7800GS or no?

[JustinMcG67]

Along with new RAM. Basically, a new computer.

 

[Kage]

I got the 6800GS last week and I'm impressed with it. FEAR does play at high settings, yes, but Smooth Shadows still knocks the hell out of it I'm afraid So I still have to have this off. other than that, I get a rather high FPS.

Your best bet if you can afford it is the 7800GS which is rather cheap, and I would have got that if I had the money too

The only real difference between that is the fact that it can handle 8 shader instructions per shader, compared to the 4 of the 6800GS, but that does make a bit of difference, and will for later games, even if it does have less pixel pipelines than its bigger brother.

 

[HRHunteRHR]

Well if you can't upgrade one thing without upgrading everything, it's DEFINATLEY time for a new computer. The graphics card probobly won't help I'm afraid. It may give you 20 more frames, but you could easily just save it and then in a few months, depending on your monthly income, you could have us set you up with a nice, cheap, gaming computer.

 

[Kage]

What you mean, his systems good! So what if its not PCI-e, neither is mine, and I'm not planning to update for years!
I don't know wheather the X800 to the 7800GS will give you a big enough boost for you to be happy though. It might certainly increase it a bit, but not by a huge amount I wouldn't think.

 

[Flipper]

I'm not planning to update for years!

Seems like we won't have too...before it was just ATi making these AGP cards...now that nVidia is starting to put some more high performing AGP cards out there I don't think I will have to upgrade to PCI-E for a bit.

 

[Kage]

Yeah, though it makes me wonder if AGP is coming to the end of its life. These new cards proove it still has potential, but why did Nvidia decide to choose a slower, less overclockable core for the AGP version of the cards?

 

[Flipper]

Also notice that nVidia is choosing now to make these powerful cards for AGP when they could have done it while AGP was in its prime...why didn't they?

 

[Kage]

Well these types of cards werent accessible then.
Plus, they must have expected people to swap to PCI-e quicker than they have.

AGP definetly has some more to give. How much? I don't know.

They decided not to use the newer core though for the AGP version, and I believe it could have been to do with making them cheaper to produce. Good and bad I guess, but at least you can unlock the AGP version of the 6800GS for example.

 

[Flipper]

Honestly I don't think the AGP technology will last much longer, I mean it will still be used alot, but I don't think they are going to continue to waste time when they know alot of people are switching to PCI-e.

 

[Kage]

True, but they decided to release these cards, purely because they had a lot of support to to do.

The 7800GS will definetly keep games going for a while, either way.