View Full Version : Iv returned to the red side....
ok, so having fuelled the x800pro to x800xt thread, and then like the traitorous speed seeker that I am jumped ship to a 7800gtx, I have now returned to the red side of the force :D
A mate of mine is upgrading to dual 7950gx2's, and was selling off his x1900 crossfire cards for very cheap (by uk prices anyway - over £100+ less than retail for just the card). I missed the chance for his x1900xtx, and instead snagged myself a connect 3d x1900xt crossfire mastercard edition in mint condition, boxed as new with stock cooler, and which also comes with his old maze4 gpu and ramsinks included (saves me pulling the same kit off my watercooled gtx :) ).
So, have I done the right thing? Itl be here later this week, and will be replacing my 256mb vmodded and watercooled 7800gtx.... What sort of boost can I expect from the 512mb of video ram? and what kind of clocks can I expect from a x1900xt with maze4 gpu? my gtx @ 470/1300 idles at 29*c and loads at 35*c - how much hotter will the xt be?
Im slightly concerned that the x1900 has 16pipes but the gtx has 24...but at the price it was I couldnt pass it up!
What do you guys think? itl be in the rig in my sig....
the gtx has 24 pixel pipes, the x1900 may have 16 but it has 48 shader pipes which makes a huge difference. I don't know the techniqalities, but I do know my card runs a lot faster than my 7800. I went from 8100 marks on my 7800 with the same computer, to 12,000 by switching to the x1900xt. (xtx speeds). I can also run much higher quality settings (such as 6xAA, AAA, and 16xAF) at 1280x1024 resolutions without slowdown, unlike the 7800gt.
I think you made the right move. :) Try taking a few screenshots with your current setup of your games with high quality and the actual quality you game at. Then do the same thing when the ATI card gets there and you should see a difference. Much higher settings with the same frames at higher resolutions will be the advantage of teh 512 over the 256. Don't listen to me though, I'm a fanboy and will stay ATI after my terrible 7800GT experience with aliasing lines and shimmering.
jivetrky
06-18-06, 07:07 AM
Oh from a 7800GTX to an x1900xtx I'd say you'll notice some improvement.
If you had a 7900GTX it might not have been worth it...but in your case I'd say congrats on a good deal for you!
you'll notice great improvement over a 7800gtx, you'll notice much better image quality coming from a 7900 also, report back anyway, I saw a big difference.
jivetrky
06-18-06, 09:38 AM
you'll notice great improvement over a 7800gtx, you'll notice much better image quality coming from a 7900 also, report back anyway, I saw a big difference.
So there's really a noticable difference in image quality?
And do you mean like color or crispness or what exactly?
Dan0512
06-18-06, 10:22 AM
So there's really a noticable difference in image quality?
And do you mean like color or crispness or what exactly?
Some people say there is, some don't. I myself find that FSAA on Ati cards looks better than Nvidias (comparing Ati's 2x vs Nvidia's 2x for example). Anistropic as well. But some of the differences are barely noticeable, I wouldn't care much about it.
dan
apparently the card iv bought has 1.1ns ram...is this a good thing? iv lost touch with the ati side of things....i gather ati drivers now force me to use catalyst control center as well?? gah!
Recursion
06-18-06, 11:24 AM
Nvidia is better, ATI has horrible drivers.
hUMANbEATbOX
06-18-06, 11:45 AM
^^lol!
guess what, ATi has released a few cards and drivers since the 8500. :p
come on guys knock it off - i just want some advice and explanation of all this new ati stuff...
jivetrky
06-18-06, 01:31 PM
yeah, you have to expect some (and I hate to use this term) fanboy comments.
That RAM speed is about the norm for the top cards...the 7900GTX's use 1.2ns RAM (from what I read anyway...I guess there could be others) 7800GTX's had 1.6ns
But basically, I'm sure you'll be satisfied with your new card....it'll be faster than the 7800GTX and they normally overclock pretty well!
yep, the main answer to your question is that your decision was a good one and you will notice faster speeds and higher quality. more than likely you will be forced to use CCC, but there are still some driver sets that have removed it that are not official.
ok iv been doing some reading...apparently these things get pretty darn hot - now on air my 7800gtx used to load at about 75-80*c on the stock cooler...but on water it loads at about 35*c....
just how hot do these cards get? as my water loops warm enough as it is without adding an oven!!
Mine hits around 55-60c at load with 50% fan.
trust me they run HOT!! I was on stock cooling and had trouble keeping it under 90C load without running the fan at 100% (which was insanely loud)
:( if its too bad heat wise i may have to consider a 7900gtx and sell the x1900...
i need to clean my watercooling asap...tubes are going cloudy lately
I went from a watercooled 7800 GTX to a X1900XTX and I am happy I did. I was able to again max out all settings in all games out 1600x1200. One of the big problems I had with the 7800 was shimmering, that is gone with the X1900.
On water the temp change from the 7800 to the X1900 was about 1 degree C for me, you will not notice a differences. (I am also Using a BIX with 2 120 fans and 1/2 ID tubing).
As far as drivers. Again the ATI drivers are great. I have not had any issues with them. If you have any problems with the CCC then dont install it.
If you 1900 has 1.1 RAM you can flash it to XTX speeds without an issue. See stickies on how to flash. I recommend not using the Sapphire Toxic Bios as it has looser ram timings. Is a stock BIOS.
Most likely you will be able to OC your card as far as Overdrive will let you with water. If that is the case I recommend using ATI tool. ATI tool will let you adjust voltages, OC, scan for artifacts, save profiles and all sorts of other goodies.
Here are linkies:
X1900 OC Guide:
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=gethowto&number=1&howtopage=160&howtoID=61
ATITool:
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/259
Rabit (To modify ATI BIOS):
http://rusjaz.narod.ru/RaBiT-2.1.rar
Enjoy your card.
Also take a look at the stickies above.
soundfx4
06-26-06, 04:50 PM
Nvidia is better, ATI has horrible drivers.
we don't need those kinds of comments. I'm a little surprised that a mod hasn't deleted that post (reason I say that is because of the rules). I'll be honest though, I like nividas drivers a little better too, but I really don't care, which ever is faster is the one I'll get. My next systems vid card depends on two main features.
1: Does it have a lifetime warranty?
2: Is it the fastest overall card?
And I haven't had an ATI gaming card in a little while so I'm leaning towards ATI being my next systems graphics card.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.