My 7900gt went .......

S

SAW

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
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My 7900gt went potty. (sorry, got a little boy who just got potty trained :cool:)

Ive been having heat issues with my NON OVERCLOCKED 7900gt (eVGA btw) and while playing TF2, ive been getting some serious artifacting and temp spikes peaking at 192f.

I was hoping it would hold out till my work picked up pace so I could afford an 8800series, but im going to go nuts if I cant play my TF2 and after nearly 2 months, work still has not picked up and had to get a 2nd job :(

I was reading different threads, both here and at NewEgg about the 8600gt series and for the most part, its all been pretty good reviews.

That being said and its a different "month", has any new issues come up about the 8600gt? Such as, with me, my 7900gt, when I first got it, was a dream card and had I wrote a review for it, that review would have reflected my view.....However, now, If I were to write a review for it, I would have to include that one should make preparations to buy a new card or go thru RMA "potty" a year to a year and a half after purchase as it will heat up so much, making playing a game impossible.

I was just playing TF2 and then, artifacting all of a sudden and then screen freeze and then shortly after that, my computer rebooted itself without me doing touching a single button. <----Me no like that!!!

I see I can get an 8600gt for around 100 bucks. I can swing putting a bit aside for the next few weeks to order one from NewEgg.

Id really like to hear from those who use or used this card. How did you like it? Any NEW cons that came up after awhile of usage?

Also, I think Im going to stay away from the eVGA line. Is BFG any better or do you really think it matters?

Thoughts??? Suggestions????

Thanks for reading:)
 
Be glad the 7900gt holded up for you as long as it did, those cards are not the most reliable around.

8600GT for 100$ is in my mind a terrible deal. If you do not have more than 100$ spend I would look for a used 1900 series (xt, xtx, pro) card or another 7900gt/gtx card. But being honest, I would spend 50$ more for a 3850 card, they are the best bang for the buck cards available currently.
 
I'm kind of in the same boat. Since moving to Vista, my 7900GT doesn't work for gaming and occasionally will lock up and artifact. So I'm looking into a 8800GTS.
 
My 7900GT also died on my recently - but thanks to a lifetime warranty I just RMA'd it (BFG). Doesn't EVGA have a lifetime warranty too?
 
Im not into the ATI cards, hence the reason I posted this in the nVidia section:p

I do not know if eVGA has lifetime warranty or not, but the problem with that is is that I dont just use this computer for gaming, but use it for work at times too. I dont like dealing with RMA crap anyways.

If my 7900gt screwed up, why would I buy another 7900gt? That doesnt make any sense at all.

Id really like to have some opinions on the 8600gt. If you think the 8600gt isnt very good, could you elaborate a bit more as to WHY it isnt very good please? Just saying it isnt very good does ME no good.
 
SAW said:
Im not into the ATI cards, hence the reason I posted this in the nVidia section:p

I do not know if eVGA has lifetime warranty or not, but the problem with that is is that I dont just use this computer for gaming, but use it for work at times too. I dont like dealing with RMA crap anyways.

If my 7900gt screwed up, why would I buy another 7900gt? That doesnt make any sense at all.
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They do have a lifetime RMA, but if you don't want to deal with it I can understand that. I had exactly the same thing happen to my 7900GT....only difference was I never got temp spikes, but the glitching and artifacing were so bad that some programs I couldn't even run. In less then a week they changed out my 7900GT via RMA with a 7950 GX2 that has been rock solid stable! Honestly, I've been extremely happy with eVGA support as opposed to other experiences I've had, but to each his own.

Id really like to have some opinions on the 8600gt. If you think the 8600gt isnt very good, could you elaborate a bit more as to WHY it isnt very good please? Just saying it isnt very good does ME no good.
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IIRC, the 8600 in benchmarks was actually a poorer performer than the 7900GT. So in essence you'd be "upgrading" to a lower end card, when for not too much more outlay of scratch you could get a better card.
 
