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Video card help
Brutux
Member Posts: 156
I am making a new computer (custom building it) and I was searching newegg.com evga.com all of those computer hardware sites and what I found is there are tons of the same named video cards (I am looking at Geforce 6800 ultra) I am wondering which one should I get. http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?Part_Number=256-A8-N345-AX&tab=supp I'm wondering is this the same as http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=313398&pfp=srch1 and http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-122-195&depa=0 would I see the same
preformance from all of these?
Comments
Ultra is a bit better than GT. But i don't think there's that much difference, they both beat Radeon X800 XT in Doom 3 (which is Radeon's best card).
Go for the Ultra if u want the best.
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thanks but just about the websites are they all the same graphics card in prefromance?
I don't think the GT beat the X800. However, the Ultra definitely did. I would get the ultra man. It has way more features (such as Pixel Shader 3.0. X800 is still on 2.0).
Back to my last question I know the card is better now (thanks =D) but the one thats on comp usa looks like the best one out of the three am I right or are they all the same exact thing?
The 6800 Ultra no doubt about it.
Even a 6800 GT is better then ATI. In features, some argue the x800xt or whatever is betetr in performance but I argue. ATI sucks. I know I own both. Nvidia anyday.
Ya, im a little unimpressed with ATIs latest effort, althoguh they are already in developement of the r500 chip. There are drawbacks to the 6800 though, you need a lot more power for it than the x800 (a beefier powersupply) and i cant remember off the top of my head so dont quote me on it, but does the 6800 take up two slots? I know the (old) FX cards did, i dont remember if the 6800 does... also the x800 pro is a fair bit cheaper. Either way, if the rest of your computer is high end, the difference wont matter that much as there generally arent any games that really require a card that pwoerful. Say what you will about doom 3 and everquest 2, but they need 512mb cards to reach their maximum, so theres no point in having your settings cranked way up anyways.
Yeah it takes up two slots. Not literally two slots but it is so big that you wont be able to fit anything in the slot underneath it.
And yeah you will need a 450w power supply but thats not a big deal. If you were upgrading an old ocmputer then maybe you want to cut costs and get an older nvidia card.
You people fail to see that nvidia has a different quality picture then ati. So maybe on penil and paper nvidia might support maybe just a few more things then Ati. But you also have to comapre how it works, and how it looks. Nvidia is superior. And not just by performance "statistics".
Unless of course you like ATI's picture quality better. I like Nvidia. And right now Nvidia also performs better. And ATI has huge stability and performance problems which means it not always work. I have had 10000% fewer problems with my Nvidia then I have any Ati computer.
go for ultra but make sure it is compatible
Of the three cards you have listed, the eVGA 6800Ultra is the best of the bunch. I've never even heard of Verto. I would suggest you also take a look at the MSI 6800Ultra and the Gigabyte 6800Ultra. The MSI 6800Ultra is supposed to be a heck of an oc'er and has a very good software bundle to boot.
MSI 6800Ultra
Gigabyte 6800Ultra
The 6800GT is just an underclocked Ultra. If you are into ocing, then it might be worth saving $100 and getting the 6800GT. If not, go with the eVGA or MSI 6800Ultra. Good luck finding one in stock though.
How do you overclock well anyways I was wondering is ATI X800 PRO 256MB DDR3 DVI AGP RETAIL a good video card compared to the ultra or compared to ASUS V9999 ULTRA DLX 6800 256MB AGP which is better and is there a noticable difference thanks for all the help =D.
Edit: The new computer Im getting only has 420 watts of power is that enough for the Geforce 6800 ultra? Or the 2 cards I just listed thanks in advance.
I think you need a better power supply if you get the Geforce 6800 ULTRA. Not sure how much though. But GeForce 6800 ULTRA is the best card out right now, nothing can be better.
For Radeons, Pro is a bit better than the original, and XT is better than a pro (X800 XT > X800 PRO)
For Geforce, LE,SE,XT are all worst than the original. Ultra is the best (Geforce 6800 ULTRA > Everything). NEVER get a video card for GeForce that ends with LE,SE,XT, actually anything OTHER THAN ULTRA,GT, and the original.
