Should I upgrade to the x850 pro when..

[abdul10000]

Here is a link to the video card I am considering: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102606
but I have few question before I take the plung.

1. The main page says 4x/8x AGP, so that means it should work fine on my old Dell 4x motherboard?

2. Am I going to get good results from this card at 4x?

3. I am currently running the 9800pro 128mb I was thinking about swaping it with a used 9800xt, but the x850 pro can give way better fps, is that right?

4. With my 250W Dell powersupply am I going to run into any problems by installing this power hungry card?

5. Should I be looking at anyother card?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Geoff]

The main page says 4x/8x AGP, so that means it should work fine on my old Dell 4x motherboard?

Yes, it will work in a 4x slot.

Am I going to get good results from this card at 4x?

Yes you will still get good results, but they may not be as high if you ran it at full 8x.

I am currently running the 9800pro 128mb I was thinking about swaping it with a used 9800xt, but the x850 pro can give way better fps, is that right?

The x850PRO will give far superior performance in games, however it also depends on the CPU that you have.

With my 250W Dell powersupply am I going to run into any problems by installing this power hungry card?

I highly doubt it, since the x800/x850 series are very power hungry and also require an external power connector.

Should I be looking at anyother card?

What are the other specs of the computer?

 

[abdul10000]

Thank you very much for this super fast and informative reply! My computer is a P4 2.4ghz/512kb/400fsb with 1gb of pc800 Rdram. When I run COH's performance test at mid settings I get a lousy 20fps. When I drop all the settings I get 50fps. Therefore I arived to the conclusion that my video card is the weak spot.

I highly doubt it, since the x800/x850 series are very power hungry and also require an external power connector.

I am sorry I did not undersntad your answer. Are you saying I would NOT be able to run the x850pro with my 250W power supply? Thanks

 

[apj101]

The main page says 4x/8x AGP, so that means it should work fine on my old Dell 4x motherboard?

yes

Am I going to get good results from this card at 4x?

yes

3. I am currently running the 9800pro 128mb I was thinking about swaping it with a used 9800xt, but the x850 pro can give way better fps, is that right?

yes

With my 250W Dell powersupply am I going to run into any problems by installing this power hungry card?

a strong possibility

Should I be looking at anyother card?

the 7600gs is an option but i think the x850pro beats in out of the box... someone else can look that up for ya

edit: Well that will teach me for making a cup of tea mid post

 

[abdul10000]

a strong possibility


the 7600gs is an option but i think the x850pro beats in out of the box... someone else can look that up for ya

Thank you for replaying. I bet ATI recommends a 350w power supply, but I wonder if it matters that I only have 1 hard drive, 1 pci card (netwrok), and 1 dvd drive only. Hence, my computer is kind of stripped down.

Interestingly enough, I read somewhere that the 7600 GS isnt as power hungry as the x850pro. If thats true by a good margin then maybe I should I shift focus to that card. What do you think? Thanks

 

[abdul10000]

the 7600gs is an option but i think the x850pro beats in out of the box... someone else can look that up for ya

I just looked it up and yes the x850 looks much better. For example, the pixal fillrate on the x850 pro is 8Gp where as the 7600gs ofeers 4.8Gp. On the other hand the older 9800xt offers 3.3Gp, so the 7600gs is still better than my previous upgrade option. But the question of power supply remains, is the 7600gs less power hungry and if so is it enough run fine on a 250w power supply? anyone know?

 

[diduknowthat]

with the 7600GS, it's still a close cut, as dell powersupplies usually have crappy amps. You can always buy another powersupply, as i believe a few companies out there make special dell PSU's.

 

[HaGa11aZ]

you could even get more outta your 9800 by simply upgrading your mobo to 8x AGP. But if you upgrade, you might as well go PCI-E, since the X850XT is MUCH cheaper in the more state-of-the-art interface PCI-E than the AGP version. However, if you go this route, you are faced with the complications of finding a mobo that is compatible w/ your other components so that you don't have to upgrade all that shizz just go PCI-E.

...Also, what games are you looking to get the best outta?

 

[donjuan1jr]

you could even get more outta your 9800 by simply upgrading your mobo to 8x AGP. But if you upgrade, you might as well go PCI-E, since the X850XT is MUCH cheaper in the more state-of-the-art interface PCI-E than the AGP version. However, if you go this route, you are faced with the complications of finding a mobo that is compatible w/ your other components so that you don't have to upgrade all that shizz just go PCI-E.

...Also, what games are you looking to get the best outta?

read his original post man....first he has a dell=no upgrade mobo idea, plus maybe he/she doesnt have the cash to finance all that, maybe they just want a lil better grfx card for now.

