X1650XT AGP: HIS 512MB or PowerColor 256MB

[Fragmire]

In short, my beloved 9600Pro has been dying slowly over the past 2 years (check my previous posts on the mysterious behavior), and I'm really not ready to upgrade to a PCI-e system just yet, given I don't do much with my computer anymore. Still, I want a video card that can support some gaming should I pick up the habit again within the next year or two.

I thought about the X1550, which would already be an upgrade for my 9600Pro at around $100, but I figured that since I'm spending the money anyway, might as well get something more decent (feel free to chime in on this decision as well), so I'm focusing on the X1650XT.

I see two choices generally available: the HIS 512MB IceQ and the PowerColor 256MB. The price difference between the two is about $5 (after rebate for the HIS), so price is not a concern. The 30MHz overclock on the HIS is not a big deal to me either since I doubt I'd be pushing the card to its limit.

My main concerns are:

HEAT & NOISE: As far as I can tell, both cards are fairly quiet with oversized coolers. Does anyone have any actual experience or story about either of the cards?

PRACTICALITY: I know 128MB is enough on my dying 9600Pro, but is 512MB really necessary? My LCD has a max res at 1280x1024, but I'm not familiar enough with recent games to really know how much the textures take up. What do you guys think?

BRAND: I've been buying ATi original cards in the past, so I'm not familiar with either the HIS or the PowerColor brand. Does anyone have any strong preference and would be willing to share the experience?

Thanks.

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: Fragmire
In short, my beloved 9600Pro has been dying slowly over the past 2 years (check my previous posts on the mysterious behavior), and I'm really not ready to upgrade to a PCI-e system just yet, given I don't do much with my computer anymore. Still, I want a video card that can support some gaming should I pick up the habit again within the next year or two.

I thought about the X1550, which would already be an upgrade for my 9600Pro at around $100, but I figured that since I'm spending the money anyway, might as well get something more decent (feel free to chime in on this decision as well), so I'm focusing on the X1650XT.

I see two choices generally available: the HIS 512MB IceQ and the PowerColor 256MB. The price difference between the two is about $5 (after rebate for the HIS), so price is not a concern. The 30MHz overclock on the HIS is not a big deal to me either since I doubt I'd be pushing the card to its limit.

My main concerns are:

HEAT: As far as I can tell, both cards are fairly quiet with oversized coolers. Does anyone have any actual experience or story about either of the cards?

PRACTICALITY: I know 128MB is enough on my dying 9600Pro, but is 512MB really necessary? My LCD has a max res at 1280x1024, but I'm not familiar enough with recent games to really know how much the textures take up. What do you guys think?

BRAND: I've been buying ATi original cards in the past, so I'm not familiar with either the HIS or the PowerColor brand. Does anyone have any strong preference and would be willing to share the experience?

Thanks.

At that resolution 256mb is fine. I would say His cards are cooler and of higher quality then powercolor.

 

[Fragmire]

Originally posted by: happy medium
At that resolution 256mb is fine. I would say His cards are cooler and of higher quality then powercolor.

I don't mind spending the extra $5. Would you say the difference between the brands is worth it?

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: Fragmire

Originally posted by: happy medium
At that resolution 256mb is fine. I would say His cards are cooler and of higher quality then powercolor.

I don't mind spending the extra $5. Would you say the difference between the brands is worth it?

His cards usually have good custom cooling and for an extra 5 bucks you can''t beat it.
The 512 mb version could help a bit in New games comming.

 

[Killrose]

I'm not sure, but doesnt PowerColor offer a lifetime warranty? the only ATi partner to do so? But the AC cooler on the HIS is a definate plus, even though its the old school unit.

 

[Fragmire]

Originally posted by: Killrose
I'm not sure, but doesnt PowerColor offer a lifetime warranty? the only ATi partner to do so? But the AC cooler on the HIS is a definate plus, even though its the old school unit.

Lifetime warranty, eh? Has anyone had any experience dealing with PowerColor tech support or warranty exchange? I'm worried that it's one of those Asian manufacturers that don't really have any decent support in the US.

 

[happy medium]

It's for 1900 series cards only. Link....

http://www.powercolor.com/news_lifetime_warranty.htm

I'd just grab the His version....Higher clocks,cooler card,more memory (which don't hurt). All for 5 bucks more . Go for it.

 

[Fragmire]

Awesome. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm also hoping that by the time DX10 games are out and readily available, I will be moving onto whatever is the latest platform then with PCI-e

 

[Fragmire]

As a follow up, the 256MB version of the HIS card is again available, and I'll probably go for this once since it's $40 cheaper, and the only difference (aside from half the memory) is the 30MHz lower-clocked core. At less than $150, I'm happy.