want a 7900GTO but is this directx?this comp i'd like to last you know so I don't want to spend all this money and be outdated by a new platform of drivers etc? is it directx 10 if not what is?
DirectX10 won't be out for a while yet - def. not until next year, right guys? TBH I'm pretty sure the GTO is dx9 like the rest of the 7900s
DX10 won't be used properly untill Vista and then some. Most games scheduled for the next 6-9months are guaranteed DX9, games will probably continue to do so for around 18months after DX10 launch
The 7900GTO is not an official nVidia spec AFAIK but from what I've read to date it has 7900GTX core power combined with 7900GS memory, so it should be close to 7900GTX and faster than the 7950GT. However as with all current cards they are not DirectX10. DX10 cards are unlikely to be out before December with January more likely. DX10 will require Windows Vista (also due January) as Ms want to force people over to Vista. DX10 cards will work in WinXP but only as fast DX9 cards. Even if DX10 cards do come out December it will surely only be high-end £400/$500 models and will most likely take around 6 months before fluttering down to £150-200 price levels. Games are already in the works to take 'some' advantage of DX10 but I wouldn't expect too much until DX10 software and hardware matures, most likely late 2007, if not into 2008. The first DX10 cards may be deemed slow by that time. Given all this I don't see much merit in waiting, so long as you aren't splashing down silly money for DX9 hardware.
but yeah, GTO is an ATI thing. (I just wish they'd all agree on how all these suffixes rank (Nvidia: ___XT < ___GT, ATI: ___XT > ___GT ))
Windows sees my 512mb 7900GT as a 7900GTO. At stock speeds from eVGA it runs at 580/1500 which is faster than a stock 7950GT. The heatsink is loud IMO, so I've got a Zalman VF900 until my water cooling stuff is here (I'm awaiting a custom CPU block). I bought the 7900 recently too, against the advice of friends and some forum posters. I had an ATi x1800XL that wasn't cutting it at 1600x1200 on my Samsung 204B (a recent upgrade from a 19" Viewsonic at 1280x1024). They warned me that I would regret it because the performance upgrade would be small and Direct X 10 would be out in the blink of an eye. Well, DX10 is not out yet (I've blinked more times than I can count) and I'm not going to seriously consider Vista until I read a lot of reviews and know everything about DX9 and lower compatability (I've got games from 1995 that I still play). I also want the first service pack before I do upgrade: I got XP after SP1 came out Heck, I may even pick up another (if I can find one) or try a 256mb or 7950GT for SLI if that's possible. The performance increased so much and everything is smooth at 1600x1200, but I also have a Core 2 E6700 so that's helping a bit.
It all went out of the window yonks ago. nVidia use the XT suffix to compete with one of ATi's card witht he same suffix, ATi use the GT suffix to compete with an nVidia card using the same suffix and it all just ends up a huge mess. IMHO it all started with nVidia's GeForce4 cards, until then there were a reasonable and legible amount of offerings out there.
The first time I saw an nVidia card with an XT suffix was the 5900XT. I think I liked Ultra better than the current GTX. I absolutely hate the ATi XTX though.
I stand sit corrected. It wasn't an abvious find though, Its not listed in the normal products lists. It apears to be an OEM part. link 1, link 2, link 3 (second from the bottom - from a link in link 2)