Just thought I could teach you a thing or 2
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Actually the X800Pro does not match up well against the nVidia 6800Ultra. The card that ATI has set up to go head to head with the 6800Ultra is the X800XT and X800XT-PEs. If you got eithe the 6800Ultra or the X800XT or XT-PE, there really is no need to oc those cards at this point. Here is a review done on the mainstream cards currently out.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/graphics-cards-2004_51.html
I put it on page 51 so you can see the comparison of the two, but go thru the review and see how the cards perform. Do not buy an X800Pro over the Ultra. If you want to compare the X800Pro, compare it to the 6800 GT. In this case, i would still go with the 6800GT because you can overclock it with proper cooling, with a program such as Rivatuner, to the same speed as a 6800Ultra for $150 less.
To sum up your question, I would go with the ASUS 6800Ultra that you have listed if you have narrowed your choice between those 2 cards. I'm not a nViida fan boy either. I just bought a MSI RX9800Pro for my new system, but I think you spend the money you budget for a video card on the best one out there.
The 420watt psu would be sufficient as long as you have 30+amps on the 3.3volt, 5.5volt and 12volt rails each. Any less than 30+amps on these rails in new system with a top of the line vid card could have power issues. I would recommend an Enermax or Thermaltake 460watt psu with at least 30+amps on each of those rails.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
The 420watt psu would be sufficient as long as you have 30+amps on the 3.3volt, 5.5volt and 12volt rails each. Any less than 30+amps on these rails in new system with a top of the line vid card could have power issues. I would recommend an Enermax or Thermaltake 460watt psu with at least 30+amps on each of those rails.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Right there you lost me whats with the amps and volts? Where can I find that information on the computer I'm going to order (I'm custom building it).
Thank you very much for all the help.
ATX 420 P4 Aluminum Power Supply
w/2 x 8cm UV Green Fan w/Green LED Lights
Multi-Color Coated Components & PC Board
Green UV Sensitive Wiresleeve & Connectors
w/Fan Speed Adjuster
w/ I/O Switch
Cable-Tube-Tied Wires for Neatness
thats what it says for the about my mid tower cases powersupply...
np Brutux.
Take the following psu for example, with the following specs.
ENERMAX 460W ATX Power Supply, Model "EG465P-VE FM
Specifications:
Type: ATX
Maximum Power: 460W
PFC: No
Power Good Signal: 100-500ms
Hold-up Time: 17ms min.
Efficiency: 70% min.
Over Voltage Protection: +5V: 5.6V~6.9V, +3.3V: 3.7V~4.5V, +5Vsb: 5.6V~6.9V
Overload Protection: 105%~160% of max load
Input Voltage: 90V~135V AC or 180V~265V AC
Input Frequency Range: 47Hz~63Hz
Input Current: 10A/ 7A
Output: +3.3V@35A, +5V@35A, -5V@1A, +12V@33A, -12V@1A, +5VSB@2.2A
MTBF: 100K hours at 25ºC
Approvals: UL cUL TUV DEMKO NEMKO SEMKO FIMKO
See the "Output" in red. PSUs have different rails that supply power to the different components in your pc. the +12V rail is what your fans, hard drives and other 12volt hardware will be hooked up to and be on a circuit with. This particular 12volt rail can supply up to 33amps of power which = 396 maximum watts that your 12volt systems can draw. (12v X 33amps = 396watts). If the total power usage of all your 12volt devices is more thatn the maximum 396watts, then you are going to have problems supplying power to keep those devices operating properly. Your harddrive might not work properly or your fans might not run at the correct rpm therefore not cooling your pc properly. Here is an article that might explain it better than me.
http://www.planetmars.co.za/forums/index.php?showtopic=10329
Anytime you are looking to buy a psu, either with a case or without, the different rails that psu has along with the voltage of each rail and the amperage should be listed. Some PSUs have two 12volt rails so you can split up your 12volt devices on them. If the psu you are thinking about buying does not list the separate rails and amperage specs, it just list the total wattage, stay away and don't buy.
What is the name of your case with model number you are buying and I can tell you if the psu is adequate or not. If you are buying a system, tell me where, and I can let you know if you are getting a good psu and not jipped.
