Is This A Worthwhile Upgrade? (GTO² -> X1800XT.)

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 16:49

Hi there guys,

I was going to hold off on upgrading my system until Vista was released, at which time I was planning to simply build a new computer. Since it looks like Vista is being delayed more and more, I have decided that I should treat myself to a graphics card (and possibly memory) upgrade until it's finally out.

I'm currently using a fully unlocked Sapphire X800 GTO² which I plan to sell on the members market soon if there are any interested parties, and the X1800XT 256MB is only £187.94 with VAT on this week only at the moment. Would this be a worthwhile upgrade from what I have for the price, and will it perform fine with my memory or should I upgrade to 2GB DDR400 too?

To recap, what I'm asking is: -

a.) Is it worth it to upgrade from what I have to an X1800XT 256MB for £187.94?
b.) Will this card run fine on 1GB DDR333 or should I upgrade to 2GB DDR400?
c.) Is there anything better to buy in the sub-£250 pricerange instead of the X1800XT 256MB?

Thanks in advance for any input.

semi-pro waster · 12 Apr 2006 at 16:53

If the upgrade won't cost you much then I'd say it should be well worthwhile, you ought to get a massive performance increase going to a card a generation ahead.

2gb Ram would be a lot better but 1gb should still work ok at least until you can afford more..

vanandjuanunited · 12 Apr 2006 at 16:55

Just made the same decision and its well worth it. Games look so much better now. Go for it and be happy.

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 16:56

semi-pro waster said:
If the upgrade won't cost you much then I'd say it should be well worthwhile, you ought to get a massive performance increase going to a card a generation ahead.

2gb Ram would be a lot better but 1gb should still work ok.

The upgrade should cost £187.94 at a minimum (the price of the card at the moment) which shouldn't be a problem at all right now, especially since I'll probably be selling my current one.

I'm just wondering if I'm making the right choice or if I could get a better card for around the same price. My budget for graphics goes up to about £250 max, the rest is going on memory if I need it.

Thanks for the input semi-pro waster.

williamw11 said:
Just made the same decision and its well worth it. Games look so much better now. Go for it and be happy.

Thanks for the input williamw11, that definitely makes me feel a bit better about it.

Soul Rider · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:35

Exsomnis said:
The upgrade should cost £187.94 at a minimum (the price of the card at the moment) which shouldn't be a problem at all right now, especially since I'll probably be selling my current one.

I'm just wondering if I'm making the right choice or if I could get a better card for around the same price. My budget for graphics goes up to about £250 max, the rest is going on memory if I need it.

Thanks for the input semi-pro waster.

Thanks for the input williamw11, that definitely makes me feel a bit better about it.

Although you will get a performance boost graphically in games because of the card, if i was in your position (which I am actually) I would/am going for 2GB of DDR 400 ram as my first priority, as that will give me the general performance boost in everyday applications as well as my beloved BF2. A newer shiny graphics card can wait again for a further few months...

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:40

Soul Rider said:
Although you will get a performance boost graphically in games because of the card, if i was in your position (which I am actually) I would/am going for 2GB of DDR 400 ram as my first priority, as that will give me the general performance boost in everyday applications as well as my beloved BF2. A newer shiny graphics card can wait again for a further few months...

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I currently play Half Life 2 & Counter Strike Source, Battlefield 2 & Special Forces, The Godfather and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (which is the main reason I want to upgrade, it's just so pretty.)

I was planning to get a new graphics card and swap my 1GB DDR333 memory with a friend for his 1GB DDR400, then buy another 1GB DDR400 stick later if I needed it (which I probably will.)

Do you think the X1800XT 256MB is a worthwhile upgrade over a fully unlocked X800 GTO² for the price it is on This Week Only, Soul Rider?

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:50

Okay, to upgrade to an X1800XT 256MB and 2GB DDR400 it should cost me exactly £256.04 including postage and packing.

This is where you guys have to convince me to (or not to) put my money down.

I plan to get this ordered tonight unless anyone has any better suggestions, help me to clear my spending conscience.

Where's Gibbo when you need convincing to spend heaps of cash?

mctrials23 · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:30

deffo go for it, you will make back about £120 from the sale of the old ram and gfx.

You will notice a big difference and thats the best sub 250 quid card about as far as i can tell.

locutus12 · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:43

a.) Is it worth it to upgrade from what I have to an X1800XT 256MB for £187.94?

