RS480 IGP vs. Radeon 9550 BBA?

[bluemax]

I have a couple options for my new system:

I can skimp on the CPU and buy a socket 754 Sempron + mobo and a BBA Radeon 9550.

...or...

I can buy a socket 939 A64 (3000+) and ATI RS480 motherboard with internal "almost" Radeon X300.

My gaming needs are pretty light; Sims2, Railroad Tycoon 3, etc. 3D games, but not fancy ones.

There's not much by way of reviews out there for comparing the X300 to anything older. Which route do you guys suggest for some half-decent 3D on a tight budget?

 

[PrayForDeath]

Is the socket 939 mobo PCI-express? If yes, then go with that. Since it provides better upgradability along with the 939 vs 754.
And the X300 (add-on) is as fast as the 9550, so the integrated x300 should be a little slower.

 

[TStep]

Using Newegg as a guide, the cheapest parts available are:
--ECS 755 motherboard for about $50
--Sempron 2600+ w/128k L2 for about $80
--9550 for about $60
or
--RS480 MSI mobo for $90
--A64 3000+ for $150
So, your budget is at least $250 shipped.

I'd pony up an extra $25 for $275 and get these:
--Epox 8KDA3J plus Athlon 64 2800+ @ 2.4 for $165
--9700 for $110

 

[rbV5]

It would be nice if there were some ATI chipset boards to pick from. I'd like to go with a RS480 with ULi M1573 southbridge for my next build, but where the heck are they?

I think the Radeon IGP is definately the way to go over the 9550, you can add a nice PCIe Vcard down the road if you need more performance, now we just need some boards to pick from.

 

[tfinch2]

Get the onboard graphics, then upgrade to a real video card when you get the $$

 

[crazyeddie]

I just got my new MSI RS480M2-IR board, A64 3000+, and 1Gb Dual Channel DDR 400 kit from NewEgg yesterday. I have a Radeon X800XL on pre-order so I'm using the IGP on the board until my card ships.

The IGP on the RS480M2-IR is no joke. I haven't had a chance to finish my software installs or run benchmarks yet, but the driver set is stable and full-featured. The bios also has settings for clocking the IGP however you'd like. The default is 200Mhz synchronous, but you can switch to asynch mode and crank it up to 350Mhz. You can also bump the memory allocation from 64Mb up to 128Mb or down to as low as 16Mb.

The driver setup has all of the usual Catalyst settings for multi-display, seperate AA and AF settings for Direct 3D and OpenGL, and whatnot. I was also pleased to see it pick 1280x1024 @ 85hz as a default setting for my Iiyama VisionMaster 1451 19" CRT and the IGP chipset.

I believe the IGP will be plenty fast for most general gaming needs, but I'll know more in a day or two. So far I have to say I'm impressed by the MSI RS480M2-IR.

 

[crazyeddie]

Update: UT2K4 is very playable at 1280x1024 with all details set on full. ATI Radeon XPress 200 is easily the best integrated video I've ever seen!

Still downloading 3DMark05, will post numbers when available.

 

[Killrose]

Are there any CPU overclocking options? and if so what are they?

 

[crazyeddie]

Will have to check on Overclocking options later, Killrose. I'm downloading the full EVE: Online Exodus client right now and it will take a little more time.

I did manage the following performance test:

Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo

1024x768 Max Detail No AA/No AF

Flyby 59.64 fps
Botmatch 40.14 fps

3DMark05 was 604 with IGP and Athlon 64 3000+, my Athlon XP 2400+ with my Radeon 9700 pulled about 940 with 4X FSAA and 8X AF turned on. 604 is nothing to get excited about, but most IGP setups can't even run the benchmark.

 

[bluemax]

Thanks for the advice! I'm 95% settled on the better processor and more future-proof RS480 board!

Nice to know the onboard graphics will keep me going rather well until I can sneak a PCIe card in there.


... and BTW, not everyone is American and can shop at Newegg.