CRaZYMoFo
11-04-2005, 02:04 PM
http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=ODc1LDE=
X1800XT 512mb vs BFG 7800GTX 256mb
Overall Summary:
Looking back at the performance, the results are quite interesting. In the situations where the Radeon X1800 XT excels, you’ll see that the Anti-aliasing level plays an important role. This could indicate either that the 512MB of video card RAM is helping the situation, or that the memory controller is more efficient at processing high levels of AA.
In DOOM 3, we were used to seeing the GeForce 6 series stomp on the performance of the Radeon X800/X850 series. This time around, it is good to see ATI matching NVIDIA with Quake 4 performance. It seems that all the work ATI has done with their drivers and hardware has paid off. In a blind taste test, at the same highest playable settings, you would not be able to tell the difference between both video cards.
F.E.A.R performance also seems to be equal on both video cards. This new game stresses the current generation of video cards. Neither card outshined or outmatched the other in this game. Both cards allowed for 1280x960 with 2X their transparency AA methods with maximum in-game settings.
In some games, the BFGTech GeForce 7800 GTX OC pulled out ahead in terms of performance. In others, the Radeon X1800 XT came out on top. However, there were no big showstoppers that put either card on a pedestal. I hope that ATI can work out the pesky Ultra Quality bug in Quake 4 and the HDR bug in Serious Sam 2. Obviously, the Radeon X1800 is not nearly matured in terms of drivers as its competition.
The Radeon X1800 XT is a louder video card so this is something to keep in mind if you wish to maintain a quieter running system. However, each manufacturer can implement their own heat sink and fan so the final sound results may vary. We have also determined that heat does not seem to be a big determining factor between the video cards. The Radeon X1800 XT seems to be slightly warmer, but it is nothing major.
Image quality is also very similar between the video cards. In Quake 4, F.E.A.R, Serious Sam 2, and the other games, we did not see any major image quality differences in the effects rendered in the games. Only some slight AA differences were present, but, again, it was nothing major. HDR seems to be all the rage lately, and except for the bug in Serious Sam 2, and the very, very slight difference in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, we found no other differences in HDR image quality. Most differences are going to have to be studied to be truly seen. We have not seen any glaring differences that would reach out and grab you doing actual gameplay.
The Bottom Line:
We’ve said this time and time again in other reviews, but the bottom line comes down to price, performance, and availability. As of 11/03/2005, Newegg had the Radeon X1800 XT for sale. It has however since then gone on backorder. Talking to ATI about this, they explained that they had changed up their shipping strategy a bit, in that they shipped smaller quantities of the card to more e-tailers and retailers. Given this, we should see the X1800 XT moving into stock with a wider footprint than in the past. That said, ATI was not specific to how many cards had been shipped, so seeing if they stay in stock will be an issue to watch as well.
The MSRP for the 512MB Radeon X1800 XT is $549; this is no small amount of change. We have seen retail GeForce 7800 GTX-based video cards online for $100 cheaper than the X1800 XT’s MSRP. As of yesterday, the X1800 XT was selling for approximately $50 over MSRP. If money is no object, the Radeon X1800 XT keeps a steady pace with GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB video card; furthermore, in some cases, it offers a faster gaming experience than NVIDIA’s current top-of-the-line card.
The Radeon X1800 XT does have an interesting new feature – which is unavailable on the GeForce 7800 GTX – as it has the ability to do AA with all methods of HDR. Therefore, if this is important for you, the X1800 XT might be the better choice. There also seems to be a lot of performance headroom with the Radeon X1000 series, which we have seen with the recent OpenGL Fix drivers. I sincerely hope that ATI can keep making the X1000 series more efficient through driver updates. Whichever card you chose, you won’t be disappointed as each allows a very high level of game play performance and image quality.
The performance of the Radeon X1800 XT isn't an issue as there is plenty of it. As we saw in the past with ATI's top-of-the-line cards, pricing and availability are the big questions facing ATI's flagship cards.
