X800GTO2 still a bargain???

Hello all!

Pretty much as the title says. Currently, i have a 6600GT which is kinda okay, but i think that i could really do with a little bit more oomph:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=280378

So basically, is the above still good value? I know that this could get to X850 level, but for the money, is this still a good deal, or would i be better off waiting (and maybe saving) for a better budget card.

Personally, the price point is acceptable to me, but i dont want to be stuck with a card that cant really hack it at all in a month or 2!!! Do you all think that it still has some time left (and hence worth getting???)

Thanks for any thoughts

JP

Its a very good 'bang per buck' deal since (most?) of them flash to X850XT speeds. At those speeds its not far off the 7800GT though it won't have some of the GTs features such as SM3.0, though not many games seem to use it of course.

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1365&page=9

BTW, Microdirect are selling it £10 cheaper than Scan if you collect.
Prices are about the same with postage etc.

As decent as a 7800GT? Well, that would really have been what i would have saved up for instead, and like you say, i still dont think that SM3.0 is going to make that much impact is it???

I live in Watford, so i dont really think collection is a problem - and at least i get to use Scans generous free delivery offer!!! - I recently swayed from getting a WS TFT (See other thread in this section) so i feel the need to treat myself to something... :)

Additionally, does anyone know if this needs to be plugged into your PSU? or is there enough power from the PCI-e bus?

Anyway, thanks for the input

If you meant the GTO2 yes it will need a connection from the PSU. They are a great bargin if you dont mind the tweaking it will effectively perform like X800XL.

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At those speeds its not far off the 7800GT

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Bit like comparing a X1800XL to a X800XL

As a crude comparison if you look at 3dmark2005 points per pound it will come out something like this:

7800gt at 7500ish 3d marks for £190 - 37
x800gto2 (at x850xtpe) at 6500ish marks for £120 - 54
6600gt at 4000ish for marks for £90 - 44

Not a fantastic comparison but it does serve a purpose. The x800gto2 is still fantastic value for money even though it isn't as good overall as a 7800gt. As a stopgap for 6 months or so its worth a look at and it still packs a fair punch provided you game at 1280x1024 or below as most of us mortals do.

edit: Forgot to add x800gto2's are also now 16 pipelines straight out of the box and will easily clock to 500/500 without even breaking a sweat. Out of the box it is comparable to a 6800gt at ~5000 3d marks and oc'd will reach 6000 to 6500.

closer to X850XT really.. They are a real bang if you never liked HDR..

They are likely a replacement for my girlfren's aging rig with a X300 HyperMem in there.. but I'll leave that till maybe a month from now to regenerate my funds after getting 2 Acer WS TFTs..

Indeed a great value for money card, try get the GTO2 though ;)

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From Custom PC mag: The process of modding the X800GTO2 is extremely simple. You can download the new BIOS and a flash utility from TechPowerUp.com (www.techpowerup. com), and all you have to do then is boot into DOS, type in a command line, override the big red flashing warning that appears, and that's it. The next time you load up Windows you'll have a full 16-pipeline X800, and you can confirm this by loading up ATITool (www.techpowerup.com).

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@Rhyth - Yep, as the link at the start shows, I'm looking to get the gto2, especially because of the good value of what it can achieve if modded.

@Dark horse - You say that they are 16 out of the box? Is this true, I have to PM one of the scan guys to find out. Also I've heard that newer ones now have the R423 core instead of the R480. I'm not totally up on Ati architecture anymore since moving to Nvidia, but is this a good or a bad thing? On another formum i read that the R423 core as a rule of thumb wouldn't allow OCing as much as the R480 core. Is there any weight in that statement?

Scales are tipping in favour of gettting the old credit card out.... :)

Maybe get yourself a sound card too if your still onboard. If your on a budget you can pick up a audigy 2ZS (or equivelent) for cheap a great value card. Or a buy you won't regret would be the X-fi Xtreme music. Both purchases would noticably boost your gaming experiance. ;)

Rhyth

Sorry, just needed to ***bump*** this thread!

Just wanted to ask y'all 2 additional questions. I am SOOOO close to getting this. I PM'ed one of the guys from Scan as I had heard somewhere that some x800gto2's have the R423 core, while some have the R480. Now, they cant verify which core the batch they have in stock, so:

1) Would the difference in core make much of a difference? I'm guessing the product will still be able to open the additional quad, but is there a difference performance wise?? Or just maybe in how far the OC can go?

Also, at last check, i can get it for £127. Now, looking around the next best thing may be a 7800gt, but this is about £211 on scan. So:

2) is there enough of a gap in between the two cards to warrant maybe saving??? I am a bit of a budget merchant :) but i was thinking that the 7800gt may last longer. however, one of the earlier posts stated the x800 could be comparable to the 7800gt. Is this vaguely true??

Sorry to ask similar questions again, but i have buying syndrome, and it seems SUCH a good deal!!!! but like everyone else, you worry that it might be a bad decision...which is where you lot come in!!!!! :)

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one of the earlier posts stated the x800 could be comparable to the 7800gt. Is this vaguely true??

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Not unless you mean the shape and the fact it has a fan on the top.. seriously, The performance on a X800XL or 850 is not the same as a 7800GT which your going to overclock with two mouse clicks. If you want to research it there are some good reviews and non bias advice available online, such as hexus own reviews, guru3d and custom pc to name just a few. ;) Also in a few weeks you will have the 7900 series effecting the 7800 price and you can get an X1800XL for £200 too. The gfx market moves fast, its all about striking a balence between the currrent and superceeding gfx series (which most of the time results in a price drop for the former to your advantage) and the performance in current games in relation to your personal needs, like resolution etc.

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looking around the next best thing may be a 7800gt, but this is about £211 on scan.

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http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=251716 £193.28 all in ;)

Rhyth.

Yeah, i thought that the quote about it being close was a bit odd. Anyway, i think that the GTO2 IS a good deal, but i think that what with the 7900 series coming out, maybe it will be better to wait - maybe a 7800GT would be the best value card by then.

I alrady use those sites that you have mentioned to read on reviews, but as you say, its waiting for the new generation to come out and getting the one just superceeded that usually gives the best value - but in all honesty, i cant see any of the 78/1800 series coming to the price of 130-150 ish.

I keep telling myself its a good deal, but in all honesty, i think that it may be dated too soon for me. And seeign as nothing is really out that is HUGE (game wise) it would be the wise mans choice to wait - but its soooo hard, i think its the fact that you are modding the x800gto that makes it FEEL like you are getting a lot more for the money.

Thanks again