Best PCI-e Video Card $100-200

S

SleeplessIncubus

Gawd
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Messages
582
Can someone recommend my brother in law the best bang for the buck card as mentioned above.

He currently has: AMD 3700 2.2MHZ, 1GB RAM, Win XP

thanks :)
 
7900GS IMO, they OC very well and are great cards for the money, I am picking one up for my next build,
 
7900gs, they rock.

1. Good price
2. Good performance
3. Good w/OC

Get a 7900gs, 7600gt won't be as fun! Hell why not go one step further (£20) and get a 7950GT? (kidin)
 
x1900xt 256mb version at newegg for 200 after mail in rebate, 215 before MIR. Just look for the connect3d version.
 
if he is fine with overclocking you can get a evga 7900gs and a zalman cooler for under $200. if he does not want to oc, then your best bet is a x1900xt.
 
hmm not sure if he knows how to oc or not.

btw ZZF had the 7900gs for $184 - $20 MIR and free shipping. I think thats a pretty hot deal. (OOS now)
 
I got my eVGA 7900GS from the Egg for $144 AR, best 150 bucks Ive spent considering I can upgrade to a 8600 if they are out in three months or a 8800GTS.
 
I'd go with a 7900 GS and overclock the crap out of it. They OC nicely, and are cheap.
 
tellin you no competition there.

I get 64 FPS with mine in FEAR (no OC) at 1280 x 1024 screen res.
 
1900xt would own 7900gs overclocked or not.

If you want to spend less money go with the 7900gs/gt ~ x1950pro/gt but really it's not in the same level as 1900xt.
 
The x1900 is whole different kettle O' fish mate! it cost a LOT more...
 
Marvelous said:
1900xt would own 7900gs overclocked or not.

If you want to spend less money go with the 7900gs/gt ~ x1950pro/gt but really it's not in the same level as 1900xt.
Click to expand...

h41cyon said:
cost a lot more?

check out the x1900GT from ZZF - http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=327110

124.99 AR - Just bought one a couple of days ago. Now THAT is the best bang for your buck in the low 100s range.
Click to expand...
7900GS can be highly overclocked, the x1900gt cant. 7900GS overclocked will beat the x1900gt
 
Wow, I have really lost touch of the video card world and the differentiation between models.

I'd probably go 1900XT due to brand loyalty and being burned with nVidia's previous product lines but I've been hearing WONDERFUL things about the 79XX series so it'd be a tough choice.

What specific pro's / con's does each have, besides the GS can OC better and the ATI being a bit better bang for the buck... potentially.

_Kris
 
DopefishLives said:
Wow, I have really lost touch of the video card world and the differentiation between models.

I'd probably go 1900XT due to brand loyalty and being burned with nVidia's previous product lines but I've been hearing WONDERFUL things about the 79XX series so it'd be a tough choice.

What specific pro's / con's does each have, besides the GS can OC better and the ATI being a bit better bang for the buck... potentially.

_Kris
Click to expand...

I have a XFX 7900GS XXX 600/1600 and a Sapphire X1900XT and the 7900GS is impressive, but in my main rig i have the X1900XT. I would go for the X1900XT over the 7900GS, but 7900GS over the X1900GT. Keep in mind that the X1900XT is very power hungry and you would most likely need a new PSU too, if the one you have now has less than a 32amp 12v rail(I have a PSU with a 34amp 12v rail). The 7900GS I have works fine on a PSU with two 12v rails at 16/18 amps. My X1900XT would not run on that PSU.
 
GwarGor said:
I have a XFX 7900GS XXX 600/1600 and a Sapphire X1900XT and the 7900GS is impressive, but in my main rig i have the X1900XT. I would go for the X1900XT over the 7900GS, but 7900GS over the X1900GT. Keep in mind that the X1900XT is very power hungry and you would most likely need a new PSU too, if the one you have now has less than a 32amp 12v rail(I have a PSU with a 34amp 12v rail). The 7900GS I have works fine on a PSU with two 12v rails at 16/18 amps. My X1900XT would not run on that PSU.
Click to expand...

1900gt is on par with a 7900gs... At stock 1900gt win some and lose some because of more pixel shaders and better image quality than the GS. 1900gt tend to overclock beyond 1950pro speeds. I have mine 585/1720...
 
Marvelous said:
1900gt is on par with a 7900gs... At stock 1900gt win some and lose some because of more pixel shaders and better image quality than the GS. 1900gt tend to overclock beyond 1950pro speeds. I have mine 585/1720...
Click to expand...

All I can say to this is that my factory OCed 7900GS 600/1600 hangs with my X1900XT on some stuff, but there is no way that I can believe that a X1900GT/Pro could do the same. I'm not saying the X1900GT/Pro isn't a good card, but just giving my opinion as an owner of both a 7900GS and X1900XT.
 
What about the X1950 PRO 256mb? Great card for the money... can be had for under 200.
 
See, that addition of GT/XT/Pro crap at the end.. what is different with the 1900? Amount of pixal shaders, memory or just clock speed?
If it is just clock speed I could see OC'ing one making it perform on par easy, I assume that is how the 7900GS is so great since it seems to OC quite nicely.

