Best AGP card available out there...

Sandok · Apr 7, 2005, 04:42 PM

I just had a prob you can read over here:

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/showthre...694#post586694

And I think my card is dead.

So what is the best AGP card I can get and is it worth buying one now or should I wait? I just need to have a general idea so what u guys suggest?

Volcom929 · Apr 7, 2005, 05:22 PM

The best would be an ATI X800XT PE or and Nvidia 6800 Ultra OC. Now whether they are worth it or not is to be decided by you. With the new 512 MB and 520 core coming soon those wont be the biggest and baddest for long. These cards are also quite expensive too. A nice ATI X800XL or Nvidia 6800 GT might be the best bang for the buck currently.

mike2h · Apr 7, 2005, 05:24 PM

if you are looking for great performance & bang for the buck i would go with 6800 gt or x800xl. the ati card perfrorms as good as the nv card but approx $90 less. the nv card is more 'future proof'.
if you have the $$ just buy the top of the line in from either & you will be good to go.
as far as waiting, the only thing coming out 'new' is the 512 mb vers of their respective top of the line cards. since these are ridicuosly expensive i would not go anywhere near them. otherwise there is nothing major going on 'till the possible fall refresh.

Makere · Apr 7, 2005, 06:29 PM

6600GT is very cheap, and very good compared to the price, I would buy that, but if you're a power freak, X800pro or XL or the 6800 Ultra or GT

Nymins · Apr 7, 2005, 07:18 PM

i thought the X850 XT PE were the best? i saw a few on ebay for sale.

Sandok · Apr 7, 2005, 07:21 PM

Well If I had to buy something I guess I'd hesitate in between the 6800 GT and the X800XT...

Actually there is a 6800 GT from ASUS with only 128mb of ram but it's almost 150$ cheaper! A gimmick?

mike2h · Apr 7, 2005, 09:56 PM

i would not buy an asus video card. they are doing all sorts of weird shit with labeling & mem configs.

The_Neon_Cowboy · Apr 8, 2005, 08:24 AM

XP 64 bit rolls out in less then 30days! It has already been released to MFG.

If your going to upgrade personally I'd save up sell what you have and and think of jumping on the INTEL 64bit or AMD 64bit and PCI express train....Then worry about a video card!

CDsDontBurn · Apr 8, 2005, 08:45 AM

i say it all depends on your budget. Get the best you can for what you can afford.

topbob · Apr 8, 2005, 09:37 AM

radeon x800 xt, and your done.

Sandok · Apr 8, 2005, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Neon_Cowboy

XP 64 bit rolls out in less then 30days! It has already been released to MFG.

If your going to upgrade personally I'd save up sell what you have and and think of jumping on the INTEL 64bit or AMD 64bit and PCI express train....Then worry about a video card!

I don't have that kinda money. And well, I won't have money for another two months so in that time, should I wait for teh Fudos which is rumored to be AGP too or just jump on a X800XT or 6800GT?

Zardon · Apr 8, 2005, 03:06 PM

personally if I was chosing between a 6800Gt or a X800XT, it would have to be a X800XT. Have a look around for good deals bud, you might pick something up very reasonable, ive seen some great deals locally for the 6800GTs which might sway it.

I understand your points about a new PCIexpress system that will get costly, especially as all you need is a new graphics card.

Sandok · Apr 8, 2005, 03:20 PM

Ya well I can only buy from one place and the 6800 GT from ASUS AGP with 256MB is way cheaper than any X800XT I can find... So that's not helping but I just read DH's review on the ASUS Xtreme 6800GT and even though it's PCI, the performance should be the same. And I was sorta dissapointed when I saw the X800XL beat it soooooo many times! But anyways, I'm not going to have the money till mid June (I am still a young student) and first, I'm gonna try to RMA my Vid Card but I'm not sure that's gonna work so I was already thinking of alternatives! Thx for all the input so far

Judas · Apr 8, 2005, 07:42 PM

Spring and Falls are generally the time were i'll suffer with anything, be it a pci card with 1mb video memory or any other agp card that will just get me by without being able to play a game. Why?