SAW said:
If my 7900gt screwed up, why would I buy another 7900gt? That doesnt make any sense at all.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. If someone was completely happy with their video card before the failure then I'm sure that they'd like to stick with it. Not all video cards of the same model are perfect. It's the same with cars. Sometimes you get a lemon whereas someone else with the same one might have zero problems throughout the life of it.
 
i upgraded from evga 7900gt sc to an 8800gt and all i can say a wow. i play mostly at 1920x1200 and the 7900gt cant catch up with all the new games.
 
Welp, despite me not wanting to hassle with it.....I just got thru going thru the hassle of filling out all the eVGA RMA stuff at their web site. Sure am glad New Egg keeps records of what I have bought cause I apparently can not. heh.

So, to those of you who have RMA'ed before......What am I looking at going thru? How does the process work? They send me an empty box, I put my card in the box and send it back to them and they send me another, hopefully BETTER card or????????

This is my first time going thru it, id appreciate any support and advice you guys have.
 
So far it looks like my RMA is going painlessly. BFG shipped out a replacement the same day they got it, which was rather impressive - I was expecting like a couple of day turnaround...

RMAs may suck, but the way I see it I'm paying $12 (had to pay shipping to BFG) for a card I spent $280 on 18+ months ago - I'm not disappointed in the least :) Of course, I had a game-worthy laptop that I just set up for my desktop duties (nothing fancy, 8600M GS, but it'll play TF2 just fine :D ), so the two weeks without my desktop is fine by me...
 
hey saw have you considered that the gpu fan might have failed on you or is failing? That would cause high temps and artifacting. The replacement gpu fans are under $30 some under $20. It might be worth it to check to make sure. That card should handle tf2 without any problem. This would allow you to save up for the best value upgrade.

Also what about the psu? Those 7900's need a 6pin psu plug. If the psu is hurting or under powered it could be the issue as well.

GL!
 
Motocross said:
It lasts over a year and you're already thinking about writing evga off?
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Not quite exactly what I meant bro. It ONLY because of ALL the other threads people have made about the exact same issue I am having with heat that makes me want to look towards a different v.card company. Obviously, the 7900gt line was flawed.

Also, its been artifacting for quite some time, just not even close to as bad as it has been recently. Its finally met its end and needs to be buried. I can hear the TAPS song now....

hossdaddy said:
hey saw have you considered that the gpu fan might have failed on you or is failing? That would cause high temps and artifacting. The replacement gpu fans are under $30 some under $20. It might be worth it to check to make sure. That card should handle tf2 without any problem. This would allow you to save up for the best value upgrade.

Also what about the psu? Those 7900's need a 6pin psu plug. If the psu is hurting or under powered it could be the issue as well.

GL!
Click to expand...

Yeap yeap. As I mentioned. This didnt just start happening and isnt the first time Ive made a thread concearning it. All points of interest have been looked at, including the GPU fan. I took a BRIGHT BRIGHT flash light and shined it up the butt end of the card just to see if it was running and it is/was still is. In fact, the factory stock fan speed setting was set at 40%. When I change that and click apply, I can actually hear the fan speed up, so it is definately still working.

My power supply is a 500watt FSP Group Inc. One of the highly recommended PSU's recommended by [H] in the PSU section of the forums.

Its just time for this card to be laid to rest.
 
What resolution you running at? 1280x1024 might be okay for a 8600GT, but any higher you'll need a better card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130085 8600GT EVGA $75 after MIR, step up later to better card.

But other then that:
3850 512MB $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102715
evga 8800GT 512MB $230 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318


You should also be able to buy a 7800/79X0 card off ebay, but it seems like both series of cards have been like dropping like flies because of its shitty memory.
 
colinstu said:
You should also be able to buy a 7800/79X0 card off ebay, but it seems like both series of cards have been like dropping like flies because of its shitty memory.
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The 8600 GT is roughly comparable to the 7900 GT in performance; not worth getting a used 7800/7900 GT(X) if it's not worth getting a 8600 GT. Ideally, he could wait and get a much better 9600 GT in March, but if not, it's really really worth it to go for a 3850 or 8800 GT, even in its 256MB variety, over an 8600 or a previous-generation card, though a 512MB version would be all the better if the extra money isn't a concern.

