Another AGP card to consider

[Paratus]

I saw it at Frys - overpriced as hell - but an honest to god AGP X1600XT 512mb for "only" $300.

Linky

This is currently the fastest X1000 series card in AGP.

It would be well priced at about $130

Looks like they have a 256mb version as well.

 

[Kromis]

I think that 512MB is just there for show. I mean, can it really use up all that memory?

 

[Paratus]

Originally posted by: Kromis
I think that 512MB is just there for show. I mean, can it really use up all that memory?

No it can't but it does have the XT speed 590 core & 1380 mem as opposed to the 500 core & 800 mem on the x1600 PRO version.

 

[Kromis]

Ahh, I see. Didn't know the speeds were that high. Something to think about...

 

[Auric]

Plenty of big name titles make use of more than 256MB VRAM and indeed if gaming is important then it is better having more VRAM than having to page to system RAM -ergo 1GB system RAM + 512MB VRAM may be better than spending the same or more for 2GB system RAM + 256MB VRAM. This card is selling for $250 everywhere so its a bit overpriced compared to the 7600 GT 256MB which generally outperforms it but cards with "extra" VRAM have always been priced higher than the actual cost of it. The real deal breaker is the fact that high-end cards from the previous generation perform better and are cheaper.

 

[apoppin]

even the x850xt 'spanks' the x1600xt . . .

i'd say 512MB vRAM is USELESS on this slow OVERpriced card . . .

just get the 7600gt.

 

[Djin1980]

Originally posted by: apoppin
even the x850xt 'spanks' the x1600xt . . .

i'd say 512MB vRAM is USELESS on this slow OVERpriced card . . .

just get the 7600gt.

Even the X800 spanks the X1600XT. Just get the X800XT AIW for $152. It stomps the 7600GT.

 

[Auric]

In the past, the assumption could generally be made that "extra" VRAM on mid-range cards was simply a marketing ploy to garner fatter margins since as said the mark-up was much higher than the additional cost of the parts. Heck, that even applies to "high-end" cards going back to the original Voodoo 2 12MB which was obsolete by the time the "extra" 4MB RAM was useful.

However, a card like this should have 'nuff performance to play games like BF2, GRAW, Doom3, &c. at 1280x960 medium to high settings including AA and AF. Therefore, the "extra" VRAM would enable higher resolution textures while avoiding or even taxing slower system RAM.

That said, it is academic as long as it suffers poor bang for the rupee due to overpricing. This could change as more X1600 (and perchance X1650) Pro and XT, and 7600 GT offerings for AGP become available -even if such cards equipped with 512MB remain sparse, more competition for the maintstream 256MB models should restrict obscene mark-ups on the former.