best budget card

C

ClocKworK

New Member
I was going to buy a sapphire x1800 for $200 dollars at newegg, but recently they were out of stock, which really got me mad.

What is the best possible card out there that I can buy for $200 or less, or what card could I get and just overclock it and unlock pipes?
 
they get them back in stock in just a few days, unless you really need it now. if that's the case, then you could check tigerdirect.com....... good luck with that:)
 
Well you could get a 7600GT for around $150, the x1800GTO for around $185, or the X850XT PE for around $220.

Personally I would go with the 7600GT, since its a great card and isnt too expensive. But if you dont mind spending a bit more, then the x1800GTO would also be a great choice. Im assuming you have a PCI-E slot right?
 
Pipelines are not the only thing to look for in a video card. For example ati's top video card has 16 pipelines compared to nvidia's top card 24 piplelines but the ati performs the same as not better in some games.
 
ClocKworK said:
well I kinda want a card with at least 16 pipes, and yes, I do have a pci-e
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Pipelines arent the only things that matters. The x1800GTO has 12 pipelines, and very fast clock speeds.
 
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How much could I overclock the x1800 to?

And how exactly do pipelines improve gameplay? I just assumed 16 was the average
 
Pixel pipelines carry the pixel shader units, it used to be the more pipeline the better, however with the AIT x1900 series, they can send out three pixel shader units per pipeline, which is an increase over the 7xxx series.
 
Yep I think 7600GT is better than X1800GTO and cheaper too. You can forget about X850XT cause its old crap already :D
 
Nutcase said:
Yep I think 7600GT is better than X1800GTO and cheaper too. You can forget about X850XT cause its old crap already :D
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Actually the x1800GTO is significantly better in Vertex Operating, and Texture Fill Rate. It also has a higher memory bandwidth and more Rastor Operations.

In games and benchmarks, the x1800GTO prevails. Here are some benchmarks that you may want to take a look at.
 
Nah considering the price difference 7600GT is better and you can OC it like hell...
X1800GTO top model VS. plain 7600GT and there is hardly any perfomance difference between them.. 7600GT=cheaper, OC's like hell..
 
Nutcase said:
Nah considering the price difference 7600GT is better and you can OC it like hell...
X1800GTO top model VS. plain 7600GT and there is hardly any perfomance difference between them.. 7600GT=cheaper, OC's like hell..
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I never said which was a better buy, I was simply correcting your statement about the 7600GT being better. :)
 
holyjunk125 said:
Pipelines are not the only thing to look for in a video card. For example ati's top video card has 16 pipelines compared to nvidia's top card 24 piplelines but the ati performs the same as not better in some games.
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pipelines are extremely important


and the ATI cards have 48 pixel shaders...


Sapphire Radeon X850XT - $160 (cheaper, but louder and hotter...)


Edit: what happened to the HIS Hightech x850xt IceQ II?????????????????????????? i can't find it anywhere!
 
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Encore4More said:
pipelines are extremely important


and the ATI cards have 48 pixel shaders...


Sapphire Radeon X850XT - $160 (cheaper, but louder and hotter...)


Edit: what happened to the HIS Hightech x850xt IceQ II?????????????????????????? i can't find it anywhere!
Click to expand...

You knew that only X1900XT/X has 48 pipelines/vertex shader units, right?

X1800GTO has more likely 12 pipelines or so dont remember.. So does 7600GT--- :)

And that X850XT is and old crap now :) Old technology since it doesnt have PixelShader3.0....There´s no reason for buying that card..
 
Encore4More said:
pipelines are extremely important


and the ATI cards have 48 pixel shaders...
Click to expand...
What he means is that it's not the only deciding factor. Since the ATI x1900XT/X series only has 16 pipelines, it also has 48 pixel shaders. Which means that each pipline can carry 3 pixel shaders per pipeline (3:1 ratio), which is a significant improvement over the nVidia 79xx series.
 
But you gain from it only in heavily shadered games and it gives a bit more better IQ.. i think 7950 GX2 beats X1900 series from any point of wiev ;)
 
ClocKworK said:
What is the best possible card out there that I can buy for $200 or less, or what card could I get and just overclock it and unlock pipes?
Click to expand...

Check out the 7600GT. :)

Nutcase said:
But you gain from it only in heavily shadered games and it gives a bit more better IQ..
Click to expand...

Only?

Nutcase said:
i think 7950 GX2 beats X1900 series from any point of wiev
Click to expand...

Performance - Yes
Features - No
Pricing/Value - No

Theres of course the enthusiasts to whom price wont matter. But as I'm sure you understand, the X1900 at $400 is selling like butter.

Now lets Keep the threads on topic.
 
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