performance of x1650 in crossfire

[QueBert]

ordering a MB today, don't have a bundle of cash, I'm a gamer but not hardcore. I'm not stuck on 16x AA and all the super eye candy. I know Newegg has a x1950 for 129, but my PSU probably can't handle it, it's a basic Thermaltake I believe 370watt.

I could afford the x1650 today, what would Crossfire 1650's do performance wise?

I don't want to risk the x1950 and have my PSU not power it, I have an x800 AGP right now, new MB I'm getting is Crossfire so I'm looking for a decent gaming setup.

 

[Arkaign]

Ouch, a few points :

(1)- x1650 is an atrocious performer, I just got done with an HIS 256MB X1650Pro AGP card, and it was slower than dirt. Your X800 is most likely faster than most or all x1650 cards out there.

(2)- Crossfire two x1650s and you probably have an equal or greater power draw as compared to a single x1950.

(3)- Cheaper to buy a x1950 than 2x decent (?) X1650s

(4)- Not too much trouble to get a decent 25A or higher 12v+ Rail PSU, preferably with multiple rails

 

[aka1nas]

If you can't power a single X1950, I doubt you can do x1650 crossfire. Also, the performance probably won't be great as they are 128-bit cards and will scale poorly at higher resolutions/details.

 

[Extelleron]

X1650 Pro = $110, Crossfire = $220
X1950 Pro = $145

Performance (from Tom's)

Prey, 1600x1200 4x/8xx
X1950 Pro: 41.3 FPS
X1650 Pro CF: 28.3 FPS

Every result is like that. X1650 Crossfire will cost you much more than an X1950 Pro yet offer much lower performance. Rule of thumb, low-end SLI/CF solutions are terrible. IMO SLI / Crossfire should be for those at the ultra-high end of the spectrum who want better performance than that of any single card. If there is a single card that can outperform a dual-gpu setup, always go for the single card.

The X1650XT is a fairly decent performer (much better than the Pro), however it costs as much as the X1950 Pro which performs much better.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Extelleron
X1650 Pro = $110, Crossfire = $220
X1950 Pro = $145

Performance (from Tom's)

Prey, 1600x1200 4x/8xx
X1950 Pro: 41.3 FPS
X1650 Pro CF: 28.3 FPS

Every result is like that. X1650 Crossfire will cost you much more than an X1950 Pro yet offer much lower performance. Rule of thumb, low-end SLI/CF solutions are terrible. IMO SLI / Crossfire should be for those at the ultra-high end of the spectrum who want better performance than that of any single card. If there is a single card that can outperform a dual-gpu setup, always go for the single card.

The X1650XT is a fairly decent performer (much better than the Pro), however it costs as much as the X1950 Pro which performs much better.

I can vouch for this personally. I just had to Rma an X1650Pro, and it was horrible. The one time I actually got into a 3d app, it was sluggish at best @ 1024x768. System was as follows :

A64 3500+ Socket 754
2GB OCZ PC3200 DDR (CL2)
DFI LanParty NF3-250 Mobo
400GB Seagate PATA HDD
Antec NeoHE 500W PSU

Game : Quake 4. Card became completely unstable within an hour, zero overclocking of any kind. Placed 6800 in system, runs indescribably better.

Conclusion : X19XX is the way to go as far as ATI-based solutions. Great value & performance. X16XX and below are useless, as they're either too expensive to justify not buying a X19XX or other, or just too slow to be usable.

 

[JPB]

System power consum http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q4/geforce-8800/index.x?pg=16

 

[40sTheme]

A 370W Thermaltake will power an X1950Pro. Easily.

 

[IEC]

Originally posted by: 40sTheme
A 370W Thermaltake will power an X1950Pro. Easily.

As long as it's performing as rated, it should be fine. My rig draws less than 350W from the wall socket at full CPU + GPU load, and consists of the following:

Pentium D 930 @ 3.3GHz
Radeon X850 XT
2x1GB DDR2-667
2xSATA hdds
2xIDE opticals
2x120mm fans
2x80mm fans

All powered by an Antec True 430W which has been kicking for 6 years now.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: 40sTheme
A 370W Thermaltake will power an X1950Pro. Easily.

you don't even know what else is in my system "easily" might be pushing it, it was a 40 dollar PSU. I have 4 fans 2 of them are 120mm LED's , 2 HD's, 2 Optical drives and a bay drive thingy with an lcd screen. Not sure how much juice it's using currently but 370 would be close if I put a new card in.

it should power it decently but isn't the 1950 one of the biggest power hogs out there?

 

[firewolfsm]

What about the 7900GS?

Power consumption is very low, much lower than the X1950PRO and after overclocking, it will outperform it too. I think the price is about the same, maybe lower.

 

[aka1nas]

The X1950 series are fairly power hungry, but the Pro is significantly less so than it's bigger brothers.

 

[Paratus]

Which X1650 ?

Pro or XT.

Pro = teh suck

XT = pretty good for the $

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
What about the 7900GS?

Power consumption is very low, much lower than the X1950PRO and after overclocking, it will outperform it too. I think the price is about the same, maybe lower.

I was looking at that card, problem is the MB I'm getting is a Crossfire one, so I don't really want to go with Nvidia. I decided to order a lanparty Crossfire + 1950 + new PSU and be done with it.