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X1950pro? Pci-e DX9 (w considerations)

A

AkaBeats

Junior Member
Fist of all, hello Anandtech, this is my first post!

I'll keep this short and sweet - I have decided to upgrade my passively cooled 256mb 7600gs with a x1950pro to hold me over until DX10 cards are viable when I upgrade my mobo or decide if I want the quad core AM2 solution for my current AM2 setup.

(Currently wanting to play Bioshock, cod4, orange box and make it snazzy)

x1950pro I plan on buying:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814131055

I have the following FSP group 400w power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817104935

Two concerns that seem to be vaguely addressed with this card:

1) My PSU is rated 14a on 12v1 and 15a on 12v2. With 29a across two 12v rails, the x1950 should be powered appropriately, right? I know the recommended specs are 30+ but there are numerous people running it with less, and my PSU is relatively high quality.

2) The powercolor x1950pro for $130 with a nice cooling solution included is a better deal than the 30% more expensive 7950GT that has what looks like balanced specs, right?


I debated between the x1950pro - 7950gt - 8600gs

The x1950pro seems like a clear winner here since I believe my PSU is adequate and from what I read, if read correctly, trounces or trades punches with any 7900 or 8600 model.

Any thoughts?
 
DX10 cards are viable now. For ~$30 more ($160), buy the ATI HD3850 256MB card for twice the performance of the X1950 pro. I was considering buying the X1950 pro at one point but after reading the review of the HD3850, I quickly abandoned that idea. You can read the review of HD3850 here

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151


HD3850 256MB at best buy for $160 if you can catch it. They're always out of stock. Apparently, the HD3850 is selling like hot cakes.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...=All+Categories&ks=960


HD3850 256MB at newegg.com for $165 after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161211
 
You might also consider 2900pro That is $167 shipped at newegg but out of stock currently. You might have to get a new power supply though.

Don't count on rebates. They usually never come except for evga ones. Get a 3850 256mb and it will be whole lot faster than that 1950 pro with 512mb vram.
 
First of all, thanks for that link. I hadn't considered the 3000
series because I figured they would be out of the price range
of the x1950. For the same reasons I stayed away from the
8800's.

I like how it looks, I just hope that the $50 extra would do
more than give me 15 more FPS in terms of performance
over the X1950pro.

Quick questions:

1 - Will PCIe 2.0 cards running in PCIe 16x slots be crippled?
2 - Is the 256mb memory on the 3850 listed going to hold it back?

Thanks again - it's always a pain in the ass to sort through what's best
for an upgrade, even though I love every minute of it 😉

-edit-
I didn't necessarily mean DX10 wasn't a viable hardware solution, just
that there aren't many games out for DX10 and the implementation in
software is less than glorious at the moment.
 
Thanks, Azn - it looks like this is what I'm leaning towards.

The x1950pro still looks like a good deal, but I'm feeling that
I will be better served by the 3850 in the long run, and $50
never killed anyone.

Plus, if I decide to upgrade my motherboard I'll already have
a competent DX10 PCIe 2.0 card. When I bought my 7600gs
I was in the same position.

And if I had bought a 7950gt instead, I probably wouldn't be
upgrading until the 8800gt came down 😉

Thanks for the insight guys, now I have some more thought to
chew. I'll probably order Monday. I just replaced an aging 17
inch CRT with a 22" widescreen LG LCD so games are starting
to beckon and my 7600gs shudders and keeps chugging fairly
well at 800x600.

I'm just trying to keep my upgrades to a min until I decide
what processor will replace my single core 64 3800+ AM2.

Happy Saturday!
 
Originally posted by: AkaBeats
First of all, thanks for that link. I hadn't considered the 3000
series because I figured they would be out of the price range
of the x1950. For the same reasons I stayed away from the
8800's.

I like how it looks, I just hope that the $50 extra would do
more than give me 15 more FPS in terms of performance
over the X1950pro.

Quick questions:

1 - Will PCIe 2.0 cards running in PCIe 16x slots be crippled?
2 - Is the 256mb memory on the 3850 listed going to hold it back?

Thanks again - it's always a pain in the ass to sort through what's best
for an upgrade, even though I love every minute of it 😉
Click to expand...