Hi thanks for all the help again I'm not too good with computer hardware. I am getting the computer at neocomputers.com they seem too have great prices for custom systems.
INTEL PENTIUM 4 PROCESSORS INTEL PENTIUM 4 3.0E GHZ 1MB BOXED $257.64
PERFORMANCE CPU COOLING ZALMAN 6500 COPPER S478 P4 FAN $40.19
PENTIUM 4 MOTHERBOARDS INTEL D865PERLL 800FSB 1394 MOTHERBOARD $132.00
DDR MEMORY 1GB PC2700 DDR MEMORY $204.96
IDE HARD DRIVES MAXTOR 80GB 7200RPM 8MB SATA HARD DRIVE $88.80
AGP CARDS ASUS V9999 ULTRA DLX 6800 256MB AGP $575.66
SOUND CARD CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY $49.00
MID TOWER CASES BLUE FULL TOWER WINDOW CASE 420W $149.00
CASE FANS TWO EXTRA YATE LOON CASE FANS $20.00
OPERATING SYSTEMS MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP HOME OEM $89.00
Thats what my computer is currently looking like any help you could tell me is appericated. By the way
its ENTHUSIAST LINE SYSTEMS than intel petinum 4....
sorry about caps just copy pasted.......
The case you are getting with that system in made my Raidmax, and it is a good case. The Raidmax Cases come with this 420watt psu.
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-152-017&depa=1
It is not that great of a psu, but it is adequate for that system. I do have a few questions.
Are you using this system just for gaming and websurfing or did you need to use the pc for other applications as well?
If you are just using it for gaming and websurfing, this system is good. The AMD athlon 64 CPUs are better gaming processors though over their intel counterparts. The P4 chips are still the best and media encoding and decoding. They are also still better when it comes to 3d rending and publishing, using programs like photoshop. Take a look at these Doom 3 cpu performance realworld test with the nVidia6800 Ultra.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7
Are you able to choose faster ram?
I see you have 1gb of PC2700 which is DDR333 ram. Can you possibly upgrade to the PC3200 DDR400 ram instead? The reason for this is that your PC will be slower with the PC2700 DDR333 ram than with the PC3200 ram. If you are spending the money on that P4 3.0E cpu and the nVidia 6800Ultra vid card, don't skimp on the memory.
You could get a combo DVD/CD ROM drive instead of the regular CD ROM drive as well to play DVD movies and special content DVD games.
For a good gaming experience, you need some good speakers, which aren't very expensive, and a good monitor. Do you already have a monitor and speakers?
Might I suggest this system from United Micro since you are ordering a custom system for gaming and not building one from yourself from parts.
http://www.unitedmicro.com/sysw.cgi?CSTH0003+MBA0051+CPA64004+CFT007+MM3003*2+HDSA004+VCPC0042+CWS004+OPM009++10++28
Here is what the case looks like.
http://www.unitedmicro.com/sysw.cgi?CSTH0003+MBA0051+CPA64004+CFT007+MM3003*2+HDSA004+VCPC0042+CWS004+OPM009++10++28
Of course you can customize your own too.
http://www.unitedmicro.com/sysw.cgi?CSTH0003+MBA0051+CPA64004+CFT007+MM3003*2+HDSA004+VCPC0042+CWS004+OPM009++10++28
I would definitely go with the AMD Athlon 64 processor if you are going to mainly use this computer for gaming. If you are going to be working with video and media editing, decoding and encoding and publishing as well, then stick with the Intel.
I would mostly use it for gaming and websurfing I could only see other than that school work and that kind of stuff....
For the hell of it, and since this is a good enough place as any, heres the comp i just recently put together (i havent boguht it yet but this is what i plan on putting together):
All prices are in canadian dollars...
