A few questions about upgrading a couple of computers.

[GTD]

I have a couple of questions regarding upgrading a computer. It has a
SAPPHIRE 100177L Radeon X1950XTX 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express x16
CrossFire Supported VIVO Video Card - Retail video card, and I want to
add another and get crossfire (it's in a Lanparty UT icfx3200-t2r/g
mainboard). Do the manufacturer and the ram type (GDDR4 vs GDDR3) and
ram amount need to match? Thanks, Greg.

 

[First of One]

With newer drivers (Catalyst 6.11 and up), you can run any combination of
X1900/1950 XT/XTX cards in "software Crossfire mode", without the clunky
pass-thru monitor cable.

- Brandname doesn't matter.

- The two cards are allowed to have different memory quantities, but then a
reboot will be required every time you toggle Crossfire mode - a pain if you
run multiple monitors.

- Clock speed and RAM type can be different. Crossfire allows two cards to
run "asymmetrically". Depending on the rendering mode (split-frame,
alternate-frame, or SuperAA), overall performance may be limited by the
slower card out of the two.

Avoid this card, however:
http://www.gecube.com/products-detail.php?prod_id=65313
Even though it's billed as an X1950XT, it uses the newer PCB design for the
X1950Pro, and comes with internal Crossfire connectors. It may not jive
nicely with the ATi reference X1950XTX design like yours (which doesn't have
those connectors) in software Crossfire mode.

 

[GTD]

With newer drivers (Catalyst 6.11 and up), you can run any combination of
X1900/1950 XT/XTX cards in "software Crossfire mode", without the clunky
pass-thru monitor cable.

- Brandname doesn't matter.

- The two cards are allowed to have different memory quantities, but then a
reboot will be required every time you toggle Crossfire mode - a pain if you
run multiple monitors.

- Clock speed and RAM type can be different. Crossfire allows two cards to
run "asymmetrically". Depending on the rendering mode (split-frame,
alternate-frame, or SuperAA), overall performance may be limited by the
slower card out of the two.

Avoid this card, however:
http://www.gecube.com/products-detail.php?prod_id=65313
Even though it's billed as an X1950XT, it uses the newer PCB design for the
X1950Pro, and comes with internal Crossfire connectors. It may not jive
nicely with the ATi reference X1950XTX design like yours (which doesn't have
those connectors) in software Crossfire mode.

Thanks. Looking on Newegg, there are no x1950 xt or xtx in stock, are
they going to continue to make them, or have they stopped?
They do however have a few x1950pro 512 meg cards, how much performance
difference would there be between these crossfire setups:

x1950xtx & x1950xtx, both 512 meg
x1950xtx & x1950xt, both 512 meg
x1950xtx & x1950pro, both 512 meg

And for that matter, how much over a single x1950xtx? This is with an
intel E6400 cpu. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Greg

 

[First of One]

Thanks. Looking on Newegg, there are no x1950 xt or xtx in stock, are they
going to continue to make them, or have they stopped?

Like it or not, Crossfire upgraders are in the minority. For most users
looking to buy a single standalone video card, there is no sense in
purchasing the X1950XT/X, because it costs about the same as a GF 8800GTS
320 MB.

If Newegg no longer stocks the X1950XT/X, you can look on Pricegrabber or
Google Products. For example:
http://www.google.com/products?q=x1950xtx+512mb&hl=en&show=dd&scoring=p

They do however have a few x1950pro 512 meg cards, how much performance
difference would there be between these crossfire setups:

x1950xtx & x1950xtx, both 512 meg
x1950xtx & x1950xt, both 512 meg
x1950xtx & x1950pro, both 512 meg

The X1950 Pro cannot be used in conjunction with an X1950XT/X in Crossfire
mode (nor would you want to, since it's ~30% slower).

And for that matter, how much over a single x1950xtx? This is with an
intel E6400 cpu. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Greg

I saw improvements of up to 75% in Oblivion when I added a second X1900XT.
It allowed me to enable 4xAA and still maintain playable framerates,
bringing a noticeable improvement in image quality. Whether it's worth the
$290 cost of a second card is for you to decide.

The other option of course is to sell your X1950XTX, then pick up an 8800GTX
768 MB: as fast as two X1950XTXs in most situations, with fewer hassles.

 

[GTD]

Like it or not, Crossfire upgraders are in the minority. For most users
looking to buy a single standalone video card, there is no sense in
purchasing the X1950XT/X, because it costs about the same as a GF 8800GTS
320 MB.

If Newegg no longer stocks the X1950XT/X, you can look on Pricegrabber or
Google Products. For example:
http://www.google.com/products?q=x1950xtx+512mb&hl=en&show=dd&scoring=p


The X1950 Pro cannot be used in conjunction with an X1950XT/X in Crossfire
mode (nor would you want to, since it's ~30% slower).


I saw improvements of up to 75% in Oblivion when I added a second X1900XT.
It allowed me to enable 4xAA and still maintain playable framerates,
bringing a noticeable improvement in image quality. Whether it's worth the
$290 cost of a second card is for you to decide.

The other option of course is to sell your X1950XTX, then pick up an 8800GTX
768 MB: as fast as two X1950XTXs in most situations, with fewer hassles.

What's the deal with the "dongle"? I don't believe mine came with one, ,
is it necessary? I saw a review the there was a big performance gain
from using one. These will be used in a DFI Lanparty ICFX3200 T2R/G
mainboard. If it's not included, where can one be found? Thanks, Greg.

 

[First of One]

When the X1950 cards were first introduced, there was another SKU called the
Crossfire Edition, which was equal in specs to the X1950XTX, but had an
additional hardware compositing chip and a high-density connector on the
backplate. A thick dongle cable is used to connect the Crossfire Edition
card to the "normal" X1950XTX DVI port for data communication between the
cards.

A long time later, after AMD acquired ATi, the ability to run two X1950XTX
cards in "software" Crossfire mode was introduced.

Performance difference between the "dongled" setup with a Crossfire Edition
and the "software" setup with two identical X1950XTX cards, can be between 0
and 20% depending on the application. The Crossfire Edition costs quite a
bit more than the regular X1950XTX nowadays, if you can even find one
(froogle.com is your friend).