What gfx card, any advice appreciated..

[chriswood_7]

Hey guys

Im seriously thinking of upgrading my 9800 Pro to something with a bit more oomf...

Now, my choices are limited as I have a maximum of around £200 and dont really want to go above it (im selling my 9800 Pro and my xbox with everything to fund this upgrade). Now, I can get:

XFX 6800GT 256MB for £204 delivered... which is slightly over my budget (affordable though)

or for £50 less:

Sapphire Radeon X800 Pro ViVO for £156 delivered

Im purely after some advice, knowing that the 6800GT will outperform the X800, what would you do?

Thanks in advance..

Chris

[pumpman]

if i were in your shoes id look for a second hand 6800gt

[chriswood_7]

Just found one on ebuyer, £155 Inno3d? Are ebuyer any good at providing guarantees etc? Are Inno3d any good or are XFX a better make?

Chris

[Tabris]

It shouldn't really matter what 6800GT you get since they're all the same thing, the only difference being the clock frequencies you get out of the box (which should be easily reached by one at stock speeds).

The other difference will be the stock cooling, but if you're after an Arctic Colling NV Silencer as well, just get the cheapest one you can find.

[chriswood_7]

Which versions can I fit an NV to? I hear that AOpen and Leadtek cards arent compatible...

[chriswood_7]

Could i just save money and get the x800 pro vivo, unlock the extra pipelines and put a NV silencer on it?

Chris

[sawyen]

You wont even need 3rd party cooling with Leadtek A400 GT.. the stock cooling that came with it is already top notch (100% copper heatsink, dual slot and HUGE memory block too)... Mine clocks 428Mhz/1150MHz and its very VERY quiet...

[chriswood_7]

Cant seem to find one cheap though mate, ive only got £200 and thats my very very top price I can pay. Cheapest I can find is £219 with delivery

[KingJimi]

Funnily enough, I was in the exact same position that you were in just two months ago. I had only £200 to spend on a new graphics card, and for me it was between the 6800GT and the X800XL. I went for the 6800GT,(although the one I bought from Scan was £252. Ouch.)Iit has the vital SM3 capability that the XL cards don't.

Simple as this, if you want comparable performance to that of a 6800GT go for the X800XL. If you want a card that will last and play many next-gen games go for the 6800GT. Hope that helped

(Overclockers.co.uk have got an XFX 6800GT for £205, inc VAT)

[Dav0s]

depending on what games you play, the 6600gt has the best bang for the buck value. it will definately be good for a few years to come, however i agree with pumpman and a second hand 6800gt wd be best. seen em for £150, especially atm where peeps are upgrading to 7800's