 

[abdul10000]

you could even get more outta your 9800 by simply upgrading your mobo to 8x AGP. But if you upgrade, you might as well go PCI-E, since the X850XT is MUCH cheaper in the more state-of-the-art interface PCI-E than the AGP version. However, if you go this route, you are faced with the complications of finding a mobo that is compatible w/ your other components so that you don't have to upgrade all that shizz just go PCI-E.

...Also, what games are you looking to get the best outta?

I fear that option is not there, because I have RDRAM and there arent many mobo for that memory out there anymore. If I were to start upgrading I would just build a new computer as that would be easier and more rewarding. Afterall this computer served me for 5 years.

I have only one demanding game in sight and thats Company of Heros.

 

[abdul10000]

read his original post man....first he has a dell=no upgrade mobo idea, plus maybe he/she doesnt have the cash to finance all that, maybe they just want a lil better grfx card for now.

yes thats what I want for now exactly! and thats a he.

 

[HaGa11aZ]

Then that 4x would work fine. If you could find a mobo with 8x AGP that utilizes all your component interfaces, you'd be able to get more outta that card. That's what i did with one of my older computers-- got a new super cheap mobo for 8x AGP wherein i could still use all my other components.

 

[abdul10000]

Then that 4x would work fine. If you could find a mobo with 8x AGP that utilizes all your component interfaces, you'd be able to get more outta that card. That's what i did with one of my older computers-- got a new super cheap mobo for 8x AGP wherein i could still use all my other components.

Thats too much money because I would still have to add a power supply and then buy the video card. Beside where can I find a motherboard that uses RDRAM? I sereached before but never found anything beyond the usual stock dell mobo.

 

[HaGa11aZ]

then your only choice is the X850XT... with which, btw, you can't really go wrong

 

[diduknowthat]

Then that 4x would work fine. If you could find a mobo with 8x AGP that utilizes all your component interfaces, you'd be able to get more outta that card. That's what i did with one of my older computers-- got a new super cheap mobo for 8x AGP wherein i could still use all my other components.

you do realize that you cant upgrade old dell motherboards right?, they're pretty non standards. Atleast the one i had, i had to write the backboard apart trying to take the motherboard out. (i was gonna trash the comp anyways, so it didnt really matter)

 

[apj101]

you could even get more outta your 9800 by simply upgrading your mobo to 8x AGP.

there is hardly any practicle difference between x4 and x8

 

[Geoff]

there is hardly any practicle difference between x4 and x8

Especially on a lower end model, such as the 9800 series.

And to answer your previous question, I said that I doubt the x850PRO would work on your Dell PSU.

Also, since you have a P4 2.4, thats going to be a severe bottleneck, and the x850PRO may not be worth it for you. I previously had my x850XT PE and P4 2.2, and to tell you how much of a bottleneck the CPU was, I got around 20-40fps in Counter-Strike: Source, whether the graphics were on lowest or maxed out.

 

[abdul10000]

Also, since you have a P4 2.4, thats going to be a severe bottleneck, and the x850PRO may not be worth it for you. I previously had my x850XT PE and P4 2.2, and to tell you how much of a bottleneck the CPU was, I got around 20-40fps in Counter-Strike: Source, whether the graphics were on lowest or maxed out.

Thanks for the update. You bring an interesting point about the CPU. Here are my in game test results for Company of Heroes. With graphics set to middle and resolution to 1024x768 I get about 25fps. Once I drop the graphics to the lowest settings and resolution to 800x600 I get 50fps. Those figures point the blame on the video card if my understanding is correct.

Though, there may be a technical catch. The performance test in COH is a cut scene of paratroopers being dropped with lots of AA fire. Perhaps that test is more graphics intensive than long games that are loaded with units and buildings. Furthermore, the game is smooth in 1v1 at the medium graphics settings, but once I load a 2v2 game and especially in a big and detailed map it slows down. Do all of those things suggest that the processor is causing the slow performance?

 

[Geoff]

The 9800PRO is a pretty balanced card with that CPU, so perhaps going with an x700 or a low end x800 card would be a decent upgrade.

 

[abdul10000]

I am so happy to inform most of you that you were wrong!!! lol I bought x850 pro as a gift for my brother. Since I still have my old dell I thought why I don’t try it to see what it would do.

I installed the card and started testing, the results were awesome and computer never died out or freeze because of lack of power. In fact, I read in the dell forums that the peak power supply out put is more like 350W. That’s what most PS manufacturers use to advertise their power supplies. Dell on the other hand uses the average which in this case is 250W.

As for the results, Company of heroes @ medium settings used to run at 18fps. Now it runs at 36fps. That’s over double. 3dmark2003 score used to be around 5,000 now it’s 9,000+. So, I am glad to report that this upgrade is worth it and I recommend it based on my limited personal experience. Thanks for all the feedback guys!