First let's see how his RMA goes however. ;)

SAW said:
Welp, despite me not wanting to hassle with it.....I just got thru going thru the hassle of filling out all the eVGA RMA stuff at their web site.
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colinstu said:
What resolution you running at? 1280x1024 might be okay for a 8600GT, but any higher you'll need a better card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130085 8600GT EVGA $75 after MIR, step up later to better card.

But other then that:
3850 512MB $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102715
evga 8800GT 512MB $230 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318


You should also be able to buy a 7800/79X0 card off ebay, but it seems like both series of cards have been like dropping like flies because of its shitty memory.
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Yeah, I never needed to go any higher res than 1280x1024. For that matter, its the highest my monitor will perform at.

And believe me, If i could afford $190, id put forth the more money for the $230 8800gt. But if you knew my wife and how slow work has become...heh, im doing good to spend the 100 bucks at this point and time. Sure, I could save and save and save and sure, eventually get an 8800gt, but my gaming is my ONLY salvation from work and marriage and STRESS. I think any thing longer than 2 weeks without gaming, or at very least, being able to come here to the [H] and poke around and learn new things....I honestly think Id go freakin nuts. So, its all what I can afford in a short amount of time to tide me over till work picks up, which it should have already done. Ive gone from $1500 a week down to $200. Its a slap in the face...which is why I had to take up a 2nd job :(
 
farfromhome said:
I've heard a lot about the 8800 GS on Fudzilla too. Apparently it's already on sale at lots of European retailers though, leading me to wonder whether it will ever come to the West side of the pond or not.
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Oh it will. Keep your eyes peeled. :D
 
farfromhome said:
I've heard a lot about the 8800 GS on Fudzilla too. Apparently it's already on sale at lots of European retailers though, leading me to wonder whether it will ever come to the West side of the pond or not.

Edit: Just as I thought, it's probably not coming to America.
Click to expand...

The recently &#8220;released&#8221; GeForce 8800 GS will be a limited GPU in terms of production. Do not expect more than 100,000 GPUs to be shipped worldwide, but soon. ASUS will supply Asia, Palit will supply China, EVGA will supply North America, and XFX will supply Europe. The GS is an &#8220;inventory solution.&#8221; The 8800 GS is 192-bit bus and will ship in 320MB, 512MB, and 640MB versions with a trimmed down number of stream processors as well. Will fall in line below 8800 GT but above the 9600 GT.
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http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ0MCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0 :)
 
colinstu said:
http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?o...k=view&id=5354&Itemid=40&limit=1&limitstart=0

8800GS seems to be nearing too. Looks like another cool choice.
Click to expand...

That was a good read, thank you for the link.

farfromhome said:
I've heard a lot about the 8800 GS on Fudzilla too. Apparently it's already on sale at lots of European retailers though, leading me to wonder whether it will ever come to the West side of the pond or not.

Edit: Just as I thought, it's probably not coming to America.
Click to expand...

Well that just sucks!!!!...DAMN!!!!!!!!!!
 
kllrnohj said:
The recently “released” GeForce 8800 GS will be a limited GPU in terms of production. Do not expect more than 100,000 GPUs to be shipped worldwide, but soon. ASUS will supply Asia, Palit will supply China, EVGA will supply North America, and XFX will supply Europe. The GS is an “inventory solution.” The 8800 GS is 192-bit bus and will ship in 320MB, 512MB, and 640MB versions with a trimmed down number of stream processors as well. Will fall in line below 8800 GT but above the 9600 GT.
Click to expand...

http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ0MCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0 :)
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I'll believe it when I see it. :D Anyway, if EVGA is going to release it in the US after all, they're going to have to do it soon, as the 9600 GT is coming in a month most likely, and they occupy a similar niche in price and performance.
 
kllrnohj said:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ0MCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0 :)
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TRI-SLI.......man o man. Come on guys and gals......3 FREAKIN video cards tied together.....where do I begin bitchin about that, lolololololol.

