Upgrade to 7800GT from a 6800? Worth it?

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ryanjg11

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I've been surfing the net for comparisons of the 7800GT vs. my current 6800 Standard. Can't seem to find a one-on-one comparison.

Is this a worthwhile upgrade? I will be using it mainly for Counter-Strike: Source, and upcoming shooters based on the D3 or Valve engines.

My CPU is an AMD Clawhammer 3500+, overclocked stable to 2.37 GHz. I know performance with the Source engine in particular is very CPU-bottlenecked, so if I jump to the 7800GT is my CPU going to be holding me back? Or do I have enough headroom with my CPU that I should see a good performance jump between these two cards.

Thanks!
 
phatnadz said:
I've been surfing the net for comparisons of the 7800GT vs. my current 6800 Standard. Can't seem to find a one-on-one comparison.
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Tom's Hardware

The next article only goes as low as the 6800GT, but it takes very little imagination to see that the plain vanilla 6800 would perform less well.
BeHardware.com

I'm upgrading from a plain XFX 6800 BTW, and I chose the Gigabyte model with the factory installed Zalman cooler. There is a review here. Note also that the review shows it to be one that heats the least as well.

Albert
 
I upgraded from a 6800GT to a 7800GT, and I've noticed a hell of a difference. If you can afford it, moving from a 6800 vanilla to a 7800GT I'd do it.

 
When source came out, I was playing with a Radeon 9600 XT and an Athlon XP 2500, and playing with pretty high graphics and getting a decent framerate (50-80s) so in my opinion, it's not really worth the $300 to upgrade, especially for source games. A 6800 should be more than enough, unless you play on running 1920 x 1080 maxed out or something.
 
FoxhoundOp said:
When source came out, I was playing with a Radeon 9600 XT and an Athlon XP 2500, and playing with pretty high graphics and getting a decent framerate (50-80s) so in my opinion, it's not really worth the $300 to upgrade, especially for source games. A 6800 should be more than enough, unless you play on running 1920 x 1080 maxed out or something.
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Note that he also said upcoming games based on the D3 and Valve engines. Besides, it shouldn't cost $300 since I see no reason why he couldn't sell off his used 6800 for at least $100.

Albert
 
FoxhoundOp said:
When source came out, I was playing with a Radeon 9600 XT and an Athlon XP 2500, and playing with pretty high graphics and getting a decent framerate (50-80s) so in my opinion, it's not really worth the $300 to upgrade, especially for source games. A 6800 should be more than enough, unless you play on running 1920 x 1080 maxed out or something.
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Buh-WHAT?!

I noticed a HUGE difference between my 9800 and my 6800GT (before I downgraded to a 6600gt...I got a lot of money for the 6800.) I notice an even bigger difference between my 6600GT and my 7800GTX (more power, but still.). And I didn't game above 1024/768, and now not above 1280x1024, which is my monitors max resolution.

I say, go for it.
 
hignaki said:
Buh-WHAT?!

I noticed a HUGE difference between my 9800 and my 6800GT (before I downgraded to a 6600gt...I got a lot of money for the 6800.) I notice an even bigger difference between my 6600GT and my 7800GTX (more power, but still.). And I didn't game above 1024/768, and now not above 1280x1024, which is my monitors max resolution.

I say, go for it.
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Wow, thats EXACTLY what i've done. 9800pro to 6800GT, sold the 6800GT for a pretty penny, now on 6600GT. This bodes well for my 7800gtx needs.
 
I went from a 6800 regular to a 7800Gt and have seen a very noticable increase. I think its a very good upgrade. I sold my 6800 for $140 I think, and the 7800GT was $270, so you figure $130 to make the upgrade, very worth it in my opinion. Was getting to the point where I had to run some of games at 1024 instead of 1280 (my monitors native), and had to turn off AA as well. Now I can run at native with AA no problem.

Only downside in my case was I had to move to a new motherboard (had AGP), only cost me $15 to do the move though, so it wasnt too bad (bought new board for 60, sold old board for 45).
 
FoxhoundOp said:
When source came out, I was playing with a Radeon 9600 XT and an Athlon XP 2500, and playing with pretty high graphics and getting a decent framerate (50-80s) so in my opinion, it's not really worth the $300 to upgrade, especially for source games. A 6800 should be more than enough, unless you play on running 1920 x 1080 maxed out or something.
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That's the thing, though--I'm running CS Source on a Dell 2005FPW widescreen, resolution 1680 x 1050. Right now, my 6800 can handle it, but I don't get silky smooth frame rates unless I turn all the settings to low.

Thanks for all of your input. I think I will snatch myself up a 7800GT and see how it performs.
 
