X1950XT upgrade to 4670 worth it?

[dna2243]

Hey all,
I currently have at Sapphire X1950XT and have always basically just played WoW. In the last week though, I started playing WAR. Now my card is running a little hot (stock cooler, new case, 2 fans etc) and I think it's just starting to show it's age. I am looking at

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161249

I am on a budget as my wife and I just welcomed our baby daughter into the world, so the last things she (my wife not the kid as she likes all the pretty colors! ) wants is me spending money on upgrading my comp right now.

At that pricepoint I think she won't have an issue. I do think she will have an issue with 150 and up though, so unfortunately going to a nicer card than the 4670 is not an option.

So my question is, is the upgrade really worth it? Will I see better performance?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate it.

 

[mactronix]

Ok so its running hot but is it giving you problems as far as playing the game goes ? Im assuming your running XP and so wont benefit from DX10 ?
Yes you would get a performance boost but you may want to look at this from another forum.
http://forum.micromart.co.uk/Topic263519-19-1.aspx
I was struggling along with a X1650XT when we covered this and it increased my performance by about 20%
The Author uses a 1950 pro
Mactronix
Ps Any questions just repost or feel free to PM me

 

[emp]

Answering your question, yes the performance increase should be very noticeable. However if you can stretch your budget a little bit more ($110), it would be worth it:

PNY VCG88512GXEB-FLB GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133232

Either way you're still getting a nice boost.

 

[Shadow703793]

^+1.

 

[orangegator]

Get this. EVGA 9600GSO $50AR+FS. It's cheaper, faster, overclocks great, and comes with a free 2gb flash drive. I have this card and love it.

 

[dagger]

Get this. EVGA 9600GSO $50AR+FS. It's cheaper, faster, overclocks great, and comes with a free 2gb flash drive. I have this card and love it.

+1

As for "faster," at stock, the performance increase over 4670 is very small, and not normally noticeable. See chart, average performance across large number of games on different resolutions and aa/af settings.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_4670/26.html

Still, it's cheaper and overclocks better, not to mention free usb drive plus free shipping, while you have to pay $8.25 extra for 4670's shipping.

 

[pauldh]

Get this. EVGA 9600GSO $50AR+FS. It's cheaper, faster, overclocks great, and comes with a free 2gb flash drive. I have this card and love it.

That's such a great deal for anyone willing to do the rebate hassle. From my past experiences, evga has been very good on their rebates. I jumped at this card too and it came last week (same price AR but no thumb drive). The lifetime warranty(edit: I just checked my box. Unlike the 9600GT and 8800GS, this 9600GSO has a 2 year warranty not a lifetime warranty), trade up option, and non reference cooler are all bonuses.



I guess how much benefit he would get from it depends on his system specs, games he plays, resolution, willingness to OC, and whether his X1950XT is the 256MB or 512MB version. I have a 256MB iceQ X1950XT and for sure the 8800GS/9600GSO is a step up in most games. I could see a 512MB X1950XT possibly beating a stock clocked 9600GSO at some 16x12 AA or 1920x1200 gaming. Tough call, but the 9600GSO price sure is right. Of course, an HD4850 would be a true leap up though if that were an option.

 

[dna2243]

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate the info.

System Spec:
C2D E6300
4GB RAM
120GB ESata Drive
Sapphire X1950xt 256 GDDR3 stock cooling/No OC
I am running Vista 32
Viewsonic N3250W (1360x768) HDMI to DVI connected

My system is showing it's age, but honestly, all I play is WoW and WAR so I am not exactly pushing the envelope games wise. I know that 1360x768 isn't the best resolution or anything, but the 3250 is a 32" monitor and the resolution doesn't bug me (I know it's not for everyone)

Again, I appreciate the info, and am going to start looking into the links provided. I guess my fear is that the 1950 is running too hot and will burn up.

 

[pauldh]

How hot is it? Any artifacts or crashes? Is the fan all clogged up with dust?

You may want to just think about manually controlling the X1950XT fan speed. Or add to your case cooling having fresh air forced toward the card. Or add another rear slot exhaust to pull more air that direction. All cheaper options if your concern is temps.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=slot+cooler

 

[dna2243]

sorry, I thought I put the temps in the first post.

70F idle / 91F while playing
I have a Lian-Li PCA05B case with two 120mm fans, so I don't think case heat is an issue. No crashing, no artifacting. Fan isn't GPU Fan isn't dirty either. Am I just being paranoid?

Thanks

 

[pauldh]

70 idle and 91 degrees load is not all that out of line for a X1950XT at auto fan settings. I consider 85-90 to be the normal load temps for it. Some folks report hitting 100 degrees which to me is hot for an X19xx series. The problem with those stock coolers is the balance of cooling vs. noise. You could lower your temps by running the fan at a high RPM instead of using the auto settings. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it if it were me as the temps seem safe to me. And even if you were to ever fry it, then buy a new card. Summer months are often tough as ambient rooms temps are higher. If noise isn't a concern (doubtful with your nice case you like noise though) then bump up the fan speed. The hot GPU air is being forced out of your case, so again, IMO game on and don't sweat it.

 

[dna2243]

Thanks all, I did the tweaks that Mac suggested after hearing that I was running at an acceptable temp, but I broke down this morning and bought the 9600 GSO. At basically $50 after the MIB it's hard to pass up. If I played higher end games, I would have thought about it a little more, but only playing WoW and WAR... it's a no brainer.

Also, if anyone is looking at this card, the MIB expires 9/30.

 

[mactronix]

How did the tweaks work for you ? It is a lot of fiddling but I and several dozen others found it very worthwhile. For $50 anyone in their right mind would have gotten the new card, enjoy your gaming
Mactronix

 

[metalweenis]

I'd just go for an 8800GT, you can get one for 99$ where I'm at.

 

[dna2243]

the tweaks worked out well actually, frame rate is holding ok, and everything looks alright, but when the wife says it's cool to spend money when I have a 3 month old baby you gotta jump on it. Besides, I am gonna sell the 1950 to a buddy for prob 30-50 bucks... so the upgrade is basically free

 

[mactronix]

Couldnt agree more

Mactronix