Here I am struggling to get a WORKING card and some of you are getting a TRI-SLI...heh, you make me want to slap ya, LOL.....(not you you kllrnohj)

I mean, really, that just makes me sick, heh. I just saw some dude who had 3 cards in SLI on youtube, the thread floating around here somewhere. Anyways, I saw the video and the guy was only getting 40-50fps.....I would expect 40-50 PER CARD....Gahhhh.....sick man, just sick.....Not trying to bash it really, but seriously....its like putting 19" rims on a Yugo....
 
hey SAW after carefully reviewing your situation which is very budget sensitive I would reccomend the following to replace your ailing gpu

XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB $109 with a $30 mir
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229

If you didnt like it you couldNote it comes with a full version of company of heros which cost $30-50! If you didnt like it you could always sell it to off set the some of the cost.
 
Cool....Thanks for the linkage...

I do have CoH already though, but it does look like a decent card to get regardless.

I was reading about other eVGA 8600gt cards and one of the first CONS someone mentioned was HEAT....

Another reason why im questionable about eVGA products. Are they putting inferior fans on their cards or something or what? Its like I cant find a single comment about an eVGA card without someone saying it has heat issues......GRRRRRRRRRRRRR
 
SAW said:
Cool....Thanks for the linkage...

I do have CoH already though, but it does look like a decent card to get regardless.

I was reading about other eVGA 8600gt cards and one of the first CONS someone mentioned was HEAT....

Another reason why im questionable about eVGA products. Are they putting inferior fans on their cards or something or what? Its like I cant find a single comment about an eVGA card without someone saying it has heat issues......GRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Click to expand...

As far as I know eVGA uses the nVidia reference design. I would take newegg comments on products with a huge grain of salt - most of the time the people on there have no idea what they are talking about...
 
Your choice, but I really, really wouldn't bother with a 8600 of any stripe unless not having to wait for an RMA is worth over $100 for you. The 8600 GT has pretty much the same power as your 7900 GT (which would somewhere between the 7900 GS and 7950 GT on AnandTech's graph), and the 8600 GTS has just a smidge more. For that, instead of spending $109 (after MIR no less), I'd just wait for the RMA to come back and not have to spend a dime other than shipping. EVGA might give you a 8600 GT(S) anyway if they're out of spare 7900 GT's. kllrnohj is absolutely right about EVGA/XFX/BFG almost always using the NVIDIA reference design for their 8-series video cards too.
 
Yeah, im not going out right now (as it were) to buy anything. As I said, If I did have to buy something, it would be to merely tide me over till work picked back up so I could afford something better......

If that was the case, It would take me at least 2-4 weeks to save up the $100 bucks (yes, work sucks that much atm)(kids have to eat first before I can play afterall)

Ive already started the sequence of events for the RMA. Uploaded my invoice and all that jazz. eVGA said it will take 24-48 hours before they email me back with a YES or a NO that they will RMA my card. So far, its been about 19 hours.

So, for the time being, im going thru with the RMA process. I honestly dont care if they give me another 7900gt or a 7950gt or an 8600gt. I want a card that wont heat up.....well, I know they all heat up, but, well, you know what I mean (i think). Give me a card that works and will play my TF2 without artifacting and I'll be happy.
 
While any card can be a dud, the 7900 GT's, especially the early ones and the highly factory-overclocked ones, were notorious for having a high chance of malfunctioning quickly, often within a few weeks. The later ones might be alright, but I'm not sure. I hope you get a 7950 GT or a 8600 GT instead, just to be safe. :)
 
I must agree with farfromhome on teh rma option. Thats why we buy from the better companies to be covered when the sh1t hits the fan. I would be very suprised if they didnt help you out in some way.

