Maximus Arelius Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Im really good with graphics cards but someone tell me why would a company (Nvidia) add car ending abs to the end of the graphics cards for example LE GS GT ect? Also what in the world do they stand for? From understanding cars GS would be the lowest and GTX would be the highest (dont know where Ultra comes in) but that can't be the case for graphics cards could it? I've been thinking about getting a new graphics card as well. I have two Nvidia 8 series cards a 8500GT and a 8600GT (dont ask lol) are these cards any good? Both are 256MB DDR3. Oh that brings up another question is DDR3 on a graphics card actually GDDR3? Both cards run exceptionally well in Leopard with full QE/CI/Open GL and all that good stuff. I just need some user feedback from my favorite forum. I know graphics cards are updated very frequently and a "king of the hill card" can be a bottom of the bucket card in a few months or so. Currently that card is the 8800 Ultra (correct me if I'm wrong) should i just upgrade to that card or stick with the ones i have? I mean I'm not a serious gamer or anything but Leopard does use alot of GPU. They also have the new 8900GT/GTX and 8950GT/GTX coming soon. Would anyone be kind enough to tell me there experiences with the 8800GTX/GT or whatever one u might happen to have lol? Im open to any opinions or suggestions on what i should do and maybe this might help someone else out there who is stuck on upgrading. Thank You. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headrush69 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 The card you have now is fine. The Core Image effects in OS X don't require the kind of GPU power in the best video cards. (Unless you are a professional Final Cut User anyways.) A 8800GTX isn't going to make normal OSX GUI effects any faster, therefore don't bother wasting any more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Arelius Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 Thanx Headrush69 so the 8600GT is a good card? Anyone else have any input on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtotho Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 in order from worse to best it goes.. GS, GT, GTS, GTX, ULTRA For mac osx purposes... i believe the 8800GT is the best because it is in the mac pros now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Arelius Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 Very true the 8800GT is a good option and now that its in the Mac Pros it should have very little compatibility issues. But you have to consider most of the 8x00 cards are supported in Leopard due to the graphics update. Does anyone else have any input on this matter? Thanx mtotho for your input much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 The 8600 is fine. But for the meanings, here we go. GS GT GTS GTX, Ultra GS-A run down version of the gpu. In this case, the G90, what's run down could be either memory frequency, or the frequency of the shaders. As well as interface of the memory, like the 8800gs has 192-bit memory, but only has 96 shaders versus the 112 or 128 of the G92. This version was made for those who don't care about both high resolution, aa and af combined. GT-The midranged card of the 8800 series. Based on the G92 chip, has 112 shaders, more than the G90 GTS which only featured 96 shaders. This series was made for the pratical use of AA and or AF. Resolution in mind on the 512-mb version. GTS-The higher mid-ranged card of the 8800 series. The first was the G90, which had only 96 shaders, but had a 384-bit memory interface. The G92 has 128 shaders, but only 256-bit memory. This was made for both resolution and aa and af combined. GTX-Based on the G90 chip, the GTX is in mind for the high end of the 8800s. The GTX features 768 mb of ram which is 384-bit, and has 128 shaders. This was made for both high resolution and an exstensive amount of aa and af. ULTRA- Honestly nothing really more than an overclocked version of the current GTX. They are nice, and since these are already higher than the GTX, overclocking is probably the best use out of the Ultra. This was made for high resolution, aa and af combined, and high performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headrush69 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 GTX-Based on the G90 chip You meant G80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuietOC Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Also what in the world do they stand for? LE - horribly crippled, slow GS - energy efficiency, cool GT - normal, bang-for-the-buck? GTS - faster, hotter GTX - fastest, quite hot Ultra - rare, expensive, inefficient At least nVidia dropped "Ti" from usage. The 8500GT is basically a 8600GT with half the chip disabled. The 8600GT is a decent 3D performer for $70. The 8500GT is half as fast and not much cheaper and uses a similar amount of power. I would say a 7600GS is a better choice (but 7300GT is popular which is a half version of the 7600GS). Oh that brings up another question is DDR3 on a graphics card actually GDDR3? Hopefully, as normal DDR3 would be terrible for a video card. Currently that card is the 8800 Ultra (correct me if I'm wrong) should i just upgrade to that card or stick with the ones i have? I mean I'm not a serious gamer or anything but Leopard does use alot of GPU. No, Vista is more demanding than Leopard and either are fine on new integrated video chipsets (GeForce 6100 and above and ATI--not Intel integrated