ShadeZeRO Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 Hey everyone ! I'm planning on upgrading my current build with a new AGP Card (sort of a retirement present). Anyways, Current specs are in my profile (except I'm going to add another 512mb ram) I was wondering what are your takes on the X1950XT [256mb] (By GeCube) vs X1950 PRO IceQ3 v2 [512mb] (by HIS) I'm having a very hard time making up my decision on this. Do I go with more RAM? or do I go with more power? My ideal situation is to play games on 1680x1050 @ Medium/High Settings as I have a 22inch Gateway LCD (using DVI). Is the XT worth the extra money? Thank you for your help ! -Shade p.s. yes I know I made a typo in the thread name =P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 I don't think i'd drop that much money on an AGP card. Seems like a waste when you can get a much better pci-e card for the same price. Maybe look into upgrading your mobo or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeZeRO Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 hmm, but I'm on the old school Socket 754 = Wouldn't Mobo + CPU + Vidcard be more expensive than this? I am planning on building a C2Quad Rig soon anyways, this is just a little cash to blow. Also, ReInstalling/Activating windows doesn't sound to appealing =X Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wevsspot Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 Personally I'd go with the 512mb card right now. Especially considering the slight price difference in the two cards and since this is only to tide you over until you go C2Q. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeZeRO Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 Ok, the advantage of the extra 256 is good for AA and AF am I correct? Or does it help with higher resolutions as well? I was looking at some benchmarks of the two cards and here they are : Gecube X1950XT TEC Turbo Fan 256 MB / Overclocked / Core 675 Mhz. / Memory 1600 Mhz. effective - 3DMark05: 9818 3DMark06: 4860 Gecube X1950XT TEC Turbo Fan 256 MB / Default Clocks / Core 648 Mhz. / Memory 1400 Mhz. effective - 3DMark05: 9526 3DMark06: 4683 Gecube X1950XT TEC Turbo Fan 256 MB AGP / Gecube Recommended Overclock - Core 675 Mhz. (default 648 Mhz.) / Memory 1400 Mhz. effective 3DMark05: 9617 3DMark06: 4695 HIS ICEQ3 Turbo 512MB Rev.1 - 3DMark05: 9231 3DMark06: 4390 After reading alot of newegg reviews (many say the XT has a design flaw when it comes to cooling), Even though I want the XT so bad lol. The XT Oc'ed is only more or less 6% faster when OC'ed. 6% for $13 more for a card? As per reading newegg reviews, I am starting to lean towards the PRO. It seems to have less issues overall, but then again, I'm not too sure. I guess I'll try it out and see what happens. Actually, I had an idea to buy one of the cheaper 1slot Sapphire X1950 PRO's, and put a new cooler on it. Is that a good idea? Thx guys! Any further opinions are welcome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wevsspot Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 I've had extremely good luck with Sapphire video cards, so I wouldn't hesitate going that route if you are comfortable changing out the stock cooler. The Zalman VF900 works real well on the X1900XT I've got as a backup card. You should be able to get a little overclock out of the 1950Pro card too. I cant vouch for how much, but surely it's got a little headroom left in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LookBackX2 Posted November 12, 2007 Posted November 12, 2007 Since you are using a relatively high resolution, in your situation I would choose the pro for the extra memory bandwidth. It will help more at high resolutions than the extra GPU strength of the XT. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeZeRO Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 Since you are using a relatively high resolution, in your situation I would choose the pro for the extra memory bandwidth. It will help more at high resolutions than the extra GPU strength of the XT. Sounds about right, even though the 3dmark scores show otherwise... As for my last question...how do you think I should go about with the X1950 Pro? Purchasing the HIS Version (Available in 1 or 2 slot designs), or the Sapphire, and adding a ThermalRight cooler? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkorb Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 i wouldnt even bother with an aftermarket cooler. put the fan on full and its cool enough (unless u want it silent) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeZeRO Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 I've read plenty of reviews saying the single slot coolers are insufficient. I'm pretty much dead set on the X1950 PRO even though it doesn't OC for it's life. Actually, I don't' even think I have enough space for this after market cooler, i think i might have to make some modifications to my case... Here is a Comparison of the XT and the PRO incase some of you didn't have all the details. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branjo Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 If your gonna be going to C2D soon then I would advise you to buy something for your rig now that will migrate to the C2D setup, like a couple of monster hard drives and a nice PSU. If you are dead set on another AGP card then I would say get the Pro version. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeZeRO Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 If your gonna be going to C2D soon then I would advise you to buy something for your rig now that will migrate to the C2D setup, like a couple of monster hard drives and a nice PSU. If you are dead set on another AGP card then I would say get the Pro version. Ok, I'll buy the PRO version, I'm not the one paying for the card btw lol. It's a friend paying me back for giving him some other parts. Out of curiosity, why does the XT outperform the PRO at higher resolutions? Is it because of more pixel shaders? Or the 400Mhz higher Ram speed? The way it seems on these forums Quantity > Speed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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