7900 GS vs. X1900 GT - Which one for my system?

[PhoenixRisinG]

Hello there, I totally dig the new C&C 3 Demo but it runs pretty slow on my machine (21fps when nothing happens on the screen, unplayable 9fps during battle scenes, 1024*768 @ normal detail settings except the shadows and water, they are on ultra high). So does NWN 2. Therefore I decided to buy a new graphics card.
First, this is my current system:
- AMD Athlon 64 3000+
- 1024 MB RAM
- Palit Geforce 6600 GT 128 MB PCIe
- Just 250 Watts Power Unit

The two GPUs I found here are the nVidia Geforce 7900 GS and the ATI Radeon X1900 GT, those are in a suitable price class for me.
Now I don't know which one is better and which manufacturer to choose. Also, I think that my 250 Watts power unit might screw things up, can anyone give advice please? Help is much appreciated.

 

[slashzapper]

well i would go for the x1900gt simply because ATI have really good drivers and also because it can do AA
+HDR

 

[prozac26]

None.

You will need a new power supply.

Anyway, X1900GT seems to be slightly ahead on the VGA Charts.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
Check it out for the games you play.

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

None.

You will need a new power supply.

Anyway, X1900GT seems to be slightly ahead on the VGA Charts.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
Check it out for the games you play.

Ok, I was already worried about the power supply. How much Watts do you suggest? 350?

Also, I found the X1950 Pro, which appears to be even better for just little extra money. For example the MSI RX1950PRO-T2D. Is that a good one or do you know a better manufacturer? Thanks

 

[HA_ZEE]

I tried the ATI website to get the minimum power requirement for this card but had difficulty finding it. This card will have a similar power requirement to my X1900XTX which as stated by the manufacturer is 26 amps on the 12v rail. Do not shop for a power supply just by looking at the wattage. MPILCHFAMILY (frequent poster in forums) has better information on which power supply would specifically suit your needs the best. You will probably end up with a power supply in the 400 to 450 watt range. Have fun.

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

I tried the ATI website to get the minimum power requirement for this card but had difficulty finding it. This card will have a similar power requirement to my X1900XTX which as stated by the manufacturer is 26 amps on the 12v rail. Do not shop for a power supply just by looking at the wattage. MPILCHFAMILY (frequent poster in forums) has better information on which power supply would specifically suit your needs the best. You will probably end up with a power supply in the 400 to 450 watt range. Have fun.

Ok, thank you for the information, a review I recently read said that 450 Watts were recommended for the MSI card.

 

[sirheck]

i see you are in germany, so i wont post any (newegg) links.

but what ever psu you get dont skimp on it.
try to get the best you can afford.

 

[Heyyou27]

A new powersupply and an X1900GT or X1950Pro.

 

[ryokinshin]

ati cards> nvidia no competition

msi is pretty gd and the x1950pro is amazing considering its a high end card at mid range prices

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

Thanks for the postings so far.

I will go for the MSI X1950 Pro then.
Can anyone tell me which power supply unit manufacturers to avoid and which ones are good? I don't know much about PSUs, my case already had one built in so I didn't have to worry about it - until now

 

[Rattlehead]

Thanks for the postings so far.

I will go for the MSI X1950 Pro then.
Can anyone tell me which power supply unit manufacturers to avoid and which ones are good? I don't know much about PSUs, my case already had one built in so I didn't have to worry about it - until now

Yes! I can actually help someone :lol:

PSU 101

Great info. The first 2 links will give you ranking in quality and the 3rd link will give more details, specs and prices ($US). Then there is a whole boat load of links at the bottom!

 

[madmurph]

Ok, I was already worried about the power supply. How much Watts do you suggest? 350?

I definitely agree with the ^^posters, and think you've made a wise choice with the X1950Pro.

Here's the answer to your other pressing question (which I've answered twice somewhere else on this forum, today, but glad to again):

suggest you use a 420 Watt PSU minimum, but better is always recommended especially if you keep SLI or Crossfire in mind as a future upgrade. When you buy a new PSU then look at the packaging and check the 12 volts rail for the amperage, 20 AMPS should be fine for a single card, 30 for Crossfire (in this segment). With the X1950 Pro in Crossfire I'd recommend a 520 Watts PSU though.

from this review:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/414/3/

PSU101 is ok, but this is easier, I think:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

While I'm sure other posters will have lots of PSU recommendations, here's a spread of price among some of the more popular:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103457

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151023

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

Thank you SO MUCH, you've made my day. Now comes the decision on a PSU...

I found one by Enermax for 79€ which has 20A on the 12V rail with 400 Watts and the 2nd one you posted (18A on the 12V rail, 485 Watts). Which one is better then? Is 18 to 20A a big difference? Sorry for being so stupid, I'm not good at physics... Thanks

 

[madmurph]

No such thing as "stupid," I like to think of it as "cautious." Besides, we all started in your spot at some point.

The diff between the two PSU's is the one you are looking at has two pci-e connectors, for adding in a second video card if you were to run SLI or Crossfire (which I doubt your motherboard will), and modular cabling. The one I posted only has one pci-e, and no modular cabling. Also, the 12v rail amps are combined, so yours has 20 + 20, for a total of 40amps - that's plenty; my rec. has 36amps. Either one will work fine for your situation, so go with price, availability in your area, looks(?), your gut feeling. Good luck; have fun!

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

No such thing as "stupid," I like to think of it as "cautious." Besides, we all started in your spot at some point.

The diff between the two PSU's is the one you are looking at has two pci-e connectors, for adding in a second video card if you were to run SLI or Crossfire (which I doubt your motherboard will), and modular cabling. The one I posted only has one pci-e, and no modular cabling. Also, the 12v rail amps are combined, so yours has 20 + 20, for a total of 40amps - that's plenty; my rec. has 36amps. Either one will work fine for your situation, so go with price, availability in your area, looks(?), your gut feeling. Good luck; have fun!

Ah, I'm beginning to understand. Both models have combined 12V but only one has SLI support which I am most likely not going to use. So one has 36A and 485 Watts, the other 40A and 400 Watts. These are the two models:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103457
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194002
Also, I will probably upgrade my CPU and Motherboard in the future, but I already checked that with this calculator, the desired upgrade will not change much about the Watts required.
There is only one last question: What about this modular cabling? What do I need this for? Thank you so much for helping me out

 

[madmurph]

Yep, those are the two I figured you were looking at.

Modular cabling helps eliminate extra unused cables, as you only plug the ones you need into the power supply. It's an aesthetic thing, to remove clutter, and keep the inside of your case tidy. If you get that style, be careful to make sure the cables are fully inserted. I dealt with one guy who thought his video card had failed, when it turned out to be a loose connection at the psu end of the connection. Clicked and fixed.

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

Aha, that is something I can do without... But anyway, I will probably choose the one with 400 Watts, just to be on the safe side with the 40 Ampere on the 12 Volts rail... It's available here for 60 bucks which sound ok to me while the other one with 485 Watts is 89 bucks... Too much for me, also it is barely available here. 400 Watts should get the job done.
So, there we have it, a MSI X1950 Pro and an Enermax 400 Watts PSU...
Thanks to everyone who helped me on this decision!

 

[madmurph]

Let us know how the end result turns out!

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

Yes, sure!

I just found out that both PSUs don't have a -5 Volt wire. Is that a problem? Where can I find out which components need such a wire? I know my Mobo doesn't but anyway, I don't want to buy stuff my PC is not compatible with.

 

[madmurph]

Not a concern. All your 4-pin molex plugs are +5v. You'll be fine.

 

[PhoenixRisinG]

Great! Again, thank you so much for helping me. You've made my day.