X1800XT 512mb vs BFG 7800GTX 256mb
Overall Summary:
Looking back at the performance, the results are quite interesting. In the situations where the Radeon X1800 XT excels, you’ll see that the Anti-aliasing level plays an important role. This could indicate either that the 512MB of video card RAM is helping the situation, or that the memory controller is more efficient at processing high levels of AA.
In DOOM 3, we were used to seeing the GeForce 6 series stomp on the performance of the Radeon X800/X850 series. This time around, it is good to see ATI matching NVIDIA with Quake 4 performance. It seems that all the work ATI has done with their drivers and hardware has paid off. In a blind taste test, at the same highest playable settings, you would not be able to tell the difference between both video cards.
F.E.A.R performance also seems to be equal on both video cards. This new game stresses the current generation of video cards. Neither card outshined or outmatched the other in this game. Both cards allowed for 1280x960 with 2X their transparency AA methods with maximum in-game settings.
In some games, the BFGTech GeForce 7800 GTX OC pulled out ahead in terms of performance. In others, the Radeon X1800 XT came out on top. However, there were no big showstoppers that put either card on a pedestal. I hope that ATI can work out the pesky Ultra Quality bug in Quake 4 and the HDR bug in Serious Sam 2. Obviously, the Radeon X1800 is not nearly matured in terms of drivers as its competition.
The Radeon X1800 XT is a louder video card so this is something to keep in mind if you wish to maintain a quieter running system. However, each manufacturer can implement their own heat sink and fan so the final sound results may vary. We have also determined that heat does not seem to be a big determining factor between the video cards. The Radeon X1800 XT seems to be slightly warmer, but it is nothing major.
Image quality is also very similar between the video cards. In Quake 4, F.E.A.R, Serious Sam 2, and the other games, we did not see any major image quality differences in the effects rendered in the games. Only some slight AA differences were present, but, again, it was nothing major. HDR seems to be all the rage lately, and except for the bug in Serious Sam 2, and the very, very slight difference in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, we found no other differences in HDR image quality. Most differences are going to have to be studied to be truly seen. We have not seen any glaring differences that would reach out and grab you doing actual gameplay.
The Bottom Line:
We’ve said this time and time again in other reviews, but the bottom line comes down to price, performance, and availability. As of 11/03/2005, Newegg had the Radeon X1800 XT for sale. It has however since then gone on backorder. Talking to ATI about this, they explained that they had changed up their shipping strategy a bit, in that they shipped smaller quantities of the card to more e-tailers and retailers. Given this, we should see the X1800 XT moving into stock with a wider footprint than in the past. That said, ATI was not specific to how many cards had been shipped, so seeing if they stay in stock will be an issue to watch as well.
The MSRP for the 512MB Radeon X1800 XT is $549; this is no small amount of change. We have seen retail GeForce 7800 GTX-based video cards online for $100 cheaper than the X1800 XT’s MSRP. As of yesterday, the X1800 XT was selling for approximately $50 over MSRP. If money is no object, the Radeon X1800 XT keeps a steady pace with GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB video card; furthermore, in some cases, it offers a faster gaming experience than NVIDIA’s current top-of-the-line card.
The Radeon X1800 XT does have an interesting new feature – which is unavailable on the GeForce 7800 GTX – as it has the ability to do AA with all methods of HDR. Therefore, if this is important for you, the X1800 XT might be the better choice. There also seems to be a lot of performance headroom with the Radeon X1000 series, which we have seen with the recent OpenGL Fix drivers. I sincerely hope that ATI can keep making the X1000 series more efficient through driver updates. Whichever card you chose, you won’t be disappointed as each allows a very high level of game play performance and image quality.
The performance of the Radeon X1800 XT isn't an issue as there is plenty of it. As we saw in the past with ATI's top-of-the-line cards, pricing and availability are the big questions facing ATI's flagship cards.