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8800 Ultra to 9800 gx2

Post Date: 2008-03-20

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Bulldodger View Drop Down
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  Quote Bulldodger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: 8800 Ultra to 9800 gx2
    Posted: 20 Mar 2008 at 11:09pm
So heres the deal; I can step-up my 8800 ultra to the new 9800gx2 for 10 bucks... yep. The ultra cost 659 and the new one is around 620 or so, so $10 is just for shipping. Big question: Is it worth doing it? I have about 20 days before my step-up window closes, so I can really chill and see what comes up. I understand that the 9800gx2 is "merely" two GTS packed together  but as a single card it beats the ultra. It may be wise to wait until ultras get cheaper and then get another one for top notch system, however I have a crossfire mobo, which does not support nvidia sli (and ATI doesn't seem to come out with anything that could compete with nvidia...). Any advice what to do?
Quad Core, Asus Maximus, 2GB, 320GB... 8800 OELTRA NYAAAHH GET OUT OF HIER!!!!!!
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  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Mar 2008 at 11:42pm
Honestly, i wouldnt. At high Rez, and AA on, i think it would perform worse then a ultra. At least from the benchmarks that ive seen. The card really drops off with AA on.
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  Quote Vegas Dave Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Mar 2008 at 12:18pm
Originally posted by SunfighterLC

Honestly, i wouldnt. At high Rez, and AA on, i think it would perform worse then a ultra. At least from the benchmarks that ive seen. The card really drops off with AA on.
 
That certainly is not what tomshardware test showed.  9800 gx2 just plain kicked ass....
 
only downside do the 9800 that I can see are:
 
- Heat
- Driver issues (I am sure will be fixed)
- Cost (Ultra prices will come down)
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  Quote Slicer Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Mar 2008 at 1:26pm

Might want to read it again

from www.tomshardware.com 

 

"

The GeForce 9800 GX2 is the fastest graphics card at the moment and its performance easily and consistently surpasses that of the Radeon HD 3870 X2 (42% on average and between 33% to 57% depending on the resolution chosen). Today, NVIDIA has more experience than AMD when it comes to multi-GPU configurations, SLI being far more popular than CrossFire even if it targets a niche. That means certain games like Test Drive Unlimited, which aren't profiled by AMD's drivers, are profiled by NVIDIA. Most games run faster with the 9800 GX2 , although it's essentially just two 8800 GTS 512 MB devices with a slightly slower GPU clock, while the Radeon HD 3870 X2 is based on two Radeon HD 3870 devices with a slower memory clock. Yet, the two GPU designs are not in the same league.

(Compare Prices on nVidia GeForce Video Cards)

Having said this, we do not recommend buying a GeForce 9800 GX2 for those who rarely change graphic cards and want to invest in a very high end card and keep it for a long time. There are times when a card like this should excel, like when games are played at high resolutions and with demanding settings, but the 9800 GX2 is barely better than a simple GeForce 8800 Ultra. The problem, as is the case with the 3870 X2, is the relatively meager 512 MB of memory, which is incompatible with very high resolutions and when antialiasing is activated. The numbers speak for themselves: the 9800 GX2 out performs the 8800 Ultra (with 768 MB) by 29% on average and up to 41% at a resolution of 2560x1600, while activating antialiasing at this resolution shortens the gap to 13%. Yet, for many games, it's the only mode that still isn't smooth and the 9800 GX2 doesn't deliver much.

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  Quote Jingping Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Mar 2008 at 1:32pm
'Barely better' is still better; performance even at 2560X1600 with antialiasing still is 13% superior to the Ultra, and without anti-aliasing, 39%-41% even at that resolution.
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  Quote Dashuu Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Mar 2008 at 1:52pm
I'd say do it. Only $10 to get the latest isn't a bad deal, and the step up program does have a time limit. Besides, this way you'll always be able to step up to a second GX2 if the quad SLI technology turns out as successful as NVIDIA hopes. 
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Mar 2008 at 11:22pm
The big downsides of the 9800x2 to me, are the heat and driver issues.  The initial benchmarks I read had me thinking someone at NVidia was about to be fired. LOL Looking at the latest drivers and benchmarks, they have already made some progress, and NVidia claims to be committed to further improvement.

The heat though... The card's cooling solution leaves much to be desired. I wouldn't even entertain the purchase of a 9800x2 unless my case had extremely good cooling. If you do... yes, I'd do it.
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  Quote Bulldodger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 10:46am
for 10 bucks I think its worth the hassle even though its not the card everyone was waiting for... lets just hope its not going to end up like the 7 series gx2
Quad Core, Asus Maximus, 2GB, 320GB... 8800 OELTRA NYAAAHH GET OUT OF HIER!!!!!!
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  Quote Bulldodger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 2:17pm
Last question,

Will my Corsair HX 620W work with this beast? It's not on the approved list...

http://www.evga.com/articles/397.asp





Edited by Bulldodger - 25 Mar 2008 at 2:18pm
Quad Core, Asus Maximus, 2GB, 320GB... 8800 OELTRA NYAAAHH GET OUT OF HIER!!!!!!
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  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 2:51pm
Yes, it will work with a single 9800GX2.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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  Quote bfrank2me Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 8:32pm
If anyone is looking to offload a gently used but certified 8800 Ultra, I may be in the market.  I thought I'd have longer to pick one up for future SLI'ing, but the market seems to be skosh on them right now.

Bf2m
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  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 9:30pm
people are crazy! i wouldnt touch a Gx2 with a 10 foot pole. The biggest killer is the non venting ports...so it just pumps heat straight into your system. Thats stupid.
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  Quote Harry Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Mar 2008 at 10:08pm
I am starting to see some reviews of the 9800 gtx.  So far they seem pretty good.   Nothing amazing but good.
Cool Master HAF 932
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Water cooled CPU
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GTX 470
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tera 7200rpm
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