7800GT vs 7900GS ?

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30-09-2006, 08:59 PM
skattrd

7800GT vs 7900GS ?

I'm beginning to the loose the plot looking at graphics card specs and reviews so thought I'd ask for a bit of advice ;)

Budget wise I can afford 7900GTO but I'd rather not spend the best part of £200 on a graphics card so I am contemplating nearer £100
So I'm considerring
1. 7900GS £120 from Scan
2. BFG 7800GT £115 second-hand

This is for my "living room" pc - HTPC/gaming so needs to have decent gfx and nvidia (output mainly to 32" HD LCD TV)..... I'm no fanboy but the mobo has onboard nvidia gfx and to use multiple monitors the gfx card also has to be nvidia.

Thx
Chris

edit: or should I just bite the bullet and spend the £££ on a GTO?
30-09-2006, 11:30 PM
sawyen

bite the bullet..
30-09-2006, 11:48 PM
scrandman

If you're using it for an HTPC, definately go for the 7900GS or GTO and not the 7800GT. The 7800 was manufactured using an older core technology (90nm vs 65 nm IIRC) which means it consumes more power, and thus generates more heat.

I reckon the 7900GS would be a safe bet for you - especially if your display's maximum resolution is the 1366 x 768 standard.
01-10-2006, 12:06 AM
Madafwo

Go for the 7900GTO, if it is for a HTPC then the cooler on the GTO will be best for you, unless you can go for a passive 7800GT/7900GS.

With regards to the different Manufacturing process, I thought it was 110nm for 7800GT down to 90nm for the 7900GS.

I know you say you don't want to spend the best part of £200 on a graphics card but seriously, the 7900GTO has the best bang for buck and is also quiet with the cooler it has, it will provide you some serious graphics power while being virtually silent compared to the buzz saw's on the 7800GT/7900GS.
01-10-2006, 12:14 AM
OV3RCLOCK3R

bit the bullet and go with the GTO :)
01-10-2006, 03:25 AM
Agent

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madafwo

With regards to the different Manufacturing process, I thought it was 110nm for 7800GT down to 90nm for the 7900GS.

It is mate :)
01-10-2006, 06:20 AM
chuckskull

The GS or the GTO definatly. The GT's cooler has an annoying whir, might not notice it in a normal; PC but you will in a HTPC.

The GTO also comes with a much better heatpipe cooler. Which means less fan speed, less noise.
01-10-2006, 06:55 AM
skattrd

Noo, not what I wanted to hear ....... but I had a feeling I might end up going for the more expensive GTO :rolleyes:

Ok then, which GTO should i go for?
MSI 7900GTO 512MB DDR3 DVI TVO SLI ready PCI-E @ ebuyer = £180 + delivery
OcUK GeForce 7900 GTO SILENT 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM (GX-041-OK) = £188 + delivery

Msi @ ebuyer gets my vote ;)
01-10-2006, 07:00 AM
chuckskull

Go for the MSI cheaper and branded which is a good start. OCuk unbranded cards are a little dodgy in my experience.

Scan should have the same card in stock for £187 soon too. http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=465758
01-10-2006, 08:52 AM
skattrd

GTO ordered from ebuyer, its in stock and I needed a few other bits from them anyway (gigabit networking to wire the house :D ) ... hopefully I shouldn't need a new gfx card for quite some time now.
01-10-2006, 02:58 PM
FatalSaviour

I think you made the right choice :)

Ordered two of the 7900GTOs when Dabs were stocking them for £150 (~£140 delivered with £20 off vouchers they were throwing around).

They can clock pretty high too (at least the ones that I bought can), so it should be able to cope with anything you throw at it now, and you've probably got at least 7900 GTX speeds there if you need it later :)
02-10-2006, 06:34 AM
hellojerry

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrandman

If you're using it for an HTPC, definately go for the 7900GS or GTO and not the 7800GT. The 7800 was manufactured using an older core technology (90nm vs 65 nm IIRC) which means it consumes more power, and thus generates more heat.

I reckon the 7900GS would be a safe bet for you - especially if your display's maximum resolution is the 1366 x 768 standard.

As far as I know, there's no 65nm cards in the world yet:P
Anyway, I do agree with you, 7900GS is a much better bet than a 7800 because they do generate lower heat than 7800 series cards and much better and muture design on both PCB and GPU which can optimise the GPU.

[To the thread owner:]However, as the guys say, 7900GTO would be even a better buy if you are not very tight on cash and be able to afford extra 60 quits:)
02-10-2006, 07:08 PM
scrandman

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellojerry

As far as I know, there's no 65nm cards in the world yet:P

This was corrected previously, which is why I didn't bother to respond. Yes, I made the mistake of quoting CPU architecture instead of GPU architecture. Indeed I even added the IIRC (if I recall correctly) because I wasn't 100% that the numbers were right.

Big deal - I made a mistake - no need for smart ass comments really is there?
02-10-2006, 09:25 PM
Thorsson

You can get the X1900XT for about a tenner more than the GTO, with no messing (and thereby possibly invalidating your warranty).
02-10-2006, 10:03 PM
skattrd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thorsson

You can get the X1900XT for about a tenner more than the GTO, with no messing (and thereby possibly invalidating your warranty).

The mobo I'll be using has onboard nvidia gfx (6150 - fear the powah) so I need an nvidia card to use multiple displays ... no ATi for me.

I do agree though, the X1900XT is a more powerful card than the GTO and would have gone for one if I could, but I can't
An AiW was an option as I could lose a pci TV tuner and use the spare slot for a pci gfx card - but unfortuanately X1900XT Aiw are £300+ and I couldn't find an x1800 AiW anywhere.