Looking for a replacement AGP8x Card

[ElMonoDelMar]

As the title says, I'm looking for a replacement card for my 9800 pro. The fan is starting to get noisy and I've recently started using dual monitors which is stretching the card to its limits. The important thing is that it needs to be at least as good as (though ideally better than) the 9800 pro that I currently have.

I saw this item on the Egg a month or so ago: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102073

I think the price was around $65 but it is now discontinued. This card would have been an improvement and so I would like to stay as close to that price range as possible.

Also, I'm not particularly stuck on an ATI card as long as nVidia would allow me to still run my 1280x1024 and the 1440x900 monitors together.

Suggestions please.

ETA:

Thoughts on: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102781 ?

 

[imported_Kiwi]

An X1650 Pro is a suitable replacement for a 9800 Pro. You should realize, however, that it is a 128 Bit video card, and thus limited to 128 MB blocks of graphic textures. The maximum VRAM it will normally be able to make available will only be 256 MBs, but the rest will still be using electricity and creating extra waste heat (I don't think you can find any X1650 cards any more with the proper 256 MBs of VRAM, however).

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

So your saying it will run faster but be noticeably hotter than the 9800?

 

[imported_Kiwi]

I'd have to look up the two on GPU Review to get a quick idea about relative performance -- I believe that it is somewhat faster, however. VRAM amounts have no direct bearing on speed until / unless we are dealing with cards costing $200 or so, for high resolution displays (256 Bit cards, and upward). RAM does generate heat, and doubling the RAM like that to sell the cards to noobs who see the large numbers and think it makes the cards better is just a scam, but all of the producers seem to have to go along with the ruse.

Yes, it will be hotter, especially if you have the "usual" Radeon 9800, which only had 128 MBs of VRAM.

Here's the only 256 MB card in the X1650 "class" that Newegg seems to have, a 7600 GS for $53 plus shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16814121064R

According to GPU Review, the 7600 GS is just possibly a little slower than your 9800 Pro:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_...php?card1=31&card2=434

Second Edit somewhat later: Pricewatch (NOPE, it screwed up, and ignored the AGP criteria, sorry) found several 256 MB "PCIe" versions of the X1650 Pro at other eTailers besides Newegg, as per this page (one was just $26 plus shipping):

http://www.pricewatch.com/vide...radeon_x1650_256mb.htm

As you can see, PCIe can be as little as half as expensive as AGP, though.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_...php?card1=31&card2=458

That's the Radeon 9800 Pro & X1650 Pro, if there was one with the preferred 256 MBs.

 

[nenforcer]

What is your budget?

This is the fastest AGP card ever made

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161225

There have been some complaints about the AGP series not being officially supported by ATI/AMD but this will wipe the floor with any other AGP card.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

I do have the pro but I'm not sure off the top of my head if it's the 256 or the 128mb.

Does Sapphire make a good card? Are there any other manufacturers that I should be looking into?

I'll probably throw a couple more options up when I get back from class to see what the general opinions are.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

Originally posted by: nenforcer
What is your budget?

This is the fastest AGP card ever made

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161225

There have been some complaints about the AGP series not being officially supported by ATI/AMD but this will wipe the floor with any other AGP card.

My budget is around $70 so that card is probably out. What's the best bang for my buck at that price point?

 

[PingSpike]

I'm not even sure if the x1650pro is faster then the 9800pro...from raw stats is has similar memory bandwidth but less fillrate power. It does support newer features so I suppose that might make up for it.

It is kind of annoying that a midrange cards two generation later still isn't noteably faster then the two generation old high end.

 

[tcsenter]

Look for a used/refurbed X850 PRO, X800 XL, or 7600GT.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I'm not even sure if the x1650pro is faster then the 9800pro...from raw stats is has similar memory bandwidth but less fillrate power. It does support newer features so I suppose that might make up for it.

It is kind of annoying that a midrange cards two generation later still isn't noteably faster then the two generation old high end.

A lot of it relates to the fact that the better 9800 cards, and the better X800s after them, were just SO DAMN FAST at the time they were new, that the X850 XTP is still quite fast even by today's standards, although it does lack the SM3 pixel shaders.

Toms Hardware probably had both cards on one VGA chart or another over there, and they can be compared that way.

 

[minmaster]

i got a x1950 Pro XGE AGP for sale. PM me if you are interested.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

PM sent.