE
// 01DE - NVIDIA Quadro FX 350
// 01DF - NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS
// 0211 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800
// 0212 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 LE
// 0215 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
// 0218 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT
// 0221 - NVIDIA GeForce 6200
// 0222 - NVIDIA GeForce 6200 A-LE
// 0240 - NVIDIA GeForce 6150
// 0241 - NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE
// 0242 - NVIDIA GeForce 6100
// 0245 - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S / NVIDIA GeForce 6150LE
// 0290 - NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX
// 0291 - NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT/GTO
// 0292 - NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS
// 0293 - NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2
// 0294 - NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2
// 0295 - NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT
// 029C - NVIDIA Quadro FX 5500
// 029D - NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500
// 029E - NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500
// 029F - NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 X2
// 0390 - NVIDIA GeForce 7650 GS
// 0391 - NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
// 0392 - NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS
// 0393 - NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT
// 0394 - NVIDIA GeForce 7600 LE
// 0395 - NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT
// 039E - NVIDIA Quadro FX 560
// 03D0 - NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
// 03D1 - NVIDIA GeForce 6100 nForce 405
// 03D2 - NVIDIA GeForce 6100 nForce 400
// 03D5 - NVIDIA GeForce 6100 nForce 420
// 053A - NVIDIA GeForce 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a
// 053B - NVIDIA GeForce 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a
// 053E - NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a
// 07E0 - NVIDIA GeForce 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
// 07E1 - NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
// 07E2 - NVIDIA GeForce 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
// 07E3 - NVIDIA GeForce 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i
// 07E5 - NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


My old card the 7800gs 512 worked well with NVIDIA drivers and XP and VISTA

That isn't even remotely true. That was the case for a while after the 8800 cards were first released, but now. As they release drivers for the 8800 series card, they also release the same drivers for the 7 and 6 series cards. All the cards currently have the same 169.21 driver. Your 7800GS card uses the same driver also. The have released several beta drivers, that also work with all the cards. Currently I have 174.12 running on all my cards. The 174.16 drivers work with all the 6,7, and 8 series cards, however it is only WQHL certified for the 9600GT, which is why they only suppor that card by defualt. However, a hacked INF file exists that makes it work with all cards, but it really doesn't offer anything over the 174.12 drivers other than 9600GT support, so there is no reason to hassle with hacking it.

maybe i should just take a picture of the BSOD i get on any game in XP? i tried a ti4200 and it ran fine no issues in this rig but th 7800GS+any NV driver=CRAP

 

[Nitro-Max]

I previously put this in another post but ill repeat it again here.

I dont wish to disscredit any info posted i do belive it to be genuine.

But i feel till both sides need to work on drivers more to give better comparrisons.

I really want to see how the gddr4 X2 version compares with Nvidia's gx2 we are forgetting the gx2 runs gddr 4 already {unless this has changed??}the current x2 doesnt.

But soon will http://www.tweaktown.com/news/9079/index.html

 

[newtekie1]

maybe i should just take a picture of the BSOD i get on any game in XP? i tried a ti4200 and it ran fine no issues in this rig but th 7800GS+any NV driver=CRAP

Odd how others run 7800GS with nVidia drivers just fine though. Did you ever consider that it wasn't the drivers fault? There are a lot of things the could cause a BSOD. Broken card is a high possibility.

 

[niko084]

You need to read up on what happens with games are programmed and optimized for certain video cards....

There has been direct proof of up to 300% performance increases in the worst of cases... So in reality whats even 50%?

 

[cdawall]

Odd how others run 7800GS with nVidia drivers just fine though. Did you ever consider that it wasn't the drivers fault? There are a lot of things the could cause a BSOD. Broken card is a high possibility.

its just the XP drivers actually i just ran in linux and it works fine 3D etc...

 

[TooFast]

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1332/1/page_1_introduction/index.html

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1331/2/page_2_the_card/index.html

 

[mandelore]

Both cards appear great.

But consider this:

Every ATI card, has seen DRAMATIC improvements in performance in the coming months after release due to driver tweaking. If you add up all the boosts the 2900xt got since its release as a %, the performance increase between the initial card and the card now would make you think they were 2 seperate cards!!

