High-End Graphics
Besides the fact that most of these cards are really overpriced, there really isn't much else to say about this bracket. For the best price/performance, we recommend you take a look at the mid-range or ultra high-end cards. For the amount you would be paying here, you will usually be better off going with an ultra high-end card. Still, let's take a look at what we have available, as there's at least one high-end GPU worth recommending.
Here we have the GeForce 7800GS cards that come only in AGP form. There is a large selection of these cards available, but the best price we can bring you as of today is the EVGA GeForce 7800GS EGS 256MB [RTPE: 256-A8-N505-AX] for $277 shipped. As you skim through the rest of the chart, you will notice that there are many cards available for under the $300 price tag. Competing with the X850 XTPE, the 7800GS does a decent job at filling out the top of the NVIDIA AGP performance spectrum, but we'd really like to see something like the 7900 GTX in AGP form. The 7800 GS is slightly underpowered compared to the X850 XTPE AGP, but the 7800GS is priced about $170 less. Honestly, we have to say that you're better off upgrading to a PCI-E motherboard and graphics card for an extra $100, but then again, it's far easier to change graphics cards than to swap out an entire motherboard.
We mentioned that there was at least one high-end GPU model worth considering, and these are the cards. The X1900 GT comes with 12 pipelines and core/memory clock speeds of 575/1200, so the card certainly packs a punch. Meanwhile the AIW version comes with 16 pipelines and 500/960 core/memory clocks, making is roughly equal to the X1900 GT (slower memory, slightly faster core). Also interesting to note is that two X1900 GT cards can be run in CrossFire mode using the PCI Express bus to transmit data between the cards. This does result in a performance penalty relative to the dongle cable of the higher end CrossFire configurations, but the lower prices are certainly a plus. Barring mail-in rebates, the lowest priced X1900 GT card comes from Sapphire [RTPE: 100189] at $278. Connect3D [RTPE: 3058] on the other hand can be had for $260 after rebate.
There's only one X1900 AIW currently showing up, from ATI [RTPE: 100-714800] ($285). As mentioned, overall performance is going to be roughly similar to the X1900 GT, but you get the added benefit of TV recording support. That's at least $50 worth of added value, though the one problem with all in one GPU/TV tuner solutions is that you lose the TV tuner if you ever upgrade your graphics card. On the other hand, you also get support for all of those features in a single PCI-E slot, which can be extremely useful if you're using a SFF system.
Of course, we listed the 7900 GT on the previous page, simply because it was easier to group the GTX and GT cards together. Since 7900 GT cards are priced about the same as these ATI offerings, we could easily classify it as a high-end card as well. With additional pixel pipelines (24) and faster memory, you'll usually get better performance overall from the 7900 GT cards.
ATI's X850 line is somewhat interesting, as it performs better than the X800 line and is currently priced lower. The AGP cards are still pretty expensive, but the Sapphire Radeon X850XT 256MB [RTPE: 100106] is priced at $140 after a $20 mail-in rebate. This card actually has more of a mid-range price, but with high-end gaming performance. This is the only other "high-end" card that we would seriously recommend right now, as everything else is priced too high for the performance offered. Also note that CrossFire X850 cards are relatively expensive, and R400 CrossFire really wasn't a very elegant solution. We recommend you stick with single X850 cards if you plan on purchasing one.
Like the majority of cards on this page, these X800XT cards are also overpriced. For the price of these X800XT cards, you can easily purchase a 7900 GT or even something faster. These cards are on their way out, and we're just seeing the last few leftovers being sold.
There really isn't something we can add to what we've already said before. Head on to the ultra high-end cards if you're looking to spend anywhere near the amount these 6800 GTs and Ultras are going for. Alternatively, check out the next page for our mid-range batch of cards. Several of them will at least match performance of the 6800 GT and do it at a much lower price.
Besides the fact that most of these cards are really overpriced, there really isn't much else to say about this bracket. For the best price/performance, we recommend you take a look at the mid-range or ultra high-end cards. For the amount you would be paying here, you will usually be better off going with an ultra high-end card. Still, let's take a look at what we have available, as there's at least one high-end GPU worth recommending.
Here we have the GeForce 7800GS cards that come only in AGP form. There is a large selection of these cards available, but the best price we can bring you as of today is the EVGA GeForce 7800GS EGS 256MB [RTPE: 256-A8-N505-AX] for $277 shipped. As you skim through the rest of the chart, you will notice that there are many cards available for under the $300 price tag. Competing with the X850 XTPE, the 7800GS does a decent job at filling out the top of the NVIDIA AGP performance spectrum, but we'd really like to see something like the 7900 GTX in AGP form. The 7800 GS is slightly underpowered compared to the X850 XTPE AGP, but the 7800GS is priced about $170 less. Honestly, we have to say that you're better off upgrading to a PCI-E motherboard and graphics card for an extra $100, but then again, it's far easier to change graphics cards than to swap out an entire motherboard.
We mentioned that there was at least one high-end GPU model worth considering, and these are the cards. The X1900 GT comes with 12 pipelines and core/memory clock speeds of 575/1200, so the card certainly packs a punch. Meanwhile the AIW version comes with 16 pipelines and 500/960 core/memory clocks, making is roughly equal to the X1900 GT (slower memory, slightly faster core). Also interesting to note is that two X1900 GT cards can be run in CrossFire mode using the PCI Express bus to transmit data between the cards. This does result in a performance penalty relative to the dongle cable of the higher end CrossFire configurations, but the lower prices are certainly a plus. Barring mail-in rebates, the lowest priced X1900 GT card comes from Sapphire [RTPE: 100189] at $278. Connect3D [RTPE: 3058] on the other hand can be had for $260 after rebate.
