ATI brand of choice...need help deciding

Skyfire · May 28, 2007, 08:25 PM

I've been planning on getting the Radeon 2900xt, and was hoping some of you might be able to help me make my decision, as I'm not completely sure of the difference in brands, other than some are more well known to me than others(Asus, sapphire and HIS).

Anyways, please put down your brand of choice, and your reasons for choosing that particular brand over the others...right now I'm leaning towards either Asus, HIS, or Sapphire, but want to make sure that support, packaging, etc. are good as well as I have never dealt with any of these companies except for Asus.

Thanks for the help, and start posting

jp306 · May 28, 2007, 09:09 PM

I would say all of those are ok brands. But from what I hear about the stock cooling on the 2900XT(sounds like a dustbuster/hairdryer much like the x19xx series), I'd look for one that has a different cooling solution from the standard/stock cooler. My x1900xt was annoyingly loud and ran very hot(mid 80s@load). I was forced to get an Acellero x2 that I like a lot, but I had to pay $20 for it.

Skyfire · May 28, 2007, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp306

I would say all of those are ok brands. But from what I hear about the stock cooling on the 2900XT(sounds like a dustbuster/hairdryer much like the x19xx series), I'd look for one that has a different cooling solution from the standard/stock cooler. My x1900xt was annoyingly loud and ran very hot(mid 80s@load). I was forced to get an Acellero x2 that I like a lot, but I had to pay $20 for it.

One problem is that (from what I know) replacing the fan voids the warranty, and 2nd...there aren't any 3rd party coolers that are labeled as compatible with the 2900xt from what I've heard/read so far with the most recent cooling reviews.

Should my card happen to die and need to RMA it, should I just remove the 3rd party cooler and put back the old one and act as if I didn't do anything? or would it be a bit obvious to them once they see it in person that it was removed in the first place?

From what I've heard/read, the HIS cooling solutions are really good (IceQ3), but don't know how long it takes them to get from the original board to their cooling solution, and really don't want to wait, as there is no guarantee it will even come out within a month or two, and I don't feel like waiting more than 2 weeks personally until I decide to make the purchase of both 2900xt and a new PSU to handle the damn thing

also, any recommended 8pin PSU's? or is overdrive not worth it?(should I get a decent performence boost in GPU bound games?)

Yousaif · May 28, 2007, 10:12 PM

I've been a big Sapphire user since my 9600XT. I like it so much I recommend it in the builds I do. Most people take me up on it and with 100+ builds in the last couple years or so, I haven't had one come back as a bad card.

As to the last post about the dustbuster cooler, all of the 2900XTs out there are reference cooler designs atm, so until someone comes out with a design with a new cooler, if you are looking for quiet operation, you will want to look at a third party cooler (if any are available for the 2900XT, that is).

Skyfire · May 28, 2007, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yousaif

I've been a big Sapphire user since my 9600XT. I like it so much I recommend it in the builds I do. Most people take me up on it and with 100+ builds in the last couple years or so, I haven't had one come back as a bad card.

As to the last post about the dustbuster cooler, all of the 2900XTs out there are reference cooler designs atm, so until someone comes out with a design with a new cooler, if you are looking for quiet operation, you will want to look at a third party cooler (if any are available for the 2900XT, that is).

Thanks for the heads up on Sapphire's reliability.

One thing that I've been wondering is this though...does the 2900xt's cooler shoot the hot air out of the case? It looks like it to me, but just like double checking...it's kind of dumb to have something that produces so much heat just shooting it back at all your other components...like my 7800GTX

that thing gets up to about 78 degrees C and from what I can tell, it's shooting at my CPU, which seems to have no problem getting up to 51 degrees C or even up to 58 at certain times(both cores at 100%)...I wonder why...anyways, I'm planning on getting a new CPU fan as well...current one is only 80mm, and is 2 years old now, so I'm not as confident on it's ability to cool as efficiently as if it was new, and especially with summer, the temperature will only go higher(I'm thinking about this CPU cooler btw... http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index....&id=595&page=5)

