Make up my mind - X1900XT-X or 7900GTX

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 15:41

Finally got the wedge to get one of these cards. They system I have is from work so didn't cost me anything but is an Intel box. Pretty decent though for a freebie - Intel 945P chipset, 3.4 Presler with 4megs cache, 500gig sata2, 2gigs DDR2 667, Xi-Fi Extreme etc.. Unfortunatley the video card isn't up to much in latest games (X600). Also the psu is actually only a 375w model, however the amps are very good on it, and in fact you can now buy my setup from same company with a 1900xt-x, which means it's been tested and approved.

So the question is do I buy a 1900xt-x as it's cheaper then a 7900gtx, has more shaders so should run shader intensive games better I suppose, and runs Oblivion slightly faster and then there is hdr+aa, and better IQ. Or do I spend extra and get a 7900gtx which runs quieter/cooler so my psu won't be under as much load, and still have enough juice for a physx card later. Also, what 7900gtx should I go for. Will the cheapest ones overclock to the same level as some of the more expensive XFX models. Or should I hold out for an XFX overclocked verison, although I remember one or two people who had heavily overclocked 7800 XFX's and they artifacted in 3dmark somewhat, so maybe better to play it safe and stick with the OcUK version.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 16:09

I think you are all right. Just wanted to hear it from someone else.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 16:43

Hmmm...I have been reading reviews now. And so far on vr-zone and xbitlabs the 7900gtx came out ahead at 1280 and 1600 with 4x AA/16xAF. It was faster in Quake4,Doom3,HL2:Lost coast, pretty much tied in COD2 and BF2, and only lost out in Oblivion. Anandtech shows a closer battle, but the 7900gtx comes out ahead in most games, if ever so slightly.

I know the ati is supposed to have better image quality and can run HDR/AA at the same time but I am thinking this trade off is worth it for less noise/power consumption which is important to me, and still be as fast or possibly faster then the ati in current games.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 17:00

Thanks for all the input.
I need to start looking at more recent reviews.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 17:23

Well, from what I have seen on early comarative reviews with cat 6.2's, nvidia are ahead on most games at 1600 with 4xaa/16xaf. Must look for reviews with cat 6.3/6.4 as that might be a different story. Of course no hdr/aa simulataneously on nvidia cards is a bit dissapointing. Is this a driver thing or by design ?

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 17:25

Besides Oblivion is there going to be many games that let you use hdr/aa and at playable framerates ?

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 19:08

One of my mates just came over with his rig and set it up. He is running a fairly quiet Gibabyte aurora case, Enermax liberty, and x1900xt. It is definitely very loud on bootup and settles down in windows. No doubt about it. But still too loud for me I think. My btx case just uses a single quiet 80mm fan for cooling the hard drive and a very quiet 120mm fan which pulls in air over the cpu and accross the video card area. It is so quiet, all I can hear is the buzzing from my CRT. It annoys me so much I will probably have to get an LCD soon. And a 1900xt would be way too noisy, even in windows. Of course with a Zalman cooler that would change, but then I am sure if I was running at XTX speeds, this would mean also having to run the zalman at more then minimum settings to maintain decent cooling, which would still be too loud for me. And of course all that hot air is not being exhausted is it ? I think I am going to get the 7900GTX. It will run quieter and cooler and I won't have to worry about my psu being put under pressure.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 19:57

Nobski said:
Happy to put your £300 + GPU under pressure but not your far cheaper £40 ish PSU = bye bye £ £ £

What are you on about ? The system I have is a Dell 9150 which has a 375w psu. While it can actually run a 1900xt-x, since the 9150 is now sold with the 1900xt-x as an option, it would do so under a fair bit of load, and not leave much juice left over for say a physx card. The 7900GTX on the other hand uses considerably less power (about the same as a 7800GTX), and so the psu would be working less hard, not to mention much quieter. I could have course replace the psu, but that would involve finding an atx psu with the exact same measurements as the 375w (probably not too hard), plus a fairly messy wiring job. For those reasons, plus the fact I have heard my friends ati x1900 and find it too loud under windows - I am going to order a 7900gtx. The only question is whether I order a stock one or wait for the XFX extreme versions to come into stock.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 20:16

Exsomnis said:
X1900XT/XT-X + Zalman VF900-CU = Much cheaper and better than any 7900GTX (even the ones not in stock, which is most of them.)

At what voltage ? At 12v this runs too loud. At 5v it is silent, but is it enough to cool an XT-X ? I suppose you could get a fan controller for it rather then use the zalman fanmate but I cannot belive the zalman at 5v will cool an xt-x under load as well as the stock cooler, which at least exhausts the air out the back.

