7900GTX, or X1900XTX, or 2x 7800GT (SLI)?

NoxTek

NoxTek

The Geek Redneck
Joined
May 27, 2002
Messages
9,300
Seeking input on a forthcoming video upgrade :)

First, basic details on my rig:

Athlon64 3200+ @ 2.7ghz (The Winnie of DOOM!)
2GB DDR500
eVGA nF4 SLI

Right now I have a single eVGA 7800GT that's been running pretty nicely at 500/1180 (auto's to 512/1210 but I like to play it safe) and I'm trying to decide on a GPU upgrade path.

I am trying to decide between doing one the following:

  • Getting another 7800GT and running 2x 7800GT in SLI mode. This would necessitate me buying a better PSU that's SLI certified as this Fortron 530w is a bit long in the tooth.
  • Selling the 7800GT I have and purchasing a 7900GTX
  • Selling the 7800GT I have and purchasing an ATI X1900XTX. I've always loved ATI and actually the 7800GT is my first nVidia card in many years. The only bad thing is if I ever want to get another one and do crossfire I'll have to buy a crossfire mobo.

So what would you guys do?
 
Save yourself some money and buy another 7800 GT for SLI....7800's in SLI outperform these cards singularly (benchmarking and 3DMarks)...you won't be disappointed.
 
The second 7800GT would be cheaper than the X1900XTX, but in most benchmarks ive seen lately of actual games the XTX will beat the two GT's. The best value kinda depends on how much you can sell your card for or if you have another system to use it in. If you use 1600x1200 or above you might want to go with a card with 512, the 256 GT's will still only be able to work with 256 even with two of them. Its a tough call either way.
 
A fourth option that I didn't mention would be selling my 7800GT and my current PSU, and then nabbing 2x 7900GTs and a decent (no more than $100) SLI qualified PSU. I neglected to mention this because it would be cutting it close money-wise, and 7900GT availability is shit lately, and no VIVO on the 7900GT. I do use the VIVO capability on my 7800GT quite often... but I suppose I could buy a cheap ass TV tuner or something later on down the line.
 
Get a 7900gtx or 2x 7900GT. If you want to go single card there wont be much difference between a 7900gtx and the XTX. One will win some games and the other one others. Just pick the one that plays your fave games the better and even then, its a matter of a few FPS.
 
Blue Falcon said:
A fourth option that I didn't mention would be selling my 7800GT and my current PSU, and then nabbing 2x 7900GTs and a decent (no more than $100) SLI qualified PSU. I neglected to mention this because it would be cutting it close money-wise, and 7900GT availability is shit lately, and no VIVO on the 7900GT. I do use the VIVO capability on my 7800GT quite often... but I suppose I could buy a cheap ass TV tuner or something later on down the line.
Click to expand...

Just to mention that there are two xfx cards selling for $319 and $329 that both have vivo on newegg. also, availability has gone from 1 or 2 cards to almost every manufacturer on newegg being available. $299 7900GT is back.
 
shaolin95 said:
Get a 7900gtx or 2x 7900GT. If you want to go single card there wont be much difference between a 7900gtx and the XTX. One will win some games and the other one others. Just pick the one that plays your fave games the better and even then, its a matter of a few FPS.
Click to expand...

That's not entirely true. You see most reviewers test the x1900XTX using the High quality AF feature and they then use the nVIDIA angle dependant AF feature.

Had these reviewers used the same angle dependant feature on the x1900XTX the benchmarks would most likely give teh x1900XTX an even larger lead.

The x1900XTX is without a doubt the best current graphics card. It can run games as fast or faster then a 7900GTX all the while using Higher Image Quality settings.
 
What resolution will you be playing at? LCD or CRT?
When i had my 7800GT SLI system i hated the horrible AF. Using a high resolution LCD made the problem even more obvious. Also, my 1900xtx is faster in some games than what it replaced and HQAF is highly appreciated. Sure, you can get higher fps with SLI but can you deal with the crap AF? I know i couldn't.
 
I currently have a Hyundai L90D+ 19" LCD. It's been pretty good to me over the past year but in a few months I will probably grab a widescreen LCD as I do watch a lot of movies.

So current resolution would be 1280x1024 but I want to be able to run most games comfortable on a 20" widescreen that I'll get 2 or 3 months down the road.
 
1900XT + aftermarket cooler and keep ur psu. It runs everything at any res/setting I throw at it perfectly. Nvidia is a bit behind due to the shader/IQ difference.
 
Blue Falcon said:
I currently have a Hyundai L90D+ 19" LCD. It's been pretty good to me over the past year but in a few months I will probably grab a widescreen LCD as I do watch a lot of movies.

So current resolution would be 1280x1024 but I want to be able to run most games comfortable on a 20" widescreen that I'll get 2 or 3 months down the road.
Click to expand...