Skyfire · May 28, 2007, 11:40 PM

As a sidenote to this thread(aside from getting help for making my decision at any rate), I could definitely see this thread being helpful to others who are having the similar type of confusion...which brand should I go with, how are they different, what can I expect from them in terms of reliability, how neat is the packaging, which has better cooling solutions, which offers better deals, which tends to be more expensive/cheaper, which ones tend to sell higher clocked versions, etc. With 7 different brands selling similar products(currently minimal difference if any, aside from the ASUS version coming with Stalker as well). But I could definitely see this thread, if it gets long, and informative enough, to possibly become a permenant (reference)guide for newcommers, as I don't believe I have come across a definitive, comprehensive guide anywhere thus far(not that one doesn't exist, but the closest I've come across are benchmarks only comparing 2 or 3 of them, not the full 7, and only benchmarks, not ALL the details and differences). Anyways, keep posting...

jp306 · May 28, 2007, 11:47 PM

I've also used Sapphire for the last 5 years or so and I would recommend them too. As far as using aftermarket coolers... It won't void your warranty as long as you keep your stock one and put it back on if you have to RMA it. If you ever did have to RMA a card I wouldn't vonlunteer any info about the aftermarket cooler though.

riles9262 · May 29, 2007, 04:50 AM

I prefer HIS the most, but atm I've got a connect3d, and it has been perfect. Very stable, built well, and oc's well. Further, c3d are usually a few bucks cheaper than other brands.

Tipstaff · May 29, 2007, 05:04 AM

Every brand on that list is really good except for one, with Sapphire and ATI being at the top of it (both have top notch RMA service). The exception? MSI. They are the only one I would stay away from. I was a big supplier of MSI products for a long time, and for the last 7 years I've noticed a trend in their video cards where the capacitors would start to hum or buzz within a couple months. Damnedest thing really. I haven't used one of their products in a couple years, and I've heard they've gotten better, but for me, having to deal with the fallout of all those video cards, and all the bad motherboards I had to fix during the capacitor fiasco, I won't ever buy something of theirs again.

Skyfire · May 29, 2007, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riles9262

I prefer HIS the most, but atm I've got a connect3d, and it has been perfect. Very stable, built well, and oc's well. Further, c3d are usually a few bucks cheaper than other brands.

whoops...forgot to put Connect3D up there

...any others I happened to miss? too bad I can't edit the poll for corrections...

PandaZ3 · May 31, 2007, 03:21 AM

I recently Bought a ASUS X1800 XT used, man what a great package, I have a very solid ASUS 7000. I have had two Gigabyte cards (9200 and 9600XT) I think they are good. I do have a hardworking, but inexpensive MSI 9550. I only have one Sapphire, a 9600 Pro Good card for the money. I have several ATI brand, two 7000, one 9000 Pro 128, one 9500 Pro, one AIW 9600 XT, a X800 Pro, a X850 Pro and my flagship X 1950 XTX. The AIW has poor support (Good video card though) and while I flashed the BIOS on my X850 Pro and have it at X850 XT PE speeds, I could not unlock the full 16 pipes... Sapphire versions unlock all sixteen.

I don't shy away from ATI Brand as they are made well, but they are not as enthusiast friendly. Sapphire is the next biggest manufacturer and a ATI stalwart, hard to go wrong with them.

But right now for quality and packaging I would say ASUS. (I have never like their motherboards all that well though).

**kris23** · May 31, 2007, 03:36 AM

HIS puts beefier cooling on their cards (not on HD 2900XT yet) HIS OC's their cards (not done on HD 2900XT yet) HIS sticks UV reactive things in their cards (not done on HD 2900XT yet)

i basically suggest against buying a HD 2900XT just yet as drivers are GARBAGE and the cards are shit as of now and suggest buying an 8800GTS, waitng for driver updates or waiting for the HD 2950 series to come out.

