Best $150 PCI-E video card on market?

bladder23

Banned
Jun 28, 2007
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I have $150 to spend on a upgrade from my 7600GT.

What would be my best option? DX9 or DX10?

Thanks guys
 

MarcVenice

Moderator Emeritus <br>
Apr 2, 2007
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100% go for the x1950xt which also is 145$ after rebates. Funny thing is, the 1950xt blows the 8600gts away in performance. And dx10 games are unplayable on a 8600gts, and in dx9 the 1950xt will outperform the 8600gts, so there's no question to it.

I would personaly hold out a wee bit longer, my 7600gs was having a tough time, but a gt is a fair bit faster, and in a month or 2 you might be able to get a 8800gts 320mb for 200$.
 

Nials

Junior Member
Jun 15, 2005
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Definitely another vouch for the X1950XT.

There is no telling how DX10 games are going to run on the first generation DX10 cards. Plus very few games have been released that require DX10. Actually, isn't it only Shadowrun? That game has received mediocre reviews as well. Plus some cracker group released a workaround, allowing it to run with only DX9.

If you are going to upgrade from a 7600GT you are probably the person who upgrades somewhat often, correct? If so there is definitely no need to worry about DX10 compatibility.
 

Xellos2099

Platinum Member
Mar 8, 2005
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I think your best bet is wait a bit. 7600gt is still a decent low-mid card right now and 150 won't get you that much of a upgrade.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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1950XT is miles better than the 8600GTS, and by far the best option in this price range.
 

dealmaster00

Golden Member
Apr 16, 2007
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Originally posted by: MarcVenice
100% go for the x1950xt which also is 145$ after rebates. Funny thing is, the 1950xt blows the 8600gts away in performance. And dx10 games are unplayable on a 8600gts, and in dx9 the 1950xt will outperform the 8600gts, so there's no question to it.

I would personaly hold out a wee bit longer, my 7600gs was having a tough time, but a gt is a fair bit faster, and in a month or 2 you might be able to get a 8800gts 320mb for 200$.

Best advice here.

I wouldn't recommend getting a 1950xt as an upgrade, but if you do, make sure your power supply can handle it because it's a pretty power hungry card compared to the 7600gt.
 

bryanW1995

Lifer
May 22, 2007
11,144
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I paid 149.99 AR for my x1950xt. It briefly went down to 144.99AR , but now the rebate is gone and it's 169.99 plus 6.33 shipping. That is a good deal on that card but it is pretty close to the $260AR that you can get on an 8800 gts 320 imho.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
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X1950XT has risen to $173 on Newegg ! Bastards. Its performance is certainly great for the $, but it's loud.

Sell 7600GT for $40. This would imply 3 of the following choices:

1) X1950Pro for around $130 - $40 = $90
2) Wait for a rebate on the X1950XT - $40
3) Bite the bullet and get 8800GTS 320mb for $260 after MIR - $40 = $220.

 

bryanW1995

Lifer
May 22, 2007
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it's not loud unless it is being heavily used. my fan speed doesn't go above 27% until 80c. also, you can even set it to stay quiet at higher temps if you want to. I also use the auto 2d/3d switching, which keeps the card about 10c cooler. Now that I have the new p900 case, it is even lower in 2d mode at 47c. It was actually running at 44c but I've oc'd the rig a little bit more than is strictly necessary...
 

bigsnyder

Golden Member
Nov 4, 2004
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The XT fans are only loud at full speed. Dropping the fan speed down a bit helps cut the noise considerably while still giving adequate cooling.
 

Cheex

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2006
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Originally posted by: bigsnyder
The XT fans are only loud at full speed. Dropping the fan speed down a bit helps cut the noise considerably while still giving adequate cooling.

I agree. I did that with my X850XT (same cooling solution).
 

nerp

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
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People will exaggerate the fan noise on the x1950s. I got a x1950Pro and it's quiet. Just keep your case panels on and put the box under a desk on a crate or something.

The x1950Pro is a sweet card. I got it for about $120 or so recently after a small rebate and it was a massive upgrade over my 6800GS. ATI's Vista drivers are a lot better than NVIDIA's these days, too, so it was nice to see major improvements in the OS itself -- no more speckling, better desktop rendering performance, no more failures and artifacts when returning from resume. . .

But upgrading from a 7600GT is a tough place to be. An x1950 will be a step up, but not by such a tremendous margin. I'd avoid the 8600GT line as others have said, and either suck it up and keep going with your 7600, or buy an x1950 for the time being and upgrade a little later.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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Originally posted by: Cheex
Originally posted by: bigsnyder
The XT fans are only loud at full speed. Dropping the fan speed down a bit helps cut the noise considerably while still giving adequate cooling.

I agree. I did that with my X850XT (same cooling solution).

Springing for a Zalman also takes care of things ;)
 

Sonikku

Lifer
Jun 23, 2005
15,803
4,670
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Originally posted by: RussianSensation
X1950XT has risen to $173 on Newegg ! Bastards.

Tell me about it. I've been waiting for Friday to come so I'll have to cash to buy it, but rebates get dropped, prices are raised, on and on. It's still the best card for the money, but it's getting less sweet by the day.
 

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
8,770
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Originally posted by: s44
Loud and a space heater. Hold off on the upgrade.

you're retarded. i bet you never even used or heard a x19__XT series card. they're not loud at all at idle and if u game with sound u can't hear it.

btw mine idles at 39C and loads at 55C while gaming after 2 hours
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
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giving up a few FPS in some games (depends on resolution, I play as close to 1600x1200 I can) the 7950GT is an interesting card. A lot easier power requirements too.

 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
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Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
Originally posted by: s44
Loud and a space heater. Hold off on the upgrade.

you're retarded. i bet you never even used or heard a x19__XT series card. they're not loud at all at idle and if u game with sound u can't hear it.

btw mine idles at 39C and loads at 55C while gaming after 2 hours
Actually, I own a x1900xt 512MB. And the problem isn't just the jet engine noise at full load (and *sure*, you can tune the fan down... if you don't mind artefacting and crashes), it's that it's NEVER REALLY QUIET.

Sure you can lower the GPU temperature... by dissipating the heat with an expensive 3rd party heatsink. That's still playing space heater though. 55C with a stock heatsink is an idle temperature; anything intensive shoots it up to 70C or so (or wherever you have 85%+ fan set) instantly.

As I've repeatedly said, I'd trade it straight up for someone's 8600GTS.
 

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
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i dont hear my gpu when idling and have some soft music playing . when the card's in 3dmode i usually play my games with sound so anything 10% and up from my speakers will drown out the GPU.

i'm idling right now @ 39C in a 65F room and if i were to game for a bit the highest i've seen it this summer is 59C
 

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
8,770
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As I've repeatedly said, I'd trade it straight up for someone's 8600GTS.

LOL you want a car that is slower in current games. and will suck in future games.