<edit> I have just read some good reviews of the Arctic Cooling Accelero X2 cooler. This would solve the noise issue on the ati card for sure, and as I have a btx case which is what these are designed to run in, the heat that rises off it should be caught by the 120mm fan as it blows air through the cpu heatsink (which is at the front of my case) and out the back of the case </edit>

Also, when you say it's much better then a 7900gtx - are you talking about cooling/temps, because if you are talking about benchmarks, please post some links. I have seen about half a dozen reviews so far and the 7900gtx is as fast and sometimes faster then a 1900xt-x in most gaming benches at 1280 or 1600 with 4xaa/16x af.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:00

Thanks...just checking out that thread now...yeah is seems the zalman is pretty good allright.

However from the reviews I have seen the 7900 is in fact better at higher res / aa /af, not the other way around, which is what you were saying.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:19

If you read my previous posts you would see I was talking about 1280 and 1600. I don't play at 2048x1536 so don't consider that relevant.

If you look at the review on vr-zone of a stock 7900gtx - at 1600 and 1280 with 4xaa/16xaf it is beating the 1900xt-x at Fear,Quake4, HL2 Lost Cost, and only 1 frame behind the 1900xtx at 1280. This was using Catalyst 6.2 though. Read another review on Xbit labs, and they are matched in BF2 and Oblivion (HDR test), but Nvidia taking a slight lead on COD2 and Doom3, and loosing out in FarCry. On Anandtech the X1900xt-x is also ahead in most benches at 1280 and 1600. Conversely on the Inquirer, Firingsquad, and a few other sites show ATI taking the lead, especially in Oblivion. I suppose a lot has to do with what version of the drivers you are using at the time. Which leads me to believe now these cards are more of less neck in neck with each other.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:24

Nobski said:
er, so why start this thread, ?

Because I started it before my friend came over with his rig...that's why.

Anyway, enough already...I read the post on this site about the Accelero and have also read some good reviews on other sites, so am not convinced it is crap. At the same time the new Zalman looks nice.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:35

You know - you seem to be very forceful and condascending with your views and I don't appreciate comments like :

"This is something you need to learn..."
"I think somebody was just looking for a fight"

How dare you.

Mods - please close this thread.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:41

Correct.....my friend was visiting me today with his new rig, and I started this thread while waiting for him to show up.

I am going to depart from this thread now.

It is clear that

1. The ati card is obviously better value and close to and sometimes performing better then the 7900gtx.

2. It can be cooled quietly with the new zalman cooler and still perform at xt-x speeds. That I didn't know.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:45

Exsomnis said:
Yes, I do tend to become forceful and condescending when I am going out of my way to educate somebody about these two cards and the importance of value in making the decision to buy one of them, when the person I am trying to help starts to turn into an Nvidia (or ATi) fanboy and completely desregard everything I am saying.

So, since your mind is made up... You know what? Let Nvidia rob you blind for up to and exceeding £100, and buy their 7900GTX. I hope you're happy with it, but I hope you miss the money you could've saved for other/future upgrades.

Well I do appreciate the ati represents better value. I always knew this from reading reviews, but you were pretty insistent that the nvidia card was faster when we both know they are neck in neck. And now I know it can be cooled quietly with the new zalman. Which is something I did not know. So I did not disregard what you were saying, and may well buy an ati card now.

But how dare you tell me that I need to learn about value in that tone. I don't need to learn about anything.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 21:49

Nobski said:
Yawn !
Flanno, go play some games, it`s more fun

I suggest you go to bed if you are feeling sleepy

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 22:11

Well I probably should have mentioned on my post that value wasn't a major concern as I was prepared to buy either card. The tone of your post by telling someone they they 'need to learn' something instead of suggesitng it to them, comes off as sounding beligerant and unappreciated in my book.

<edit> man_from_uncle...yeah I agree with what you said and everyone else. The more I think about it, the extra cash spent on a 7900gtx is not worth it. The fact I can cool an x1800xt to very good levels and keep the noise down is a major plus. The fact the x1900xt-x is qualified to run with my psu is also a major plus.

2 questions if anyone cares to answer :

1. Will the Zalman cooler still preform at 5v under heavy load with a 1900xt. I want a quiet a system as possible. If not and I need to raise the rpms, what fan controller does the best job ?

2. Do case temps in peoples experiences go up much since you are not extracting the heat out the back ?

</edit>

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 22:19

Which part - the value bit or sounding beligerant.

I do admit I was up until recently reckless with my spending on PC upgrades and besides this 1 purchase I am pretty value conscious, I reckon.

If you are calling me beligerant, then we have a problem.

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 22:48

Nobski said:
You have answered this by your last line, linky

Anyways, its only a piece of hardware, so nothing to get stressed about

Well my original comment wasn't even addressed at you, so why the smartness - why get involved ?

Flanno · 17 Apr 2006 at 22:49

trojan698 said:
Let's not fight over graphics cards people.

Yeah, let not fight.