Dyre Straits · May 31, 2007, 04:25 AM

When I'm buying a card for myself, I have ALWAYS bought the B/B ATI cards. I just feel I cannot go wrong doing so. And, I've had plenty of ATI cards over the years, too. The only one that's given me any problems at all was my very first one...the ATI AIW 8 MB PCI card. The problem I had was with artifacts in Final Fantasy VI. ATI took it under RMA and had it back to me within something like 10 days.

I've been an ATI fan ever since.

Skyfire · May 31, 2007, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

HIS puts beefier cooling on their cards (not on HD 2900XT yet) HIS OC's their cards (not done on HD 2900XT yet) HIS sticks UV reactive things in their cards (not done on HD 2900XT yet)

i basically suggest against buying a HD 2900XT just yet as drivers are GARBAGE and the cards are shit as of now and suggest buying an 8800GTS, waitng for driver updates or waiting for the HD 2950 series to come out.

A question regarding what you said...

1. About how long does it take after new card releases before HIS puts on their custom coolers? I have had my eyes set on HIS for a while because of this, though I'm still "swayable". As for UV sticks, well, that's just a bonus, but not something I would base my purchase decision on.

2. I realize the current drivers are not up to par, but the same could be said with the first 8800 drivers(we've all heard this argument before, so bear with me

), but also I would definitely be getting much better performence with the 2900xt than with my current card, which is one thing I'm looking for. Also, since it comes with the half life 2 black box, the card cost comes down to about $370 if you look at it that way(since I planned on getting those games anyways). The downside is that the total cost will go up to about $600 because even though the card only costs $400ish, I'll need a new power supply to go along with it, of which I'm looking at the Corsair 620HX, which should be more than enough for just one card, and since I don't plan on doing crossfire until my next system, this should tide me over as my current bottleneck is doubtlessly my graphical processing power(certain exceptions are omitted of course like Supreme Commander

, though the framerate is pretty good in that, especially since the latest patch). I'm also still looking at how I can use this card down the road in crossfire and not have to toss it away/sell it at a greatly depreciated price due to it no longer being usable, and will instead get to use it for physics, etc.(assuming software devs decide to utilize it's processing power for physics instead of Ageia's physx processor)

So you'd suggest I at least wait until their next driver comes out and see how it fares before I come to a decision? Because right now I simply can't see myself buying an Nvidia card again within the next 1-3- years at least...

Thanks, and I'm glad to see so many informative posts

**kris23** · Jun 1, 2007, 03:17 AM

well... even with new drivers, there is the huge heat issue of 80c-100c and if you know how hot that is, its basically borderline skin burns. 70-80c is already enough to give a pretty nasty sting if you carelessly touch the base of the heatsink. 100c is EXTREMELY hot man and most normal people dont touch stuff that hot without oven mits.

i seriously think you should go with something else as thats just too hot. the 2950XTX series is said to come in August. though seeing how ATi/AMD screwed up their launch beyond reason........ it could come out in 08 so thats screwed

right now nvidia has the upper hand by far, if you can deal with huge amounts of noise....... heat and power..... theres the possibility of a MASSIVE performance boost from the 2900XT with new drivers. although thats not for certain.

i dont think HIS will put better heatsinks on the 2900 because its just too hot probably would cost too much, they most likely will do it with the 2950 series though as it was done on the X1950 series except for XTX.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jun 3, 2007, 06:49 AM

Personally I've always bought ATI's own stuff but these days (considering my last purchase was an X800XT the minute the AiW X800XT was available) Sapphire usually produces the same package but cheaper. I don't know why but I just accept it for what it is.