_Kris
 
For 169 iam VERY happy with my ASUS EAX1950pro 256mb video card
this thing screams high quality with the heatsink and fan
its pretty quiet and its very fast
 
DopefishLives said:
See, that addition of GT/XT/Pro crap at the end.. what is different with the 1900? Amount of pixal shaders, memory or just clock speed?
If it is just clock speed I could see OC'ing one making it perform on par easy, I assume that is how the 7900GS is so great since it seems to OC quite nicely.

_Kris
Click to expand...

The difference between the X1900GT/1950Pro and the X1900XT is this.

X1900GT/1950Pro
12 Pixel Pipelines
36 Shader Possessors
Lower Clock Speeds

X1900XT
16 Pixel Pipelines
48 Shader Possessors
Faster Clock Speeds
 
Another vote for 7900gs here.
Out of all the cards discussed here it sits nicely. The price is right. Performance is great at stock and even greater if you feel like overclocking.
 
I had my finger on the "buy" button for an X1950Pro (under $200) then I saw an X1950XT for 215 after rebate. I had to go for it. Should be here monday :)
 
GwarGor said:
The difference between the X1900GT/1950Pro and the X1900XT is this.

X1900GT/1950Pro
12 Pixel Pipelines
36 Shader Possessors
Lower Clock Speeds

X1900XT
16 Pixel Pipelines
48 Shader Possessors
Faster Clock Speeds
Click to expand...

Interesting, you'd thing the 50Pro would be better than both 1900 cards but it isn't. So XT is usually the cream of the crop with ATI and GTX is the top-crust for nVidia then? Pro/GT and GS being their mid-range models.

Given what you've told me here and what I've read online it'd really come down to brand royalty and the specific games you play to determine which would be better since both the GS and GT seem similar in function and capability... I'm still holding out on PCI-e since I want my upgrade to be when the boards are PCI-E ONLY with no PCI left.. I hate coddling technology that is being phased out. :/ Thus my IS-7e and 9600XT will stay for now until a mainboard/vid card combo come out that I feel will last me the long haul like the two I currently own have.

_Kris
 
Assuming you're running PCI-E, you might wanna take a look at the FS forum here. For instance I'm selling a X1900 Crossfire 512mb card for $210 shipped. Much better deal than a 7900GS or 1950GT or 1900xt 256mb.

Just a thought.
 
DopefishLives said:
Interesting, you'd thing the 50Pro would be better than both 1900 cards but it isn't. So XT is usually the cream of the crop with ATI and GTX is the top-crust for nVidia then? Pro/GT and GS being their mid-range models.
_Kris
Click to expand...

The X1950Pro is just an updated version of the X1900GT. The Pro performs slightly better than the GT, but nothing that you could notice, just a frame or two better on some benchmarks. The XT is the highend card, but the XTX is the cream of the crop.
 
thanks for the comments guys.

my bro in law was going to go for the 7900gs but wants to know if its worth it for a x1950xt for about $60 more?
 
Marvelous said:
1900xt would own 7900gs overclocked or not.

If you want to spend less money go with the 7900gs/gt ~ x1950pro/gt but really it's not in the same level as 1900xt.
Click to expand...

The guy said XT - aka the X1900XT this a whole different thing to the GT version.

+ go for the 7900gs its quiet and cheap and OC's nicely no point in a X1950XT its pointless go for a 7950GT if ur flyin that high... Nvidia are going good at the moment they pwn all 3 ranges low, mid and high. 7900 gs = cheap + 64 FPS on FEAR!
 
GwarGor said:
All I can say to this is that my factory OCed 7900GS 600/1600 hangs with my X1900XT on some stuff, but there is no way that I can believe that a X1900GT/Pro could do the same. I'm not saying the X1900GT/Pro isn't a good card, but just giving my opinion as an owner of both a 7900GS and X1900XT.
Click to expand...

A 1900xt hangs with 7900gtx. Your 7900gs @ 600/1600 has 12000mtexels/s 51.2 GB/s. That is really close to 7950gt speeds but not enough to take on 1900xt.

overclocked 7900gs might ----> 1950pro but than 1950pro can overclock as well. 1950pro----->stock 7900gs.
 
G66 said:
The guy said XT - aka the X1900XT this a whole different thing to the GT version.

+ go for the 7900gs its quiet and cheap and OC's nicely no point in a X1950XT its pointless go for a 7950GT if ur flyin that high... Nvidia are going good at the moment they pwn all 3 ranges low, mid and high. 7900 gs = cheap + 64 FPS on FEAR!
Click to expand...

I don't even know what you just said... :confused:

But what I did get is that 1950xt is pointless compared to 7900gs. Or flying high 7950gt. LOL

1950xt owns 7950gt or 7900gs in to shreds. 7950gt isn't even all that much faster than a 1950pro.
 
Im curious...

I have a 7900 GT and love the dam thing, it is fast, but you know, always want faster :D

I tell you what I always lean towards Nvidia for pure brute force power, but ATi has a way to deliver more eye candy and the power as well, but not quite Nvidia power. You know what I mean?

So is the x1950XT faster than my 7900GT?

btw XFX 7900 GT 256mb can be had for $179 @ DA Egg!
 
Done the research for this and I would say the 7900gs is overclocking.

x1950pro if not overclocking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top