I'm running a 20inch Dell now. The real performance killer right now is Oblivion. Playing with AA and HDR is a bonus and makes the game look even better. Having HQAA is also very noticable.
Before i stepped up to a widescreen, nvidia AF shimmer wasn't that noticeable. Afterward, oh yeah, it was way more noticable. That's something you should think about. If you notice it now, it will become even more noticable at high resolutions.
I sold both of my 7800GT's but it was worth it.
 
If you go single card definitely get the X1900XTX. I too say this as a 7900GTX owner.(dual card nVidia is better though :) )
 
SLI is hit or miss. Not every game works well with it. Games like F.E.A.R. have to have vsync off in order to get significant FPS increase, but lots of tearing when locked at 60hz(most lcds).
 
kubebot said:
SLI is hit or miss. Not every game works well with it. Games like F.E.A.R. have to have vsync off in order to get significant FPS increase, but lots of tearing when locked at 60hz(most lcds).
Click to expand...

Yup, i forgot about vsync. I like using vsync when possible. Regardless of what the release notes say, the Forceware drivers have had problems with vsync for a long, long time. I hate tearing so imagine turning on SLI only to not have vsync correctly.
 
on a side note, I will be intrested in you 7800GT if you sell it...

BTW: that put me on the side on "get 7800GT SLI"

X1900XTX? faster than the 7800GT SLI, but its ATI and I have had 2 many problems with them to bother with them any more.. just MO
 
2x7900gt beat one single 7900gtx and 7900gtx and x1900xtx are very similiar so i would think 2x7900gt beat x1900xtx as well.

So best performance would be the 2x7900gt or just buy a single 7900gtx/x1900xtx whatever ur budget suits you :)
 
Great, LOL, now you guys are telling me there are issues with SLI? I like having vsync enabled most of the time as otherwise the tearing gets annoying. Is the problem only with certain games or what?
 
Blue Falcon said:
Great, LOL, now you guys are telling me there are issues with SLI? I like having vsync enabled most of the time as otherwise the tearing gets annoying. Is the problem only with certain games or what?
Click to expand...

Actually, SLi is pretty much stable nowadays. Also, The Cheapest 7900gtx (from memory) is like $520, you can get 2 x XFX 7900gt's for $600. I'd say it's worth the extra $70.
 
I was in your same boat - I opted for a Sapphire X1900XTX. Definitely not dissapointed - it rocks. I don't have any SLI experience to compare it to though, but it's definitely stronger than the single 7800gt. I liked the idea of having a 512mb card, and I was hesitant to mess with having two video cards. My monitor's resolution is 1680*1050 so the single X1900xtx doesn't have any problems running any game I have. (the 7800gt was absolutely fine, but it struggled with the game FEAR compared to the X1900) If SLI was a monster increase in speed and overall performance (instead of what seems like a minor increase overall) I probably would have gone that direction.

(still have the evga N517 - hoping to sell it or trade it for an Opteron 165 :) )
 
buy two 7900GTs, volt mod them to 7900GTX's and then run them in SLI
the end.
-tim
 
ElMoIsEviL said:
That's not entirely true. You see most reviewers test the x1900XTX using the High quality AF feature and they then use the nVIDIA angle dependant AF feature.

Had these reviewers used the same angle dependant feature on the x1900XTX the benchmarks would most likely give teh x1900XTX an even larger lead.

The x1900XTX is without a doubt the best current graphics card. It can run games as fast or faster then a 7900GTX all the while using Higher Image Quality settings.
Click to expand...


this is coming from a x1900 user of course :rolleyes:
 
ElMoIsEviL said:
That's not entirely true. You see most reviewers test the x1900XTX using the High quality AF feature and they then use the nVIDIA angle dependant AF feature.

Had these reviewers used the same angle dependant feature on the x1900XTX the benchmarks would most likely give teh x1900XTX an even larger lead.

The x1900XTX is without a doubt the best current graphics card. It can run games as fast or faster then a 7900GTX all the while using Higher Image Quality settings.
Click to expand...
QFT.... the X1900XT hangs very well with the 7900GTX with a higher IQ level.

It really comes down to what you want.
 
seanmcd said:
If SLI was a monster increase in speed and overall performance (instead of what seems like a minor increase overall) I probably would have gone that direction.
Click to expand...

Just some minor input...I recently ended F.E.A.R. and my 2 XFX 7800 GT's in SLI absolutelty TORE through it...I ran it at a widescreen resolution of 1680x1050 with everything maxed<<---and I mean everything; (started at 1280x768) on my 26" widescreen Dell..It averaged a not-so-shabby 43FPS with minimums never going below 36 FPS and maximums up to 68 FPS. I doubt if a single 7800GT would have done that but I know SLI did very gracefully. I DID have vsync off though..it looked better without it on for some reason.

I'm worried about Crysis though... :(
 
512MB memory is a good marketing point for X1900XTX, something to consider with future games. With Vista pushing back "future proof" comes more important with todays cards.
 
