Radeon X1950 Pro AGP

Update:


So far the card is very stable. I ran it though some 3dmarks:
(Default speed)
2001- 28,031
2003- 14,649
2005- 9,654

like I said very stable so far. I also ran the nature loop off 2001 @ 2048x1536 32bit @ 6xAA the highest O/C I could get for the core was 640ish and 756mhz (1512mhz)on the nose. I settled on using Overdrive (621/756) the highest temps with the new cooling was 52c lowest is 35c.

I'll loops 3d demos all night to make sure its stable. then in a few days I'll use arctic silver adhesive on the VRM's that tape stuff isn't that good.

 

Why do you think your pc is bad !!
I think it's OK for now..
Don't let these guys put you down just cause you have a "barton" core
Mine runs good ,, Maybe you need to do some overclocking..
But if you read all the posts,, you will see that you are wasting your money on a x1950pro agp , Its been said many times with a pc like yours (and mine) it will BOTTLE NECK the card ,,,
I think $300 plus dollars is best spent else were ...

SO IM TOLD !!!

 

Well, I notice that the Gecube/Visiontek PCB is the one bought directly from ATi while Sapphire's isn't, which prompts the question: are we sure Sapphire is the one using the reference design? Unfortunately I don't own a 1950 Pro and I could not find a picture or schematics of the elusive made-by-ATi Radeon X1950 Pro for comparison purposes. However, knowing that Asus always uses the reference design with regards to PCB layout I dug up this:

http://www.elitebastards.com/hanners/asus/x1950pro/images/board_front.jpg

For those who aren't aware of this, ATi does not allow its partners to procure red PCB's from anybody else than ATi Technologies itself *except* for Asus because Asus, through one of its subsidiaries, is ATi's PCB supplier.

Anyway the picture of the Asus 1950 Pro with its beefy 2-slot cooler appears to confirm that Gecube and Visiontek, while using the original PCB, have modded the layout. Presumably this has been done to deal with heat issues without having to use a larger cooler like Asus did, thus avoiding added costs.

So to answer your question I'd say that in my humble opinion the Visiontek/Gecube approach is clever but I have no idea if it works or not, I guess a comparative review by people far more knowledgeable than I am would be your best bet.

 

I can tell you for sure that the Visiontek has two big copper heatsinks,
For the life of me I can not see why anyone having an overheating problem..

 

Don't hold your breath. On the brighter side, if I recall well the 8x bug only had to do with reported mode, not actual mode. Motherboards built in the last 5-7 years all have auto AGP mode that adjusts itself to the card without user intervention but those with the bios bug kept reporting 4x even when they were running in 8x mode.

 

:cheers: Thanks for your input anyway Karl2 and thanks, I wasn't aware of the "red" PCB arrangement ATI has with it's partners. Have you seen this pic of the Powercolor (Red PCB) with Heatsink removed.....

http://www.firingsquad.com/media/article_image.asp/2074/09

I think this is as close as we are going to get to the Reference Design. Although they do use heatspreaders on the VRMs rather than the stock heatsink and depend on the accelero 2 fan to do most of the cooling.

 

Congrats! :cheers: On your new card lognoronon and you're quite right. It'll definitely be a nice upgrade. I think every graphics card I've owned in the last 7 years has been bottle-necked by my processor. That still doesn't mean you won't see a very nice performance increase whether it be eye-candy or fps. You also have realistic expectations, so I think you'll be more than pleased. Good luck and once you have the card in let us know how it goes.

 

Lol 300+ dollars, www.newegg.com

 

Whats is your point ??
What are you trying to say ??
You may not see things the way I see things..
But that does not make me wrong...
But you telling me not to say anything...
Is wrong on your part ,, SIR