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gangster · Aug 13, 2005, 08:36 PM

Hi all.

my new x850xt failed (in dual pm 2.0) and apple says 3-4 weeks to get a replacement shipped due to availability, ouch! however, the nvidia 6800 is immediately available. i have seen a couple reviews that show the ati to be faster in most apps, but would the nvidia be a good alternative you think? i can get it now which is important.

since the 6800 has been out awhile i thought you might have some good experience with it.

thanks in advance for any help.

danman · Aug 13, 2005, 09:27 PM

I havean 850xt in a dual 2.0 G5, but from what I've read the 850 is way quieter that the 6800 and only takes up 1 pci slot. In the grand scheme of things, what's 3-4 weeks?

gangster · Aug 14, 2005, 06:41 PM

true enough i guess.

i always wondered, do any of the pixel shader 3.0 extensions that the newer nvidia cards support (and ati dont yet) mean anything to the mac platform? for the pc they are soon to be important. this could be a point in nvidias favor if it helps the mac somehow.......

southtdi · Aug 15, 2005, 01:01 PM

I have tried both the 6800 and the ATi cards and I cannot recommend the 6800. The card itself is a very good graphics card but the fan it way to loud. Could barely ever hear my PM until i tried this card then it sound like the fans were blzing all of the time. Also, on mine the big fan made the inside of the computer hotter thus resulting in teh system fans spooling up and making even more noise. With the ATI this is a non-issue.

gangster · Aug 15, 2005, 11:38 PM

didnt mac originallly offer the 6800 ultra? they now list the newer 6800gt with a 5-7 day ship date delay. maybe this will help correct the noise and size issues.

in any event, i decided to wait for a repalcemrnt ati.

thanks for the help folks!

crooner · Aug 16, 2005, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by gangster

didnt mac originallly offer the 6800 ultra? they now list the newer 6800gt with a 5-7 day ship date delay. maybe this will help correct the noise and size issues.

in any event, i decided to wait for a repalcemrnt ati.

thanks for the help folks!

You did the right thing, IMHO. The 6800gt still eats up the adjacent PCI slot, so unless you need to run two 30" Apple Cinema Displays, you're good to go with a new 850 XT.

I myself am looking into possible issues with my X850 XT that I BTO'd with my new 2.7GHz G5.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?t=266548

Maybe there's something in the air with the ATI cards. I find it odd that Apple offers no native drivers for the 850 XT... not even in a clean install of Tiger.

southtdi · Aug 16, 2005, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by gangster

didnt mac originallly offer the 6800 ultra? they now list the newer 6800gt with a 5-7 day ship date delay. maybe this will help correct the noise and size issues.

in any event, i decided to wait for a repalcemrnt ati.

thanks for the help folks!

While the 6800GT is slightly newer there was not an improvement. I had to call Nvidia and ask but the only difference in the specs on the two cards is the Ultra operates at a 35ghz bus speed and the Gt at a 32ghz bus speed. That is the only difference. My guess the only reason the Gt was put out is Nvidia is having a hard time making a reliable chipset to run at 35ghz. I asked this on the phone and was given the "I don't know" comment.

Either way the 800XT or 850XT seem to be the best way to go. I am not saying not to use the 6800 cards. Just be aware that it is more suited to if you do not need the adjacent PCI slot, and the computer is in such a way that the fan noise wil lnot be an issue to you. The graphics performance is great. I canot tell the differnce between the two cards but the noise and space issue are big turn-offs to consider.

voo · Aug 17, 2005, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by southtdi

I have tried both the 6800 and the ATi cards and I cannot recommend the 6800. The card itself is a very good graphics card but the fan it way to loud. Could barely ever hear my PM until i tried this card then it sound like the fans were blzing all of the time. Also, on mine the big fan made the inside of the computer hotter thus resulting in teh system fans spooling up and making even more noise. With the ATI this is a non-issue.

Funny that, I've found the 6800U on par with the PC X850XT fan for sound levels but either way both don't spin up that often. Only time I hear them is upon bootup and even when you hear the NVIDIA 6800 its no where as loud as the G5 fans, those are insanely loud at full speed!

elvis2000 · Aug 17, 2005, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by voo

Funny that, I've found the 6800U on par with the PC X850XT fan for sound levels but either way both don't spin up that often. Only time I hear them is upon bootup and even when you hear the NVIDIA 6800 its no where as loud as the G5 fans, those are insanely loud at full speed!

I find even the 9800 too loud. What's the fastest vid card with only a heat sink?

Leonard · Aug 17, 2005, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by elvis2000

I find even the 9800 too loud. What's the fastest vid card with only a heat sink?

The Radeon 9600 whic of course is lower in performance than a Radeon 9800. But if you don't need the graphics power it does provide quiet apparently. I've never found my Radeon 9800XT to be too noisy but it hasa nice big fan and heat sink.

gangster · Aug 21, 2005, 07:36 PM

i was thrilled to receive a replacement x850xt in less than 2 weeks, unfortunately it is DOA!

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