One main reason is that spring is usually the next generation releases being preped and are usually in full supply by summer. Fall is usually the refresh, being ready and full supply by winter. Durring the initial releases, the prices of the previous sets of cards can usually be expected to fall considerably. But it's not always the case. Some stores sometimes have major sales on cards making your choice a little more easier (or sometimes a little more difficult

)

Not everyone is willing to wait 3-6 months though.

Ubergrendle · Apr 8, 2005, 08:21 PM

You 3DMARK scores indicate a 9800pro, and I'd replace it with a 9800pro. You can get 256mb 9800pros here in Canada for $300.00 retail -- a good deal for its performance.

Its best to save up for 1-2 generations hence. FUDO or SLI w/ A64 4000+ running WinXP 64bit in about 18 mos time.

Sandok · Apr 8, 2005, 10:09 PM

Well I am not going to build a new rig for a while. Hopefully, this 3D card upgrade will be my last. So I just want something nice before I hit universtiy where I will study non stop!

swimtech · Apr 9, 2005, 02:37 AM

If that's the plan, then a 6800 or X800 of some flavor looks good in June or so (wait as long as you can though to get the lowest price and keep options open...).

You should notice a nice boost versus your 9800 Pro too, your processor has decent ooomph.

farkas · Apr 9, 2005, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike2h

i would not buy an asus video card. they are doing all sorts of weird shit with labeling & mem configs.

I sorta second that. Depends on what is important for you.

They have a very good warranty, 3 years, but the specs are nearly all the time different from ATI's reference.

I went for the Asus myself over the "built by" ATI cause it offered 2 more things than ATI's flavor. It was available and on the driver side it had a more flexible OC tool vs ATI's overdrive and fan speed ajustments based on pre determined settings, or based on user defined temp readings etc...

Turned out that the large advertising of that feature on my box was not working for AGP based cards. Only for PCIe ! Only manual clock speed adjustment for AGP.

Very frustrating. The good side is that the card is EXTREMELY well built. The build quality is obvious and they did not cut corners like they do on the software/driver side.

Sandok · Apr 9, 2005, 11:36 AM

I'm not going to upgrade my whole system as some of you have suggested. This PC is dieng I know but I want it to die in style with a good vid card so this is what I'm looking at:

http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00026247.html 6800GT

http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00026136.html 6800GT

http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00026201.html X800XT

http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00023535.html X800XT

http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00028039.html X800XL

I can also get these 3 from another shop:

His ATI Radeon X800XT Platinum IceQ II, 256 MB GDDR3, DVI, TV out
or the XT version none platinum...

Or Asus AX800XT/TVD, ATI Radeon X800XT, 256 MB DDR, DVI, Video-In, TV out, Dual, AGP 8x

Now which one is the good one?

EDIT: The major question for me is, what will last longer and better? SHould I got with NV cuz they got PS.3 and stuff and they have good opengl and directx performance or should I go with ATI even though it doesn't have the new tech and their opengl is really bad...

Callandor · Apr 9, 2005, 01:09 PM

Sorry about stepping into this so late, but this was the only time I had time enough to sit down and actually read the thread (or most of it at least - hey, I was forced to read between the lines a bit

)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike2h

i would not buy an asus video card. they are doing all sorts of weird shit with labeling & mem configs.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with that despite the fact that I used to, and still do, love ASUS video cards. (used to have a V3800 Magic that I really loved)

Having said that, this chart at Tom's hardware speaks for it self when it says...what it says about 3D Mark 2003, check out who's "sitting at the top" and see if you can get him...looks to me that money might be a problem on doing that though.

http://www20.graphics.tomshardware.c...charts-04.html

farkas · Apr 9, 2005, 09:51 PM

Nvidia's is more future proof for technology support PS3 etc..., but since you might end up buying a new system eventually, will the future proof be that important for you.

Also, Nvidia's cards are more demanding on the power supply, so thread lightly if you wanna buy a video card and nothing else.

ATI's cards are a safer if you dont wanna run into PSU issues and end up forking out more money than you intended.

Any ATI that you listed is quite good. Bang for buck, X800XL, for a faster card but less value for the money shelled out, go for XT or XT PE. Asus card has 3 years by the way, and i think (not sure) HIS is 1 year. But the HIS has a better cooler and it is also "cooler" !

lol
regards

Nuke209 · Apr 9, 2005, 09:56 PM

Ok..