junk). The low-end video cards that Apple generally specifies with their systems are fine (except the Intel integrated video). The 8800Ultra is not much faster than a $150 Radeon HD 3850 or GeForce 8800GS/9600GT, which in turn are at least twice as fast as a 8600GT. FWIW: 256MB is fine for a 7600/8600/2600/3650, while 512MB is plenty for a 8800/9600/2900/38X0. My problem with my 8600GT is that it has a tiny heatsink and an annoying fan. The $150 mid-range cards are quieter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtotho Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 You meant G80. as well as the original 8800GTS. The 8800gts that has 384mb, 614mb are g80. The ones with 512 are g92 i believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Arelius Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 QuietOC thanx for answering most of my questions, its so weird they would put card endings at the end of graphics cards but oh well. So the 8800 Ultra is the top of the line but its not that much faster then other cards such as ATI HD 3800 series and 8800GS? I also agree 100% with the fan issue with the 8600GT its like they were being stingy with the heat sync metal and fan (way to small for good cooling) But my EN8500GT by Asus has an excellent fan on it. Would it be safe for me to remove the one thats on my 8500GT and put it on my 8600GT for better cooling? From what i heard that card gets kinda hot. Also could anyone tell me if it would be possible to get a Quadro FX 4500 heat sync and fan and place it on my 8600GT with Dual Dual-Link DVI i believe or would that just be impossible to find and do. I also hope this topic can help anyone else with graphic card making choices cause i know we need one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 You meant G80. Yeah, thinking of the G92 chip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuietOC Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 QuietOC thanx for answering most of my questions, its so weird they would put card endings at the end of graphics cards but oh well. So the 8800 Ultra is the top of the line but its not that much faster then other cards such as ATI HD 3800 series and 8800GS? The 8800GS is basically an 8800Ultra with 25% of the chip turned off and < half the memory speed. The latter part makes the Ultra sometimes twice as fast, so it is a big difference, but those are the extremes of the Geforce 8800 line. But my EN8500GT by Asus has an excellent fan on it. Would it be safe for me to remove the one thats on my 8500GT and put it on my 8600GT for better cooling? For desktop 2D work it is sure to be fine, if you start playing Crysis it might be okay, or it might cause the card to overheat. FWIW: The GeForce 6600, 7600, and 8600 series chips are all pin-out identical. That generally means the PCB designs have been consistent along with the coolers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnaClocker Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Great guide guys! I had a heck of a time figuring this all out when I bought my card (obviously, because I made a bad choice..) Can someone confirm that the 8800GT has a working DVI out (no black screen upon bootup)? Because my 8500GT has a black screen issue. Stuck using plain old analog VGA and I am slowly going blind because my screen is so blurry at the moment (not really, but it's nowhere near as crisp as it is with DVI). I hate to keep throwing money at the problem.. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Arelius Posted March 16, 2008 Author Share Posted March 16, 2008 Great guide guys! I had a heck of a time figuring this all out when I bought my card (obviously, because I made a bad choice..) This is exactly what i wanted. A tread that would help everyone with graphic card choices. I didn't only make this tread for me. I made it for everyone dealing with Nvidia cards I hope this wont just apply to the Geforce 8 series if anyone has questions about 5/6/7 series cards Im sure the kind people in here will be more then happy to find you some answers to your questions or at least lead you in the right direction (using the search function wouldn't hurt neither) about Nvidia cards and what are some of the best choices to make and what features some cards offer and what some don't. Im glad this tread could help you UnaClocker. Please anyone with any questions or info that may be useful to others please feel free to post. UnaClocker i don't have a 8800GT but i have my 8600GT Dual DVI and both DVI work also with Dual screens using the proper NVCAP but im sure you can get your DVI to work with both VGA and DVI out on your 8500GT. Just PM me and i will give u the NVCAP setting for your 8500GT cause I also have one and it works with DVI out also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Arelius Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 Well guys i just picked up a Sparkle Calibre Geforce 8800GTX with Thermal Electric Cooling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinet Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Hi to all, my question is...Witch nVidia GForce 8800 videocard is the most suitable for running well both in Tiger (10.4.10) and Leopard (10.5.2)?. That means CI-QE enabled, full resolution, etc. I'm quite confused about the different choices about 8000GTS or 8800GTX. I hope someone can clarify me this options. 320?-384Mb. 640?, 512mb. G80, G90, G92, G95, etc. Thaks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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