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I have the x1950 Pro 512mb, which is pretty much the fastest available AGP card that there is.
It runs everything I've thrown at is.
I can run Oblivion with everything maxed at 1680x1050 widescreen resolution, and never drop below 20FPS (it only goes that low in the main city, outside of the city it runs VERY smooth, and in the dungeons, even smoother).
Of course, if the rest of your PC is also from 2002, then a fast videocard isn't going to do jack squat. You'll also need a fast processor, and fast/lots of ram.
You'd probably be better of getting an entirely new system.
This is probably the best choice. However, it has obscene power requirements, and if you don't have a really good Power Supply already (generally something 600W or greater will have the required voltage on the rails) then you will be spending at least $150 on a new PSU and just as much on the card itself. If you don't, you run the risk of the card or even the PSU dying.
So again, best bet, save up your cash and get a newer system, instead of sinking money into an older one that can only last so long.
i'll overlook the statement of a 600w power supply. Must avoid getting angry. :x
I wouldn't think that's an exaggeration. When I switched from an x800 pro to an 7800 GS, my 500 W Antec PSU was insufficient. I couldn't even boot up without graduating to a 550 W. And keep in mind that I was specifically using what I thought to be high quality PSU brands at the time. These video cards tend to be beasts.
I have the x1950 Pro 512mb, which is pretty much the fastest available AGP card that there is.
It runs everything I've thrown at is.
I can run Oblivion with everything maxed at 1680x1050 widescreen resolution, and never drop below 20FPS (it only goes that low in the main city, outside of the city it runs VERY smooth, and in the dungeons, even smoother).
Of course, if the rest of your PC is also from 2002, then a fast videocard isn't going to do jack squat. You'll also need a fast processor, and fast/lots of ram.
You'd probably be better of getting an entirely new system.
This is probably the best choice. However, it has obscene power requirements, and if you don't have a really good Power Supply already (generally something 600W or greater will have the required voltage on the rails) then you will be spending at least $150 on a new PSU and just as much on the card itself. If you don't, you run the risk of the card or even the PSU dying.
-edit-
Can't find the amperage reqs for other brands of this card, but I wouldn't doubt they are up there.
The numbers I have seen all say 30a on the 12v rail for a single rail PSU, or 22a each on twin rail setups. If you have close to that, yes, the card will probably work, but it may die on you in six months too.
So again, best bet, save up your cash and get a newer system, instead of sinking money into an older one that can only last so long.
i'll overlook the statement of a 600w power supply. Must avoid getting angry. :x
I wouldn't think that's an exaggeration. When I switched from an x800 pro to an 7800 GS, my 500 W Antec PSU was insufficient. I couldn't even boot up without graduating to a 550 W. And keep in mind that I was specifically using what I thought to be high quality PSU brands at the time. These video cards tend to be beasts.
Hmm... Sorry, looking back on it, that may be only the Sapphire Technologies version of the card. (which does have pretty high requirements for amperage on the 12v rails, which usually can only be found on bigger, more expensive PSUs)
-edit-
Can't find the amperage reqs for other brands of this card, but I wouldn't doubt they are up there.
The numbers I have seen all say 30a on the 12v rail for a single rail PSU, or 22a each on twin rail setups. If you have close to that, yes, the card will probably work, but it may die on you in six months too.
MuddBudd on
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Sorry for the necrobump, but I just wanted to update you guys on my progress. Then gauge your reactions to if I made a good choice/horrible, horrible mistake. First off, I'm new to computer hardware, so I don't know much about it's history, so I'll just give you my rig's current setup just to clarify any lingering questions:
-250W Power Supply (8A on the 12V rail. Yeah, I know.)
-Intel D875PBZ Motherboard
-Intel Pentium 4 processor (3.06 GHz)
-1276 MB DDR 184-pin RAM
-120GB Hard Drive
-ATI Radeon 9800 All-In-Wonder 256MB AGP
I don't think you fucked yourself in the ass, but I don't think you did yourself any favors either, since you can build a better than average rig with a better upgrade path for less than $1000.
I am glad Glide died, though. It was awesome when you were getting crazy graphics and performance compared to DirectX and OpenGL, but when 3DFx went all "fuck you wrappers, we sue you! PAY FOR OUR KITS!" it was time to go.
I kicked 3dfx out of the bed when they kept dragging their feet about using 32-bit color...
Sorry for the necrobump, but I just wanted to update you guys on my progress. Then gauge your reactions to if I made a good choice/horrible, horrible mistake. First off, I'm new to computer hardware, so I don't know much about it's history, so I'll just give you my rig's current setup just to clarify any lingering questions:
-250W Power Supply (8A on the 12V rail. Yeah, I know.)
