Replaced X1800XT with 7950GX2..the results...WOW!

[Mongo]

X1800XT: 3DMark05: 9184 (38.2,28.0,46.3)
7950GX2: 3DMark05: 11513 (41.1, 32.9, 72.1)

X1800XT: 3DMark06: 4486 (1830, 1798, 1692)
7950GX2: 3DMark06: 7378 (3443, 3401, 1659)

ATI Driver: Catalyst 6.8
Nvidia Driver: 91.47
Ran graphics cards stock w/o overclocking for these tests.
Motherboard: Abit Fatal1ty A8N-Sli (Not on the 7950 compatability list)
CPU: Athlon X2 4400+ Socket 939
2GB Corsair Memory
700 Watt OCZ Gamestream

Noticeable improvement when playing Call Of Duty 2, Half Life 2, and Age of Empires 3. Half Life 2: Lost Coast with the 7950 is incredible.....especially when walking through water.

 

[zekrahminator]

I'm glad you like it, though must of us can afford neither card .

 

[stealthfighter]

Hell I can't even afford 20$
Man I need to turn 16 to get a job

 

[internal]

Hey how does that HDR and AA work in oblivion?

j/k that 7950gx2 is a pretty cool card and probably has enough power to turn that fp16 hdr into the kind of hdr you see in the source engine without any hit. There is fakehdr patches for games like Oblivion that use the type of HDR that doesn't allow AA and HDR at the same time.

If the game makers support it they could put different HDR options in the games.

One thing I found interesting in a current benchmark was the fact that the 7950 is for sure not as fast as 7900gtx's in SLI. It's almost a 1/3 less then SLI'd 7900gtx's in same games.

 

[Ketxxx]

you still have that x1800xt?

 

[HeavyH20]

I saw some of those same articles about the 7900 GTX SLI versus a single 7950 GX2. To be fair, the 7950GX2 is really two 7900 GT cards making a nice card sandwich. So, it is kind of like comparing 7900 GT SLI to 7900 GTX SLI. The latter will be faster, but not by much. Ihave had both (all four really), and with my 7950 at 580/800 for 24 x 7 operations, it is a tad slower than the 7900 GTX SC SLI setup I used prior, but the difference is a lot smaller than the test results I have seen published. Personally, I find a lot of results biased. I know, from first hand experience, that a single 7900 GTX easily gets walked by a 7950 GX2, yet results show single card results faster in some games. True, there may be no SLI profile for particular games, but the games they mention seem to be mainstream and do have profiles. Not sure what is up, but I have found a lot reviews to be pure butkis. But, what do I know

 

[magibeg]

Yea the 7950 is certainly a beast of a card(s?). You'll have to overclock it and show us some new benchies on it too . And what did happen to your x1800xt

 

[largon]

Mongo,
You aware your GPU is starving for a X2 4400+ can't feed it fast enough?


Faster CPU would allow 1000 points more in 3DM06.

 

[Tatty_Two]

I have seen some 512MB 1800xt's get near that GX2 score in 2005, like over 11000! coupled with the right CPU and some serious cooling and tweaking.

 

[trog100]

"Faster CPU would allow 1000 points more in 3DM06"

it would in 2005 as well.. but neither benchmark is indicative of real life game performance..

2006 never has been and now 2005 scores are up where they are its lost the plot as well.. its cpu/system bottlenecked at anything above 8000 or so..

upping the resolution in 2005 to bring the scores down to around the 5 or 6 thousand mark would be high end real life.. then it would be a good gaming performance test just like it used to be..

sad but there aint a good single gaming performance benchmark out there any more..

course there are 2005 cracks about.. he he he.. i recon 1600 x 1200 would bring it back to real life.. he he

trog

ps.. nope.. just tried 2005 at 1600 x 1200.. i still got well over 10,000 points so its still cpu/system bottlenecked even at that resolution.. real life games are pretty much always gpu bottlenecked..

 

[Mongo]

The x1800xt is alive and well in my slower gaming rig (at my office).

The next wad of dough I want to blow will be spent on a Conroe cpu, and new motherboard.

Will try o/c the 7950 and will report back.

 

[cjoyce1980]

should of got a X1950XTX, it makes your 7950 look silly

 

[Pinchy]

ive read that the 7950 is the same as the x1950xtx at low resolutions and at higher resolutions, the 7950 kills it (thanks to the 2 cores on 1 card). it is only when you crossfire x1950's u get serious ass kicking

 

[Mongo]

link to 1950xtx vs 7950GX2
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-x1950xtx_20.html

 

[Pinchy]

yea, but i reckon thats not fair....when you think about it, the 7950 is basically two cards, and even needs sli to run it

...what is a fair test is a 7950 vs 2 x1950's

 

[Tatty_Two]

personally do not think the GX2 is worth the cash for the performance, I cannot speak for "real world" gaming situations but I'll tell you this much, a 1900XTX is clocking near 13000 in 3D Mark 2005, is much cheaper and in my eyes much better bang for buck, but thats just my opinion of course.

