agp x1950 vs 3650

[classicx]

so i have an old crappy p4 rig that i wanna upgrade (mainly to play left 4 dead). should i get the x1950 pro or the 3650?

 

[JPB]

Originally posted by: classicx
so i have an old crappy p4 rig that i wanna upgrade (mainly to play left 4 dead). should i get the x1950 pro or the 3650?

Specs comparison

I have a feeling the 1950 would outrun the 3650.

My vote = 1950.

Edit: Benchmarks

 

[Foxery]

Check a few other pages in there - the one you linked is not the norm. The 3650 is newer, but midrage, vs. the older but high-end 1950. The winner varies quite a bit between games and resolution settings. The tester also had a much, much faster CPU than the OP.

It really comes down to how much of a price difference you find, and whether the 3650's high-def video decoder is of any use to you.

 

[classicx]

@JPB, in that same review, the 3650 beats the x1950 in crysis, and in 3dmark 06. strange how the cards are only better than the other in certain games...

newegg has the 3650 for about 60 bucks, and i think someone is selling the x1950 pro for about the same in the FS forums. any other opinions? whats better at the Source engine?

 

[will889]

Hmm, reminds me a bit of how the 7950GT (even the 7900GT) was much faster overall than the 8600GTS in older and slighly older games, but the 8600GTS was a tad faster in the brand new games . I would say that in brute force the X1950 Pro would be overall faster in most games, but if it were me I would get an HD3650 for the new games, or better yet an HD3850 if your money can stretch just a bit further.

 

[Denithor]

These are AGP or PCIe cards?

If AGP, stretch the budget a little more for 3850, it's worth it.

If PCIe, go for an EVGA 8800GS ($80AR) or PNY 8800GT ($120).

 

[classicx]

the 3850 would cost about double the 3650 though (~120 vs. ~60). I've heard that the 3650 has some kind of driver issues, has anyone heard of this?

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: will889
Hmm, reminds me a bit of how the 7950GT (even the 7900GT) was much faster overall than the 8600GTS in older and slighly older games, but the 8600GTS was a tad faster in the brand new games . I would say that in brute force the X1950 Pro would be overall faster in most games, but if it were me I would get an HD3650 for the new games, or better yet an HD3850 if your money can stretch just a bit further.

Newer cards seem to have done away with heavy hitting texture pushing hardware in favor of more advanced shaders. Since newer titles are shader heavy, they seem to do better with this arrangement.

I have mixed feelings about this trend. On the one hand, its nice that a new budget card can play the latest games at reasonable settings. On the other hand, if you're looking for an affordable part to play your old games in full glory...your only option is the used market. New budget cards just aren't going to offer you much for your dollar there.

 

[rogue1979]

If you want to save money you can find the 2600XT for $49. It has the same performance as the 3650.

Best bang for the buck is the HD 3850 512MB which can be found for $89 with a $30 mail-in rebate. For $59 bucks you can't even compare the 3850 with a 3650, worlds ahead.

 

[classicx]

where can i get the 3850 for $90? i need the agp version. and would my crappy p4 (~2.5 ghz) be the bottleneck so that the difference between the 3850 and 3650 be small? and the games i probably want the best performance from would be Source games (ie. HL2 CSS TF2 left4dead). anyone know which card would be better for this? thanks.

 

[Blurry]

For source I'd say the older, x19xx series is better than the HD 3650.

But, like the others said - if you can find a cheap 3850, it blows away all your other choices.

 

[rogue1979]

Originally posted by: classicx
where can i get the 3850 for $90? i need the agp version. and would my crappy p4 (~2.5 ghz) be the bottleneck so that the difference between the 3850 and 3650 be small? and the games i probably want the best performance from would be Source games (ie. HL2 CSS TF2 left4dead). anyone know which card would be better for this? thanks.

That deal is on the pci-e version, not sure about agp, probably costs more.