Shadow27 said:
Wow, thats EXACTLY what i've done. 9800pro to 6800GT, sold the 6800GT for a pretty penny, now on 6600GT. This bodes well for my 7800gtx needs.
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Ahhh...if only your 6600GT would die. That's what mine did, and it finally pushed me over the edge for an upgrade :D I'm glad someone out there is in a similar (exact?) position I'm in :p

Oh, and remember: a good 300W power supply is tons better than a terrible 450W power supply (not the reason my 6600GT died, I just had to swap my white-box 450 for a name-brand 300 I had lying around for the 7800GTX to be 3Dmark stable)

On that note, I read somewhere the 7800 series uses less power than a 6800GT/Ultra; can someone correct me if I'm wrong?
 
No, you're right. The 7800 series has been optimized to use less power... it's quite nifty ^_^
 
The biggest differences with the 7800GT is that you'll be able to go from 1024x768 with medium settings in games like Serious Sam and COD2 to 1280x1024 with everything on while maintaining acceptable framerates.
 
I changed from GF6800 to GF7800GT and the difference is insane. In most games I have now 2-3x the FPS I had before with same settings and 4xAA/16xAF doesn't hurt the performance nearly as bad as it did with GF6800. Now I have better FPS in CoD2 4xAA/16xAF 1024*768 maxed details than I had with GF6800 with 2xAA/4xAF 1024*768 medium details.
 
i picked up a x800 gto 2 pci express for 169$ a few weeks ago that games perfect at 1600x1200 in cs source everything on high ... i unlocked it an flashed it to a x850 xt .. an clocked it to 600/600 on stock cooler
 
Depending on your budget, I wouldnt think going from a 6800 to a 7800 would justify itself unless you went to at least a 7800GTX. Get the extra pipelines from how I look at it.
 
Occidio said:
Depending on your budget, I wouldnt think going from a 6800 to a 7800 would justify itself unless you went to at least a 7800GTX. Get the extra pipelines from how I look at it.
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Everyone who have done that change say otherwise. Framerates literally double (or in some games like CoD2 triple) if you change GF6800 to GF7800GT.
 
phatnadz said:
That's the thing, though--I'm running CS Source on a Dell 2005FPW widescreen, resolution 1680 x 1050. Right now, my 6800 can handle it, but I don't get silky smooth frame rates unless I turn all the settings to low.

Thanks for all of your input. I think I will snatch myself up a 7800GT and see how it performs.
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Resolution is the kicker. With this info about the monitor you are using, there is no question that you will see a significant difference in performance since you are pushing 40% more pixels than a standard 1280x1024 screen.

 
If you have the money, go for it. A 6800 is still great for gaming. I enjoy playing the latest games on my 9300 Inspiron with a 6800 Go, which I believe is a bit less powerful than a 6800. I am able to play CS:S @ 1920*1200 w/ 2X AA, 4X Aniso, and everything maxxed with decent framerates (40-50+). I am also able to play Far Cry @ 1920*1200 w/ everything on High, although I don't use any AA. Doom 3 plays great at 1600*1200 w/ Ultra settings. Other games like FEAR, BF2, and COD2, I play @ 1280*800 w/ everything on high, 2X AA, and 4X Aniso. Like I said, if you have the money and don't want to wait for the refreshes, go for it. The 7800GT is by far (IMHO) the best card for your money right now.
 
josanai said:
Other games like FEAR, BF2, and COD2, I play @ 1280*800 w/ everything on high, 2X AA, and 4X Aniso. Like I said, if you have the money and don't want to wait for the refreshes, go for it. The 7800GT is by far (IMHO) the best card for your money right now.
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Ure joking right? I have a 6800 Ultra and a 3500 (clocked to 2.6) and I could hardly run FEAR on 1024 with high settings, nevermind AA and AF. Yes it ran, but at like 15-20 fps, which makes it unplayable. If it doesnt run smooth, then i dont consider it playable at all.
 
CAndrade said:
Ure joking right? I have a 6800 Ultra and a 3500 (clocked to 2.6) and I could hardly run FEAR on 1024 with high settings, nevermind AA and AF. Yes it ran, but at like 15-20 fps, which makes it unplayable. If it doesnt run smooth, then i dont consider it playable at all.
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Something is wrong with your setup, then. My parents have a similar machine (6800GT, AMD 3500+) and can run F.E.A.R. just fine on high at 1280x1024.
 
Occidio said:
Depending on your budget, I wouldnt think going from a 6800 to a 7800 would justify itself unless you went to at least a 7800GTX. Get the extra pipelines from how I look at it.
Click to expand...
Cost factor also. The GTX will always give better performance than the GT, but not by much, and look at how much more expensive it is.
 
I upgraded from a 6800GT to a 7800GT. Performance is a heck of alot better IMO. In all, it depends on what resoulution you'll play at. If you plan to go high, heck yeah. Stay at 10x7...no.
 
