Aaaargh X1800XT or X1900XT??

[Jimbo]

I have the money now, and I realise that dx10 cards are not far away but have decided to get either...

Connect3D ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-044-CO)

Price: £144.95 (£170.32 Including VAT at 17.5%)

or

MSI ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-060-MS)

Price: £215.00 (£252.63 Including VAT at 17.5%)

This card will be going probably in a Asus P5W DH Deluxe WiFi (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-152-AS)

with a 6600 conroe.

 

[dafloppyone]

lol im undecided also...heard the 1900xt is a lot more powerhungry than the 1800 though

 

[dale1uk]

I'd go for the x1900xt. DX10 cards are due by xmas but by the time dx10 games are out that card will have been overtaken. Just get the x1900 and keep it till dx10 games are mainstream then upgrade it then.

 

[Jimbo]

Yep Im gonna get the X1900XT and upgrade it some other time. I think I might need to buy a new psu though lol.

 

[dafloppyone]

what is recommended in general 500w?

 

[Jimbo]

Well I only have a 400watt sparkle at the mo, but I never had a pick of a problem with it though.

 

[dale1uk]

I think ati recommend about 30a on the 12v rail for the x1900's

 

[Jimbo]

how can I tell what it is now? I have mobo monitor 5 installed.

 

[Reality|Bites]

Get a Tagan 580W

 

[chaparral]

Well I only have a 400watt sparkle at the mo, but I never had a pick of a problem with it though.

You should be fine with your 400watt psu..I been running my x1900xt-x clocked at 690/800 for months now on my shuttle 350watt PSU.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

ive got both and the x1900xt is only a 10% increase over the x1800xt save £150 for your next upgrade

 

[Jimbo]

Cheers guys but I couldnt resist the - MSI ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-060-MS) £252.

Seems a good price for me. And cheers chapparal thats good news.

 

[dale1uk]

how can I tell what it is now? I have mobo monitor 5 installed.

To check your rails have a look on the sticker on the side of your psu itself. It will tell you what amps are on each rail. I'm sure your sparkle has 2 12v rails @18a but i'm not sure on if you can combine your rails to give one output or not.

I been running my x1900xt-x clocked at 690/800 for months now on my shuttle 350watt PSU..

Remember though, shuttle psu's punch well above their weight compared to normal ones.

 

[ihatelag]

I would say x1900XT is the better card to get, but if you want value for money the 1800XT is definately the way to go...at least until the next gen (dx10) cards are out.