I would say an ATI....BUT, whatever's in your price range and works for the games you want, get it...

Sandok · Apr 9, 2005, 10:09 PM

Well I'm a FPS whore mostly

And I prefer so far HL2 over D3 for example so in tha sense I'd go with ATI... And in between HIS and ASUS, well everyone has been saying that ASUS isn't good so I'd go for HIS which is cooler

And is dishing out 110 CHF more for a PE worth it or will the XT be good enough?

farkas · Apr 10, 2005, 03:38 AM

If my calculations are right, that comes out to 112$ Canadian, and i would say a reasonding NO !

Plain XT will be fine, and easily OC to PE speeds. The HIS has the nice VGA silencer from Arctic Cooling (not sure for spelling/appellation) and exhausts the heat outside of your case, so you should a drop in overall temp.

Take the plunge, it's gonna be your last AGP card, 99% sure !

let us know what you picked finally

Sandok · Apr 10, 2005, 04:21 PM

Well I just read an interesting article on CPU power an the X800XT so for the moment, I'm sure i'm not getting a PE cuz I'd not be strong enough and well, the 6800GT vs the XT is nice and the GT seems to be more "free" of the CPU power but then, the 6800GT seems to be slightly worse than the X800XT... And a few things are broken on the NVs so I dunno but Shader 3 is really enticing to me too... And so is ATI

What a tough dilema!

Nuke209 · Apr 10, 2005, 06:14 PM

*Chants* A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I *Continues*

~~Vasot~~ · Apr 10, 2005, 06:21 PM

The best AGP cards are X800XT-PE and Geforce 6800Ultra for now

But yes you can buy a X800XT and Overclock it to X800XT-PE speeds easy as i did
the same goes with Geforce 6800GT

Sandok · Apr 10, 2005, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke209

*Chants* A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I *Continues*

Ya I really do prefer ATI driver support and stuff... I just want something which will last longer and better

I'm leaning for a HIS X800XT or a ASUS 6800GT or an ASUS 6800GT (I know it's bad but hell....)

mike2h · Apr 10, 2005, 06:47 PM

Quote:

I'm leaning for a HIS X800XT or a ASUS 6800GT or an ASUS 6800GT (I know it's bad but hell....)

????

Sandok · Apr 10, 2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike2h

????

everyone seems to nto like ASUS cards but the reviews like em. I'm hesitiating in between those 2 cuz there is a major price difference and not much of a performance but I am an ATI addict so I'm really hesitating...

Apr 7, 2005, 04:42 PM	#1
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Best AGP card available out there... I just had a prob you can read over here: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/showthre...694#post586694 And I think my card is dead. So what is the best AGP card I can get and is it worth buying one now or should I wait? I just need to have a general idea so what u guys suggest?

Apr 7, 2005, 05:22 PM	#2
Volcom929 DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 175 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	The best would be an ATI X800XT PE or and Nvidia 6800 Ultra OC. Now whether they are worth it or not is to be decided by you. With the new 512 MB and 520 core coming soon those wont be the biggest and baddest for long. These cards are also quite expensive too. A nice ATI X800XL or Nvidia 6800 GT might be the best bang for the buck currently. __________________ AMD FX-53 w/ XP-120 & Panasonic 120mm Panaflow fan Asus A8V Deluxe Rev 1.02 BIOS 1009 ATI Radeon X1950 Pro AGP 2 GB Corsair XMS PC3200XL 2-3-3-6 Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro 2*WD 10,000 RPM Raptor Hd's Raid 0 120GB Seagate 7,200 SATA LiteOn 8x dvd +/- RW LiteOn 52X CD-RW LiteOn 16X DVD-ROM PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe

Apr 7, 2005, 05:24 PM	#3
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	if you are looking for great performance & bang for the buck i would go with 6800 gt or x800xl. the ati card perfrorms as good as the nv card but approx $90 less. the nv card is more 'future proof'. if you have the $$ just buy the top of the line in from either & you will be good to go. as far as waiting, the only thing coming out 'new' is the 512 mb vers of their respective top of the line cards. since these are ridicuosly expensive i would not go anywhere near them. otherwise there is nothing major going on 'till the possible fall refresh. __________________