PandaZ3 · Jun 3, 2007, 12:57 PM

Well I just said I though ASUS to be the way to go, and I just bought a HIS X1650 XT .... but they have a good reputation and it seemed the best deal at the time. It will upgrade the Warden's last socket A with a AGP 9600 Pro to a 939 with PCI-E

Skyfire · Jun 6, 2007, 06:22 AM

I just read up on something mentioning that the 1GB GDDR4 version of the x2900xt will be coming out later this month...you guys think I should just wait for that? or just go with the GDDR3(current) version? On one hand, I know it would benefit me when Unreal Tournament 3 comes around with its large texture sizes, but on the other hand, the only thing keeping me weary is that I want to limit my budget to no more than $650, which is to include a new power supply, which I would need anyways if I were to go with an Nvidia card, so no cost savings with that route. The PSU I'm looking at(still) is the Corsair 620 HX which is approx. $150, which brings down the max card value within my budget to $500. Spending less is preferable, but at the same time, if it only takes 2 weeks(not 3-4 months for the r650) to be much more prepared for texture based games, and only $50-100 more, then I could wait. Then again, I don't want to be chasing a shadow, or go for something that probably won't benefit me. So I'm pretty much undecided at this point. I was originally going to take the plunge with a Sapphire this friday, but now I'm having second thoughts with this being around the corner...

Opinions?

PandaZ3 · Jun 6, 2007, 02:02 PM

Tomorrow never comes, there is always something "Just around the corner" that will be better. That will be true next month, next year and the year after that. I look to the here and now mostly......Unless there is a particular feature I need to wait for.

Skyfire · Jun 8, 2007, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PandaZ3

Tomorrow never comes, there is always something "Just around the corner" that will be better. That will be true next month, next year and the year after that. I look to the here and now mostly......Unless there is a particular feature I need to wait for.

it seems like tomorrow may yet come this time around...word on the streets is that the 2900XT 1 GB GDDR4 version is due within the next 7 or so days...if not, I'll go for the GDDR3 version, but 1 week is a pretty painless wait.

Skyfire · Jun 10, 2007, 01:29 AM

One thing that has me worried about Sapphire, and most of these other companies is that the Warranty is only 1 year...one of the exceptions being Asus with a 3 year warranty. Any thoughts on ASUS's RMA program/card quality?

There was one previously regarding the build quality of their cards being better than the motherboards, but I'd like to hear a bit more on this if possible.

SSXeon · Jun 14, 2007, 09:35 PM

I would go visiontek if anyone can get their hands on one, or a powercolor, or a sapphire. I stay away from diamond and Asus cards. And BBA cards are usually priced too high so that leaves the other brands to get too. All pretty much the same card anyways.

Skyfire · Jun 15, 2007, 03:56 AM

well, can't turn back now...waited a few days for a response, but didnt think one was going to come, and went with ASUS...wanted to try out Stalker anyways, bringing down the "cost" of the card itself down by a total of $90ish, since I also wanted every game in the black box...which would have been money eventually spent anyways

Also bought the Corsair 620HX...read numerous reviews, and read it was able to handle 2 8800GTX cards in SLI, an OC'd core 2 duo, water cooling, etc...and so with just 1 card, I think it shouldn't break a sweat...

Got it at zipzoomfly right on time for the $20 mail in rebate, and bought it for $148 with free shipping, while it seems newegg is selling it at $150 excluding shipping AFTER the mail in rebate...

Also just checked newegg...the asus 2900xt is now selling at $450 excluding shipping, while I bought it a few days ago at $422 including shipping via fedex, not UPS...(I don't really trust UPS and their box crushing techniques)...I've just gotten really lucky with my timing...had I waited a few more days I'd be paying about $50-70 more than I am now...

So, would you mind at least telling me what is so bad about ASUS? I have one of their motherboards, and sure, I have a few minor problems with it(slower boot times), but that is easily solved by not turning off my computer except for new drivers/hardware installation, etc...which is a big reason why I decided to get a new power supply...only 520W, 2 years of running nearly 24/7...it's definitely lost some efficiency, and wasn't sure just how much more wattage it could go up before crossing the line...plus the voltages seem way off, though that's through software testers, not actual voltage line testing which is far more accurate, and never bothered with.

Of course, I never went through their RMA service, and they have some good forums that have helped me solve a few problems.

Do they tend to have more defective hardware? Bad RMA service? just wondering what sort of treatment I should expect should I have the misfortune of having a bad part either on arrival(which newegg would take care of for 30 days), or later on in its life.

