Best GPU for £150?

Megahurtz1122 · 19 Aug 2006 at 14:36

What would you say is the best GPu for £150.

Plan to have a Conroe E6300, 2 GB Crucial Bllaistix DDR2 5300, No idea about Mobo.

Tetras · 19 Aug 2006 at 14:41

X1800 XT £149.17 inc VAT
or
X1900 GT £140.97 inc VAT

also worth considering: HIS ATI Radeon X1900 GT ICEQ 3 (£152.69 inc VAT)

Might wanna look at this thread too:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17613045&page=1

Megahurtz1122 · 19 Aug 2006 at 14:51

Right.

I know there is no SLi Mobos for Conroe ATM (Gotta get the cash, so i can wait), but would it be worth getting 2 7600gt's when an SLi board comes out?

Darkwave · 19 Aug 2006 at 15:17

The X1800XT and X1900GT with IceQ 3 are by far your best options, and personally I would suggest the latter even though I am an X1800XT owner. I wouldn't really bother with two 7600GTs personally, as you're in a bit of a mess if you try to play a game with no SLi profile and would be best off with one powerful single card.

Arthalen · 19 Aug 2006 at 15:52

Join the X1900GT Club! I have! Lol.

Just purchased one, just installed it, and just **** my pants at the performance compared to my old 6600.

I AINT GOING BACK!

No way will I ever think about buying a mainstream card again... If ATI keep this plan of releasing a new top end card, waiting for some dodgy cores to pile up then release a 'new' GT gimped version, I know what I'll be buying.

Glad I didnt plonk for X1800 GTO 6 weeks ago now. 36 Shader loveliness is a godsend

** Very Happy bunny **

Megahurtz1122 · 19 Aug 2006 at 16:46

Right cheers for help guys, im tempted towards the X1900GT.

A bit off topic but what would be the best mobo to get with a E6300, X1900GT & 2GB DDR PC-5300 Ballistx?

And would you reccomend different memory?

CSA · 19 Aug 2006 at 17:07

Is the ICEQ 3 version really worth the extra 12 quid over the other models ?

Megahurtz1122 · 19 Aug 2006 at 17:23

Reading the thread about what X1*** card to get, it seems yes it would be as its quieter and is better at cooling?

Anyone know from experience with the card?

CSA · 19 Aug 2006 at 17:28

So if they cool better i should imagine they overclock better ? does any one know if these 1900GT's overclock enough to perform better or same as the 1800XT ?

Megahurtz1122 · 19 Aug 2006 at 17:35

I reckon?? I dont actually know tho

Combat squirrel · 19 Aug 2006 at 17:36

the 1900GT has 30 somet pixel shaders but how many pipelines? Im assuming 12 ?, perhaps a x1800 would be better as it has 16.....I went from an x1800 512mb to a x1900XT and didnt notice a *massive* jump, it was faster yeah, but not by much

Darkwave · 19 Aug 2006 at 17:47

CSA said:
Is the ICEQ 3 version really worth the extra 12 quid over the other models ?

IceQ 3 coolers are one of the best available right now as they're not only silent and very cool, but also exhaust all the heat out of the case and don't void your warranty.

Also, you should keep in mind that the X1900GT has more shaders than the X1800XT. People say that means it will pull ahead quite a bit, and it already does in Oblivion so imagine what it will do in future games like Crysis.

CSA · 19 Aug 2006 at 18:32

Thanks for the info guys , some good stuff there

Ive read your other thread Úlfhednar regarding the 1800xt,1900GT debate and to be honest im still undecided on which card to get,i know the 1800XT is faster in todays games and the 1900GT is more future proofed due it extra pixel shaders

How much slower is the GT compared to the 256mb XT in todays games ? the benchmarks ive read only seem to bench the 512mb 1800XT's

TheVoice · 19 Aug 2006 at 18:37

The 1900GT seems to be about 5-10 FPS behind the 1800XT, in most cases. If you find that Mini-FAQ about these cards that Ulf created, there's plenty of links to comparisons between the 1900GT and the 1800XT.

I was making the same decision as you last week, and went with the 1800XT. Slightly better performance (for now at least), and a better cooler. Was a lot more visually appealing to me too - that dual-slot design is just cool!

Megahurtz1122 · 19 Aug 2006 at 19:05

But if you forked out for the extra fancy ice-Q3 or whatever cooler maybe you could clock it past x1800XT speeds?

Am i right?

Darkwave · 19 Aug 2006 at 20:06

CSA said:
Thanks for the info guys , some good stuff there

Ive read your other thread Úlfhednar regarding the 1800xt,1900GT debate and to be honest im still undecided on which card to get,i know the 1800XT is faster in todays games and the 1900GT is more future proofed due it extra pixel shaders

How much slower is the GT compared to the 256mb XT in todays games ? the benchmarks ive read only seem to bench the 512mb 1800XT's

There's a few links in my mini-FAQ with benchmarks for both the X1800XT and X1900GT so I would check it out again. The X1900GT really is not much slower at all, I would call them practically equal in most situations.

Megahurtz1122 said:
But if you forked out for the extra fancy ice-Q3 or whatever cooler maybe you could clock it past x1800XT speeds?

Am i right?

Depends. It's not really fair to compare an overclocked card against one running at stock, an overclocked X1900GT will always outperform a stock X1800XT and vice-versa. From what I have read both cards overclock about the same too, so you'd still have a picture of the X1800XT slightly on top.

CSA · 19 Aug 2006 at 20:22

Yeah ive re-read some of the reviews/benchmarks in that thread and im starting to lean back towards the 1800XT due to its raw power and even in heavy games like oblivion which they reckon the 1900gt should handle better due to extra shaders the 1800 still matches the GT give or take a frame or two

Darkwave · 19 Aug 2006 at 20:47

CSA said:
Yeah ive re-read some of the reviews/benchmarks in that thread and im starting to lean back towards the 1800XT due to its raw power and even in heavy games like oblivion which they reckon the 1900gt should handle better due to extra shaders the 1800 still matches the GT give or take a frame or two

Well, in Oblivion you do get a pretty good lead in minimum framerate on the X1900GT, but one game isn't enough to justify a purchase and you have to look at a wide range of benchmarks.

I usually say that if you want raw power then go for an X1800XT, but if you are a person who is particular about their cooling then the HIS X1900GT is a great buy.

CSA · 19 Aug 2006 at 21:03

Úlfhednar said:
Well, in Oblivion you do get a pretty good lead in minimum framerate on the X1900GT, but one game isn't enough to justify a purchase and you have to look at a wide range of benchmarks.

I usually say that if you want raw power then go for an X1800XT, but if you are a person who is particular about their cooling then the HIS X1900GT is a great buy.

hhm on the review i read , posted in your thread it said the 1800 was quicker in oblivion except at 1600x1200 res :confused:

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=36&page=4

but that said, that is the only review ive read all the way through tbh

Darkwave · 19 Aug 2006 at 21:19

CSA said:
hhm on the review i read , posted in your thread it said the 1800 was quicker in oblivion except at 1600x1200 res

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=36&page=4

but that said, that is the only review ive read all the way through tbh

Aye, but there was also this released very recently (yesterday in fact) and I haven't gotten around to adding it to my mini-FAQ...

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/7games-gpus_4.html

Shows a pretty decent lead by the X1900GT with minimum framerate stats too, and as we know, every FPS counts in that game.