New system, need help chosing card

[Nergal]

Hello there all!

I used to be pretty active here, but life and such caught up a bit^^


Anywayz, the problem I'm facing is prolly rather easy, but I want to verify of what I think is true is in fact the best option.

I currently got an P4 2.66 northwood with an AGP 6800GT@Ultra
(I know, that card is just too good for my cpu)

Now, I 'm buying an new system. So, should I go for an (cheaper) nforce3 mobo with AGP so I can use my 6800GT. And buy an somewhat cheaper CPU? (3500+)
Is it possible to later install an dual-core on an nforce3?
Is it worth to buy an dual-core?


Or should I sell my 6800GT for 300euro(can do that, already have buyer), and get an .... card?

And what card should that be?
------------------------------

I have my doubts about the 7900GT || 7.2Gpixel - 16 / 24 / 8
Why?....very easy answer!!!
Even if it uses the same core as an 7900GTX, and even if it runs rather cools, so you have loads of room to overclock(true?), it still only has 256MB.
No problem you say?
I dare you to go and watch the difference between the 7800GTX and the 512MB version of it. And the difference in core/mem MHZ is much lower then that of the 7900GT-7900GTX!!!

SO unless someone can asure me 100% that I can get an powerboost, equal to that of an ATI, and with only an software OC. I may be interested.


I heard that x1900xt is 100% softmodable(bios) to an 1900xtx.
Thou they are a tad bit more expensive
an x1900 perhaps? But shouldn't I need an crossfire mboard then best?

And what about the x18 series? Something softmodable there?

Also, what if I can find an 7800GTX for the same price as an 7900GT?

And lastly, PowerColor Radeon X850XT 256MB GDDR3, PCI-Express - €198,00
I find it a bit strange to find a card such cheap. I something wrong with this model? I know that powercolor ain't one of the best brands.

I can find 850CF editions of multiple brands for under 300 euro.
I read that with CF, you can make 2 cards works 2gheter like in SLI, only, they don't have to be the same type. So I could add an xt1900xt@xtx later if I wanted, and actually gain an preformance boost instead of using that x1900xt@xtx allone?



I hope you guys can help me work out this problem.

Right now, I would go for an nforce3 to keep using my 6800GT, but I don't know the key differences between the nforce3 - 4 and crossfire

 

[DRDNA]

Best crossfire mobo is the DFI boards !!
Sell your card and mobo and processor if you can to put towards new build.
Go with X1900 crossfire set up or wait for the new cards which wont be here any time soon.

I run what YOU SEE IN MY SIG AND CAN PLAY ANY THING WITH ALL EYE CANDY !!!using the x1800 crossfire set up on first generation board (DFI rdx200) ,They now have the CFX3200 board and this is 2nd generation board.....With my set up on air I was able to get top spot in my graphic card series for a SINGLE PROCESSOR set up in 3DM06.

 

[M. Mellough]

Now, I 'm buying an new system. So, should I go for an (cheaper) nforce3 mobo with AGP so I can use my 6800GT. And buy an somewhat cheaper CPU? (3500+)
Is it possible to later install an dual-core on an nforce3?
Is it worth to buy an dual-core?


Or should I sell my 6800GT for 300euro(can do that, already have buyer), and get an .... card?

I recall reading that for those who absolutely want a 939 board with AGP the most stable choice was the A8V (Asus), if you know how to get around the bumpy chemistry between the Via chipset and some of the nVidia drivers. As far as I know you can install just about any Athlon 64 CPU on that board. The board is not so expensive (about $70) so as to force you to settle for a slower CPU than the one you'd get otherwise. The A8V will accomodate up to 4 Gb of RAM, which is rare for a 939 with AGP.

But if you can really get 300 euros (I believe this means at least $360 USD) for your 6800 GT then by all means sell it and convert to a 78xx or 79xx PCIe card. This way your choice of motherboards will be much broader as there aren't that many good 939's with AGP slots.

I'm not sure about the video card "power boost" you're demanding but rest assured that even the "modest" 7800 GS will be faster than your 6800 GT so when it comes to 7800 GTX...

If you can find a 7800 GTX for the same price as the 7900 GT (doubtful even for the 256Mb version) then if I were you I'd pick the 7800 GTX.

I don't know why the Powercolor X850 XT is so much cheaper than the reference ATI board. It could either be a great value, or they are using cheaper components. But since all Radeon based designs have to be approved by ATI I guess it can't be that bad.