8800GT, Should I Get It? is it better than 8800GTX ?

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kingfire11

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#1 kingfire11
Member since 2005 • 1498 Posts

Hello guys, I'm planning to upgrade my video card (7300LE),

I heard that the 8800GT is beating the 8800GTX in some games, and it's cheaper as we know.

the price is really great, I wanna run all my games at 60 FPS (like F.E.A.R, Oblivion and BattleField2) at 1440x900

so should I get this card? and which version should I get? the 256MB or the 512MB? considering the resolution I use (1440x900).

my Current Reg:

AMD X2 4800+

Nanya DDR2 1GB 667

BenQ 19 LCD widescreen.

Motherboard Name MSI K9AGM2 (MS-7327)

Motherboard Chipset AMD690G/V

thanks in advance.

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Baselerd

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#2 Baselerd
Member since 2003 • 5104 Posts
Get the 8800GT, it isn't better than the 8800GTX, but only by a small margin (which doesnt even come close to justifying spending $250 more.) Get the 51MB version, and you will be good to max out all those games at your resolution. Although you should probably add another 1 GB of ram, 2GB is needed for most games nowadays.
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kingfire11

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#3 kingfire11
Member since 2005 • 1498 Posts
thanks for replay, but what are the differences between the 256MB and the 512MB? do they have the same price?
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Spartan8907

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#4 Spartan8907
Member since 2006 • 3731 Posts
For the games listed, it will perform very nicely at that resolution, perhaps even in Crysis with high settings. 256mb VRAM is really not recommended as games are starting to use up all 256mb of VRAM and are only going to need more in the future. I had to make the same decision myself, trust me, I've asked that same question and done the research, you will want the 512mb version if you dont plan on upgrading soon and want to play newer games in the future.. You may also want to consider buying another 1gb of ram.
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eva89

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#5 eva89
Member since 2004 • 807 Posts
get 8800gt 512mb and u will nv be wrong.256mb isnt good for high end games.
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Baselerd

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#6 Baselerd
Member since 2003 • 5104 Posts
The 512 MB one costs $50 more, but you need it, trust me. Without it, you will have to settle for lower settings, or you will have stuttering in newer games.
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kingfire11

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#7 kingfire11
Member since 2005 • 1498 Posts

The 512 MB one costs $50 more, but you need it, trust me. Without it, you will have to settle for lower settings, or you will have stuttering in newer games.Baselerd

yeah I just checked the prices, pretty silly, an extra 50$ just for more 256 VRam.

looks like I won't be able to add a new 1GB ram to my reg.

well I'll buy it just to check out Crysis as I can run it at high with this card, I've never touched that game.

thanks guys.

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kingfire11

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#8 kingfire11
Member since 2005 • 1498 Posts

hey wait a minute, there's no PCI-E 1 version? I'm checking out at newegg and all the versions are PCI-E 2.0!! mine is:

Bus Type PCI Express 1.0 x16 @ x16

DAMN!.

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Baselerd

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#9 Baselerd
Member since 2003 • 5104 Posts

It's backwards compatible. PCI-E 2.0 works on PCI-E 1.0. Go ahead and buy it.

Might I say though, you wont be able to run Crysis as high as you could unless all parts are in place. You really really need 2 GB RAM for crysis, as do you need 512MB on your video card. Its a demanding game :-\

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joeychew

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#10 joeychew
Member since 2003 • 4580 Posts
The new 512mb GTS is equal to a GTX.
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kingfire11

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#11 kingfire11
Member since 2005 • 1498 Posts

It's backwards compatible. PCI-E 2.0 works on PCI-E 1.0. Go ahead and buy it.

Might I say though, you wont be able to run Crysis as high as you could unless all parts are in place. You really really need 2 GB RAM for crysis, as do you need 512MB on your video card. Its a demanding game :-\

Baselerd

damn, no problem, I'd be busy with UT3 until the next upgrade (maybe in the next two years, Crysis will look like **** in that time :lol:)

thanks for help, I'm gonna buy the card tomorrow. thanks again.