LG 52x32x52 CD-RW w/ SuperLink $34.99
)
Pioneer 16X DVD-ROM Slot Load $40
Sony 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive $15
Sapphire Radeon X800 PRO 256MB GDDR3 $599
Athlon 64 3200+ $299
Seagate 120.0GB w/ 8MB cache $118
Corsair 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM $125 two sticks $250
MSI K8N Neo Platinum nVidia nForce 3 250Gb $190
Antec TRUE550 550 Watt ATX12V $145
Microsoft Intellimouse Optical w/ Wheel $33
Microsoft MultiMedia Keyboard $19.99
Thermaltake Venus 12 Opteron and Athlon 64 $48(this is a fan jsut incase youre wondering
Samsung SyncMaster DynaFlat 955DF (Black) $249
Thermaltake Xaser VA3000BWA Tsunami (Black) w/ window $189
Total $2229.98
BTW, the store im buying from doesnt stock 6800s (or that ive seen) either way im pretty sure ill be able to handle plenty of games for the next while
Also just in case youre wondering (or didnt know) there isnt a sound card because the onboard nForce 3 is comparable to the high end Sound blaster Audigy card. Also, no speakers, yet, because this is the computer im taking to collage this year so im just going to get some high quality headphones instead.
I don't know, but, i would consider AMD's instead of Intel if you are a gamer.
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I have no idea on what to put into a AMD system so if anyone can help me its appericated....
Hey Brutux...couldn't post a reply sooner cause I went to go grab a bite to eat.
Xzaro is right. If you are mainly using your pc for gaming, then go with the AMD Athlon 64 instead of Intel. The Athlon 64s outperform Intel P4's in gaming hands down.
I do have another question for you....have you ever built your own computer system before? The reason I ask is that I'm assuming you haven't and that is why you are ordering a custom build online.
I would suggest posting your need here at this forum.
http://www.motherboards.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=25
The socket939 AMD Athlon 64 CPUs are the fast processors when it comes to gaming right now, but they are not cheap.
There are only three socket939 motherboards to choose from, and of those three, the ABIT K8V is the least expensive, followed by the ASUS then Gigabyte. All three are good mobos.
You also have socket754 AMD Athlon 64 CPUs. They are also fast, but not as fast as socket939. You can build a socket754 Athlon 64 system for $1600 and less, probably $1500 and less.
The video card you chose, the 6800Ultra or the X800XT will work in an AMD platform.
As far as the ram, go with at least PC3200 DDR400 ram and get at least 1gb. Kingston, KingMax, OCZ, Crucial and Corsair XMS are all good brands of memory. Do not buy memory with the words "value" or "value series" in their name.
You can go with either a 7200rpm or 10,000rpm harddrive. You could always upgrade you HD later on. Western Digital and Seagate make the best HDs right now.
At least get a DVD/CD-ROM Drive combo if you don't get a DVD RW drive. The price on these drives are too good to not get at least DVD/CD. Lite-ON and NEC make good ones.
Make sure you get a floppy drive. I know it seems way out of date, but you'd be surprised at the times you need one to intall drivers or bios from a floppy.
A good monitor and speakers are a must for gaming. You spend all that money on your system, and then don't get additional speakers or a rinky dink monitor...and you'll be kicking yourself. You can buy a good set of Logitech speakers for between $50 and $100 that will give you surround sound. You can buy a good 19inch monitor for under $300 and sometimes you can get a steal on one for under $200. Don't get a monitor smaller than 19inch unless you just don't have the room. Go with NEC, Samsung or Viewsonic as far as a monitor is concerned.
I feel like I'm not helping you....don't know....feel like I'm giving you too much to think about. Let me know.
Nah its getting to me (sooner or later) thank you so much and no I haven't built one before thats why I am now my brother is helping me some but he doesnt know much of Anthlon eather. I already have a good monitor (will get a new one around christmas i guess) and I have well decent speakers nothing great but good enough for now. I am looking at the 6800 ultra for my video card since I saw some screenshots and its just amazing. So no your not giving me too much I could take all the information you could give me thanks (By the way I'm probably ordering the computer in beginging of September.
Good to know Brutux. I strongly suggest you register over at motherboards.org and post a thread in the recommendations forum to the affect of "New here, need help on putting together a gaming pc"
You will get alot of help, and a number of good suggestions so that you can get the best bang for your buck so to speak.
You can get good advice here too, but generally your not going to get as much help or help as quickly on computer parts and ordering questions.
I come here to talk about mmorpgs, mmogs and other games and the occasional hardware question. I go to motherboards.org to get advice on buying and putting together pc systems and parts.
Let me know what your handle is if you do that. If not, I'll put together a couple of list of a good AMD gaming system. K.