One more reason I went with ASUS was because of the 3 year warranty, while all the others(besides Connect3D) had 2 or 1 year max...with sapphire at 1 year as well from what I read up and cross referenced between different online retailers(newegg, tigerdirect, zipzoomfly) and the main website. Though I guess a 3 year warranty is worse than a 1 year if they refuse to provide an RMA...

SSXeon · Jun 15, 2007, 08:58 PM

NICEEE, yeah that asus card is a steal with stalker! Awsome keep us posted with Pics!

Skyfire · Jun 16, 2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSXeon

NICEEE, yeah that asus card is a steal with stalker! Awsome keep us posted with Pics!

No digital camera, so I can't put up pics... However I can do the next best thing and post benchmarks...but unfortunately there has been a delay

The card has been sitting at the local fedex since thursday...it was registered as arriving and being sorted at 3AM on thursday, and they won't have it to me until after the weekend on monday, and won't let me pick it up, even though it's in my city already since they can't find it due to having an "overflowing" amount of new packages

Not neweggs fault...they shipped it quickly, this one is on fedex...it's been sitting at my local fedex for 2 days and have to wait until the weekends over

At least this will give me some time to install my Corsair 620HX, which looks great, and can't wait to install it...going to be replacing my OCZ 520W Modstream. This way I'll be able to make sure it is working properly...not the best idea to install the power supply and video card at once...after all, what if one of them is defective? It would be a pain to pull one out, then the other, etc. Might as well take it 1 step at a time to minimize potential time wasters.

Once I get my video card installed, I'll make sure to post some numbers from some games I play...Oblivion, CS: Source, FEAR(done playing it, but might as well post it for other peoples reference...not a big deal), Supreme Commander ...I'll just do the source stress test instead of playing CS: Source.

Also, when testing Oblivion, should I use FRAPS, or the ingame fps count and just look for how low it drops, etc.?

Hopefully my CPU won't bottleneck this card too much...always a concern, but I feel that only 1 game is currently doing that due to its cpu intensive nature...Supreme Commander, but we'll see. Might be able to turn on antialiasing now along with max shadows

Skyfire · Jun 23, 2007, 03:31 AM

Well, so far I have 2 benchmarks done...

Aquamark 3: 92,082 points

messed up a little it seems when using print screen, then pasting to "paint" and saving

Source Stress Test: 150.77FPS under 1280x1024, 8xMSAA, 16xAF, max settings for everything else
[COLOR=#93a5d8]

[/COLOR]

PandaZ3 · Jun 27, 2007, 12:47 PM

Nice card. I have a ATI X1950 XTX so I'll wait for at least two generations. ASUS does offer a good package

May 28, 2007, 08:25 PM	#1
Skyfire DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	ATI brand of choice...need help deciding I've been planning on getting the Radeon 2900xt, and was hoping some of you might be able to help me make my decision, as I'm not completely sure of the difference in brands, other than some are more well known to me than others(Asus, sapphire and HIS). Anyways, please put down your brand of choice, and your reasons for choosing that particular brand over the others...right now I'm leaning towards either Asus, HIS, or Sapphire, but want to make sure that support, packaging, etc. are good as well as I have never dealt with any of these companies except for Asus. Thanks for the help, and start posting

May 28, 2007, 09:09 PM	#2
jp306 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 309 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I would say all of those are ok brands. But from what I hear about the stock cooling on the 2900XT(sounds like a dustbuster/hairdryer much like the x19xx series), I'd look for one that has a different cooling solution from the standard/stock cooler. My x1900xt was annoyingly loud and ran very hot(mid 80s@load). I was forced to get an Acellero x2 that I like a lot, but I had to pay $20 for it. __________________ "I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet." Rodney Dangerfield.

May 28, 2007, 11:47 PM	#7
jp306 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 309 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I've also used Sapphire for the last 5 years or so and I would recommend them too. As far as using aftermarket coolers... It won't void your warranty as long as you keep your stock one and put it back on if you have to RMA it. If you ever did have to RMA a card I wouldn't vonlunteer any info about the aftermarket cooler though. __________________ "I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet." Rodney Dangerfield.

