x1950PRO or 8600GTS ?

[adomolis]

Hi,

I'm buying a new PC, and dunno which to choose, x1950pro or 8600GTS. 1950 wins over 8600 in a few frames and is a few bucks cheaper, but 8600 has dx10.
I used to have x700pro, and i dont want to have problems which i had with it earlier, as it supports only sm2, i couldnt play any sm3-only games... i just hope sm4-only games will not come out too soon. Also i had some hardware problems with my ATI, so now i'm thinking on going back to nVidia... so now i dont know what to choose! Any advice?

 

[Maziar]

x1950pro FTW , dont worry about DX10

1_It will take 1-2 or even more years for games to be fully DX10 optimized

2_The difference between DX9 and DX10 isnt much in todays game

 

[Guest]

8600GTS is a dog in games compared to the 1950pro

 

[Gryphyn]

I agree, I just spec'd a 1950pro for a friend over the 8600.

 

[onestar]

I suspect it really depends on what you will be doing. The gts is all over the 1950 in some games, worse in others.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=707&model2=725&chart=300

 

[spuddyt]

yup, and if you are into HD movies a bit, then 8600 demolishes the 1950 but still fails in terms of performance

 

[Rabidpeanut]

the 8600 is so incredibly bad, why do people even think about buying that thing.

 

[NightlySputnik]

Go with the X1950Pro. It's faster then the 8600 and the later won't be nearly powerful enough to play Dx10 titles anyway. Present Dx10 titles are already putting the ultra-powerful 8800GTX on their knees, so imagine what next gen titles will do to a lonely 8600.

Just put aside whatever you save by purchassing the X1950Pro aside and get a next gen Dx10 card in 12-18 months from now.

My 2cents.

 

[emp]

the 8600 is so incredibly bad, why do people even think about buying that thing.

Amen brother! You speak the truth and only the truth.

 

[Ultra_Immortal]

Talk about weirdness.
When I read this post, to me it seemed as if I had posted it.

I was coming here to ask about the 8600GTS and the X1950Pro.
The most weird thing about this all, is that I am currently on an X700 myself, and am looking to upgrade.

Now everywhere I have read, people say that the X1950 is better than the 8600GTS.
I am cool with that, but the thing that bugs me is, that the 8600GTS has higher clock speeds than the X1950.
I thought the Clock Speeds of a GFX card was self-explanatory.

So my question is:
How do you tell how good a graphics card is without seeing benchmark results? Is that even possible?

Please don't flame me if I should already know this, which I don't.

 

[spotless]

how does 8600GT perform in XP? / direct x 9?, is it better then 1950pro?

 

[Maziar]

it performs weak in both XP and VISTA compared to X1950PRO

 

[emp]

Talk about weirdness.
When I read this post, to me it seemed as if I had posted it.

I was coming here to ask about the 8600GTS and the X1950Pro.
The most weird thing about this all, is that I am currently on an X700 myself, and am looking to upgrade.

Now everywhere I have read, people say that the X1950 is better than the 8600GTS.
I am cool with that, but the thing that bugs me is, that the 8600GTS has higher clock speeds than the X1950.
I thought the Clock Speeds of a GFX card was self-explanatory.

So my question is:
How do you tell how good a graphics card is without seeing benchmark results? Is that even possible?

Please don't flame me if I should already know this, which I don't.

Don't worry that's a common misconception, what you need to take in consideration is that they are based on completely different architectures, which is what matters most. The X1950 Pro runs on the RV570 GPU, while the 8600GT and 8600GTS run on the G84 GPU.

If you want to see how little clock speeds actually matter, the 8600GTS has a 675Mhz core (using the G84 GPU) vs the 8800GTS's G80 core running "only" at 500Mhz, but the 8600GTS will still get horrible (And I mean HORRIBLE) results against the 8800GTS any day. So to answer your question, what truly matters is the architecture, which can only truly shine with good drivers on benchmarks.

 

[Ultra_Immortal]

OK, I got that. Thanks for pointing that out "Emp."

By The Way, is it a bad idea to buy the Ati or Nvidia GFX Cards from China?

 

[WR2]

When the price of the 8600GTS was around $220 and the 1950Pro around $150 the question was a lot easier. Now you can get either card for about $130.
Size matters. What resolution do you use? 1280x1024 or 1600x1200? Using AA/AF? Depending on those answers and the actual games you play you could go either way. The 1950Pro does not blow the 8600GTS out of the water.

Do your homework. Research the games you want to play. Be sure to check if the benchmarks show the gaming resolutions and AA/AF setting you prefer to use. Then check prices too.
(charts from review @ Xbit Labs 16 total games benchmarks plus synthetic benchmarks)

 

[Ultra_Immortal]

Thanks "WR2", that actually shed light on my situation.
By The Way, where do you recommend I should buy the GFX Card from?

 

[nevasumma]

the 8600 is so incredibly bad, why do people even think about buying that thing.

WORD.

 

[Ultra_Immortal]

Is this a Good Card?
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/VGA/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2291
I was reading about it, and apparently it is, but is it?

 

[accu]

most people think of 8600 as "gt" while "gts" is a more powerful and imho is the better buy than x1950pro.

 

[WR2]

One good source is NewEgg.com 1950 Pro & 8600GTS cards where you can compare cards side by side.
Without knowing where you are its hard to suggest the "best" source since things like taxes, shipping and rebates can also come into play. Be sure to check the length of the warranty. EVGA and XFX have lifetime warranties.
I hope you already know about the "sticky rebate" issue - its not as easy to get the rebate as its to get the card. So pay attention to what you pay upfront. And then follow the rebate procedures VERY carefully.
Once you find a card you like you can use some of the price checking engines to look for better deals.
www.pricegrabber.com searing for MSI OC'd 8600GTS

 

[Ultra_Immortal]

OK. So what card would be just above the 8600GTS and the X1950Pro?

 

[kpo6969]

The upcomming 8800GT.

 

[randomizer]

The upcomming 8800GT.

Supposedly.

Thanks WR2 for being one of the only people who actually do research before bashing hardware.

 

[WR2]

To be fair I was one of those suggesting X1950Pro or 7900GS over the 8600GTS six months ago.

Back then the GTS were going for $225~$235 and the price/performance was in favor of the $160 1950Pro/7900GS.
8600GTS prices have dropped below $150 and the performance has improved a bit. And so the price/performance has shifted around in favor of the DX10 card just in time for the new DX10 games.

Right now I'd put the 8800GTS & ATI 2900Pro above the 8600GTS/1950Pro. Also in DX9 only cards the 7950GT and the X1900XT but the prices are too close to the 8800GTS/2900Pro to be a good price/performance value.

Im just guessing but I'd say the 8800GT will fall in around the $225
price point or halfway between a 8600GTS and a 8800GTS. Looks like
stiff competition for the ATI 2900Pro. We should know in just a few weeks.

 

[randomizer]

Yea, six months ago the 8600GTS was useless, same as the 2900XT. Times change.