1. PCIe 2.0 cards will NOT cripple the existing PCIe slot on your motherboard. Even the fastest and most expensive video card on the market today cannot use all the bandwidth that is available on the current PCIe slot.

2. How much memory on a video card you need depends on how large your monitor is. If you are using 22inch LCD monitor or smaller then 256MB memory is plenty. If you are using 24inch or larger LCD monitor then 512MB is better.

Notes: I received the rebate checks 99% of the time. Make sure you follow the rebate instructions, and make a copy of everything you sent. If you don't hear anything from them after 8 weeks, call them up or send emails but this is not necessary most of the time.
 
Excellent, this thread has helped me answer questions very quickly
and obviously. All my attention to the x1950 made me overlook an
affordable and newer 3850 solution.

I have to say, you are all very helpful and responsive.

I'm glad I signed up to Anandtech.
 
I would hate to steal your thread, but I am in a similar situation. I would like to know, what is the point of me getting a direct x 10 video card if I do not plan on getting windows vista at all? I am also debating between teh x1950pro/xt or the 3850 and it seems to me that the x1950 xt performs on par with the 3850, at the sacrifice of dx10 support which XP doesn't support anyway an I will not be buying vista at all.
 
Originally posted by: severus
I would hate to steal your thread, but I am in a similar situation. I would like to know, what is the point of me getting a direct x 10 video card if I do not plan on getting windows vista at all? I am also debating between teh x1950pro/xt or the 3850 and it seems to me that the x1950 xt performs on par with the 3850, at the sacrifice of dx10 support which XP doesn't support anyway an I will not be buying vista at all.
Click to expand...

Performance of the HD3850 is much better than the X1950 pro/xt even with DX9 games. If you read the review link, you will see that most of the game tested are DX9.
 
on other forums and websites i've been seeing the fps difference as minimal around 7-10 in most games between the two cards, and in some tests the x1950xt even comes out on top. I can't justify spending $60 on a video card for 10 fps when that can be better spent elsewhere.
 
While the FSP power supply I have isn't listed on the ATI single card verified list, do you think it
will handle it?

29v across 2 12v rails.

Other devices: 1x DVD, 1x Soundcard, 1x 3850, 2x Sata HD, single core AMD 64 3800+

Not so sure it's worth it right now if I also have to buy a $80 PSU.
 
Originally posted by: AkaBeats
While the FSP power supply I have isn't listed on the ATI single card verified list, do you think it
will handle it?

29v across 2 12v rails.

Other devices: 1x DVD, 1x Soundcard, 1x 3850, 2x Sata HD, single core AMD 64 3800+

Not so sure it's worth it right now if I also have to buy a $80 PSU.
Click to expand...


If your system can handle the X1950 Pro then it would also be able to handle the HD3850. Both cards require a 6 pin PCIe external connector meaning that both cards will draw a maximum of 150 Watts (75W from the PCIe slot + 75W from the external 6 pin PCIe connector = 150W). Incidentally, the HIS HD3850 that I linked in previous post does NOT include the 6 pin PCIe external adapter. You will have to buy one if you decided to go with HIS.

However, this HD3850 card DOES include the 6 pin PCIe external connector adapter for the same price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814241066
 
Originally posted by: severus
on other forums and websites i've been seeing the fps difference as minimal around 7-10 in most games between the two cards, and in some tests the x1950xt even comes out on top. I can't justify spending $60 on a video card for 10 fps when that can be better spent elsewhere.
Click to expand...

If you are into gaming, then the most cost effective upgrade would be in a video card. After that, it would be MORE memory and lastly CPU.
 
I am into some gaming, mostly valve games mainly cs 1.6, but i just picked up UT3. I can use the extra money from getting a x1950xt to buy COD4 or some other game that I might like, either that or get an extra stick or two of ram
 
Originally posted by: severus
I am into some gaming, mostly valve games mainly cs 1.6, but i just picked up UT3. I can use the extra money from getting a x1950xt to buy COD4 or some other game that I might like, either that or get an extra stick or two of ram
Click to expand...

Check the very bottom graph it shows UT3 performance
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9
Even tho 1950xtx (which is faster than xt and has 512mb mem) is pretty fast, it looks like 3850 is significantly faster than 1950. Then again, depends what price you can get the xt for.
 