May 29, 2007, 04:50 AM	#8
riles9262 Driverheaven brewmaster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 4,842 Rep Power: 72 System Specs	I prefer HIS the most, but atm I've got a connect3d, and it has been perfect. Very stable, built well, and oc's well. Further, c3d are usually a few bucks cheaper than other brands. __________________ A beer a day keeps the doctor away.

May 31, 2007, 03:21 AM	#11
PandaZ3 HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cornelius, Oregon Posts: 419 Rep Power: 0	I recently Bought a ASUS X1800 XT used, man what a great package, I have a very solid ASUS 7000. I have had two Gigabyte cards (9200 and 9600XT) I think they are good. I do have a hardworking, but inexpensive MSI 9550. I only have one Sapphire, a 9600 Pro Good card for the money. I have several ATI brand, two 7000, one 9000 Pro 128, one 9500 Pro, one AIW 9600 XT, a X800 Pro, a X850 Pro and my flagship X 1950 XTX. The AIW has poor support (Good video card though) and while I flashed the BIOS on my X850 Pro and have it at X850 XT PE speeds, I could not unlock the full 16 pipes... Sapphire versions unlock all sixteen. I don't shy away from ATI Brand as they are made well, but they are not as enthusiast friendly. Sapphire is the next biggest manufacturer and a ATI stalwart, hard to go wrong with them. But right now for quality and packaging I would say ASUS. (I have never like their motherboards all that well though). __________________ It has to be Plugged In? To electricity? Video cards in house, 5770, 4650, HD 3870, X1950 XTX, X1900 XTX, X1900 XT and X1900 Crossfire, 2 X1800 XT's, X850 Pro, X800 Pro, AIW 9600XT, 9600 Pro, 9550 SE, 9200, 7000. XFX 6800 GS

May 28, 2007, 11:40 PM	Thread Starter #6
Skyfire DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	As a sidenote to this thread(aside from getting help for making my decision at any rate), I could definitely see this thread being helpful to others who are having the similar type of confusion...which brand should I go with, how are they different, what can I expect from them in terms of reliability, how neat is the packaging, which has better cooling solutions, which offers better deals, which tends to be more expensive/cheaper, which ones tend to sell higher clocked versions, etc. With 7 different brands selling similar products(currently minimal difference if any, aside from the ASUS version coming with Stalker as well). But I could definitely see this thread, if it gets long, and informative enough, to possibly become a permenant (reference)guide for newcommers, as I don't believe I have come across a definitive, comprehensive guide anywhere thus far(not that one doesn't exist, but the closest I've come across are benchmarks only comparing 2 or 3 of them, not the full 7, and only benchmarks, not ALL the details and differences). Anyways, keep posting...

May 29, 2007, 05:04 AM	#9
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Every brand on that list is really good except for one, with Sapphire and ATI being at the top of it (both have top notch RMA service). The exception? MSI. They are the only one I would stay away from. I was a big supplier of MSI products for a long time, and for the last 7 years I've noticed a trend in their video cards where the capacitors would start to hum or buzz within a couple months. Damnedest thing really. I haven't used one of their products in a couple years, and I've heard they've gotten better, but for me, having to deal with the fallout of all those video cards, and all the bad motherboards I had to fix during the capacitor fiasco, I won't ever buy something of theirs again. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick. Last edited by Tipstaff; May 29, 2007 at 07:02 AM.

