Nostalgic moment: ATI x1800's

[warup89]

I remember back in the days when Video cards really started to churn out power, such as ATI's 9800's and x800's series but then I remembered the all-out excitement for ATI strongest and last DX9 video cards such as the x1800's series. The technology sounded phenomenal and it assured to give immense performance.

What got me to think of all this you ask? I just revisited one of its tech demo's and man that was Dx9 done right, the bump mapping, lighting, and tracing were all at its finest. Even by today's standards it looked really nice.

Toy Shop demo

-Now, I think the magic is gone; every time a new series of cards comes they bring more "performance" more than anything else, which is not a bad thing, but nothing too revolutionary really. IMO

 

[theorw]

1800 was nice until 1900s came out!!!!
THAT was some real software OC and performance KING!!!
I got 1 of these 1900xt and i pushed it far from the XTX versions clocks!
The most clever shopping i did!!!
715/1719 from stock 625/1440!!!
OH I LOVED THAT CARD!

 

[brandonwh64]

i had a X1950XT Pro 512mb and it ran good. i think i sold it here in anandtech forums for 25$

 

[Easy Rhino]

ha! i still have my x1800xt 512 card in my basement with aftermarket zalman cooler. that was the first $200 plus card i bought. i overclocked it with atitool and got some great performance out of it.

 

[warup89]

haha, yeah those were monsters too, man i remember dreaming of having an x1950xtx, which I recently purchased from a friend [for 15$] and keeping one of my old servers running

 

[theorw]

Well i was lucky enough and i sold mine for 130 EUR right when 3xxx cake out and i got 1 3870!!!!!

 

[yogurt_21]

have 2 x1800ct 512mb's right not, once need a bios flash, the other needs a vreg replacement. king of the hill for a month or two than the x1900xtx took that crown.

 

[a_ump]

didn't the x1800 and nv 7800 series get replaced/refreshed rather quickly. thought they had a very short lived dynasty lol

 

[Xaser04]

didn't the x1800 and nv 7800 series get replaced/refreshed rather quickly. thought they had a very short lived dynasty lol

Yes although the 78XX series lasted longer than the X18XX series.

The problem was the X1800XT was launched in response to the original 7800GTX 256mb. Unfortunately Nvidia then released the considerably faster 7800GTX 512mb which put ATI on the back foot.

The real result came with the X1900XT(X) which was really more of a tweaked X1800XT more than a complete refresh (increase to 3 shader units per core up from the 1 per core of the X1800XT).

To be honest the X1900XT(X) is what the X1800XT should have been from the get go.

IIRC in more recent games the X1900XTX decimates its former competitor (7900GTX) although both would be considered slow by todays standard.

 

[p_o_s_pc]

its kind of funny in a way that the king of the hill's from before are sometimes just as fast and sometimes slower then todays entry card..

I owned a X1950pro it was a great clocker but it died in just 3 days i replaced it with a 7900GS and gave that card a voltmod and overclocked it.After that the 7900GS would trade blows with a stock 7900GTX I loved that card... I really wish the X1950 would have lived

 

[Yukikaze]

I traded my X1800XL 512Mb for a passively cooled 8600GT 256Mb a few months ago. I still have a X1900XT 512Mb a friend is using for a video card. I am not/was not the original owner on both cards, though. I never owned either when those cards were in the prime, I had a 7800GT 256Mb back then, and I sold it ages ago.

The X1900XT 512Mb is still a decent card today. My friend used it to play Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 on a 24" monitor and it dealt with both games decently enough. The problem with it is that it is quite noisy with the stock cooler.

 

[Flyordie]

The X1800GTO I have clocks to 780Mhz with ease on the stock cooler. Pipes are unlockable too. Hmm.. maybe I should push it farther tomorrow?

 

[qubit]

I had an X1800 XT or Pro - I can't remember and I got rid of it - to replace it with a much more powerful Sapphire 1950 XT. Awesome card in its day.

I still have it, BTW.

 

[INSTG8R]

Yes I built my first killer rig on X1900's

Pictures say it best I guess

http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/471

TBH I miss it a little. I "Un-Crossfired" it and put it back on air and gave it to my ex-wife who still uses it today, well it has an 2900XT in it but the original X1900XT still lives in a PC in Ohio as I sent it to a friend as an upgrade, and the CF card is in the closet

 

[a_ump]

Yes although the 78XX series lasted longer than the X18XX series.

The problem was the X1800XT was launched in response to the original 7800GTX 256mb. Unfortunately Nvidia then released the considerably faster 7800GTX 512mb which put ATI on the back foot.

The real result came with the X1900XT(X) which was really more of a tweaked X1800XT more than a complete refresh (increase to 3 shader units per core up from the 1 per core of the X1800XT).

To be honest the X1900XT(X) is what the X1800XT should have been from the get go.

IIRC in more recent games the X1900XTX decimates its former competitor (7900GTX) although both would be considered slow by todays standard.

yea, i think i read that's because the x1900 series has what? 48 shaders where as the 7900GTX had 24 shader units and 24 texturing units, and since games today are more shader intensive the x1900 series pulls ahead by a good margin. Coulda said most of that wrong not sure

 

[DRDNA]

Nice....I still have two X1800XTX master and slave with dongle and two X1900XTX master and slaves with dongle in my closet
As well as a X800PE and a X850PE.

 

[cadaveca]

Heh DRDNA, me too...got DD blocks still on the cards too...anyone need some full-cover blocks?

 

[DRDNA]

Heh DRDNA, me too...got DD blocks still on the cards too...anyone need some full-cover blocks?

Nice....just cant seem to part with anything! I was thinking of cleaning them up and putting them on the wall as kind of a nostalgic setting in my PC room!

 

[cadaveca]

HAHAHAHA...me too! use the pci-e/agp bracket and some screws and put them on the wall...I did that in my last house!

 

[yogurt_21]

Yes although the 78XX series lasted longer than the X18XX series.

The problem was the X1800XT was launched in response to the original 7800GTX 256mb. Unfortunately Nvidia then released the considerably faster 7800GTX 512mb which put ATI on the back foot.

The real result came with the X1900XT(X) which was really more of a tweaked X1800XT more than a complete refresh (increase to 3 shader units per core up from the 1 per core of the X1800XT).

To be honest the X1900XT(X) is what the X1800XT should have been from the get go.

IIRC in more recent games the X1900XTX decimates its former competitor (7900GTX) although both would be considered slow by todays standard.

I'd hardly count the 7800gtx 512mb, they made less of those than delorean made cars. AND the sapphire xtpe bios took care of it speed wise as well. no the real bane of the X1800 was it late release as the 1800xl had been out for a while by the time the xt released, then of course right in January came the x1900's taking my 600$ for the x1800 and turning it into 300$ overnight.

I didn't learn my lesson though and bought the 2900xt right when it came out as well. I think I've learned the lesson now though. lol

 

[audiotranceable]

Yeah I remember on OCN this guy named sphere that was the guru of unlocking the X800/X850 cards. I think he was on here to has of many other forums. Anyways I remember a post he did with a X1900 & 3dmark06. It got around 8K which was OMGWTFBBQ at the time