Upcoming 2950?

[tkpenalty]

we need tk to get in this mix he can match hellas word for word

I'm here

Anyways, about the HD2950XT/PRO. Keep dreaming guys. It wont be out for a long time. Nevertheless I blame the poor performance in DX10 on the bad driver coding that afflicts both AMD and Nvidia. At this moment I am leaning towards buying the 8800GTS 320MB for DX9; put it this way, anything faster than an 8800GTS 320MB can be called overkill for DX9.

Anyways about the drivers, AMD and Nvidia both have non-DX10 ready drivers I mean, they don't like DX10; they are geared more towards the DX9 applications.

The HD2900XT is an excellent graphics card. Yes the cooling is shitty and it isnt the fastest graphics card on earth but as some guys already said, it has potential. Not only are the drivers really boggling down the potential (theoretically the HD2900XT > 8800GTX on Paper) for the HD2900XT the memory too. As we saw from the HD2900XT 1GB GDDR4, the HD2900XT due to its super scalar architecture, responds better to better memory.

The cooler could do with a redesign , even though its copper, really, AMD should use an IHS instead of the shim! It will help heaps with cooling. The cooler's copper array could do with more surface area as well, not having more copper but having heatpipes which DONT flatten out as they contact the copper plate; I mean it doesnt really cost more to produce heatpipes; why not have more of them? Why not use thermalright's heapipes for an example? (but keeping it two slot).

The power consumption is not that humongous though, as I would expect, "normal" enthusiasts (yes I just demoted you guys to becoming average joes sorry) would expect the need for power supplies of what... 850W? Just to power one HD2900XT. Well lets just step into reality and realize that most TPU users are using only 50% of what their PSU offers at load, the HD2900XT should only take it up to 70~75% load and most modern PSUs do fine with that. Any NeoHE 550 or Corsair 520 or iGreen 500 could take the HD2900XT without any problems.

(Though at this moment it would be better to purchase a TT toughpower 600W for one HD2900XT).

Now back on topic. HD2950XT? Well lets "expect"

I would expect the following changes to the cooling

-Better cooler design that optimizes the vents beside the GPU slot
-More heatpipes, like at LEAST 6
-Cooler casing manufactured from aluminium (< a bit of a premium though)
-Proper fan using bearings which remain quiet; i.e. PAPST server fans which arent usually used (I have one, moves a heck of a lot of air and is silent; only 80mm).
-Copper fins that are designed logically to provide most surface area WITHOUT trapping heat; I would say that rather than having that crappy grille at the expansion slot, the copper fins should be extruded FROM the slot, transferring heat onto the case and furthering heat dissipation

Now onto the GPU itself
-45/65nm PLZ
-Higher stream processor speeds please
-Faster GDDR4
-More ROPs (amd can be called the king of shaders )

With that heatsink i dont see how you're gonna be able to run SLI. More of a 3-4 slot cooler then 2...

Blame the people who designed the ATX specification for being so short sighted. I would run 8800GTXs in SLI with water cooling though...not air cooling.


EEEEDDDIIIT:

lol anyway about the HR-03 PLUS. Its a great cooler, I find that is the only viable safe way to design a cooler which does better than stock. There is almost no way that you can outperform stock cooling these days on the 8800GTX/HD2900XT without doing some thing like that. Yes its better but I would invest in water cooling for overclocking. The HR-03 plus for stock usage is excellent, I dont know why you think its so ugly; it looks like a gem to me. Aesthetically and Practically its perfect. I would really want one of those on my X1950PRO atm.

 

[Wile E]

With that heatsink i dont see how you're gonna be able to run SLI. More of a 3-4 slot cooler then 2...

The HR-03 can also wrap around the back of the card, giving you clearance for another card in Crossfire/SLI.

 

[trt740]

The HR-03 can also wrap around the back of the card, giving you clearance for another card in Crossfire/SLI.

I will let you know monday just how good it is.

 

[trt740]

I'm here

Anyways, about the HD2950XT/PRO. Keep dreaming guys. It wont be out for a long time. Nevertheless I blame the poor performance in DX10 on the bad driver coding that afflicts both AMD and Nvidia. At this moment I am leaning towards buying the 8800GTS 320MB for DX9; put it this way, anything faster than an 8800GTS 320MB can be called overkill for DX9.

Anyways about the drivers, AMD and Nvidia both have non-DX10 ready drivers I mean, they don't like DX10; they are geared more towards the DX9 applications.

The HD2900XT is an excellent graphics card. Yes the cooling is shitty and it isnt the fastest graphics card on earth but as some guys already said, it has potential. Not only are the drivers really boggling down the potential (theoretically the HD2900XT > 8800GTX on Paper) for the HD2900XT the memory too. As we saw from the HD2900XT 1GB GDDR4, the HD2900XT due to its super scalar architecture, responds better to better memory.

