X800 GTO vs X800 GTO?

[Hays1530]

Hi guys,
No...there is no error in the title. The story is i bought 2 of the same graphic card. The ATI X800 GTO PCI-E. One of them uses only the power provided in the PCI-Express slot and uses no other power cable of its own. The other card uses the slot AND a power cable that connects to TWO molex connectors.

I just wanted to know why this is and which i one i should use. Would this have a difference in performance or speed between the two cards?

Thanks for any help guys. Cheers...

 

[fatalfidelity]

Hmm, I don't know why that is, it could be two different manufacturers but I highly doubt it. Personally I think you shouldjJust use the one that requires the molex connectors just to be safe. You may or may not experience fluctuations in performance but I would think that the one that requires the power cable would perform better since it has sufficient power? I don't know, just logic to me, the best way to figure it out would be to test both of the graphic cards yourself since you've bought them both.

 

[slashzapper]

Can you tell us what brand is it like Sapphire etc

 

[NaDa]

It's the same thing. The extra molex connector could prove more worth it only if you are overclocking. Then again they could overclock the same.

 

[nottheking]

The actual original specs for the X800GTO do not call for an extra power connector, at least for the PCI-express version. It was based upon the R430 core, also used for the Radeon X800XL; it was a 110nm part, which consumed less power than the 130nm parts used for other models, from the X800pro to the X850XT PE.

However, since there were a total of 5 different chips made between the X800/X850 series, a lot of manufacturers didn't stick to just the R430, using other spare chips they had lying around. This was the case, for instance, of the Radeon X800GTO² made by Sapphire; spec-wise, it was the same as any other X800GTO, but it used the highest-end chip, the R480. (R481 for the AGP version) This spread a lot of speculation that with a simple BIOS flash, it could be converted into a full-fledged Radeon X850XT Platinum Edition, which was nearly twice as potent as the plain X800GTO. Success levels, as I understand, were mixed but favorable.

Obviously, since the specs for the 130nm chips called for an extra power connector, X800GTO versions that don't pack the R430 require an extra power connector, just like, for instance, an X800pro.

However, I don't recall any of them, even for the AGP version, requiring TWO power connectors... At any rate, if you don't have any specific overclocking plans, I'd go with either one; there should be no real difference. However, the design of the one with the extra power connectors suggests that it has more overclocking capability; the R430 was close to the very limit of what could be achieved with just the power from the PCI-express slot alone, plus the core wasn't really known for overclocking capability anyway.

 

[Lionhardt]

get the one with the connector

 

[blade85]

personally id go with the one with a connector just to be on the safe side.

 

[Xazax310]

So you bought two X800GTO's... FOR Crossfire? and seeing that you have PCI-E ummm why?

 

[nottheking]

So you bought two X800GTO's... FOR Crossfire? and seeing that you have PCI-E ummm why?

Perhaps they were building two machines, and in this case, the second one doesn't have anywhere near the same need for a potent graphics card?

 

[Hays1530]

okay...umm...no, i wasn't buildin two machines...after buying the first card there was a problem, so i went and bought another one. It turned out the problem was with the mobo and not the cards.

So now i'm left with a Radeon X800GTO requiring two molex power connectors and a XpertVision X800GTO requiring no power from molex connectors, and i have to take one back.

So...should i keep the one that needs the power?