Video/graphics cards

[JSLTIGER]

Tak, it depends...I don't think that I need an entirely new computer, but I am ready for an upgrade to my motherboard (for PCI-e) and a new video card (thinking about a 7900GT or an X1900XT). I do not think that I need an entirely new computer though.

[GunnersMate]

I bought a vanilla BFG 6800 w/128MB at Tiger Direct but it was DOA. I RMA'd it back to BFG and they sent me a 6800GT w/256MB! I support this card 100% and recommend it to anyone if you can find it.
These are my reccomendations:

AGP systems
CPU < 2 GHz - Geforce 6600GT
CPU 2GHz-3GHz - Geforce 6800GS
CPU > 3GHz - Geforce 7800GS

PCI-X
CPU < 2GHz - Geforce 6600GT
CPU 2GHz-3GHz - Geforce 7600GT
CPU 3GHz-4GHz - Geforce 7800GT
CPU > 4GHz - Geforce 7900GTX

[JSLTIGER]

Originally Posted by GunnersMate

I bought a vanilla BFG 6800 w/128MB at Tiger Direct but it was DOA. I RMA'd it back to BFG and they sent me a 6800GT w/256MB! I support this card 100% and recommend it to anyone if you can find it.
These are my reccomendations:

AGP systems
CPU < 2 GHz - Geforce 6600GT
CPU 2GHz-3GHz - Geforce 6800GS
CPU > 3GHz - Geforce 7800GS

PCI-X
CPU < 2GHz - Geforce 6600GT
CPU 2GHz-3GHz - Geforce 7600GT
CPU 3GHz-4GHz - Geforce 7800GT
CPU > 4GHz - Geforce 7900GTX

Two quick things about this post:

1. It only represents the nVidia side of things, no ATi cards are listed. In most cases, the Radeon X1900XT and X1900XTX are faster than the nVidia cards.

2. A minor, but important mistake...PCI-X is NOT the same as PCI-e. PCI-X is a bus usually found on servers and is a PCI bus that has been upclocked by 100MHz (i.e. 133MHz to PCI's 33). PCI-e, found in most modern desktops is an entirely different protocol.

[GunnersMate]

Originally Posted by JSLTIGER

Two quick things about this post:

1. It only represents the nVidia side of things, no ATi cards are listed. In most cases, the Radeon X1900XT and X1900XTX are faster than the nVidia cards.

2. A minor, but important mistake...PCI-X is NOT the same as PCI-e. PCI-X is a bus usually found on servers and is a PCI bus that has been upclocked by 100MHz (i.e. 133MHz to PCI's 33). PCI-e, found in most modern desktops is an entirely different protocol.

In ref to 1 - I find the ATi naming conventions too confusuing and dont even try and no I'm not a fanboy.

In ref to 2 - Yeah I keep forgetting PCI-X vs PCI-e vs PCI x16.

Woudn't it be nice if they stopped developing nonsensical nomenclature?

[tycho102]

PCI-X runs on 3.3v, and has two speeds. 100mhz, 133mhz. It's a 64-bit parallel bus. The PCI-X slots are usually completely backwards compatible with PCI 64-bit slots (meaning that it has the slot extension to provide 5v to cards that require it).

PCI 64bit is 5v, and also has two speeds. 33mhz, 66mhz. It's a 64-bit parallel bus.

The vast majority of PCI-X cards made these days are "universal" cards. That means you can shove them into a PCI 64bit, or a PCI 32bit slot (both 5v and 3.3v). Same thing goes with PCI 64bit cards, and PCI 32bit cards; it's all a matter of voltage, and the majority of cards are dual-voltage. There are some "older" cards (circa 2002) that are locked to either 3.3v or 5v, and those you have to be careful with.


PCIe is a serial bus. Just like your ethernet port, your USB port, Firewire, IR, Bluetooth, Wifi bus. A parallel bus is kind of "analog", and a serial bus is kind of "digital". So obviously, you can't stuff a PCIe card into a PCI-X slot, nor vice versa.
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On the topic of graphics cards, BFG has lifetime warranties on all their cards. In the case of the Geforce 6800 series of cards, it's highly likely you will burn out your VRM's on the card because Nvidia specified very low-tolerance VRM modules for each line (vanilla, GT, Ultra). They did this to keep their product lines seperate, so people don't have as much success with reflashing a GT card into an Ultra (at 1.4v core). The 5900XT line is notorious for being reflashed to a 5950 Ultra, and matching the card, clock for clock.

ATI still puts high-tolerance VRMs on their cards, and as such, you are far less likely to burn out the VRMs on their cards.



Just something to consider when you're out buying a card. I'd also tell people to stay away from Antec power supplies, as lately their capacitor quality is extremely poor. The supply will do fine for one year, and after that, you have a pretty high risk of burning out components. Such as your 6800/7x00 Nvidia video card, which all require very "clean" power since Nvidia is more interested in keeping their product lines seperate than they are putting robust and high-temperate voltage-regulator-modules on their cards.

Because ATI still puts high-quality, fault tolerant VRMs on their cards, the Radeons can take "dirty" power without burning out.

[Linton]

Tycho 102 perhaps you could translate your post into non-techno speak.Would i be able to plug your gizmo into my notebook through a usb and suddenly increase my graphics memory?If the answer is yes how much are they?

[JSLTIGER]

Cornwallis,

There is no way to increase video card power on a notebook short of buying a new one, unless you've got one with modular graphics. If you don't have modular graphics, than the video chip is soldered directly onto the motherboard itself. For example, in my sig, my laptop is equipped with a 64MB ATi Mobility Radeon 9600. There is no way for me to upgrade unless I get a new laptop because the 9600 chip is soldered directly onto my motherboard.

There is no such device similar to what you're inquiring about. External video cards do not exist, although external TV tuners do. Even if they did exist, the USB bus, even the USB 2.0 bus, is far too slow to support a video card with any decent amount of speed as bandwidth is only 480MBps, as compared to AGP 8x at 2.1GBps or PCIe x16 at approx 4GBps.

[Linton]

Unfortunately I believe the chip is an integral part of the board -so I am stuck with it!Perhaps some manufacturer will build an external link one day just like external hard drives.

[GunnersMate]

Usb video external devices are out there but they are more of a port replicator and are useful only for 2D desktop work.

Tych - I have my BFG 6800GT @ 400/1100 -stock ultra speeds