There's only one X1900 AIW currently showing up, from ATI [RTPE: 100-714800] ($285). As mentioned, overall performance is going to be roughly similar to the X1900 GT, but you get the added benefit of TV recording support. That's at least $50 worth of added value, though the one problem with all in one GPU/TV tuner solutions is that you lose the TV tuner if you ever upgrade your graphics card. On the other hand, you also get support for all of those features in a single PCI-E slot, which can be extremely useful if you're using a SFF system.
Of course, we listed the 7900 GT on the previous page, simply because it was easier to group the GTX and GT cards together. Since 7900 GT cards are priced about the same as these ATI offerings, we could easily classify it as a high-end card as well. With additional pixel pipelines (24) and faster memory, you'll usually get better performance overall from the 7900 GT cards.
ATI's X850 line is somewhat interesting, as it performs better than the X800 line and is currently priced lower. The AGP cards are still pretty expensive, but the Sapphire Radeon X850XT 256MB [RTPE: 100106] is priced at $140 after a $20 mail-in rebate. This card actually has more of a mid-range price, but with high-end gaming performance. This is the only other "high-end" card that we would seriously recommend right now, as everything else is priced too high for the performance offered. Also note that CrossFire X850 cards are relatively expensive, and R400 CrossFire really wasn't a very elegant solution. We recommend you stick with single X850 cards if you plan on purchasing one.
Like the majority of cards on this page, these X800XT cards are also overpriced. For the price of these X800XT cards, you can easily purchase a 7900 GT or even something faster. These cards are on their way out, and we're just seeing the last few leftovers being sold.
There really isn't something we can add to what we've already said before. Head on to the ultra high-end cards if you're looking to spend anywhere near the amount these 6800 GTs and Ultras are going for. Alternatively, check out the next page for our mid-range batch of cards. Several of them will at least match performance of the 6800 GT and do it at a much lower price.
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JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
Actually, I think what they wanted was to have each table sorted by price, not just grouping similar cards together. This is an often requested feature, and our pricing engine people are aware of it. Unfortunately, there are many factors that come into play with adding this feature to the tables that get generated. Hopefully we can get that one of these days -- along with better searching capability (like the ability to search for regular expressions rather than specific strings). Herrrcn - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
Ah yes, I forgot to address that portion of their request.However, for the time being, if you go to our RTPE and http://labs.anandtech.com/cats.php">browse by category, you can sort by prices after you select which card you're looking at. This goes for all other products, not just video cards. =) Hope this helps.
Josh7289 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
You mentioned the X1900GT certainly packing a punch, but what kind of a punch does it pack? At $260 after rebate, it is priced identically to the 7900GT, so I'm curious as to specifically how it performs compared to other cards in its price range, like the 7900GT.Also, for $140 after rebate, the X850XT is about the same price as the 7600GT, maybe a little cheaper, so I'd like to know how that card also performs similar to others in its price range, like the 7600GT.
Thanks ;)
JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
I've updated the text on page 3 to reflect this information. The 7900 GT could easily be classified as a high-end card, but the search string (GeForce 7900 GT) also picks up the GTX cards, so we just put them all on the ultra high-end page.bobbyto34 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
It's not the same generation. The X850 are not SM 3.0 compatible. Some effects won't be avalaible.In some games, you'll have the same amount of fps, but you wont have the same graphical effects.
I would surely choose the 7600GT because :
- Less heat and lower power consumption
- Special AA filter ( better filtering on trees).
- Lower impact of HDR
- SLI (??) : I'm not fan of SLI, because it would cost more than a 7900GT, for the same performance.
Dfere - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
This is a truly buggy situation. Windows does not pick it up as a Sapphire using drivers provided by Sapphire, o/c utility will not install. I can remove drivers with ATI uninstaller but then XP will not allow for install of updated generic catalyst drivers. I haven't seen these types of issues since the days of the S/B 32 wavetable era. I am way past what Newegg will consider for an RMA. It could be my intel mb. Anybody wanna buy a x1800gGTO?imaheadcase - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
"you should know that the support is unofficial, meaning you can't complain to NVIDIA if things don't work right. "Um yes you can complain, its nice nvidia sells a graphics card $500-600 that does not include that. lol I guess if your a sucker to buy one you would also justify any complaint that came with it..
Seems to be a trend in hardware, release said great product, drivers 6 months later that work right. (Creative anyone?) :P
Eric2203 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
And since when is nvidia selling a quad-SLI system ? They're not. So no, you have no room to complain. The product that is being sold has working drivers, no room to complain.
bobbyto34 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
Nvidia driver are not updated as quickly as it used to be.There is nearly 2/3 months between graphic cards drivers OFFICIAL update.
For chipset driver, it's nearly yearly updates !!!
JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
The *Quad SLI* support is unofficial. The only official Quad SLI support will come through system vendors (Falcon Northwest, Dell, Alienware, etc.) that ship the system. There are a lot of things that need to be done to guarantee a stable QSLI setup, so NVIDIA allows you to try it, but you're on your own as far as support goes. Now they just need to take the next step and give unofficial support for SLI on non-NVIDIA chipsets....