Faster graphics card wanted

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

I currently have one of these, a Galaxy Glacier Nvidia 6800 128MB

[img size=400]http://pclab.pl/zdjecia/artykuly/pila/g ... a-gora.jpg[/img]

As I am not upgrading my PC till the new year, I wondered if any of you chaps have anything faster that runs on AGP knocking around.
Obviously I would give you monies for it.

If I had money to burn I would just go out and buy one of these, but I don't I'm afraid

Gainward Bliss 7800GS 425/1200 MHz 512MB
[img size=400]http://www.theinquirer.net/images/articles/79agp1.jpg[/img]

[mrbobbins]

2nd hand 6800 Ultra? or X850 XT?

Not a huge gain over what you have now though it might be the only upgrade option if you can't afford a 7***

[pixie pie]

Hmm, thats interesting, I can't offer you a graphics card, but I've been looking to get a better one than my current (5700) and a 6800 would fit the bill lovely.. If you manage to get another one, would you be wanting to sell it on? Or use it in another PC? If you want to sell it on, name a price and I'll see what I can do.

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

Hmm, thats interesting, I can't offer you a graphics card, but I've been looking to get a better one than my current (5700) and a 6800 would fit the bill lovely.. If you manage to get another one, would you be wanting to sell it on? Or use it in another PC? If you want to sell it on, name a price and I'll see what I can do.

Yeah I'd be willing to sell it on, as I'd have no use for it, and otherwise some bloody relative will "expect" me to give it to them for free like eevrything else that has come out my PC over the years.

As for the 6800 Ultra or the X850 XT, how do they compare against each other? Where could I find out which card is best in a comparison?

Tom's Hardware Guide the best place?

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

Aha, I found this http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2005/07/0 ... page2.html

Looks like the X850 XT is slightly better than the 6800 Ultra.

Any of you hardware guru's have an opinion on this?
Also, how much do you want for them Bobbins?
You can PM me if you want to discuss it off the forum.

[mrbobbins]

Yay for Tom's funky custom benchmark graph thingy!
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/graphics/ ... 0&chart=92

Hmm, here is 7800 vs X850

http://ckturbo128.proboards4.com/index. ... 1138544120

"As you may expect, the X850 XT PE edges out the 6800 Ultra in almost every test, but it is a very close competition"

http://www.spodesabode.com/content/article/gfxgroup/15


http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/defau ... tionid=711

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

You replied before I ninja edited my post

[mrbobbins]

You replied before I ninja edited my post

Oh sorry I didn't mean I had them, I was just trying (not very well.. ) to say that there isn't really much of an upgrade path available on AGP from your 6800.

I have a 6800 GT 256mb and don't really think it's worth upgrading at all until I go PCI express

Unless you can get hold of either of those 2 cards for cheap.

In retrospect it does look like in offering them for sale!

[Dr. kitteny berk]

unfortunately, there's not that much of a budget upgrade path from where you are.

The only way you'll get a notable performance gain without throwing £150 away is gonna be overclocking either your current card, or overclocking an x850pro/xt.

[Fear]

I've got a 6800 XT (AGP) card and I managed to make it feel like a brand spanking new card by enabling some of the 'locked' parts of the card.

More specifically turning it from 8x Pixel Pipelines to 16x Pixel Pipelines.

(you can also turn it from 4 vertex pipelines to 6 vertex pipelines) - tho I found I got the best performance increase by leaving these alone.

What is brill about this is that it generates 0 more heat (well in theory it might generate a tad more - but nothing to consider), and it isn't really overclocking at all - it is just unlocking the bits that would be enabled in the more pricey cards of the same flavour. I went from about 60/70 fps to over 100 in BF2.

This is the first google entry I found, not sure how good it is. narf I am not even sure it is possible with your card, but might be worth a spot of research.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/gef ... /page3.asp

I use RivaTuner to do the business.

The only one potential pitfall is the parts that are normally disabled are not quality checked at production - so there is a chance they might not work - but no problem, just turn them off again if that is the case.

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

Thanks Fear, but I'm pretty sure I tried that unlock pipelines trick a while back with my 128MB 6800, but it stopped the card from fucntioning ingame so I turned it back.

Might give it another go though, and massively overclock it again if nobody else has anything better than my card.

[shot2bits]

i cant offer anything in the way of help but if pixie doesnt want your current card if you sell it, when you get around to it, i might take it off your hands if my mobo will take it, i will have a look at the box later

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

If I get anything, I'll offer it to Pixie first, then yourself.

Alternatively we could make you both fight to the death Beyond Thunderdome style for the card, just to entertain us all.

[pixie pie]

Alternatively we could make you both fight to the death Beyond Thunderdome style for the card, just to entertain us all.

I'm up for it.

[Hehulk]

* Hehulk puts his vote in favour of a thunderdome style contest

[Guybrush]

2 may enter only one may leave (with a gfx card)

:D

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

I've opened up the vertex shaders on my card, and I think it will tide me over for now seeing as nobody has anything to sale.

I can't warrant spending £200 when I plan to build a new PC next year anyway