More video card troubles

[Mattigus]

My friend and I are building a new computer, and we've been thinking about getting the Radeon x850 XL platinum edition. I'm not sure if this is the right choice or not. Does anybody have this card and can they tell me anything about it? My price range for buying these cards is between 100 and 200 bucks.

 

[Asus]

Where do you plan on buying? Do you mean X850 XT Plat edition?

The X850 is alright. Last years model though with fewer features. Try getting a X1800 model at least. The 7600GT or X1800GTO's are about that price. They support SM3.0 etc.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I dont think those support HDR, only the x1000 series do.
I don't know if this means crap to you but I do recommend getting a newer card for that price range.

 

[Asus]

I dont think those support HDR, only the x1000 series do.
I don't know if this means crap to you but I do recommend getting a newer card for that price range.

They do support HDR. But not all forms since some require SM3.0.

Although do you have AGP or PCI-Express?
If it's a X850 XT (not XL) and you only have APG then it probably one of the better choices since a lot of new cards are not on AGP.

 

[Mattigus]

Where do you plan on buying? Do you mean X850 XT Plat edition?

The X850 is alright. Last years model though with fewer features. Try getting a X1800 model at least. The 7600GT or X1800GTO's are about that price. They support SM3.0 etc.

Well, they're selling the x850 XT Platinum edition at Microcenter for 150 bucks, which is what we're planning on getting. I'm just not sure about it, since it's pretty old. And yeah, I kinda do want full HDR stuff. My goal is to play Oblivion as fast and as near perfect as possible with the price range between 100 and 200 USD.

 

[Mattigus]

They do support HDR. But not all forms since some require SM3.0.

Although do you have AGP or PCI-Express?
If it's a X850 XT (not XL) and you only have APG then it probably one of the better choices since a lot of new cards are not on AGP.

I'm building a new computer, so I have neither, but I'm going to get a PCI-Express board.

 

[hungryduck]

go for a X1800XT....you get one for about $150 to $200 and they are GREAT cards....on par with a 7900gt.

 

[bosox188]

Well if you want to play Oblivion with all the eye candy turned on, I highly suggest getting an X1800GTO instead. It supports SM 3.0 and can therefore run HDR in Oblivion. I think you'll want to have the HDR in Oblivion, as imo it makes the game's graphics. You should be able to find it at newegg.com.

*Edit*

To the above post, I have not seen any X1800XTs for $150-$200, if you have seen one at that price by all means post the link, as I may be buying a new graphics card soon too. But if you would consider it, the X1800XT can be had at newegg for $240 for the OEM version. The retail version is $250, but it has a $30 mail in rebate which would make the cost $220. I don't usually like mail in rebates myself, but if it appeals to you then I would have to say it's a pretty good deal.

 

[Asus]

Again, if you only have AGP then you are sorta stuck. The X850XT is going to be the best you can get for GFX card performance.
If you have PCI-Express though you have options. For < $200 I'd get the X1800GTO for oblivion. The 7600GT is similar but won't perform quite as well in the outdoor areas.
Mid range cards on Oblivion

Im not sure but I think Oblivion's HDR needs SM 3.0 support.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161012
This gto version might be a good idea.

 

[Mattigus]

I'm liking the GTO, but my friend isn't buying it. He seems adamently opposed to buying gutted modern cards and would rather buy old supercharged cards. Is there any site which has benchmarks comparing the x850 XT and x1800 GTO?

 

[DEATHMASTER]

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
They have the x1800 xl but not the gto here, it has the x850 xt PE though, so it may be a good comparison, but from the way I see it, the gto is the way to go. The xl does better than the 850 almost all of the time in those benchs although by only a marginal amount. Either card is a good choice so I guess it's up to you. I see what your friend thinks though seeing as there are so many 'gutted' cards, I recommend going nvidia, only because I have experience with them and its nothing but positive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150140
Here's a 7600gt if you're interested in looking, has plenty of good reviews if that helps. The clocks on this card are higher than the gto as well as being in your price range. If you want a 7600 that's a bit cheaper just look around that site.

 

[Mattigus]

Thanks DEATHMASTER, you've been a huge help.

I found a 200 dollar card, the Radeon X1800 XT with 256 megs. How would that be?

 

[Asus]

I found a 200 dollar card, the Radeon X1800 XT with 256 megs. How would that be?

The X1800 would show the HDR in Oblivion.

 

[Mattigus]

The X1800 would show the HDR in Oblivion.

I figured as much. How about overall performance. I thought almost all X1800s had 512 megs of RAM instead of 256. Does anyone have an X1800 XL and have anything to say about them?

 

[bosox188]

If you can find an X1800XT for that price, take it because it's a steal. The performance would be great, and it is better than an X1800XL. It's pretty much at the level of a 7900GT.

 

[Mattigus]

Ah, it's opened. I knew there was a catch.

 

[bosox188]

Figures. Well I still suggest the X1800GTO then. It can give you HDR in Oblivion which the X850XT can't do. Also, with ATi cards using the "Chuck patch" drivers you can run AA and HDR together in Oblivion. Normally you could not, and there is no such patch available to enable it with Nvidia videocards. Now the GTO may not be fast enough to do say 4xAA with HDR and at a very high resolution such as 1600x1200 or 1280x1024, but maybe 2x AA at 1280x1024 with HDR would look very nice. Just another thing to consider.