Well unless I'm looking at the wrong cards on the Egg, the X1900XTX seems to be a bit cheaper than the 7900GTX in many cases, especially when you factor in the 512MB framebuffer. I could be wrong but that 512MB should come in handy for higher levels of AA. This is definately making what would be an otherwise easy decision to get a nVidia card again very difficult/

My 7800GT is the first nVidia card I've had waaay back since the Geforce 3 Ti500. I had been an ATI junkie for years and was loving it. So now I'm pretty much in limbo :D

Thanks for all of the input guys, I'll be taking notes and continuing to watch this thread. Whatever purchase I make will be done around May 1st so I've got a little time to watch and read. :)
 
ITSTHINKING said:
this is coming from a x1900 user of course :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

What he said was the truth. Instead of trying to debunk his post, you roll your eyes and add nothing? Thanks for nothing.
 
Two 7900GT's with VIVO, and these things o/c through the roof. Lower power requirements per card, cool, and have a lot of stamina in higher resolutions. And voltmoddable. ;)
 
well ah schucks...

i was planning on selling off my 7800GT towards the end of May to get a 7900GTX so that i could run games at fairly high settings whilst at 1920*1200 res...

Now you guys says the X1900XTX is better ? :(

Boo...well..ill just have to start a thread at the end of the month to confirm this :D
 
Well I'm definately leaning towards a single 'BadassMofo' card solution rather than SLI now, you guys seem to think thats the way to go. Now I just gotta decide between the 7900GTX and the X1900XTX :D
 
Blue Falcon said:
Well I'm definately leaning towards a single 'BadassMofo' card solution rather than SLI now, you guys seem to think thats the way to go. Now I just gotta decide between the 7800GTX and the X1900XTX :D
Click to expand...

Think about it this way. In the future if you wanted to upgrade an SLI setup you would need to upgrade two video cards instead of one. It gets very expensive. I would suggest staying with a single card. The XTX is the best overall card out there in my opinion.
 
Blue Falcon said:
Well I'm definately leaning towards a single 'BadassMofo' card solution rather than SLI now, you guys seem to think thats the way to go. Now I just gotta decide between the 7800GTX and the X1900XTX :D
Click to expand...

That'd be, 7900GTX and x1900XTX.

In which case, I'd say the 1900 would be the better idea.
 
Gt's, especially 7900, in SLi wouldn't be a bad idea in the shorter term. 256 isn't so bad.

For single cards, other than heat or noise, I find it extremely hard to argue a GTX is better than ATi's offering. It can run a few more fps in a slight majority of games, it's simply not worth the sacrifices you make to do so. IMO +2 fps with the amount of difference in AF there is (opts vrs. opts, HQ AF vrs. Ultra), is a loss in a review. You be the judge. Seems to be more and more clear as time goes on. Things like Oblivion's HDR+AA, and a shader heavy philosophy that seems to be right for the latest games.
 
Yeah you caught my typo :D

quadnad said:
That'd be, 7900GTX and x1900XTX.

In which case, I'd say the 1900 would be the better idea.
Click to expand...




OK so here's a question for those in the know:

How power hungry is the X1900XTX? How cool does it run? The 7900GT and GTX seem to be all about running cooler with less power usage on a lower process and thus more headroom for overclocking. I havent kept up with the ATI side of things since I ditched my X800 and went with my current 7800GT, but I remember hearing that the X1800 series were beastly cards running hot and sucking juice like Oprah on free watermelon slurpee day. Has that changed with the X1900 series at all?
 
Blue Falcon said:
OK so here's a question for those in the know:

How power hungry is the X1900XTX? How cool does it run? The 7900GT and GTX seem to be all about running cooler with less power usage on a lower process and thus more headroom for overclocking. I havent kept up with the ATI side of things since I ditched my X800 and went with my current 7800GT, but I remember hearing that the X1800 series were beastly cards running hot and sucking juice like Oprah on free watermelon slurpee day. Has that changed with the X1900 series at all?
Click to expand...

The x1900 series is loud, powerhungry, and hot, at the very least relative to the 7900GTX. If you haven't already, check out the post in the video card section about the noise from the 7900GTX vs. 1900xtx. The x1900xtx is faster, but sounds like a hairdryer.

EDIT: Here's the link.
 
It's not quieter now. More transistors now. To me this card is near unarguably better and it is undoubtedly louder. You may want to consider an aftermarket cooler or nv if this bothers you that much. To me the ticket is there are no other compromises. No lousy AF, no jaggy HDR'd oblivion. That stuff. Only bothers me when it spins up for a few seconds. You maybe different.

Better IQ, worse acoustics. To me you are hitting the nail on the head though. That's your choice. That's the XT's biggest and mainly only weakness compared to a GTX. Without noise we'd probably still argue which was better. Only it would be a lot more retarded because it's easy. :D
 
Well noise doesn't concern me that much, especially considerring that I'll probably plop a VF700 or VF900 on it first chance I get. I'm more concerned with wether I'll need to grab a new PSU or wether my current Fortron 530w will do.

It was an awesome PSU a year and a half ago but it's showing it's age now in the days where PSUs have 3 or 4 12v rails and could jump start the space shuttle without breaking a sweat.
 
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