Maximum PC

Aggg. I'm so confused. I don't know if I should buy the ultra or the gt. I have about 700 bucks but idk if I should spend most of it on the video card. Also, I keep hearing people say the gt is only an underclocked ultra and you should get the gt and oc it to ultra speeds. But if you think about it, when you spend $400 or so on a gt and then get a nice cooler for it so it can overclock well, you'll be spending about the same as an ultra. What do you guys think I should do?My system now is a 3.2 northwood D865PERC moutherboard gig of dual DDR400 and a gforce5600!!!

actually, when you spend about $400 on the 6800gt, and you get a $40 cooler, you still spend about $100 less.

Yeah I guess... So do you think I should get a gt?

Yeahhhhhhhhhh.

look into getting the BFG 6800GT OC. it comes overclocked already, not much but some. so you get a decent balance. BFG puts out some great high quality cards

Alright. Sweet . Do the BFG models of the gts run loud? I like my pc running quiet.

i have the BFG 6800GT but not the OC model....i just did it myself. and its nice and quiet. but of course i have music playing 24/7 so i wouldnt really notice. when i took my sytem apart and started it up with the side open it was very quiet so i guess you can say it'll be to your liking.

Thank you all for presuading me . Now, I remember a month ago or so Outpost had the bfg 6800 gts for $350. I sent them an email asking when they would get more gts and they never responded back......jerks..... Anyway, I know bestbuy has them for $400 but their always out of stock and Newegg has them for $450. Hmmm spend 50 bucks more or wait a few years until best buy has them. Anywhere else I can get them for around $400?

You dont have to get a BFG card. Every company basically has the same card.

For example, this card is identical to the BFG model, except for the inclusion of DOOM3.

Are you sure that comes with doom 3? I thought This was the one that came with doom 3. Your right I don't have to get the bfg model. I have heard nothing but good stuff about every companies model of the 6800 gt. Hmm... decision is which one should I choose.
Also, I meant thanks for presuading me from the ultra to the gt. I read over what I said earlier and I thought that it sounded a little wierd
I wish you had a choice between those damn watches or free shipping from newegg.

does gigyabyte make pretty stable vid cards?

speakign of the devil iwas just on newegg and gigabyte makes the sweetest looking 6800 with a passive heatsink! http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-142&depa=1

i know, thats why i was asking, its cheap and comes with DOOM 3
that shit is badass

There ya go! Save yourself some money and let BFG oc it for you. Same amount of pipelines, almost same core/memory speeds. Why pay more?

That is one awesome (awkward?!) looking heat sink!

I think the BFG's heatsink still looks better.

Gainward's and Leadtek's are pretty crazy/beefy looking too. I'd just go with the one that has the best software probably.

There is now a third choice. The GT comes at 350/1000, but usually overclocks to stock Ultra range. The Ultra, goes well past that. Most of the vendors offer 425/1100 as the stock clock, and the usually get around 450/1250 on an overclock. Some will not, however clock as well. This also applies to the GT. There is some chance to it all.

The third, new option is the 6800 Limited Edition. eVGA has been taking failed Ultra's ( either a damaged quad - not too often, or did not make the grade - 425 GPU clock at 80C ) and made it into a new card. They come at 325/1100 as the clock, and cost $330. Most people have taken them to around 410 on the core, and 1250 on the memory. GT's may get higher on the core, but not on the memory. It may be worth a look. I am not sure if any other vendors are offering this card, but eVGA has. It is literally an Ultra - dual DVI, big cooler, double slot design and dual molexes.

Your answer to which card to use will be determined if you would overclock, or not. BTW, you can take the GT to 400/1000 without voiding your warranty. If you are interested in overclocking, the GT or Special Edition (eVGA) would be a good pick. If you do not want to overclock, the eVGA and BFG Ultra OC are clocked equally at 425/1100.

Alot of those special editions are just oc'ed 6800's with just 12 pixel pipelines.

Not sure about the eVGA you mentioned, but I would definitely (note that it is spelled correctly) check up on that. The ASUS board MPC reviewed was around $300 but it was only 12 pieplines. Be wary!

Nice choice on the avatar Instigator

Hehe, thanks Mr. Smiley.

I wanted something along the lines of the mage in FF1 and FF9...I guess this lil' guy will work