CAndrade said:
Ure joking right? I have a 6800 Ultra and a 3500 (clocked to 2.6) and I could hardly run FEAR on 1024 with high settings, nevermind AA and AF. Yes it ran, but at like 15-20 fps, which makes it unplayable. If it doesnt run smooth, then i dont consider it playable at all.
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No, I'm not joking. They are very playable and run smooth at the resolution stated. Sure, it does not run as nicely as with my main gaming system, but very playable nonetheless (>30-40 most of the time, though there are occasional dips). I was amazed how well the Pentium M 740 (1.73 GHz) along with the 6800 Go and 2 GB of RAM handles games. It runs at the same settings my systems with a 2.4 GHz Newcastle A64, 6800GT (425/1100),1.5 GB RAM and a 2.8 GHz San Diego A64, X800XL (425/1066), 2 GB RAM.
 
Speaking of the 7800 series, I would recommend XFX. The noise level of their 7800GTX is unparalleled (in, low-noise level). I can barely hear mine over my CPU HSF until I play some games.
 
hignaki said:
Something is wrong with your setup, then. My parents have a similar machine (6800GT, AMD 3500+) and can run F.E.A.R. just fine on high at 1280x1024.
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if you think 15 to 20 fps is fine then good for you. even a 7800gt will only get about 30 fps at 1280x1024. sorry but most opinions are worthless thats why i go by benchmarks. :D
 
trek554 said:
if you think 15 to 20 fps is fine then good for you. even a 7800gt will only get about 30 fps at 1280x1024. sorry but most opinions are worthless thats why i go by benchmarks. :D
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you should trust gamers...i have everything on high @ 1280x1024 with 2aa/8af on my x850xt pe and i hit around 40-50 fps on average...and on the benchmark with fear i hit a max off 89 avg of around 46 and min of 27...
 
Well everyone, I splurged some xmas money on the following:

-2x512mb DDR2 (upgrading from 2x256)
-Sapphire GTO2 (upgrading from Dell vanilla GeForce 6800)
-ATI Silencer 5 Rev 2 for overclocking

I'm already having buyer's remorse about the video card. I'm thinking maybe I should have just bought the DDR2 ram, as originally intended and a NV silencer for the 6800 and overclocked it. What do you guys think?
 
najibs said:
Well everyone, I splurged some xmas money on the following:

-2x512mb DDR2 (upgrading from 2x256)
-Sapphire GTO2 (upgrading from Dell vanilla GeForce 6800)
-ATI Silencer 5 Rev 2 for overclocking

I'm already having buyer's remorse about the video card. I'm thinking maybe I should have just bought the DDR2 ram, as originally intended and a NV silencer for the 6800 and overclocked it. What do you guys think?
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Yeah, 2x1 GB DDR2 and an NV Silencer might have been a good choice. Still, the GTO2 is a great card, and you should get some $ for the 6800. Are you able to return the items?
 
josanai said:
Yeah, 2x1 GB DDR2 and an NV Silencer might have been a good choice. Still, the GTO2 is a great card, and you should get some $ for the 6800. Are you able to return the items?
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I can still cancel the order, since I did it online not too long ago. Thing is, what sort of difference can I expect in FlightSin2004 going from a 6800 to the GTO2 modded and overclocked? I can buy the NV silencer for the 6800 and try seeing how much I can overclock it. I'm hearing the Dell cards get to abour 4000 on 3DMark05, while the GTO2 can do 6000. Will that 2000 point difference in 3DMark be also 33% faster in FS2004?
 
josanai said:
If you have the money, go for it. A 6800 is still great for gaming. I enjoy playing the latest games on my 9300 Inspiron with a 6800 Go, which I believe is a bit less powerful than a 6800. I am able to play CS:S @ 1920*1200 w/ 2X AA, 4X Aniso, and everything maxxed with decent framerates (40-50+). I am also able to play Far Cry @ 1920*1200 w/ everything on High, although I don't use any AA. Doom 3 plays great at 1600*1200 w/ Ultra settings. Other games like FEAR, BF2, and COD2, I play @ 1280*800 w/ everything on high, 2X AA, and 4X Aniso. Like I said, if you have the money and don't want to wait for the refreshes, go for it. The 7800GT is by far (IMHO) the best card for your money right now.
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:eek: you must not notice fps drops dude. I got a 6800gt and I can't play games like that..
 
Lol whats up with that one dude trying to say his old 850xt can compete with a 7800gt cracks me up. Anyways I went from a 6800gt to a 7800gt and you get about 2x the performance its a worthy upgrade. I play fear on my 21' sony crt at 1280x960 4x8 and runs perfect no slowdowns at all. I did find at 1600x1200 at 4x8 it was getting some slowdowns and didnt even look much better so I stick with 1280x960 at 100hrz refresh. And btw settings are all on highest
 
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