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Baselerd

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#12 Baselerd
Member since 2003 • 5104 Posts
Yeah, but the margin between the 8800gt, 8800gts, and 8800gtx is so small its not really worth spending another $70, much less $250 on a gts or gtx. The performance of the new 8800GTS 512MB is about 7-10% better than the 8800gt, but it costs 20% more.
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joeychew

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#13 joeychew
Member since 2003 • 4580 Posts
but the new GTS can easily oc to 800mhz without a problem....whereas the GT will need extra cooling device.
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saifiii

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#14 saifiii
Member since 2006 • 274 Posts
yeah go with the GT its bang on for the price
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joeychew

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#16 joeychew
Member since 2003 • 4580 Posts

some guy manage to oc the new 8800GTS from stock 650 to 891mhz...8800GTs is a real oc beast!

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Spartan8907

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#17 Spartan8907
Member since 2006 • 3731 Posts
Thats insane.
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joeychew

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#18 joeychew
Member since 2003 • 4580 Posts
Best part is he is only using the stock fan.
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#19 ShotGunBunny
Member since 2004 • 2184 Posts
I'd suggest going for a GT and overclocking it, you'll be well past GTX performance, easily.

Edit: Wow, that overclocked GTS is the bomb. :P
I wonder if I can still achieve something similiar with my factory OC'd GTX.(XFXForce) The memory clock is faster then that GTS (2GHZ)
The rest is slower (clock: 630, shader: 1350).

My case has lots of fans, so it stays pretty cool, I can also buy a new sidepanel which has a simply huge fan in it. I had actually thought that overclocking my thing much further wouldn't really be possible. Is that so?
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Thinker_145

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#20 Thinker_145
Member since 2007 • 2546 Posts
[QUOTE="Baselerd"]

It's backwards compatible. PCI-E 2.0 works on PCI-E 1.0. Go ahead and buy it.

Might I say though, you wont be able to run Crysis as high as you could unless all parts are in place. You really really need 2 GB RAM for crysis, as do you need 512MB on your video card. Its a demanding game :-\

kingfire11

damn, no problem, I'd be busy with UT3 until the next upgrade (maybe in the next two years, Crysis will look like **** in that time :lol:)

thanks for help, I'm gonna buy the card tomorrow. thanks again.

Hmmm no if you have xp then you dont need more than 1GB Ram.Gamespot's crysis performance guide says that you wont get any extra frames from having 2GB instead of 1 in xp just better loading times.I really dont know of any game in XP that actually improves FPS by having 2GB.However RAM can definitely reduce stuttering sometimes.

With that said i would actually recomend you to get another gig since Ram is SOO cheap now.But if somehow you cant then that shouldnt stop you from playing any games.

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9mmSpliff

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#21 9mmSpliff
Member since 2005 • 21751 Posts
I would go for the GTS. GTX is just not worth the extra $$$ over the GTS unless ou are looking to run 3 of them on a 780i board for TriSLI. Where it requires the GTX or Ultra, cause of the dual SLI bridges.
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Thinker_145

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#22 Thinker_145
Member since 2007 • 2546 Posts
Yeah, but the margin between the 8800gt, 8800gts, and 8800gtx is so small its not really worth spending another $70, much less $250 on a gts or gtx. The performance of the new 8800GTS 512MB is about 7-10% better than the 8800gt, but it costs 20% more.Baselerd
No at just $50 more it is definitely worth it over the GT.
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codezer0

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#23 codezer0
Member since 2004 • 15898 Posts
If you already have an 8800GTX, keep it. If you're starting from something much lower than either of them, the 8800GT is more than fine, unless you want/need a really high resolution (like 1920x1200 or a 30"er). At that point, the 8800GTX's higher memory bit width will hold up lots better.
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muscleserge

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#24 muscleserge
Member since 2005 • 3307 Posts
Get the 512 GT, Mine runs oblivion max @ 1680x1050 with 70FPS in the heaviest forest areas with a ton of HDR.
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PullTheTricker

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#25 PullTheTricker
Member since 2006 • 4749 Posts

256mb version is more then enough.

Even for 1680x1050. And your resolution is 1440x900.

