PCI-e GeForce 6800GT or Ultra Cards?

[gooey_gui]

It looks like ASUS is going to have their nForce4/SLI boards available in time for the holidays. However, the PCI-e cards I want are impossible to find. Anybody know where to get a hold of these? Anybody know if they will be out in quantity before the holidays?

[johnnyis42]

i wouldn't hold your breath, because the cards are probably being sucked up by manufactuers for their systems at the moment. not to mention the price drop after the holidays will probably be worth the wait, though typically hardware doesn't follow that rule, it's still worth the wait.

highly anticipated hardware relying on such a complex fabrication process always experience this kind of a rush, so it will be a while before there will be an abundance. try visiting your local retailer frequently, as you have a better chance of stumbling upon parts than searching online.

[charlielx]

Hi, I just purchased a new Alienware Computer ( I know You can build one cheaper) and wanted the 6800 card, they said there was a 6 week back order on it. So I got the X800 instead. P C Gamer Mag tested both cards (July 2004 page 86) and they came out all most evenn 93% X800 and 90% for the 6800. the X800 . the 6800 takes up 2 slots and needs a REAL GOOD power supply. from what I read a lot of the people choose the 6800 because it has pixel shader 3.0 .. They tested the NVIDA GeForce 6800 Ultra $499.00 and the ATI RADEON X800 XT Platinum Ed. $499.00 .. P C Gamer says the 6800 " Requires two 12-volt leads from a 480-watt power supply; dual-slot" hope this helps You out. P.S. July 2004 Maximum PC has the same two cards tested allso both got a 9 verdict out of a "10'" The 6800 got the "KiICK A-- " raiting. Hope this helps you out.

[johnnyis42]

the 6800 has alot more going for it than a 9 out of 10 rating from PC gamer magazine.

simply do a search online or check allt he major sites like anand tech, hard ocp, sudhain, tech spot, etc. most of them post or link to a review of both cards head to head.

[charlielx]

O.K. !! I will start it off ::: THE Top 20 ? reasons YOU buy a ALIENWARE Computer ::: not in order, One rule : MUST fit in one line.

1. The GREAT Mouse Pad...
2. The Free T-Shirt Thats 3 sizes TOO BIG..
3. Bragging Rights "I have a ALIENWARE COMPUTER whats Yours"
4. The "ALIEN" on the Front with the Glowing EYES.
5. THe Kick A--S Case that NO ONE but You can reinstall the panel.
6. Talking to a Alienware Tech and not understanding a word he said
7. The ALIEN Card that no one else HAS....
8. The right to say "I have a Alienware and love it" eat your hart out
9. What the Hell is THAT program ??
10. Damn ! it's LOUD !!!
11. a cheaper and lighter laptop than a dell xps!
12. It WON'T play Dollar Store CD disc Games !!!


Any addiitions will be appreciated..
Lets keep it in the Christmas mood ..

[johnnyis42]

i have one to add:

- a cheaper and lighter laptop than a dell xps!

(this is a bit of dry sarcasm, and most people might not get it the first time they read it. everyone who has seen my system says "wow, that's big for a laptop, i don't want to lug THAT thing around" at which point i bring up the dell site and show them the XPS, which dwarfs any other laptop/mobile system considerably)

[charlielx]

I'am not knocking ether card, Both the x800 and 6800are great cards I would go with the one I got the best deal on. In a few months there will be a NEW and Faster card out any way. One computer Company Came out with a Computer that takes TWO video cards.
P.S. thanks johnnyis42 for number 11.

[johnnyis42]

you know, in my computer persuits over the years i have gone from voodoo to s3 to nvidia, stuck with them for a while, moved to ATI for 2 cards, now am back to nvidia. this is what i have learned....

your card will never benchmark the same as the benchmarks on the websites because you never know exactly what they do to their systems. somehting as simple as having windows service X running in the background could make a 50 point difference in benchmark scores.

also, it's always a good idea to look at reviews by sources who do not sign Non Disclosure Agreements before you buy, because the guys who signed them may not have actually recieved a true retail part when they did their reviews, and they may have been told that they did, but plans were changed at the last minute right before their review was published.

lastly, read the detailed specifications on your card very closely, and then compare those specifications to what benchmarking/diagnostic utilities tell you and see if the specifications match. i actually faced an issue where a manufacturer's website said one hting but my card said another, and my frequent calls to their tech support eventually caused them to be forced to change their website, and give me a discount on an upgrade. this kind of problem is much more prevelant with OEM products, and not so much the retail boxed market.

speaking to the reason i am using nvidia now (6xxx series) it seems like the latest games are favoring the forceware driver archetecture for whatever reason, and the ATI developers are lacking in some of the important performance tweaks in order to feel an integrity about their drivers. whether this is an ethical issue or not, what i am concerned with is that my systems playt he games the way i want them to be played, consistantly across every game. for a while ATI had the upper hand with the radeon 9xxx cards, but now i feel like the tables have turned. i guess i would count my video card preference based on the ammount of blue screens per game versus driver releases per month i have to deal with moe than how many more frames per second it gets in a game where both cards run 100+ FPS. unlike some, i will sacrafice visual quality for stability, but in my experience high visual quality has usually yielded high stability as well, so i guess i've just been lucky in my purchase choices so far.

[gooey_gui]

I ended up pre-ordering an XFX 6800 Ultra from GameVE on
11-29-04 and received a card on 12-10-04. This was before their ETA of 12-15 they expected to have them. However, they sent me an eVGA card instead. I know eVGA cards are OK, but I saw the same card for $100 less somewhere else. I ended up paying $679 +$7 shipping. I paid a premium because of my attempt to put together an SLI based system before xmas. Now the ASUS A8N-SLI is supposed to be out around 12-29.

Alienware makes great PCs, but I'd rather build my own (with the same or better specs) for $$$ less.

[johnnyis42]

that's an awesome card!

the coolest thing here is that you can even use a PCIx 6600 or 6800 GT in SLI and save some cash, and still have the extra horsepower. SLI actually distributes the work evenly according to what the card can handle, so it won't be like mismatched RAM in dual channel, or mismatched hard drives in RAID. then later you can decide to upgrade to dual ultra cards, unless you have the cash to burn, in which case you should definitely build the gamming monster!

send benchmark results when you get the SLI running