So, to really see how these compare, I know it sux, but we gotta wait for at least a couple of driver revisions from both sides, then compare the X2 and GX2 with more mature drivers and greater performance/compatability.

Its just too early to tell, like the start of a horse race, its all up for grabs till further down the track when the winners are starting to become apparent.

My thoughts tho.. Price wise, get the X2, and you know months down the line the card you purchased will still be getting faster and better. I dont have so much experience with Nvidia cards so not certain how their driver implementation affects card performance

and as for gaming, does it REALLY matter if your playing at 90fps or 110fps? is the extra cost of a GX2 if it turns out in the long run to be slightly faster worth it?

If both can play at 1920x1200 at very high settings and great FPS, then they are both winner cards. Now, for the benchmark junky, that extra cost may be worth it

Personally, im going to skip these x2/gx2 cards with their current architecture, and wait for a truly nxt gen dual gpu card. my 2900xt does me fine at 1920x1200

 

[Darren]

maybe i should just take a picture of the BSOD i get on any game in XP? i tried a ti4200 and it ran fine no issues in this rig but th 7800GS+any NV driver=CRAP

That doesn't necessarily means it's Nvida's fault. Your blue screen of death could be related to a number of variables, perhaps your 7800 GS is conflicting with your motherboard? in which case you could argue that it's your motherboards manufactures responsibility to provide drivers. Or maybe your card is just faulty. Nvida's drivers are not always perfect but you can't blame every issue on Nvida, clearly other people on this forum have the same card or a similar generation of card and don't share your problem.

You said your ti4200 was fine, well wouldn't that be a clear indication that your 7800 GS is faulty or damaged?

 

[zOaib]

just ordered the 9800 gx2 xfx version will relay benchmarks , comparitive to my current setup using a hd 3870 x2 right now ..................... and then decide which one to keep ......


i know dont throw that chair at me i cud not help but check the damn card out

 

[Megasty]

Well considering the gddr4 x2 is coming out and the gx2 im hoping to see a drop in x2 pricing for the gddr3 versions then im gonna buy another.

Is anyone running quad x2 yet? got any benchies?

Yeah, its nothing to write home about though when it comes to 3dmk. You'll need like a 8-10ghz cpu to see what 2 cards can do. Also since the drivers are immature they really don't do much over one card either accept for...

Best
Call of Juarez - everything maxed out AAx4 AFx8@ 1920x1200,
min-avg-max
15-20-27 - 1 card
33-38-60 - CF

Worst
Crysis - everything on VH AAx2 @ 1920x1200,
min-avg-max
5-15-52 - 1 card
8-19-61 - CF

CoJ was very playable @20fps & great @38fps. The frame drops were few to none

Crysis was what you expected - jacked up from start to finish but I did manage to finish the game both times - it just took all day

 

[cdawall]

That doesn't necessarily means it's Nvida's fault. Your blue screen of death could be related to a number of variables, perhaps your 7800 GS is conflicting with your motherboard? in which case you could argue that it's your motherboards manufactures responsibility to provide drivers. Or maybe your card is just faulty. Nvida's drivers are not always perfect but you can't blame every issue on Nvida, clearly other people on this forum have the same card or a similar generation of card and don't share your problem.

You said your ti4200 was fine, well wouldn't that be a clear indication that your 7800 GS is faulty or damaged?

meh god point...its going away soon so TBH IDC

 

[VroomBang]

There's no way I'm buying a card that costs more than a good mobo + a Q6600 + 4GB of good DDR2.

 

[VroomBang]

True.... Honestly I don't care who comes out on top, as long as technology moves forward and we get away from ultra high power requirements and space heaters.

I'll second that. I'm sick of the increasing psu requirements with the new cards. We'll soon need a entire power plant to run one.

 

[Blacklash]

I am keeping my overclocked HD 3850s in my AMD rig until the next round of real next gen products. They do fine on a 1680x monitor.

If you think the GX2 is a lot imagine going Quad on 790i. That would be about 500usd for DDR3 2x2Gb, 349usd for the mobo, and if you didn't have an appropriate PSU even more cash.