GL!:D
 
hossdaddy said:
it looks like it will outperform the 8600gt!
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That's not saying much; the 8600 GT couldn't even outperform my two-and-a-half-year-old 7800 GT. ;) Not like the 7600 GT which beat the 6800 Ultra by a good margin. The 9600 GT looks like it will be impressive again (basically a cut-down G92), but I wouldn't recommend the 8600 to anyone with its horrid price/performance ratio.
 
you think the the 8600 gt still has a poor performance/price ratio now that they are $75?
 
I guess that does make the price/performance ratio somewhat better, but I just don't see where it would make sense to buy it. If you're trying to save money and don't need stellar performance in games, I'd go for a used 7950 or X1950 for the same price. If you're trying to save money and don't game at all (but want the video acceleration), I'd get the cheapest 8500 or 2400 I could find. If you can scrimp and save at all and want stratospherically better performance, I'd go for a 3850.
 
hossdaddy said:
hey SAW check out this new ati card that was released this week.

SAPPHIRE 100237L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 $104!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102725&Tpk=HD+3650

it looks like it will outperform the 8600gt!
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Hey, thanks for the link. Looks like a cool card. I like the blue color :D but I know almost nothing about ATI cards, its like another language to me.

farfromhome said:
I guess that does make the price/performance ratio somewhat better, but I just don't see where it would make sense to buy it. If you're trying to save money and don't need stellar performance in games, I'd go for a used 7950 or X1950 for the same price. If you're trying to save money and don't game at all (but want the video acceleration), I'd get the cheapest 8500 or 2400 I could find. If you can scrimp and save at all and want stratospherically better performance, I'd go for a 3850.
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Just to reiterate...If I were to actually BUY another card, its purpose would be to SOLELY allow me to play TF2 "for the time being" untill at which time, I can upgrade it to the 8800gt/or 98's, which ever I can afford when the time comes. Buying the 8600 would completely just be temporary and not meant to be used for anything longer than, say, 6mths <---and even that, HOPEFULLY, would be much longer than I plan to use it.
As of today. I have not yet recieved any reply from eVGA RMA program. I did however recieve 3 phone calls Friday from some 800 number, but ive been sick with the FLU for the past week and not waking up till late in the day, so I missed the phone calls and they did not leave a message. Could it have been eVGA trying to call me??? Who knows....

Also keep in mind that my buying the 8600gt would only happen if eVGA does not accept my RMA and then, the ONLY reason I would buy the 8600gt is because its cheap and will tide me over till I can get a better card. I never overclock and as long as it plays my TF2, im happy. I do not require TF2 to have ultra graphical settings are anything, so that isnt a concearn.
 
I know SAW, I wasn't talking about your special case, where you know how sucky the card is but want it anyway as a holdover (and don't want to buy used) and don't have any games that will really push it, I was just talking about why I wouldn't recommend the 8600 in general. :)
 
I don't really get what you mean.. "it's like a second language to me.." ?? A graphics card is a graphics card. There's no reason to like one manufacturer over another. Go with the best price/performance and be happy every time. Now vendors, on the other hand, would be something you'd want to learn about.. (which have the best warranties, customer service, rma speed, etc) There's no real reason to consider one "brand" of video card but not the other. I have a 2900pro (512bit) in one machine, and a 8800gt in the other, and both of them are kick ass cards. The better value though was probably the 2900 pro, as it costed about $65 less.
 
