Originally posted by CP5670
The disabled quad on the 7800 GT can't be unlocked like the 6800. The number of active pipes is hardcoded into the core, so a workaround is unlikely to be found. I guess nvidia caught on to the unlocking thing.
Actually, I don't think the 7800 GT is that great of a buy when you're spending so much anyway, as the GTX offers substantially better performance for about $100 more. GTXs can be had for $470 now and the situation is quite different than it was with the 6800 GT and Ultra, where the Ultras were always basically ripoffs. I would have gotten a X2 3800 (on average, the Manchesters overclock just as well as the Toledos, although you got a really good one) and a GTX, which would yield much better gaming performance.
Well I do a lot of encoding so the extra processor performance (ghz and cache) really pays off, otherwise I would have gotten the 3800+. I guess can always buy another 7800GT when they get cheaper and SLI them for a little extra life. However, according to the benchmarks Ive seen, the 4400+ outperforms the X2 3800+ by sometimes significant margins in singlethreaded apps and games. That is the primary reason I went 4400, I wanted dual core capability without sacraficing singlethreaded performance. Granted that the 3800's singlethreaded performance isnt
bad, its just not as much as i need/want.
BTW this FX cooler that comes with the upper X2s is really great! My X2 runs cooler overclocked than my AMD XP did normally on a good day. Right now my mobo is like 10 degrees hotter than my processor which is rather odd, but I guess its good.