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Decent upgrade from X800 XL?

OrphanBoy

OrphanBoy

OrphanBoy

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Joined
16 Jan 2005
Posts
641
Location
Laaaandan
Hi guys,
I've got that wallet itch as I just got a pay rise (though just bought a big-ass TV and booked a hol...) and I'm looking for an excuse to get a new video card to tide me over until next year.

I'm thinking about the X1800 XT that's on special offer (£152) this week but I'm wondering - is it that much of an upgrade from my X800 XL? I could spent loads of money and get a REAL upgrade but whatever I buy will just get superseded when the next generation comes out.

Does anyone know how loud these things are too? That fan looks pretty nasty and one of the reasons I'd like a new card is because I can't get the HSF off my XL to replace with a waterblock.

Or is the BFG 7900GT (£184) quieter and faster? The X1800 + a waterblock would probably come to £180...

Ta :)
 
X1800XT is a lot better than an X800XL, you will be surprised. The 7900GT is slower than the X1800XT unless you do a pencil-mod on the actual PCB, and the Geforce 7 series has the highest failure rate (5%) of any card in the last three or more years.

Go for the X1800XT and the waterblock, you will be very impressed.
 
Coolio. So are these things loud after all? And do they clock well? If I do buy one and can't get the fan off it (damn those tiny screws!) I ain't gonna be happy!
 
Get the X1800XT. Fantastic price.
On bootup for 2-3 secs they make noise as the fan gets to 100%, but after that they arent loud (when running).

The X1800XT is faster at stock & those small 7900 series fans make a high pitched whirr when running.
 
Actually, could someone who has one of these card measure its length? They look like they might be a little bit of an effort in my case.
 
I went from an X800XL to a 7900GT
Go for it, can't go wrong :)

If you get a new 7900 it should be one of the upgraded ones without the slightly dodgy pwm that caused many failures.
 
Yup a stonking upgrade, went from an x800 XT PE to an x1800 XT 512mb, and was blown away, performance increase is astonishing, i wouldnt get the 7900 GT, why buy a dearer slower card. :p
 
LoadsaMoney said:
Yup a stonking upgrade, went from an x800 XT PE to an x1800 XT 512mb, and was blown away, performance increase is astonishing, i wouldnt get the 7900 GT, why buy a dearer slower card. :p
Click to expand...
You forgot less reliable. :p
 
Hey guys, got my X1800 XT last night and had a quick go with it.
For those people trying to make the same decision that I did, I wasn't totally shocked by the performance of the thing - probably as I have a 7800 GTX at work. Compared to the GTX it's definately faster, but I'm not getting performance that's light years ahead of the X800 XL... I can just bump up the res a bit more :)

And for those people who are interested in the fan noise, no it's not too loud (unless it's full-whack which hasn't happened whilst gaming yet) and isn't annoying either. And for people with cramped cases - it's a big card so check whether you have the space before buying one.

The Tomb Raider Legend 'next gen' does look really lush though, so I'm happy about that! It is totally unplayable on my 7800. Prey still grinds a little bit whilst in spirit mode. Haven't tried FEAR yet.
 
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