Apr 7, 2005, 07:18 PM	#5
Nymins DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 118 Rep Power: 0	i thought the X850 XT PE were the best? i saw a few on ebay for sale. __________________ Pc 1 (Dell Dim 2400): P4 2.8ghz\| 512mb ram\| Geforce FX 5200\| 160gb 7200rpm hard drive\| 17" Flat Screen Monitor Pc 2 (Custom PC): Athlon 64 3000+\| 1GB ram\| Gigabyte 6600GT 128mb PCI-E \| 80gb hdd\| 15" Flat screen monitor Pc 3 (HP d530 SFF): P4 2.8ghz\| 1GB ram\| Integrated gfx\| 40gb Hdd\| 17" Flat screen monitor

Apr 7, 2005, 07:21 PM	Thread Starter #6
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Well If I had to buy something I guess I'd hesitate in between the 6800 GT and the X800XT... Actually there is a 6800 GT from ASUS with only 128mb of ram but it's almost 150$ cheaper! A gimmick? Last edited by sandok; Apr 7, 2005 at 07:36 PM.

Apr 7, 2005, 06:29 PM	#4
Makere DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 28 Rep Power: 0	6600GT is very cheap, and very good compared to the price, I would buy that, but if you're a power freak, X800pro or XL or the 6800 Ultra or GT

Apr 7, 2005, 09:56 PM	#7
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	i would not buy an asus video card. they are doing all sorts of weird shit with labeling & mem configs. __________________

Apr 8, 2005, 08:24 AM	#8
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	XP 64 bit rolls out in less then 30days! It has already been released to MFG. If your going to upgrade personally I'd save up sell what you have and and think of jumping on the INTEL 64bit or AMD 64bit and PCI express train....Then worry about a video card! __________________ Last edited by The_Neon_Cowboy; Apr 8, 2005 at 08:31 AM.

Apr 8, 2005, 08:45 AM	#9
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i say it all depends on your budget. Get the best you can for what you can afford. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Apr 8, 2005, 09:37 AM	#10
topbob HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: SFBA, CA, USA Posts: 463 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	radeon x800 xt, and your done. __________________ 12090 in 3DMarks06 on current system, 5001 on old system, 4164 on older, 1587 on oldest

Apr 8, 2005, 03:06 PM	#12
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	personally if I was chosing between a 6800Gt or a X800XT, it would have to be a X800XT. Have a look around for good deals bud, you might pick something up very reasonable, ive seen some great deals locally for the 6800GTs which might sway it. I understand your points about a new PCIexpress system that will get costly, especially as all you need is a new graphics card.

Apr 8, 2005, 03:20 PM	Thread Starter #13
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Ya well I can only buy from one place and the 6800 GT from ASUS AGP with 256MB is way cheaper than any X800XT I can find... So that's not helping but I just read DH's review on the ASUS Xtreme 6800GT and even though it's PCI, the performance should be the same. And I was sorta dissapointed when I saw the X800XL beat it soooooo many times! But anyways, I'm not going to have the money till mid June (I am still a young student) and first, I'm gonna try to RMA my Vid Card but I'm not sure that's gonna work so I was already thinking of alternatives! Thx for all the input so far

Apr 8, 2005, 08:21 PM	#15
Ubergrendle Semper ubi sub ubi Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 702 Rep Power: 51	You 3DMARK scores indicate a 9800pro, and I'd replace it with a 9800pro. You can get 256mb 9800pros here in Canada for $300.00 retail -- a good deal for its performance. Its best to save up for 1-2 generations hence. FUDO or SLI w/ A64 4000+ running WinXP 64bit in about 18 mos time. __________________ Veteran of the PC Microchannel / EISA wars of the late 1980s.

Apr 8, 2005, 10:09 PM	Thread Starter #16
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Well I am not going to build a new rig for a while. Hopefully, this 3D card upgrade will be my last. So I just want something nice before I hit universtiy where I will study non stop!

