X1800XT or 7900GT?

Which is the better $299 option?

  • Total voters
    153
A

aggressor

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 25, 2003
Messages
369
There is a thread going on over Anandtech about choosing between the X1800XT OEM ($299 at Newegg) or the 7900GT Retail ($299, but sold out at this price), so why not ask here as well?

X1800XT Pros:
HDR+AA
HQAF
Less texture shimmering

X1800XT Cons:
Drivers (CCC sucks, though replaceable with something like ATI Tray Tools)
Fan noise (but better cooling)

7900GT Pros:
Supposedly quieter, but I've heard conflicting reports about the noise of the 7900GT fan. Any comments from 7900GT users?

7900GT Cons:
No HQAF
Worse texture shimmering

The ATI card seems better, but the great debate is the speed of the two cards. Many have shown comparisons between the 7900GT and the 512MB version of the X1800XT with the XT winning for the most part, but the XT for $299 is only 256MB, and that probably negatively effects performance.
 
well lets see here:

x1800xt may have hdr+aa but there are no games it works in. devs for oblivion have said that it wont work for oblivion either.

i had a x1900xt for a few days last week and comparing the AF quality on the x1900xt to the 7900gt with drivers set to High Quality i cant see a difference at all.

the fan on the x1900xt i tested was LOUD compared to my 7900gt. also the x1900xt ran hotter than my 7900gt. dont remember exact temps but my 7900gt runs at 44c idle 60c load.

As far as texture shimmering? Well I havent noticed it at all (I do run High Quality in the drivers all the time though). Apparently its there in world of warcraft but I dont play that game. Apparently the x1800 has shimmering in wow as well.

Also most 7900GT's are overclocked by manufacturers already so that gives the 7900gt an advantage over the x1800xt. Plus the cards overclock insanely. Mine came at 560mhz core and 1.65ghz mem. Im able to run it 24/7 at 570mhz core (voltage limitted) and 1.8ghz memory. Im right on the 7900GTX's door step performance wise.
 
Well, some people can see the shimmering and can tell when HAQF is being used, so I guess that's user preference. The X1800XT can also be overclocked quite a deal from what I've read, so it's no different from a 7900GT.
 
the only true advantage i see for the x1800xt is the HDR+AA, but as i remeber that enabling that will have a huge performance hit which makes it almost worthless.
 
Look at the pipelines as well. It has much more.

I saw the posts and did some HW. I'm doing the 7900 and just hoping to see if there is an AC cooler solution for it. If the Silencer rev 3 fits the 7900 im done. I need a solution that throws air out.
 
The contest is if the 256MB version is slower than its 512MB sibling, and if it's louder than a 7900GT or not.
 
Don't know if it makes a difference for you, but the GT has a single slot cooler while the XT takes up 2 slots.
 
The overclocked versions of the 7900gt can best the x1800xt in most scenarios...and then you get all the usual nvidia perks like 20% more opengl performance just cuz...and linux drivers...

I haven't had any problems with IQ on nvidia cards personally, but I know it's there...I'm willing to overlook it for a slightly faster card that's quieter and cooler.
 
aggressor said:
But then you are ignoring what an overclocked X1800XT can do.
Click to expand...
alright then, post a benchmark of an overclocked x1800xt using the stock heatsink at stock volts. i'll match it or beat it.
 
I wish I had some :( I'm sure Futuremark has a nice supply of overclocked results, though.

Yes, it's synthetic, but still a quick and semi-accurate guage.
 
pandora's box said:
alright then, post a benchmark of an overclocked x1800xt using the stock heatsink at stock volts. i'll match it or beat it.
Click to expand...

Haha, I really want my parts to arrive, although I should get them monday or tuesday, I'll have to wait on my second XFX 7900GT because I ordered it after I ordered my main parts, still I'm hoping newegg will be able to ship it monday as right now it's only on step 3 of five.
 
alright found a benchmark where a x1800xt is at 700mhz core and 1600mhz ram:

3Dmark2005_1280.png


Here is my score:

3dmark059uu.jpg
 
Look at resolution setting.

I would go with nvidia at this point. 7900gt looks really sweet here.