Oh4Sh0 said:
I don't really get what you mean.. "it's like a second language to me.." ?? A graphics card is a graphics card. There's no reason to like one manufacturer over another. Go with the best price/performance and be happy every time. Now vendors, on the other hand, would be something you'd want to learn about.. (which have the best warranties, customer service, rma speed, etc) There's no real reason to consider one "brand" of video card but not the other. I have a 2900pro (512bit) in one machine, and a 8800gt in the other, and both of them are kick ass cards. The better value though was probably the 2900 pro, as it costed about $65 less.
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Heh...Allow me to elaborate what I meant by saying "its like a second language to me".

The nVidia cards...they are the ONLY cards ive been following/keeping up with. When people talk, they have an nVidia 6800ultra, I know what/which card they are talkin about and where that card falls within the grand scheme of things, as far as it being old, new, middle class, whichever. As well, if someone mentions an nVidia 5 series, 6 series, 7 series, 8 series....I know just what they are talkin about.

Now, change that to ATI cards, such as what you brought up "2900 pro". I have ZERO clue where that card falls in the scheme of things. Is it a good card, old card, new card. Is it better than last months cards? I have no clue. And then, lets take, Colinstu's post talkin about the 3650's, 2600's. Again, no freakin clue what he is talkin about.

Ive just not ever EVER payed any attention to ATI cards in the least and so, his and your post make no sense to me at all. To which is why I said its like speaking another language to me....it might as well all be greek.

Hope that makes a bit more sense now :)
 
SAW said:
Heh...Allow me to elaborate what I meant by saying "its like a second language to me".

The nVidia cards...they are the ONLY cards ive been following/keeping up with. When people talk, they have an nVidia 6800ultra, I know what/which card they are talkin about and where that card falls within the grand scheme of things, as far as it being old, new, middle class, whichever. As well, if someone mentions an nVidia 5 series, 6 series, 7 series, 8 series....I know just what they are talkin about.

Now, change that to ATI cards, such as what you brought up "2900 pro". I have ZERO clue where that card falls in the scheme of things. Is it a good card, old card, new card. Is it better than last months cards? I have no clue. And then, lets take, Colinstu's post talkin about the 3650's, 2600's. Again, no freakin clue what he is talkin about.

Ive just not ever EVER payed any attention to ATI cards in the least and so, his and your post make no sense to me at all. To which is why I said its like speaking another language to me....it might as well all be greek.

Hope that makes a bit more sense now :)
Click to expand...

When you said "its like a second language to me" I totally knew what you meant.

Before June, I use to be a complete Intel/Ati guy. I knew not a lick of any AMD's cpu specs or how they compared or how their model numbers worked, etc. Same deal with nvidia, I use to only look at ATI cards because their CPU and memory clocks seemed to be higher, and I thought they were faster better cards (Also that midrange cards had better numbers too and thought they were faster then the x1900/x1950's... hence why I got that crappy x1650pro in my sig). Later seeing that ATI drivers sucked way back in those 2900's and were lagging behind 8800's, I then was able to get up on the history of their older 7 series card and the 8 series was easy. You ask me any model number/any specs... I know it now. AMD I figured out too, their model numbering scheme, all the sockets, best chips for each socket, specs and models...

The only thing I haven't read too much in is CPU: DRAM ratio info for AMD chips and other OCing (besides increasing the multiplier, making HT faster is also possible). That is much more important too keep 1:1 with Intel Core chips then it is with anything else, so I guess it doesn't really matter. I'd like to buy a 6400+ some time just to have the AMD experience, and maybe slap in a 3850 for the full experience :cool:

Also before I looked at the specs of 3850's and other 3000 series cards, I was a nvidia only fanboy for a little, recommending 7900's/7950's... heck no, now that I know all the info on those cards I'd say get a 3850 512mb.

I'd recommend it to anyone... new and old, to read up on old products, and new products of all four companies. Knowing it will let you be weary of all the current and old products, and how they all stack up. Knowing one side and especially knowing one side incorrectly is especially bad.

I thank wikipedia mostly for almost all the info about everything in the four companies. Other things I thank are all the review sites (so many out there, [H] was one of course :D )
 
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