X1950 Pro paired with eVGA 680i SLI, will it work?

[troutinator]

The title says it all. Will aSaphire ATI Radeon X1950 Pro video card work with a EVGA NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI motherboard. Yes I know that the 680i is an NVidia chipset and would run best with a NVidia card and that I won't be able to run Crossfire without using hacked drivers. But for $200 range it looks like the X1950 Pro is the best deal. I'm planning on moving to a GeForce 8* once they come down a bit more, or possibly the new R600 card, depends on which is the better deal. So the question is will an NVidia chipset work well when paired with an ATI graphics card.

Also since I know someone will mention this; I know the 680i is a heck of a lot of mainboard but I'm going for future proof, I don't want to have to touch the mainboard for the next 2-4 years, yet I will be able to put in faster RAM and a proc when they are warranted. So, here is what I'm looking at putting together for my rig:

• Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC
• Mainboard: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 680i SLI
• PSU: Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W SLI
• Processor: C2D E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
• CPU Cooling: Thermalright MST-9775
• RAM: OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
• Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100196L Radeon X1950PRO 512MB GDDR3 PCIEx16
• Hard-drives: 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB

Any comments or suggestions are welcome! Thanks.

Note: I asked this in the <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbar...iew.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2034632</a>">video forums</a> as well, didn't know where it should go since it has to do with both video and mobo.

Edit: Fixed broken link

 

[PClark99]

the video card will work fine in that motherboard.

Are you locked in on that PSU? There are way better options out there than Rosewill,

Maybe a Corsair 520W or 620W modular to name a few.

what resolution do you plan on gaming at, you might just be better off now jumping on an 8800 card of some sort.

 

[troutinator]

No I'm not locked into the Rosewill, I picked it because it was what Anandtech put in their systems in their buying guide, so I thought it would be a decent PSU. I will just be gaming at 1280x1024 for now as all I have is a 17" Samsung Syncmaster 730B. Eventually I want to move up to a 20" or 22" widescreen but I don't have the cash yet. As for jumping to an 8800 right away . . . I don't know. I'm trying to keep the total cost of the system down while not hampering its upgradeability in the future. So here's another question is the $100 extra bucks worth it to move upto a $300 EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (which appears to be factory OC'd) over the $200 Saphire Radeon X1950 Pro? This is my first build so I'm truly overwhelmed with the number of options and trying to balance out price v.s. functionality v.s. need.

 

[PClark99]

I know what you mean, there are way too many options.

From personal experience,

I have the 256MB X1950 Pro sapphire card in my wife's computer, its decent for a budget.

What time frame will you be moving up to the bigger monitor?


Shelling out now for the 512MB might help with textures a little bit when you move up to a bigger LCD. Though I am not sure the card is overall fast enough in the long run.

What is your budget range/price limit for the video card?

 

[troutinator]

Quick Note: I just saw this article about ATI's R600, maybe they are getting close enough to releasing it that it will be out in a month or so. I'm not planning on buying my new rig and putting it together until late May, so if ATI's Radeon HD 2000 cards come out before them it should drive down the prices on the 8800's (I hope).

 

[PClark99]

waiting cannot hurt if you can afford it.

Whatever you do don't skimp on the power supply.

 

[troutinator]

Originally posted by: PClark99
...

What time frame will you be moving up to the bigger monitor?


Shelling out now for the 512MB might help with textures a little bit when you move up to a bigger LCD. Though I am not sure the card is overall fast enough in the long run.

What is your budget range/price limit for the video card?

Time frame: Who knows . . . when ever I have enough cash to feel comfortable buying a new LCD.

VRam: If you check you will notice that I had already decided on the 512MB card. I agreed with you when I saw the difference was about $30.

Budget: Around $200 I guess. I'm not really sure, budgeting is a tough issure for a poor college student. I guess I'm leaning towards the best bang for the buck that will last me as long as possible (including upgrades) for the life of the system 2-4 years. So I could expand the initial budget some if that was the best way to get the best value.

 

[PClark99]

assuming you keep the 17" monitor you should be good to go for awhile with what you have.

definitely research the PSU a bit more though.

 

[troutinator]

Thanks. I will definitely look into a better PSU. So you recommend Corsair? Any other favorites? Thanks again.

 

[manimal]

Psu wise stay away from Smart power antecs, Ultras, and anything that costs less than 60 bucks, you get what you pay for. Something with 30+ amps on the 12V rails will give you upgradeability in the long run. GFX card wise DX10 titles are just around the corner. The 8800 gts price is dropping and while I would not recommond PNY to anyone there is a PNY 8800 gts320 in the Hot deal section for around 230AR.

EVGAs warranty will allow OCing and custom cooling so its hard not to go with that. Step up is a pain but overall a nice program. The 8600 for sale at ZZF will be tad slower on dx9 titles than that ati card but it does future proof your gaming for all the dx10 goodness we have been waiting and waiting for. Dont remember where but some review of the 8600 stated they are 128 bit - booo- but have fast ram so you can OC them a ton.


M

 

[troutinator]

I'll look at the 8600s assuming we get more reviews on them to compare to the X1950Pro. The $200 dollar price tag is a waypoint for now to wait for a price drop in the 8800s. Right now I'm running a P4 2.8 with a GeForce 6200 on PCI, yes, thats right, not PCI Express, or AGP, but good old PCI. So pretty much anything in my new rig will be faster than what I have now.

As for the PSU, its a toss up between a Silverstone ST75F and the Corsair HX620. I'm currently leaning towards the ST75F. Both are modular, both are good stable PSUs, but the Silverstone is just a little more bang for the buck, $160 for 750W vs $170 for 620W.

 

[troutinator]

Specs on NVidia's 8600GTS and 8600GT vs ATI's X1600XT and X1950Pro are at ExtremeTech. While the 8600 are DX10 compatible the X1950Pro is the clear winner at $190 (for 512MB version) when compared to the $230 8600GTS. Specially considering the X1950Pro is 512MB with a higher memory bandwidth than the 256MB 8600GTS. The 8600GTS really only has DX10 going for it, and any loyal NVidia fans. But, in my opinion to get the most bang for your at $200, the Radeon X1950Pro is a clear winner, especially if in 6 months or so when DX10 games are out you plan to move to an 8800 refresh like I do.

An interesting note, ExtremeTech only used a 256MB X1950Pro, not a 512MB. Check the results, its kinda funny how the X1950Pro creams the 8600GTS.

Of course I keep hearing this voice whispering in my ear to just buy a 640MB 8800GTS and get it over with.

edit: fixed a typo