If you have an AMD board it's probably an nforce chipset.. isnt there some kine of pluses if u use an nvidia card too?
 
i voted 7900GT, i have one on the way as soon as EVGA's step up queue moves forward

1. the ATI HDR+AA argument is empty, virtually no support, large performance hit when enabled, which makes an otherwise fast card "slow", i liken this to the GF6 SM3.0 inclusion, yes you couls use it, but it made games run too slowly to enjoy in alot of cases, Series7 made SM3.0 enjoyable, ATI was smart to save SM3.0 support for R520/R580 since R423/R480 would have been to slow to handle it playable, then ATI screwed up when they spent al that time working HDR+AA into the X1800's because it isnt playable as far as i can tell, or not acceptable to us enthusiasts anyways, x1900 doesnt cut it either, i guess R600 will provide playable HDR+AA gaming

2. the NV cards feature Transparency Anti-Aliasing which can be used without a large performance hit, i know because i have a 7800GT and use it always

3. NV has better driver support
 
But ATi's card is faster. Just because it's newer doesn't mean it better. What are you people smoking?
 
from what i have seen, it's not uncommon to hit 7800GTX 512 performance levels with the 7900GT, which makes it as fast or faster and an extremely good value, runs much much cooler doing it as well

thats before doing any mods too

it's only a matter of time before we have NiBiTor compatability to edit the BIOS, increase core VID to GTX levels, pencil mod the memory voltage, etc...etc.....i just think theres more to offer overall with the 7900GT
 
I'd favour the 7900GT for a lot of reasons, many of them already mentioned, but nobody's mentioned SLI yet. Crossfire on the X1800s was very poor.
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
But ATi's card is faster. Just because it's newer doesn't mean it better. What are you people smoking?
Click to expand...
with that argument, my 7800GT gets "owned" by a 7600 :)
 
pandora's box said:
alright found a benchmark where a x1800xt is at 700mhz core and 1600mhz ram:



Here is my score:
Click to expand...
PLEASE tell me you are aware of the difference between 1280x1024 and 1024x768 and that your post was made as a joke to see if anyone was really paying attention :)
 
So could you run it at 1280x1024? I'm interested in seeing. I'm fairly positive the X1800XT will pull ahead, since it's DX based, but I'm wondering by how much.
 
dont think you can run 3dmark05 at 1280x1024 in the free version


actually im doing some fear benchmarks right now at 1280x1024. doing no aa and no af, then going to do 4xaa 16xaf. driver settings are at high quality
 
aggressor said:
But then you are ignoring what an overclocked X1800XT can do.
Click to expand...

You're ignoring the extreme difference in SLI and Crossfire as well?

SLI>>>>>>>Crossfire
 
Desdenova said:
You're ignoring the extreme difference in SLI and Crossfire as well?

SLI>>>>>>>Crossfire
Click to expand...

I would say that the best argument here is what Desdenova pointed out. If it wasn't because I don't feel like selling everything to go AMD, I would definately go with the 7900GT in SLi. Power compsuption and heat output doesn't compare with ATi solution, the 7900GT is a clear winner. But until the we get some benches for the X1800XT 256MB (which is the one $299 they are talking about) you can't make a true comparison.

I was even considering switching to a P5N32-SLi but I did my research and they suck when it comes to OCing.
 
well looking at spanks score, it seems the 7900gt and x1800xt when overclocked would trade blows depending on the game/benchmark.
 
Desdenova said:
You're ignoring the extreme difference in SLI and Crossfire as well?

SLI>>>>>>>Crossfire
Click to expand...
I'm not ignoring anything. I am talking about single card solutions, not SLI\Crossfire. That being said, I don't think Crossfire is that bad. Is SLI better? Sure, but an extreme difference? I think you are stretching :|
 
Wow. Many of you people have no idea what you're talking about. 3dmark 05 is an invalid comparison as I have seen well over 11k on x1800xt's, it depends on the person running it and the rest of the system. Also, With a x1800xt overclocked and a 7900gt overclocked the performance will be EXTREMELY similar. However, by default, ati usually has better iq which means that to match it, nv would have to raise the iq thus lowering performance. Fact is, the differance between them won't be HUGE, and the only question that really needs to be asked is, do you prefer red or green?
 
pandora's box said:
well looking at spanks score, it seems the 7900gt and x1800xt when overclocked would trade blows depending on the game/benchmark.
Click to expand...
He also has a 200mhz slower CPU. It's dual core, sure, but I don't think '05 has any DC optimizations, only possibly '06.
 
aggressor said:
He also has a 200mhz slower CPU. It's dual core, sure, but I don't think '05 has any DC optimizations, only possibly '06.
Click to expand...

