firegl x2-256t for gaming?

[Raybdbomb]

I need to purchase an ATI FireGL X2-256t soon. I was just wondering how this beast is for gaming?

http://www.ati.com/products/fireglx2-256t/

ATI says that "Based on the FGL? 9800XT Visual Processing Unit (VPU)", does that mean it would have comparable results to the 9800XT?

tia

 

[Kenazo]

very similar, yes, but probably a bit slower, maybe closer to a 9800pro in speed.

 

[SickBeast]

It's basically a 9800Pro, but the drivers will be the problem for you. ATi rarely updates its workstation graphics drivers. The last driver release was in January of this year AFAIK. You will need to somehow softmod your card to a 9800Pro to truly enjoy gaming.

The latest workstation graphics drivers work fine in UT2004, Far Cry, and 3D Mark 2003, but I didn't try them in anything else. You will probably encounter issues.

EDIT: By the way, why aren't you getting the new FireGL V5100? It's marginally more expensive than the X2, but is much much faster.

 

[GnomeCop]

This card is cartified for use with their special DDC (digital content creation) drivers.
Thats mostly what you're paying for. The card is slightly different from a regular 9800xt. But since it uses drivers geared more toward workstations and 3d animation, they probably will not run games very well.

You can probably modify regular catalyst drivers to use this card to run games better but then its a waste of money just to end up with a 9800XT with dual DVI.

 

[Raybdbomb]

i don't want suggestions to purchase others, i just wanted to know how this would do, or maximize my experience with this card. suffice it to say, it's too late to purchase something else.

any idea where i might find info on 'softmod[ing] to a 9800Pro'?

there is going to be a time period when I won't even use it for my workstation purposes, only gaming. can i just install the gaming card drivers?

 

[Nickel020]

I read an article on a German hardware site explaining how to mod regular Radeons to FireGL cards. The cards are almost the same. They just modded the regular BIOS of the 9800 Pro to a FireGL BIOS installed the FireGL driver and modded it with RivaTuner so the driver would recognize it. The performance increase was impressive. But this shows also how the FireGL drivers and BIOSs are optimized for professinal applications while the regular ones are optimized for gaming.
I don't know if the opposite is true as well (regular cards much faster than FireGL cards in games), but if it is the performace will be way below a 9800XT in most games.
Here's a link to the article. Use google or Babelfish tor translate it.

 

[SickBeast]

FireGL cards are generally 0-3% slower than a Radeon in games. The main problems are compatibility and driver issues. You also lose many of the features present in the gaming driver set.

OP: I reccomended hardware to you because you said you needed to buy something "soon". I don't see how it's "too late" to get something else, but suit yourself. I was only trying to help.

If you look here you will see that the X2 costs *more* than the V5100, while performing much worse. $869 vs. $799.