Hell yes, i went from a GTO2 to an 1800XT 512, 4K more 3Dmark 05 points plus all the extra supported features

b.) Will this card run fine on 1GB DDR333 or should I upgrade to 2GB DDR400?

better with 2 gig, regardless of the speed. but 1 gig is fine for the moment, just remember your only as fast as your slowest component.

c.) Is there anything better to buy in the sub-£250 pricerange instead of the X1800XT 256MB?

yup, the 512mb version

p.s. if your GTO2 is one of the original batch (R480 core + samsung 1.6ns ram) youl get £120 to £140 on fleebay, i got £140 back for mine just 8 weeks ago

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:53

mctrials23 said:
deffo go for it, you will make back about £120 from the sale of the old ram and gfx.

You will notice a big difference and thats the best sub 250 quid card about as far as i can tell.

Thanks for the input mctrials23, much appreciated.

locutus12 said:
a.) Is it worth it to upgrade from what I have to an X1800XT 256MB for £187.94?

Hell yes, i went from a GTO2 to an 1800XT 512, 4K more 3Dmark 05 points plus all the extra supported features

b.) Will this card run fine on 1GB DDR333 or should I upgrade to 2GB DDR400?

better with 2 gig, regardless of the speed. but 1 gig is fine for the moment, just remember your only as fast as your slowest component.

c.) Is there anything better to buy in the sub-£250 pricerange instead of the X1800XT 256MB?

yup, the 512mb version

p.s. if your GTO2 is one of the original batch (R480 core + samsung 1.6ns ram) youl get £120 to £140 on fleebay, i got £140 back for mine just 8 weeks ago

Thanks very much for the input locutus12, it's much appreciated as your bootable ISO got the GTO² rocked my world.

My GTO² is indeed one of the original and best, it clocks great. I was going to see how much I would get for it on the member's market as it seems much more reliable and simple than that particular website.

Just a quick question though... The X1800XT 256MB is ~£190 and the X1800XT 512MB is ~£250. It'd be stretching my budget quite a bit since I plan to upgrade my RAM too, but do you think it would be worth it or would 256MB be just as good for me?

locutus12 · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:57

well, if this is the last card you want to buy before the DX10 generation cards and games early next year, stretch and get the 512mb version. consider buying it second hand to save £££, i got mine in feb for £240 second hand (was a month old), its a master card too

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:59

locutus12 said:
well, if this is the last card you want to buy before the DX10 generation cards and games early next year, stretch and get the 512mb version. consider buying it second hand to save £££, i got mine in feb for £240, its a master card too

It is indeed the last DirectX 9 card I plan to buy, I'm just not sure if the extra cost is worth it. Chances are I'll only be playing Battlefield 2 and Oblivion until then.

Hmmm... Well... I'll stick with the 256MB version just to save on money, but you guys have definitely convinced me to actually go ahead and do it. The clock is about to strike 8:00pm, so now is as good a time as any.

Thanks guys, my bank manager loves you.

I will update this thread when my X1800XT 256MB and 2GB RAM are installed with my 3D Mark scores.

Gibbo · 12 Apr 2006 at 20:07

Hi there

Do the upgrade those Sapphire cards are stupidly cheap and they will jump up in price tomorrow by approx £20 so get it done tonight.

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 20:27

Gibbo said:
Hi there

Do the upgrade those Sapphire cards are stupidly cheap and they will jump up in price tomorrow by approx £20 so get it done tonight.

Thanks a lot for letting me know Gibbo, I got one and some RAM ordered about half an hour ago. I had a feeling it wouldn't take you long to get in here convincing me to blow some cash, but you were a bit late on this one.

superpc · 12 Apr 2006 at 20:31

I would have gone for a 7900 mate. Awesome overclockers!

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 20:34

superpc said:
I would have gone for a 7900 mate. Awesome overclockers!

I was considering going Nvidia this time, my last card was a 6600GT and it was superb. I have no loyalty to either company really.

One of the important factors for me in choosing an ATi over an Nvidia this time was that the X1800/X1900 cards can do HDR+AA in Oblivion now, something I simply can't miss out on IMHO.

Thanks for the input anyway, superpc. It's appreciated.

superpc · 12 Apr 2006 at 20:36

Well, you picked a nice card there anyway, i am so jealous! Let us know how you get on with it. Cheers

Darkwave · 12 Apr 2006 at 20:37

superpc said:
Well, you picked a nice card there anyway, i am so jealous! Let us know how you get on with it. Cheers

Don't be jealous, you can rest assured that I am completely gutted at blowing £250, but it was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

Darkwave · 13 Apr 2006 at 14:35

I've just found out that City Link don't deliver on Good Friday, so unless it comes today (which is unlikely) I could be waiting until Monday or Tuesday.

Gutted to the max.

Anyone know a good way to make time pass painlessly while you wait for hardware? :confused:

locutus12 · 13 Apr 2006 at 14:59

Exsomnis said:
Anyone know a good way to make time pass painlessly while you wait for hardware?