I play CoD4,UT3, STALKERmaxed out 1680x1050at60 fps with my ATI 3850 256mb. What else would possiblyyou want more? 512mb is completely overkill. Unless you're one of those fanatics who only care about Crysis. I play Crysis demoall on Very High (XP hack) and 1680x1050. Plays at 20-25 fps. Wich is really good for budget card that performs worse then the 8800gt.

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codezer0

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#26 codezer0
Member since 2004 • 15898 Posts
You need 512MB minimum to run DX10-level effects full-on. A 256MB 8800GT will suffer trying to do that much earlier than a 512MB GT.
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Thinker_145

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#27 Thinker_145
Member since 2007 • 2546 Posts
You need 512MB minimum to run DX10-level effects full-on. A 256MB 8800GT will suffer trying to do that much earlier than a 512MB GT.codezer0
Exactly.But even now there are a few games that actually use that much of VRAM even at lower resolutions.
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codezer0

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#28 codezer0
Member since 2004 • 15898 Posts
[QUOTE="codezer0"]You need 512MB minimum to run DX10-level effects full-on. A 256MB 8800GT will suffer trying to do that much earlier than a 512MB GT.Thinker_145
Exactly.But even now there are a few games that actually use that much of VRAM even at lower resolutions.

Because at lower resolutions you don't need that much VRAM. But at any real man's resolution, 512MB (or more) is already mandatory even for DX9 games. DX10 just reinforces why it's necessary.
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Baselerd

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#29 Baselerd
Member since 2003 • 5104 Posts
[QUOTE="kingfire11"][QUOTE="Baselerd"]

It's backwards compatible. PCI-E 2.0 works on PCI-E 1.0. Go ahead and buy it.

Might I say though, you wont be able to run Crysis as high as you could unless all parts are in place. You really really need 2 GB RAM for crysis, as do you need 512MB on your video card. Its a demanding game :-\

Thinker_145

damn, no problem, I'd be busy with UT3 until the next upgrade (maybe in the next two years, Crysis will look like **** in that time :lol:)

thanks for help, I'm gonna buy the card tomorrow. thanks again.

Hmmm no if you have xp then you dont need more than 1GB Ram.Gamespot's crysis performance guide says that you wont get any extra frames from having 2GB instead of 1 in xp just better loading times.I really dont know of any game in XP that actually improves FPS by having 2GB.However RAM can definitely reduce stuttering sometimes.

With that said i would actually recomend you to get another gig since Ram is SOO cheap now.But if somehow you cant then that shouldnt stop you from playing any games.

GS's hardware guides are a joke. When I went from 1GB to 2GB back in the day, my framerate in Oblivion got a huge boost.

Also, the 8800gts 512MB simply isnt worth the money. It's $70 more... for 7-10% peformance increase. It does have a better cooler, granted, but you can pick up a zalman VF1000 for $45-50 and get way more OC potential than the 8800GTS stock cooler. Although with the inflated prices nowadays, it would be better to just get the 8800GTS due to the 16 extra sp's. But if/when 8800gt returns to $250, that would be a much better option.

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xipotec

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#30 xipotec
Member since 2005 • 493 Posts
Hey I am buying this card sli x512 (gt) But the monitor is the issue... I am trying to decide between a samsung 20 inch (206bw) and a 19 inch (906bw) I went to a store the look at them , but the 20 inch could not shoe at its native res . 1680x1050. Can the 8800 gt run at this resolution? I saw the 19inch at the native 1440x900 and it was sharp and clear. Speaking fo crysis, does this run at 1680x1050 and 1440x900>??
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Thinker_145

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#31 Thinker_145
Member since 2007 • 2546 Posts

[QUOTE="Thinker_145"][QUOTE="codezer0"]You need 512MB minimum to run DX10-level effects full-on. A 256MB 8800GT will suffer trying to do that much earlier than a 512MB GT.codezer0
Exactly.But even now there are a few games that actually use that much of VRAM even at lower resolutions.

Because at lower resolutions you don't need that much VRAM. But at any real man's resolution, 512MB (or more) is already mandatory even for DX9 games. DX10 just reinforces why it's necessary.