Apr 9, 2005, 02:37 AM	#17
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	If that's the plan, then a 6800 or X800 of some flavor looks good in June or so (wait as long as you can though to get the lowest price and keep options open...). You should notice a nice boost versus your 9800 Pro too, your processor has decent ooomph. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Apr 9, 2005, 11:36 AM	Thread Starter #19
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	I'm not going to upgrade my whole system as some of you have suggested. This PC is dieng I know but I want it to die in style with a good vid card so this is what I'm looking at: http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00026247.html 6800GT http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00026136.html 6800GT http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00026201.html X800XT http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00023535.html X800XT http://www.ldlc.ch/fiche/PB00028039.html X800XL I can also get these 3 from another shop: His ATI Radeon X800XT Platinum IceQ II, 256 MB GDDR3, DVI, TV out or the XT version none platinum... Or Asus AX800XT/TVD, ATI Radeon X800XT, 256 MB DDR, DVI, Video-In, TV out, Dual, AGP 8x Now which one is the good one? EDIT: The major question for me is, what will last longer and better? SHould I got with NV cuz they got PS.3 and stuff and they have good opengl and directx performance or should I go with ATI even though it doesn't have the new tech and their opengl is really bad... Last edited by sandok; Apr 9, 2005 at 11:54 AM.

Apr 9, 2005, 09:51 PM	#21
farkas IT Support Specialist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, Québec, Can Posts: 175 Rep Power: 0	Nvidia's is more future proof for technology support PS3 etc..., but since you might end up buying a new system eventually, will the future proof be that important for you. Also, Nvidia's cards are more demanding on the power supply, so thread lightly if you wanna buy a video card and nothing else. ATI's cards are a safer if you dont wanna run into PSU issues and end up forking out more money than you intended. Any ATI that you listed is quite good. Bang for buck, X800XL, for a faster card but less value for the money shelled out, go for XT or XT PE. Asus card has 3 years by the way, and i think (not sure) HIS is 1 year. But the HIS has a better cooler and it is also "cooler" ! lol regards __________________ K8N DLX (s754) A64 3200+ Thermalright XP-120 Corsair CMX512C2 X 2 1GB total Asus X800XT PE with ATI Silencer 4 rev 1 120Gb Sea SATA + 120GB WD PATA + 80GB WD PATA

Apr 9, 2005, 09:56 PM	#22
Nuke209 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: St. Paul Posts: 568 Rep Power: 0	Ok.. I would say an ATI....BUT, whatever's in your price range and works for the games you want, get it... __________________ 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

Apr 9, 2005, 10:09 PM	Thread Starter #23
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Well I'm a FPS whore mostly And I prefer so far HL2 over D3 for example so in tha sense I'd go with ATI... And in between HIS and ASUS, well everyone has been saying that ASUS isn't good so I'd go for HIS which is cooler And is dishing out 110 CHF more for a PE worth it or will the XT be good enough?

Apr 10, 2005, 03:38 AM	#24
farkas IT Support Specialist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, Québec, Can Posts: 175 Rep Power: 0	If my calculations are right, that comes out to 112$ Canadian, and i would say a reasonding NO ! Plain XT will be fine, and easily OC to PE speeds. The HIS has the nice VGA silencer from Arctic Cooling (not sure for spelling/appellation) and exhausts the heat outside of your case, so you should a drop in overall temp. Take the plunge, it's gonna be your last AGP card, 99% sure ! let us know what you picked finally __________________ K8N DLX (s754) A64 3200+ Thermalright XP-120 Corsair CMX512C2 X 2 1GB total Asus X800XT PE with ATI Silencer 4 rev 1 120Gb Sea SATA + 120GB WD PATA + 80GB WD PATA

Apr 10, 2005, 04:21 PM	Thread Starter #25
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Well I just read an interesting article on CPU power an the X800XT so for the moment, I'm sure i'm not getting a PE cuz I'd not be strong enough and well, the 6800GT vs the XT is nice and the GT seems to be more "free" of the CPU power but then, the 6800GT seems to be slightly worse than the X800XT... And a few things are broken on the NVs so I dunno but Shader 3 is really enticing to me too... And so is ATI What a tough dilema!

Apr 10, 2005, 06:14 PM	#26
Nuke209 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: St. Paul Posts: 568 Rep Power: 0	Chants A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I A-T-I Continues __________________ 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

Apr 10, 2005, 06:21 PM	#27
~~Vasot~~ Banned Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: GREECE Posts: 369 Rep Power: 0	The best AGP cards are X800XT-PE and Geforce 6800Ultra for now But yes you can buy a X800XT and Overclock it to X800XT-PE speeds easy as i did the same goes with Geforce 6800GT