May 31, 2007, 03:36 AM	#12
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,017 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	HIS puts beefier cooling on their cards (not on HD 2900XT yet) HIS OC's their cards (not done on HD 2900XT yet) HIS sticks UV reactive things in their cards (not done on HD 2900XT yet) i basically suggest against buying a HD 2900XT just yet as drivers are GARBAGE and the cards are shit as of now and suggest buying an 8800GTS, waitng for driver updates or waiting for the HD 2950 series to come out. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jun 1, 2007, 03:17 AM	#15
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,017 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	well... even with new drivers, there is the huge heat issue of 80c-100c and if you know how hot that is, its basically borderline skin burns. 70-80c is already enough to give a pretty nasty sting if you carelessly touch the base of the heatsink. 100c is EXTREMELY hot man and most normal people dont touch stuff that hot without oven mits. i seriously think you should go with something else as thats just too hot. the 2950XTX series is said to come in August. though seeing how ATi/AMD screwed up their launch beyond reason........ it could come out in 08 so thats screwed right now nvidia has the upper hand by far, if you can deal with huge amounts of noise....... heat and power..... theres the possibility of a MASSIVE performance boost from the 2900XT with new drivers. although thats not for certain. i dont think HIS will put better heatsinks on the 2900 because its just too hot probably would cost too much, they most likely will do it with the 2950 series though as it was done on the X1950 series except for XTX. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums! Last edited by kris23; Jun 1, 2007 at 03:23 AM.

Jun 3, 2007, 06:49 AM	#16
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	Personally I've always bought ATI's own stuff but these days (considering my last purchase was an X800XT the minute the AiW X800XT was available) Sapphire usually produces the same package but cheaper. I don't know why but I just accept it for what it is.

Jun 3, 2007, 12:57 PM	#17
PandaZ3 HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cornelius, Oregon Posts: 419 Rep Power: 0	Well I just said I though ASUS to be the way to go, and I just bought a HIS X1650 XT .... but they have a good reputation and it seemed the best deal at the time. It will upgrade the Warden's last socket A with a AGP 9600 Pro to a 939 with PCI-E __________________ It has to be Plugged In? To electricity? Video cards in house, 5770, 4650, HD 3870, X1950 XTX, X1900 XTX, X1900 XT and X1900 Crossfire, 2 X1800 XT's, X850 Pro, X800 Pro, AIW 9600XT, 9600 Pro, 9550 SE, 9200, 7000. XFX 6800 GS

Jun 6, 2007, 06:22 AM	Thread Starter #18
Skyfire DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	I just read up on something mentioning that the 1GB GDDR4 version of the x2900xt will be coming out later this month...you guys think I should just wait for that? or just go with the GDDR3(current) version? On one hand, I know it would benefit me when Unreal Tournament 3 comes around with its large texture sizes, but on the other hand, the only thing keeping me weary is that I want to limit my budget to no more than $650, which is to include a new power supply, which I would need anyways if I were to go with an Nvidia card, so no cost savings with that route. The PSU I'm looking at(still) is the Corsair 620 HX which is approx. $150, which brings down the max card value within my budget to $500. Spending less is preferable, but at the same time, if it only takes 2 weeks(not 3-4 months for the r650) to be much more prepared for texture based games, and only $50-100 more, then I could wait. Then again, I don't want to be chasing a shadow, or go for something that probably won't benefit me. So I'm pretty much undecided at this point. I was originally going to take the plunge with a Sapphire this friday, but now I'm having second thoughts with this being around the corner... Opinions?

Jun 6, 2007, 02:02 PM	#19
PandaZ3 HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cornelius, Oregon Posts: 419 Rep Power: 0	Tomorrow never comes, there is always something "Just around the corner" that will be better. That will be true next month, next year and the year after that. I look to the here and now mostly......Unless there is a particular feature I need to wait for. __________________ It has to be Plugged In? To electricity? Video cards in house, 5770, 4650, HD 3870, X1950 XTX, X1900 XTX, X1900 XT and X1900 Crossfire, 2 X1800 XT's, X850 Pro, X800 Pro, AIW 9600XT, 9600 Pro, 9550 SE, 9200, 7000. XFX 6800 GS

Jun 10, 2007, 01:29 AM	Thread Starter #21
Skyfire DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	One thing that has me worried about Sapphire, and most of these other companies is that the Warranty is only 1 year...one of the exceptions being Asus with a 3 year warranty. Any thoughts on ASUS's RMA program/card quality? There was one previously regarding the build quality of their cards being better than the motherboards, but I'd like to hear a bit more on this if possible.

