I'm looking to upgrade to an ATi X1900XT within the next two weeks but still have some lingering questions. Please be aware that these will be "ATi-newbie" questions....
1. Are the ATi drivers posted on their website universal, regardless of the manufacturer? I'm considering a Sapphire card.
2. Any recommendations for a utility/method to completely remove my old nVidia drivers? I'm thinking that Driver Cleaner Professional Edition should be enough.
3. Does the CCC come with a temperature monitor?
4. If I don't plan to overclock, is there any need for a 3rd-party tool such as ATiTools?
5. Is there any reason to install anything from the driver CD that comes packed with the card? Normally, I download the most recent drivers and install them directly. The only time that didn't work was with my nForce4 chipset drivers (what a nightmare that was).
6. To those who have bought an X1900XT/X from Sapphire: have you had any problems or conflicts with your card? I've only read good consumer responses for them.
7. Any other general suggestions or comments about purchasing an X1900XT/X?
If I sound overly obsessive about being prepared, I apologize. The reviews on the X1900 cards have ranged from frightening (90C temps!) to complete euphoria over this card. Since I have a couple of weeks before purchase, I'd like to make sure that I've covered as many bases as possible. I've also heard many complaints about ATi's driver updates, but to me it seems fairly straightforward, so I'd like to make sure I'm not missing something.
1. Are the ATi drivers posted on their website universal, regardless of the manufacturer? I'm considering a Sapphire card.
2. Any recommendations for a utility/method to completely remove my old nVidia drivers? I'm thinking that Driver Cleaner Professional Edition should be enough.
3. Does the CCC come with a temperature monitor?
4. If I don't plan to overclock, is there any need for a 3rd-party tool such as ATiTools?
5. Is there any reason to install anything from the driver CD that comes packed with the card? Normally, I download the most recent drivers and install them directly. The only time that didn't work was with my nForce4 chipset drivers (what a nightmare that was).
6. To those who have bought an X1900XT/X from Sapphire: have you had any problems or conflicts with your card? I've only read good consumer responses for them.
7. Any other general suggestions or comments about purchasing an X1900XT/X?
If I sound overly obsessive about being prepared, I apologize. The reviews on the X1900 cards have ranged from frightening (90C temps!) to complete euphoria over this card. Since I have a couple of weeks before purchase, I'd like to make sure that I've covered as many bases as possible. I've also heard many complaints about ATi's driver updates, but to me it seems fairly straightforward, so I'd like to make sure I'm not missing something.