-Intel D875PBZ Motherboard
-Intel Pentium 4 processor (3.06 GHz)
-1276 MB DDR 184-pin RAM
-120GB Hard Drive
-ATI Radeon 9800 All-In-Wonder 256MB AGP
ATI X1950 (any model with GDDR3 and at least 256MB of RAM). Playing Oblivion on full blast, barely 40% of my bus utilized. Pretty much anything I throw at this card it can handle. Dirt cheap off Newegg.com, too.
AGP was cut out way before it was necessary. Only the more recent cards would benefit from the increased bandwith of PCI-E and even then we're talking a 10-15% increase. When PCI-E originally came out the difference between cards on that and on AGP was non-existant.
Blame greedy companies, I guess.
The move to PCI-E was largely driven by the server manufacturers, though that's not known much outside of the realm of IT. It opened up all kinds of added redundancy and power for low to mid range servers without increasing the up front costs. I can't tell you how many times a fibre channel HBA ate up all the bus in a pre-PCI-E server for me (throwing a 8 disk array from a EVA class array to a G1 or G2 MS-SQL server will do that). And I agree, AGP is still sufficient for a desktop.
I think you should stop spending money on your dead-end and save up money for something with an open upgrade path.
I'm just trying to wring at least like 2 more years off this thing before I have to fully upgrade, since I'm spending most of my money consistently on college right now. So if I did save up $1000 right now, I'd rather spend it on food, housing, and tuition than a new computer. I know I've hit the glass roof, so this is about as much I'm gonna put into it.
The Glock on
Hard at work on this side,
Let the truth magnify,
Devils can't stop me,
But they damn sure try...
AGP was cut out way before it was necessary. Only the more recent cards would benefit from the increased bandwith of PCI-E and even then we're talking a 10-15% increase. When PCI-E originally came out the difference between cards on that and on AGP was non-existant.
Posts
I wouldn't think that's an exaggeration. When I switched from an x800 pro to an 7800 GS, my 500 W Antec PSU was insufficient. I couldn't even boot up without graduating to a 550 W. And keep in mind that I was specifically using what I thought to be high quality PSU brands at the time. These video cards tend to be beasts.
Hmm... Sorry, looking back on it, that may be only the Sapphire Technologies version of the card. (which does have pretty high requirements for amperage on the 12v rails, which usually can only be found on bigger, more expensive PSUs)
-edit-
Can't find the amperage reqs for other brands of this card, but I wouldn't doubt they are up there.
The numbers I have seen all say 30a on the 12v rail for a single rail PSU, or 22a each on twin rail setups. If you have close to that, yes, the card will probably work, but it may die on you in six months too.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
-250W Power Supply (8A on the 12V rail. Yeah, I know.)
-Intel D875PBZ Motherboard
-Intel Pentium 4 processor (3.06 GHz)
-1276 MB DDR 184-pin RAM
-120GB Hard Drive
-ATI Radeon 9800 All-In-Wonder 256MB AGP
So currently I just bought a Radeon x1950 GT 256MB and a 550W PSU with 20A/12V. I'm planning to buy some more RAM later in the year.
So do you think my mobo/processor can handle it, or did I just fuck myself in the ass?
Let the truth magnify,
Devils can't stop me,
But they damn sure try...
-Mos Def
I kicked 3dfx out of the bed when they kept dragging their feet about using 32-bit color...
PSN: super_emu
Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
I think you should stop spending money on your dead-end and save up money for something with an open upgrade path.
PSN: super_emu
Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
The move to PCI-E was largely driven by the server manufacturers, though that's not known much outside of the realm of IT. It opened up all kinds of added redundancy and power for low to mid range servers without increasing the up front costs. I can't tell you how many times a fibre channel HBA ate up all the bus in a pre-PCI-E server for me (throwing a 8 disk array from a EVA class array to a G1 or G2 MS-SQL server will do that). And I agree, AGP is still sufficient for a desktop.
I'm just trying to wring at least like 2 more years off this thing before I have to fully upgrade, since I'm spending most of my money consistently on college right now. So if I did save up $1000 right now, I'd rather spend it on food, housing, and tuition than a new computer. I know I've hit the glass roof, so this is about as much I'm gonna put into it.
Let the truth magnify,
Devils can't stop me,
But they damn sure try...
-Mos Def
ATI X1950XT.
An amazing AGP card.
VGA Charts
see also: ATA, Serial