Gigabyte Radeon 8500

[WyrmMaster]

What do you think of the new Gigabyte Radeon. Looks pretty good to me, from the reviews iv read looks like its 275mhz and 3.6ns RAM (bummer). Kinda nice to have the heatsink, but its a solid piece and its not alot of cooling on the core, so i would probably end up replacing it anyway. Has hardware monitoring (RPM, temps, voltages), comes with some games, so it looks like a good deal there. Overall id say its a very good deal, same speeds as a retail radeon, but its a bit cheaper and comes with games and has hardware monitoring, and the heatsinks are definetly better than what ATI puts on. I think i might just order one, i kinda need a new card.

 

[Arkaine23]

Maya 8500's

I've only been able to find the LE version online so far (Accessmicro & Newegg). I'm pretty sure it's 250/500. Yeah I'll probably work on those sinks if I get one, or maybe just lap, add AS3, and put a 80mm fan on top. There's a header on the card for a second fan also. I have the right kinda fan for that just lying around too, so I could maybe run 2 small fans on the back which V-tuner can control, and one big one on the top plugged into a molex connector(I'm thinking a clear plastic 80mm fan with a blue led).

Hoping to get this card or the AP64D-H (clocked to 275/550 for sure) in the next month or 2.

Review link: http://www.digit-life.com/articles/gigar8500/index.html

 

[WyrmMaster]

I see. There are two versions. If the -H is gona be a hundred bucks more i think il just get a retail and put my own sinks on it. A hundred bucks is not worth a red PCB, a heatsink im gona replace anyway, and a temp sensor that i already have with my Digital Doc5

 

[Arkaine23]

8500

I can see the point, and have been debating that myself. But I feel that huge sink would do really well with a big fan and some good thermal goo. And since the ram is the same on both versions, and the Ati pencil trick works to improve core and memory voltages, then it'd hardly be an LE anymore. Plus you'd get that cool hardware-monitoring and fan-speed control for a few $ less than the retail Ati 8500. That's an "if" on the voltage mod, but that's all it'd take to make the card as good or better than a retail Ati.

Silversinks.... I'm gonna take measurements when I get this card and ask Silversinksam to hook me up with pieces of silver sheet cut to size for the ram and gpu. I'll thermal-epoxy those onto to the heatsink and see what it does... once I get the card of course. Darn slow IRS!

 

[TimDgsr]

the only gigabyte card i see on newegg is the 8500le, but the chipset info says 275/550, is that right?

the gigabyte website doesn't give the speeds for it.

anyone know for sure? i was about to order the card tonight, but i'd like to know the speeds on it first.

 

[TimDgsr]

actually nevermind that, i just found it on the gigabyte webpage.

on their graphics card bios page http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/support/support.htm

if you click on the AP64D, it has this out beside it:

2. ECLK/MCLK is 250/250MHz


could you just flash the AP64D with the -H version?

 

[Arkaine23]

clock speeds

Not sure if the bios flash would take, but it probably would be ok. You could just overclock the card up to speed though. What's gonna hold it back is if the voltages are less than the -H version. I'm pretty sure both cards use 3.6ns hynix ram chips.

 

[funnyperson1]

the one i saw at newegg was listed as LE by newegg, but the product link provided seemed to indicate that is was a pro version clocked at retail Ati speeds...

 

[Arkaine23]

8500 LE Maya

Don't be fooled by newegg... the LE is clocked at 250/500. Not that its that bad really. I just might get one, but I'm trying to wait for the non-LE version.