Looking to upgrade your AGP setup? Read on...

[Paul_in_NC]

For all those ATI users who are looking to get more life out of their AGP
systemboards...

Best Agp Card For ~$140

Radeon X850 PRO

Codename: R530, 90 nanometer technology
12 Pixel Shaders, Six Vertex Shaders, 12 Texture Units, 12 Raster Operations
Processors
256 bit memory bus
520 MHz core, 540-MHz DDR (1400 MHz effective) Memory

The old X850 PRO has resurfaced in AGP circles, and delivers very, very
respectable performance for the older interface. The 7600 GS and X1650 PRO
cannot really compete with the raw power of the X850 PRO.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/31/the_best_video_cards_for_your_money/page4.html



Of course, there are persons here who would suggest that you not upgrade the
video card, but instead upgrade to a newer system board that uses PCIe based
video. I would agree with that line of thinking as well. This information is
here as an FYI.

Paul

 

[Fidelis K]

I have an X850 Pro in my old system. The CPU is a P4 2.8GHz but Sturmovik
(my favorite game) runs pretty well at 1680x1050 with the high graphic
detail setting. Now, I cannot wait for the completition of my new Dual 2
Core system and run it at 1920x1200.

 

[William]

For all those ATI users who are looking to get more life out of their AGP
systemboards...

Best Agp Card For ~$140

Radeon X850 PRO

Codename: R530, 90 nanometer technology
12 Pixel Shaders, Six Vertex Shaders, 12 Texture Units, 12 Raster
Operations Processors
256 bit memory bus
520 MHz core, 540-MHz DDR (1400 MHz effective) Memory

The old X850 PRO has resurfaced in AGP circles, and delivers very, very
respectable performance for the older interface. The 7600 GS and X1650 PRO
cannot really compete with the raw power of the X850 PRO.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/31/the_best_video_cards_for_your_money/page4.html



Of course, there are persons here who would suggest that you not upgrade
the video card, but instead upgrade to a newer system board that uses PCIe
based video. I would agree with that line of thinking as well. This
information is here as an FYI.

Paul

Yah, I caught that review on Tom's too. One, maybe two more days and the
850 is out and the new mobo-cup-ram-vid is in.

Then I will have an old ASUS K8VSE Delux, 1gig ram, X850 Pro, Antec 380wt ps
laying around collecting dust. I still have an old 9800Pro from last year
collecting dust. Maybe I'll cast them in plastic and give them out as
Christmas presents. They're pretty in the light.

I wonder what drivers come with the new x1950pro I am getting. I think I
will skip installing the new Cat 6.10 driver I downloaded today and wait for
the new system before installing.

William

 

[BD]

For all those ATI users who are looking to get more life out of their AGP
systemboards...

Best Agp Card For ~$140

Radeon X850 PRO

I just got this card a few months back, to replace a 9800Pro. And just
today I learned that it won't support the new Splinter Cell because it
doesn't support Shaders v3. GRRR!

So now I have to decide whether to flip the 850 for a 1650Pro AGP, or
just wait until I redo my whole machine with PCIe.

Anyone know whether the 1650Pro is visibly faster than the 850Pro? The
core and RAM speeds are certainly faster in the specs...

Cheers,

BD

 

[William]

I just got this card a few months back, to replace a 9800Pro. And just
today I learned that it won't support the new Splinter Cell because it
doesn't support Shaders v3. GRRR!

So now I have to decide whether to flip the 850 for a 1650Pro AGP, or
just wait until I redo my whole machine with PCIe.

Anyone know whether the 1650Pro is visibly faster than the 850Pro? The
core and RAM speeds are certainly faster in the specs...

ATI is supposed to come out with a x1950pro for AGP in the next few months.
And for around $200.00. I would definitely go with that one. Once out, it
will rule-the-roust, be king-of-the-hill, top-dog, for agp.

<Begin technical garbage> Though the 1650pro is faster than the 850pro, the
AGP version is slower than its sister pci-e version due to having to use a
translation gateway to go from native pci-e to agp interface. I suspect the
1950pro for agp will be the same. <End technical garbage>

William

 

[Villain]

I just got this card a few months back, to replace a 9800Pro. And just
today I learned that it won't support the new Splinter Cell because it
doesn't support Shaders v3. GRRR!

So now I have to decide whether to flip the 850 for a 1650Pro AGP, or
just wait until I redo my whole machine with PCIe.

Anyone know whether the 1650Pro is visibly faster than the 850Pro? The
core and RAM speeds are certainly faster in the specs...

Cheers,

BD

Don't most games give you the option to use or not use v3 shaders? or
will Double Agent require it? IIRC, in Chaos Theory it was an option.

Villain

 

[BD]

Don't most games give you the option to use or not use v3 shaders? or
will Double Agent require it? IIRC, in Chaos Theory it was an option.

Pretty sure it's a requirement in this case...