W00T! eVGA step-up program

[evogre3n]

Hey all,

 

Just submitted my eVGA 6600GT for the step-up program to get the PCI-E 6800GT! yipeeee!

 

Whats awesome, is the eVGA 6800GT is 299 USD right now!!!!! it might be a glitch or something, but that price you dont usually get directly from the vendor.. so im really happy. I just faxed along my reciept etc. and now I am waiting for my approval to ship the card... I CANT WAIT!!!

 

Wish me luck in the hopes that they find my reciept "valid" (why wouldnt they)

 

Im excited, this will finally allow me to get nF4 ultra-d, other then the ever so problematic nF3 ultra-d

 

:D

[Fight Game]

good for you!

I'm thinking "stepping up" to a 7800gt for 399, and overclocking it to gtx speeds, which is $200 more.

[Guest Tyler]

MSRP is $200 more (which makes zero sense to me), but not street price. You can get a GTX for $480 or so.

 

You also wont get 24 pipes from overclocking, like the GTX has.

[Fight Game]

MSRP is $200 more (which makes zero sense to me), but not street price. You can get a GTX for $480 or so.

 

You also wont get 24 pipes from overclocking, like the GTX has.

 

But the gt does have 20 pipes. Does the board really use all 24 pipes, and is there really any advantage to having 24 over 20? Not sure exactly what these pipes are. I think the more pipes the more possible bandwidth, but if you oc then you're getting more bandwidth, too. I've heard some unlocking pipes on their cards. Can you do it with the 7800gt?

 

Check these out. These are street prices. Both are evga, from the same store, and are 200 different. Which would you choose?

 

https://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/m...de=nvidia-PCI-E

https://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/m...de=nvidia-PCI-E

 

EDIT: well it's 180 different now, they upped the price 20 bucks since yesterday on the gt!!

[Guest Tyler]

I know the GT has 20 pipes, the GTX has 24. Yes there is an advantage to having 24, over 20.

 

People have unlocked pipes on various cards.. probably the more famous, was the 9500NP. It was the same as a 9700 Pro core wise, except for less pipes, and slower core/memory speeds. It was found out, that you could hard mod (hardware modding) and soft mod (modding via drivers) to enable all the pipes. Then all you had to do, was overclock it, and you had yourself a 9700 Pro. Not all of them were able to overclock that high though, but were generally close.

 

Next was the 6800NU, you could unlock all 16 pipes, same as the 6800GT/Ultra. It was the same card then, just slower speeds on the core and memory. Pretty much the same situation as the 9500NP.

 

The X800 Pro (vivo) could be bios flashed to have all pipes opened, from 12 to 16, just like the 6800NU. It was very easy, and virtually a guranantee. I did it for my brother, took 5 mins, and he suddenly had a X800XT/PE, because I used the same bios.

 

The second link you show, is eVGAs top product, the new KO edition. It has a custom cooler, and a very high factory overclock. There are much cheaper GTX's, that can be had for around $480. But based on the two links you left, I would get the first, the GT.

 

If you can wait a few weeks, I would assume the GT will drop in price. And make it much more attractive.

[Guest Tyler]

I forgot your other question, about unlocking the pipes on the 7800GT. And since I cant edit my posts... Ill just make another I guess.

 

There are rumors, that the pipes are cut off by laser. If thats the case, it will be virtually impossible to unlock them. However, that is only rumor as of now. In the next few weeks, it should be known if you can unlock them. Yet another reason to wait a few weeks, or month before buying. Lower price, and more knowledge.

[evogre3n]

Bah w/e the step up cost me 50usd from a 6600GT to a 6800GT, thats a smaller price margin then their MSRP (299 - 219) , for me it was 299 - 249, so yipee!

 

Also, im purchasing the NVA Silencer 5 Rev.2 for some quiter and better cooling on my 6800GT, and ive heard its possible to clock your GT to ultra speeds?

[BiBi]

DAYYYM sweet deal. you setup looks awesome now.

 

nF4 :drool:

 

nF3 :sad:

[Fight Game]

In the next few weeks, it should be known if you can unlock them. Yet another reason to wait a few weeks, or month before buying. Lower price, and more knowledge.

 

The card I have now works good for everything I've done so far, but I don't have months or weeks. I have 8 days left before the 90 days are up to be eligible for evga's "step up" program. Never again will I get full price for my now used video card. I'd probably be lucky to sell it for half what I paid for it. Through the "step-up" program, they give you full price you paid for your card towards a better one. I think I will be an evga buyer for life. They understand how fast technology comes and goes, and are willing to help out their customers by eating some of the costs.

[evogre3n]

I believe you are only elligable to do it once in a row, as in, you cant step up a card that you stepped up.... follow me?

 

Thus rendering your lifetime eVGA customer kinda pointless

[Fight Game]

you are right, once per purchase. But on my next card after this step up, I can do it again! Just the whole idea of them understanding and doing this for their customers, not to mention the lifetime warranty.

[Surrept]

Why even bother with the 6600 when it has nothing onthe 6800 and the price difference isn't that much to start with. This just sounds like another useless marketing scheme and because of that I won't have anything to do with evga purely out of ethics.