ATi X1950 XTX CF

JadeFox · January 25th, 2007, 01:21 PM

After much consideration about updating my graphics card from a Geforce 7300 i have my eye set on an ATi X1950 XTX CF - http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx...1&v=2#infoarea

This card is about £300 and i am looking to update it for something that i could still use a year on (or close to) for some highly demanding gaming.

I have three problems though

The first being It is not Direct X10 compatible and if i were to upgare to vista would this render it useless? (would it be better if i went for a card that is to save money on upgrading again for Direct X10)

When would the price for this card likely drop? (how many months or if anyone know if the price will drop)

I have no idea about the DDR number for my graphics card, my RAM is DDR2 but i dont know for the graphics card

Any help would be apprechiated

Thanks

GIGABYTE M55PLUS-S3G
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz
Atrix 650W Clear blue PSU ATX 12V v2.0
Corsair 1GB VS DDR667 DDR2
MAXTOR 300GB SATA2/300 7200RPM

Arch3rs · January 25th, 2007, 01:37 PM

Why not get this for the same price and have DX10

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=GX-036-BG

JLK03F150 · January 25th, 2007, 01:51 PM

I would suggest the x1950Pro instead. Or wait for a month if possible, or both.
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx...0000,402380000
ATI is supposed to be releasing their R600 DX-10 series sometime next month (it has already been delayed, no guarantee on this release date either). Getting a top of the line ATI card now is a waste of £ at this point since the new cards are getting close to market.

The Pro should handle just about anything you throw at it for the next year on at least medium settings. By that time DX-10 cards should be more widely available & SP1 for Vista should be out too. XP will not support DX-10, no need for a DX-10 card (other than greater speed) until you upgrade your OS.

BTW, the x1950 series support some DX-10 features. Those features will only be available in Vista. DX-10 games/apps will run fine using DX-9 shaders if your card doesn't support DX-10. I'm currently running Vista & DX-10 on a x850 Pro AGP video card.

Edit: or get the nvidia that Arch3rs linked. lol

JadeFox · January 25th, 2007, 04:15 PM

Will Direct X10 cards play on XP without faults?

Stupid question probably but id rather be sure, i dont intend of getting vista just yet, i hear things are less than useful at the moment

JadeFox · January 25th, 2007, 04:32 PM

Sorry to double post,

But will the 8800 GTS come down in price anytime soon? looks tempting that one.

When the new ATi's come out, any idea how powerful they will be compared to the X1950 XTX or the 8800 and how expensive?

vick.x6 · January 25th, 2007, 05:00 PM

ATi r600 is supposed to be faster than the 8800

agathodaimon · January 25th, 2007, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JadeFox

Sorry to double post,

But will the 8800 GTS come down in price anytime soon? looks tempting that one.

When the new ATi's come out, any idea how powerful they will be compared to the X1950 XTX or the 8800 and how expensive?

That's the card I'm eyeballing right now... I think dropping to $299 would be a realistic price to expect when ATI presents their competition.

carl33p · January 25th, 2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JadeFox

But will the 8800 GTS come down in price anytime soon? looks tempting that one.

When the new ATi's come out, any idea how powerful they will be compared to the X1950 XTX or the 8800 and how expensive?

Price drops in the 8800GTS are unlikely, atleast for a couple-many months. You might see small drops.
The new ATI's will proly be quite expensive, but they may release budget line cards as well. Same goes for Nvidia; I would hope in the next 3 months they release some more budget line DX10 cards.(HOPEFULLY)
IMO, The 8800series cards were merely bait for all the very Rich crowd to blow 400-600$ so they could be the first to have the latest and greatest, not to mention DX10 when it was totally useless.

Quote:

Will Direct X10 cards play on XP without faults?

Arch3rs · January 25th, 2007, 05:56 PM

A mid range card costs about £150 !!! That for a few months ! that seems quite a lot of money for a few months ! There are DX10 cards for £300 which is your budget and that should cover you for a few years !

carl33p · January 25th, 2007, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arch3rs

A mid range card costs about £150 !!! That for a few months ! that seems quite a lot of money for a few months ! There are DX10 cards for £300 which is your budget and that should cover you for a few years !

7900GS £92
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=GX-089-LT

IMO, it would be worth the wait. What DX10 games are out ATM?

THE REST OF HIS HARDWARE WILL BOTTLENECK HIM ANYWAYS.