AGP Graphics Upgrade

[Elrein]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone can solve my dilema

Im after a bit more horsepower gaming wise but am still riding the AGP Train so im very limited with my graphics choice.

I currently have a Connect3D x800pro 16pipe edition clocked @ 520/560. Having a Dell 2405fpw my resolution of choise is 1920x1200 but @ that rez a lot of the new games just aint getting the FPS i require for solid gaming, i was thinking of upgrading the graphics to the Gainward BLISS GeForce 7800 GS+ SILENT 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (AGP) - Retail (GX-032-GW) which is currently the fastest AGP part on the market today.

My question is will i see a noticable difference in performance for my £270 outlay, im usually an ATi man but i seem to have my hands tied with the choice available. Oh and my CPU is currently running @ 3GHz P4 with 2GB ram

Thanks in advance

 

[semi-pro waster]

Well the graphics card is effectively a 7900gt but in AGP for so yes you will see a fair difference I believe however you might be better going for a PCI-E socket 478 motherboard and something like the X1800XT or X1900XT which will end up costing you the same or less overall but give better performance plus you can move it to a new system if necessary.

 

[Frank Grimes]

I upgraded to the 7800gs+ from an x800xl. Like yourself I also have a S478 P4.
However I'm running a resolution of 1280x1024 and the card is capable of delivering high quality visuals at this setting. Check reviews of a standard 7900gt for an idea of what the card would be capable of at your resolution. I have my doubts about it running Oblivion (and future games?) in Hi-Def. It handles battlefield 2 and half-life 2 brilliantly so I'm guessing it should cope with those games at the high resolution you demand

In my case the upgrade made sense. In yours I'm not so sure. If I had that monitor, then no question I'd be putting together a conroe system and go crossfire or sli.

 

[Elrein]

K thanks for the help and info guys, i wasnt going to make the purchase until i had at least had a few thoughts.

Edit to reply below..........

Going to stick with the AGP solution for a another year or so me thinks then i will go the whole hog and upgrade the lot all @ once. When i went from 8 to 16pipes i nearly fell over with the change now going to 24 and a good set of drivers while retaining all my other great hardware i cant really see a downside...well apart from paying mabye £60 extra for a 7900GT

I never wanted to uninstall my Voodoo5 5500 but was forced to do do lack of driver support

 

[LoadsaMoney]

Yeah if you can get a PCI-E mobo that supports your CPU etc... then you would be mad to get the 7800GS+, as as said its just a 7900 GT, and it costs a whopping £260, jesus for that price you get the much faster x1800 XT at only £150 AND a PCI-E motherboard to go with it, i would as your going to be going PCI-E eventually, so you may as well go now, i know i would.

Hell you can even get the x1900 XT 512mb on PCI-E for only £211 all in, and still have change to spare for a PCI-E mobo, and the x1900 destroys the 7900 GT.

 

[ACESHIGH]

Yeah if you can get a PCI-E mobo that supports your CPU etc... then you would be mad to get the 7800GS+, as as said its just a 7900 GT, and it costs a whopping £260, jesus for that price you get the much faster x1800 XT at only £150 AND a PCI-E motherboard to go with it, i would as your going to be going PCI-E eventually, so you may as well go now, i know i would.

Hell you can even get the x1900 XT 512mb on PCI-E for only £211 all in, and still have change to spare for a PCI-E mobo, and the x1900 destroys the 7900 GT.

This makes so much more sense.

 

[Zillio]

The Gainward BLISS Geforce 7900 GT "Golden Sample" 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-033-GW) is the same card as the GS+ but in PCI-Express and with only a stock cooler. The GS+ costs £12 more but you get a nice cooler on it.

The above suggestions are good but personaly I would not be upgrading a motherboard on a system I know I will be completly replacing in 6 months. Are these cheap (<£50) motherboards any good anyway?

 

[krooton]

The above suggestions are good but personaly I would not be upgrading a motherboard on a system I know I will be completly replacing in 6 months. Are these cheap (<£50) motherboards any good anyway?

If you are planning on an upgrade in 6 months, then why waste the £270 now?

Fair enough if you have money to burn, but you can get much better value for money if you go a different route.

 

[Elrein]

Installed the card today and very very happy with the performance and visual quality.
I thought my o/c x800pro 16piper was quick, this thing blows it out of the water :O

 

[Whoop]

Installed the card today and very very happy with the performance and visual quality.
I thought my o/c x800pro 16piper was quick, this thing blows it out of the water :O

Whats happening with the old card ?


Whoop

 

[Elrein]

Will most likely go into the wifes PC, but if that doesnt happen ill throw it on the MM and see how we go

 

[Whoop]

Will most likely go into the wifes PC, but if that doesnt happen ill throw it on the MM and see how we go

Cool, I have a 6800GS OC that I'm not sure if the X800 is mildly more powerful (plus I like ATI too). If you do decide to sell maybe we could do a deal ?


Whoop

 

[LoadsaMoney]

If you are planning on an upgrade in 6 months, then why waste the £270 now?

Fair enough if you have money to burn, but you can get much better value for money if you go a different route.

Agreed, your upgrading the whole lot again in 6 months so you cant see the point in getting a new mobo now that can be had for about £70+ as it will be a waste, yet you can see the point in getting a graphics card thats about £270.