 

[Agility]

personally do not think the GX2 is worth the cash for the performance, I cannot speak for "real world" gaming situations but I'll tell you this much, a 1900XTX is clocking near 13000 in 3D Mark 2005, is much cheaper and in my eyes much better bang for buck, but thats just my opinion of course.

I agree. I would rather go for 1 + 1 chip that really makes full use rather then a 2 + 2 chips that looks like a 2 + 0 or 1 + 1 chip. Which is more worth? 1 + 1 cheaper or a 2 + 2?

Need a legend?

Legend: 2 + 2 = 7950GX2 + 7950GX2
1 + 1 = 1950XTX + 1950XTX

 

[Azn Tr14dZ]

That legend really helped a lot.

I would also go for either a single X1900/X1950XTX, but he's happy with it, and that's all that matters.

 

[nocrapman]

Lucky you...

Hell I can't even afford 20$
Man I need to turn 16 to get a job

I am on the other side of getting a job and buying all the gadgets you u want. I am also paying most of what I earn to visa/mc/discover. Its a trap. There's always a better card/processor/mb/hd out there... and there are always hungry new games. The ironic part is, I am having to work so much to keep paying for my expensive hobbies, I actually find very little time to indulge in them. Cant remember the last time I played Halo 2. Enjoy it while you can...

 

[cjoyce1980]

link to 1950xtx vs 7950GX2
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-x1950xtx_20.html

all this link shows that what it takes nVidia to do with 2 cores, ATI can all most do with one.

 

[_33]

Well, again it comes down to this ATI vs Nvidia battle, and of course Largon had to drop his ounce of Conroe excuses. It's getting down to this cat fighting all the time and it really points nowhere...

You want top framerates + better looking shadows + faster HDR, go Nvidia
You want better overall IQ + faster FSAA + faster ANISO, go ATI

You want fastest memory, highest clocked GPU, go ATI.
You want more silent HSF, go Nvidia (except X1950 series and next gen ATI)

Reason Nvidia is most often faster than ATI at equal GPU clock is generally because Nvidia is FP16 precision most of the time (developers don't use FP32, it's big waste of bandwidth and adds very little to the overall graphics. ATI are 100% all the time FP24. Bottom line, ATI will generally have a more precise and finer image because of this higher precision (compared to FP16). Microsoft have fought hard over Nvidia to get them to support FP24 as a minimum to be Direct X 9 standard, but Nvidia prefered FP16 to kick more framerates and to avoid redesigning their chip. So Nvidia will ALWAYS give better framerates than ATI with comparable clocks and hardware, sadly. And, ATI will always give better IQ, yay.

EDIT: You want HDR + FSAA = ATI

 

[i_am_mustang_man]

why all the red v green fighting?

i think the only reason to buy a 7950gx2 is if you are running 1920x1200 or higher (maybe 16x12) but whatever!

those are awesome scores in 3d05 and 06! over 11000 with an x1800xt in 05! that's also incredible!

I want to get an 1900xtx, but need the monies first, and i'm only going red over green because of the green (money....) and because i like tpu and more people have ati than nvidia, so if i ever eff anything up, i am more likely to find more than 5 people with the same card!

also, stop comparing the 7950gx2 to a 7900gtx sli setup! first off, the gx2 is ~$500. gtx sli is ~$750 (going by cheapest prices at newegg not open box). that's a 50% difference! compare the 7900gt sli, because that's more price comparable, and spec comparable

sheesh!

anyways..... sorry to vent!

and to mongo, that's awesome! run some HL2:LC and FEAR benchmarks, and show us what's up!

 

[trog100]

i own a 1900xtx it was the fastest card u could buy.. but as soon as the 7950GX2 arrived it lost its crown.. still nothing stays at the top for long.. he he

trog

 

[Tatty_Two]

I personally was not addressing this as a green V Red issue at all, I was addressing it as a "Bang for Buck" issue, outside of real world usage/gaming where I cannot make comment having neither card, as far as I can see in most apps and benchmarks the 1900XTX is a match for the GX2 and betters it in futermark scores at times, although I appreciate the GX2 noses in front in mant also, now I am not stating this because I prefer ATi over NVidia, to the contrary of the 6 cards I have owned its 3 and 3 and my last card was the 7900GT, albeit it fried on me, I am stating this because if they are reasonably even (ish) then the 1900XTX is by far the best bang for buck as in the UK its around £100 cheaper than the GX2, it's as simple as that really.

 

[trog100]

yep.. but its not the "fastest" the fastest carries that little extra "bang".. he he he..

which of course is why i paid £375 quid for my 1900xtx card not so long back.. a very brief monent of glory and a bloody expensive one at that.. he he he

it was moment of madness i normally get better bang for buck.. hopefully i wont do it again..

trog