Well actually i wasnt saying that there are only a few games that utilize more VRAM,but i was saying that there are quite a few games that actually provide a better experience with more VRAM so sorry for the confusion.:)

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PullTheTricker

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#32 PullTheTricker
Member since 2006 • 4749 Posts

Hey I am buying this card sli x512 (gt) But the monitor is the issue... I am trying to decide between a samsung 20 inch (206bw) and a 19 inch (906bw) I went to a store the look at them , but the 20 inch could not shoe at its native res . 1680x1050. Can the 8800 gt run at this resolution? I saw the 19inch at the native 1440x900 and it was sharp and clear. Speaking fo crysis, does this run at 1680x1050 and 1440x900>??xipotec

I have the exact same monitor... the 206BW. 1680x1050 looks really sweet in STALKER, CoD4 and TES Oblivion.

For games like Crysis it may be a bit demanding though.

[QUOTE="codezer0"][QUOTE="Thinker_145"][QUOTE="codezer0"]You need 512MB minimum to run DX10-level effects full-on. A 256MB 8800GT will suffer trying to do that much earlier than a 512MB GT.Thinker_145

Exactly.But even now there are a few games that actually use that much of VRAM even at lower resolutions.

Because at lower resolutions you don't need that much VRAM. But at any real man's resolution, 512MB (or more) is already mandatory even for DX9 games. DX10 just reinforces why it's necessary.

Well actually i wasnt saying that there are only a few games that utilize more VRAM,but i was saying that there are quite a few games that actually provide a better experience with more VRAM so sorry for the confusion.:)

And you are right... the ATIHD3850 256mb Versus 512mb benchmark testsshow it. You will not get any noticeble perfomance increase in resolutions till 1680x1050.

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9mmSpliff

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#33 9mmSpliff
Member since 2005 • 21751 Posts
Its definately worth the $70 more. Its not just a 256mb version of the card. The 512mb does have the better cooler and higher clocked Memory. At 16x12 and higher you would want this card. At 19x12 and higher, I would rather have the 8800GTS 512mb. The 256mb versions loses by around atleast 8fps in games to the 512mb version @ 16x12. The most i seen was around 20fps difference @ 16x12.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3175&p=5
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/607/2/
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Thinker_145

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#34 Thinker_145
Member since 2007 • 2546 Posts

[QUOTE="xipotec"]Hey I am buying this card sli x512 (gt) But the monitor is the issue... I am trying to decide between a samsung 20 inch (206bw) and a 19 inch (906bw) I went to a store the look at them , but the 20 inch could not shoe at its native res . 1680x1050. Can the 8800 gt run at this resolution? I saw the 19inch at the native 1440x900 and it was sharp and clear. Speaking fo crysis, does this run at 1680x1050 and 1440x900>??PullTheTricker

I have the exact same monitor... the 206BW. 1680x1050 looks really sweet in STALKER, CoD4 and TES Oblivion.

For games like Crysis it may be a bit demanding though.

[QUOTE="codezer0"][QUOTE="Thinker_145"][QUOTE="codezer0"]You need 512MB minimum to run DX10-level effects full-on. A 256MB 8800GT will suffer trying to do that much earlier than a 512MB GT.Thinker_145

Exactly.But even now there are a few games that actually use that much of VRAM even at lower resolutions.

Because at lower resolutions you don't need that much VRAM. But at any real man's resolution, 512MB (or more) is already mandatory even for DX9 games. DX10 just reinforces why it's necessary.

Well actually i wasnt saying that there are only a few games that utilize more VRAM,but i was saying that there are quite a few games that actually provide a better experience with more VRAM so sorry for the confusion.:)

And you are right... the ATIHD3850 256mb Versus 512mb benchmark testsshow it. You will not get any noticeble perfomance increase in resolutions till 1680x1050.

I dont know about that card.But as far as the 320MB vs 640MB is concerned i have seen alot.Putting AA in some games get's too demnding on the 320MB like world in confilct.And it also stuggles in DX10 games like bioshock.I saw a benchmark where the 320MB stuggled to put 4xAA in bioshock in 12x10 in DX10.