I dunno, I've got more reading and comparing to do. There isn't a wealth of info
on the 3850, but what I do see shows it ahead of the 1950pro and XT. While in some
cases, the margin seems to be under 10FPS, whereas in other cases the difference is
a full 100%.

I'm wondering how much of that is driver optimization that has yet to come. And also
if it's all worth the extra $20.

I'm thinking it is, but I'm going to think it over during the weekend. Thanks again for
the heads up on the 3850.
 
Well i am able to get a brand new x1950xt for 119 off newegg or a brand new one off my friend for $110. The 3850 is $169 on newegg, plus shipping and tax because I live in NJ. The tax is usually the killer.
 
Yeah the 3850 is your best bet and definately worth the extra money.

I got my X1950 5 months ago hoping to tide me over to next gen dx 10. By the looks of things that may be a while (not interested in 9800 gx2). I may get me a 8800GT in the mean time...
 
Get the 3850, it'll run cooler, quieter and far more powerful than the x1950 series. While some benchmarks may not show it much faster, it absolutely crushes the x1950XTX in Crysis and UT3. The newer games really benefit from it's more powerful shader abilities.

256MB of ram on it won't hurt you unless you plan on gaming over 1600x1200.

Until the Nvidia 8800GS cards some out someday, the ATI 3850 is the best option for mid-range gaming.
 
I would advise you to get HD3850 card because this year X1950 Pro will become an obsolete card.
 
Originally posted by: severus
on other forums and websites i've been seeing the fps difference as minimal around 7-10 in most games between the two cards, and in some tests the x1950xt even comes out on top. I can't justify spending $60 on a video card for 10 fps when that can be better spent elsewhere.
Click to expand...

it's not just the 10fps you are gaining though. It's a different generation card.
 
Originally posted by: Doclife
Originally posted by: severus
on other forums and websites i've been seeing the fps difference as minimal around 7-10 in most games between the two cards, and in some tests the x1950xt even comes out on top. I can't justify spending $60 on a video card for 10 fps when that can be better spent elsewhere.
Click to expand...

If you are into gaming, then the most cost effective upgrade would be in a video card. After that, it would be MORE memory and lastly CPU.
Click to expand...

QFT...GPU is the driving force now...even a lackluster CPU can usually provide enough power for the max the game needs.
 
OP, I went from a PCI-e x1950pro to an HD3850 (one of the $144 BB deals), and my Crysis performance went up 40-50%. I haven't tested UT3 yet, but I assume it will do the same, since UT3 is what the HD3850 absolutely destroys the X1950 series in. If you're big on Valve games, though, I'm not sure if you'd see nearly as much of a boost with that CPU. My lowest case so far has been a 10% boost in World in Conflict, which is a CPU hungry game (and I'm using one of the cache castrated E2xxx series C2D's).

I'd say the extra $30 is worth jumping up to the HD3850, especially since you play at a resolution a bit higher than myself. Plus, the card runs much cooler than my X1950pro. That card used to idle in the 50s, and load in the 70s with decent fan settings. At 25% fan settings on my HD3850, I idle at 42C and load in the 60s.
 
Originally posted by: Avalon
OP, I went from a PCI-e x1950pro to an HD3850 (one of the $144 BB deals), and my Crysis performance went up 40-50%. I haven't tested UT3 yet, but I assume it will do the same, since UT3 is what the HD3850 absolutely destroys the X1950 series in. If you're big on Valve games, though, I'm not sure if you'd see nearly as much of a boost with that CPU. My lowest case so far has been a 10% boost in World in Conflict, which is a CPU hungry game (and I'm using one of the cache castrated E2xxx series C2D's).

I'd say the extra $30 is worth jumping up to the HD3850, especially since you play at a resolution a bit higher than myself. Plus, the card runs much cooler than my X1950pro. That card used to idle in the 50s, and load in the 70s with decent fan settings. At 25% fan settings on my HD3850, I idle at 42C and load in the 60s.
Click to expand...

Well what would you say in my case with a 19" Flat Screen CRT? I don't ever plan on replacing the monitor, if I can avoid it and I can't game higher than 1280, but I usuall use 800X600 due to comfort issues. Would the 1950XT be enough for me ?
 
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