05 does actually benefit from dual core, hence the x1900xt only hitting around 10k with a single core but hitting well into 11k with a dual core stock. I'm sure the 200MHz makes up the differance though.
 
I still would like to see benches from the X1800XT 256MB ($299)........... :eek: Which is the video card in question.
 
transperancy antialiasing i think counts as a higher IQ factor, which is totally absent on the x1800xt. so adding that, and the fact that 7900gt at its normal frequency (not overclocked) is almost trading blows with a x1800xt 512 (check out any recent review). I can't see how can the x1800xt 256 be considered a faster card with higher IQ.
both options are "you win some you lose some". but as i see it you win more with 7900gt.
 
The X1800 line does have TRAA, and to be honest, the stock 7900GT does lose out on a lot of DX games by 5-10 average fps on average.
 
Only week to go and we will truly see which architecture will win in future games, meaning Oblivion ofcourse.

Ps. I really would like to see some benchies doned with 7900 cards when optimizations are off and Shimmering lowered to its minimum. Could somebody post em, thanks in advance.
 
pandora's box said:
well lets see here:

x1800xt may have hdr+aa but there are no games it works in. devs for oblivion have said that it wont work for oblivion either.

i had a x1900xt for a few days last week and comparing the AF quality on the x1900xt to the 7900gt with drivers set to High Quality i cant see a difference at all.

the fan on the x1900xt i tested was LOUD compared to my 7900gt. also the x1900xt ran hotter than my 7900gt. dont remember exact temps but my 7900gt runs at 44c idle 60c load.

As far as texture shimmering? Well I havent noticed it at all (I do run High Quality in the drivers all the time though). Apparently its there in world of warcraft but I dont play that game. Apparently the x1800 has shimmering in wow as well.

Also most 7900GT's are overclocked by manufacturers already so that gives the 7900gt an advantage over the x1800xt. Plus the cards overclock insanely. Mine came at 560mhz core and 1.65ghz mem. Im able to run it 24/7 at 570mhz core (voltage limitted) and 1.8ghz memory. Im right on the 7900GTX's door step performance wise.
Click to expand...

True many games don't support it . But when NV had SM3.0 You said But NV has SM3.0 but no games supported it

You can argue NV has equal IQ. But thats all it is is an argument. ATI has superior IQ.

The tested Fan noise on the 7900gt is 50db the same as the X1800xt. You again can argue its a differant kinda of noise but again its just an argument 50 db is 50db

You can argue again that the shimmering isn't there but again its just an argument its there and it does impact game play.

ATi may have shimmering even if it does it doesn't impact game play.

The x1800xt 256 is a good deal . But the real deal is the X1800xt512 at $329. The 7900gt super o/c is a $350 card so ATI deal has better value for the $$$$.
 
This vote was a pertty tought decision for me, because really the cards are very close. I think stock for stock, I would got with the GT because it runs cooler, and from what I've heard, quieter.

On the other hand, with aftermarket cooling solutions and overclocked, (Which most of us will do:D) I think that the x1800 might squeak ahead. ATI is doing far better than I thought they would this round, and Im an ATI !!!!!! !!!!!!. Go ati!

Edit: To the poster above me, are those measuerd in DB or DBa?
 
pandora's box said:
alright then, post a benchmark of an overclocked x1800xt using the stock heatsink at stock volts. i'll match it or beat it.
Click to expand...

Why does the ATI have to use stock volts on the O/C ATI you can change the voltage. NV you can't so you want us not to use an option that ati cards offer us LOL. To me and others like myself the Water cool the noise heat argument doesn't work.

The super O/C nv cards cost $350 so X 1800XT512 AT $329 IS A BETTER VALUE
 
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