X1950XT or 8600GTS

I'm sorry if this question repeats other threads; I've looked around and couldn't see a definitive answer.
My choices:
Connect3D Radeon X1950XT (£147)
BFG 8600GTS OC 256MB (£141)

The X1950XT apparently runs better on DX9 games, but then the 8600 runs DX10 for the future.

I'm leaning towards the BFG card (Link) as it's overclocked already and looks like good value.

I have seen disapointing reviews of the 8600, so am not 100% convinced.

I'm looking at this for a gaming upgrade for Oblivion, NWN2, BF2142, etc (My Hardware Thread)

Any thoughts / advice?

1950xt

1950XT all the way.

The 8600gts can't even keep up with the x1950Pro let alone the XT. The XT just blows it clean out of the water. Unless you are looking for COMPLETE DX10 compatibility right now, which is not needed, get the dang ATI card. Nvidia has the high end of the market right now but ATI still has the mid range cards.

Just look through this article:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2975

X1950XT.

I have the X1950XT. It runs Neverwinter Nights 2 perfectly on my Viewsonic 22" Widescreen at 1680x1050 resolution with all of the eye-candy on.

DX10 games aren't even available and when they do get here later this year, in my humble opinion, only the high end cards will run them sufficiently well. Getting a DX10 game is about eye-candy and why bother running a DX10 game on low resolution because of an insufficient video card.

One question would be: Will it be better to run DX9 at high resolution or DX10 at low resolution? My guess would be to run DX9 at high resolution.

I agree with the majority. Get the X1950XT.

Thank you everyone!

I wasn't expecting such a resounding vote for the ATI card. I'm guessing that if my budget stretched to a 8800, things may have been different, but as it is I'll be going for the X1950XT (and then look to upgrade to a 8800 in a year or so when they've come down to £50 )

Thanks !

Brand agnostic in these things. If you can swing a GF8800GTS-320 for only a small bit more, then definitely go that route.

Of those you found the X1950XT is the better deal.
And that's going to be the problem for the GF8600s until they can prove whether or not they can play DX10 titles with the effects turned on at reasonable framerates.

x1950xt for the best bang for the buck or wait for ati's mid range to come out.

Thats what i was gonna say.

My vote goes to the 256MB x1950xt.
512MB would cost a bit more but why consider it if the 8800GTS is only 20 bucks more than it?

1950XT... cos i gots 1

Usually any NV card with x7xx or lower ends up being less that ideal for gaming. The x8xx and x9xx cards are obviously the good ones.

So even tough ur getting an 8 series dx10 card, it will be 'of the gay'

Using my NV multiplier trick...

Eg: 7900 vs 8600

7900 = 7x9= 63
8600 = 8x6= 48

7900 wins

Yah yah, i know its not SUPER accurate, the 8 series being so much better than the 7 has thrown it out a bit. But it can be helpful.

BTW... when will we see some THG benchies? AAAND what happened to the price/performance graphs?

I find this thread interesting for a couple of reasons:

I'm shopping for a video card for a HTPC I will build. I am wondering what to choose of these:
1) Nvidia 7900 or 7950
2) ATI X1950XT

I would like the option of HD (High Definition) so that is why I'm looking at the higher range of video cards.

3) I would like the option of installing a Linux distro and virtually all distros are quite picky about the video cards that are used.

Of the video cards I listed above, are any of the cards workable in linux? Does anyone know? I will research but if anyone knows offhand, that would be great. I would just like the option and to make things a little easier if I have a linux distro on a partition. It's not essential but depending on how the video card works in video recording/encoding (etc.) and in linux, that could be a deciding factor if prices and performance are relatively close.

exactly! not to mention the 8600 is predicted not to even handle dx10 all that well if at all playable... really with idda got the 1950xt stead of my 7900GT aghh different marketplace then...

I think hes got the point here.. So yeah, no many post hes prolly already bought it lol

Get the x1950 much better card no comparison 8)


i own a 8800 it will cream both of em

Actually, saphire has a 512mb version for just a tad more than their regular one, it's just $30 after a small mir. Right now I'm having a tough time deciding between getting saphire's 512mb one or HIS tech's better cooled turbo card for myself

Ugh... that would have been depressing.

whoa whoa.. I hope that is a joke.. did he really get that one?

That's cool, so are you going for the 512mb or the 256mb?

Meh to beating the 7900gs, the x1950gt can do that. And bah, the performance of the gts doesn't compare to the cheaper x1950xt. Either you wait for the hd 2600xt, which is supposed to debute in like a few weeks anyways since that's the r600's release date and they delayed everything for a full dx10 launch, that hopefully can beat out the 8600gts since ati usually does beat nvidia at the lower end, but just barely beat them at the top end or tie but with better prices (except for anything of the geforce 7 line up not including the dual card setup compared to the x1950xt, that card killed nvidia price and performance wise)

okay, well, i guess 43 watts doesn't cut it for you (8600GT)



Not sure where you get the fact that 7600GT has more performance per watt, but I owned a 7600GT before my 7900GS and this 8600GT (XFX xxx edition 625mhz stock oc @ 710 ) beats both hands down

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub [...] 1kfg&gid=1
compared to all those, id say that it wins watt/performance

Although if that table is correct the 8600GTS sucks in terms of power consumption, although they list it as the G80 core, which is not correct lol.

hopefully, but the thing that worries me is that ati themselves confirmed the r600xt can't compete with the 8800gtx.


btw, where have you been sirheck?

one more vote for the X1950 XT (a little late tho, lol). OP hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoy mine. 8)