Jun 14, 2007, 09:35 PM	#22
SSXeon ATi Freak!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Virginia, US Posts: 501 Rep Power: 0	I would go visiontek if anyone can get their hands on one, or a powercolor, or a sapphire. I stay away from diamond and Asus cards. And BBA cards are usually priced too high so that leaves the other brands to get too. All pretty much the same card anyways. __________________ XFX HD4890 1024MB @ 950/4400Mhz Have issues with your Catalyst driver? Please report it to ATi

Jun 15, 2007, 03:56 AM	Thread Starter #23
Skyfire DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	well, can't turn back now...waited a few days for a response, but didnt think one was going to come, and went with ASUS...wanted to try out Stalker anyways, bringing down the "cost" of the card itself down by a total of $90ish, since I also wanted every game in the black box...which would have been money eventually spent anyways Also bought the Corsair 620HX...read numerous reviews, and read it was able to handle 2 8800GTX cards in SLI, an OC'd core 2 duo, water cooling, etc...and so with just 1 card, I think it shouldn't break a sweat... Got it at zipzoomfly right on time for the $20 mail in rebate, and bought it for $148 with free shipping, while it seems newegg is selling it at $150 excluding shipping AFTER the mail in rebate... Also just checked newegg...the asus 2900xt is now selling at $450 excluding shipping, while I bought it a few days ago at $422 including shipping via fedex, not UPS...(I don't really trust UPS and their box crushing techniques)...I've just gotten really lucky with my timing...had I waited a few more days I'd be paying about $50-70 more than I am now... So, would you mind at least telling me what is so bad about ASUS? I have one of their motherboards, and sure, I have a few minor problems with it(slower boot times), but that is easily solved by not turning off my computer except for new drivers/hardware installation, etc...which is a big reason why I decided to get a new power supply...only 520W, 2 years of running nearly 24/7...it's definitely lost some efficiency, and wasn't sure just how much more wattage it could go up before crossing the line...plus the voltages seem way off, though that's through software testers, not actual voltage line testing which is far more accurate, and never bothered with. Of course, I never went through their RMA service, and they have some good forums that have helped me solve a few problems. Do they tend to have more defective hardware? Bad RMA service? just wondering what sort of treatment I should expect should I have the misfortune of having a bad part either on arrival(which newegg would take care of for 30 days), or later on in its life. One more reason I went with ASUS was because of the 3 year warranty, while all the others(besides Connect3D) had 2 or 1 year max...with sapphire at 1 year as well from what I read up and cross referenced between different online retailers(newegg, tigerdirect, zipzoomfly) and the main website. Though I guess a 3 year warranty is worse than a 1 year if they refuse to provide an RMA... Last edited by Skyfire; Jun 15, 2007 at 04:09 AM.

Jun 15, 2007, 08:58 PM	#24
SSXeon ATi Freak!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Virginia, US Posts: 501 Rep Power: 0	NICEEE, yeah that asus card is a steal with stalker! Awsome keep us posted with Pics! __________________ XFX HD4890 1024MB @ 950/4400Mhz Have issues with your Catalyst driver? Please report it to ATi

Jun 23, 2007, 03:31 AM	Thread Starter #26
Skyfire DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	Well, so far I have 2 benchmarks done... Aquamark 3: 92,082 points messed up a little it seems when using print screen, then pasting to "paint" and saving Source Stress Test: 150.77FPS under 1280x1024, 8xMSAA, 16xAF, max settings for everything else [COLOR=#93a5d8][/COLOR]

Jun 27, 2007, 12:47 PM	#27
PandaZ3 HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cornelius, Oregon Posts: 419 Rep Power: 0	Nice card. I have a ATI X1950 XTX so I'll wait for at least two generations. ASUS does offer a good package __________________ It has to be Plugged In? To electricity? Video cards in house, 5770, 4650, HD 3870, X1950 XTX, X1900 XTX, X1900 XT and X1900 Crossfire, 2 X1800 XT's, X850 Pro, X800 Pro, AIW 9600XT, 9600 Pro, 9550 SE, 9200, 7000. XFX 6800 GS