The cooler could do with a redesign , even though its copper, really, AMD should use an IHS instead of the shim! It will help heaps with cooling. The cooler's copper array could do with more surface area as well, not having more copper but having heatpipes which DONT flatten out as they contact the copper plate; I mean it doesnt really cost more to produce heatpipes; why not have more of them? Why not use thermalright's heapipes for an example? (but keeping it two slot).

The power consumption is not that humongous though, as I would expect, "normal" enthusiasts (yes I just demoted you guys to becoming average joes sorry) would expect the need for power supplies of what... 850W? Just to power one HD2900XT. Well lets just step into reality and realize that most TPU users are using only 50% of what their PSU offers at load, the HD2900XT should only take it up to 70~75% load and most modern PSUs do fine with that. Any NeoHE 550 or Corsair 520 or iGreen 500 could take the HD2900XT without any problems.

(Though at this moment it would be better to purchase a TT toughpower 600W for one HD2900XT).

Now back on topic. HD2950XT? Well lets "expect"

I would expect the following changes to the cooling

-Better cooler design that optimizes the vents beside the GPU slot
-More heatpipes, like at LEAST 6
-Cooler casing manufactured from aluminium (< a bit of a premium though)
-Proper fan using bearings which remain quiet; i.e. PAPST server fans which arent usually used (I have one, moves a heck of a lot of air and is silent; only 80mm).
-Copper fins that are designed logically to provide most surface area WITHOUT trapping heat; I would say that rather than having that crappy grille at the expansion slot, the copper fins should be extruded FROM the slot, transferring heat onto the case and furthering heat dissipation

Now onto the GPU itself
-45/65nm PLZ
-Higher stream processor speeds please
-Faster GDDR4
-More ROPs (amd can be called the king of shaders )




Blame the people who designed the ATX specification for being so short sighted. I would run 8800GTXs in SLI with water cooling though...not air cooling.


EEEEDDDIIIT:

lol anyway about the HR-03 PLUS. Its a great cooler, I find that is the only viable safe way to design a cooler which does better than stock. There is almost no way that you can outperform stock cooling these days on the 8800GTX/HD2900XT without doing some thing like that. Yes its better but I would invest in water cooling for overclocking. The HR-03 plus for stock usage is excellent, I dont know why you think its so ugly; it looks like a gem to me. Aesthetically and Practically its perfect. I would really want one of those on my X1950PRO atm.

they make a version for your x1950 and here it is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109135

 

[tkpenalty]

Me know that.

 

[Wile E]

I will let you know monday just how good it is.

Would be much appreciated.

 

[m3lisk]

So should I wait for the x2950xt and buy an x1950xt(the 2950 will come in a month), or buy the PNY 8800GTS and sell it when the card comes out(the 2950 wont be out for like 3-4 months), or get an HD 2900xt(the 2950 isnt coming this year... as in 2007)?

 

[HellasVagabond]

I have yet to see a company release a GPU in August time.....But who knows

 

[zekrahminator]

Im not friendly cause i think the heatsink is ugly ???

Simma down now .

 

[zOaib]

I realy want a HD 2900xt, but with crap constantly coming out, should I wait and grab a $200 x1950 pro 512mb, or bite the bullet and grab the 2900? I dont want to get it and then a month down the road have a better version come out. I've also heard that there is a 1gb version of the card, is this true, and if so where can i buy it?

I'm just trying to make the best use of my money towards my PC, without having to upgrade in a few months. If I grab the x1950, it can hold me over until I see a 2950...

i got the sapphire 2900 1gb ddr4 version form www.newegg.com for 480 usd + 6.64 shipping ......... and all i can say is i can run any resolution (upto 1680 x 1050 since i have a 22 inch viewsonic , thats the max) on bf2142 , and coh , cod2 and it screams through them i dotn even think those games are giving it any play to even tickle it.

though the only cons about the card are , loud fan and power consumption. other than that i like all the features this card is giving me 7.6 catalyst is the best right now to run this thing good.

 

[trt740]

i got the sapphire 2900 1gb ddr4 version form www.newegg.com for 480 usd + 6.64 shipping ......... and all i can say is i can run any resolution (upto 1680 x 1050 since i have a 22 inch viewsonic , thats the max) on bf2142 , and coh , cod2 and it screams through them i dotn even think those games are giving it any play to even tickle it.

though the only cons about the card are , loud fan and power consumption. other than that i like all the features this card is giving me 7.6 catalyst is the best right now to run this thing good.

I wonder why the 2900xt won't run Farcry . That does'nt seem to make sense to me. It's not a new game and I heard some of the newer games are going to use it's engine. In the reviews I have read thats what it say can anyone confirm Farcry won't run on the 2900xt

 

[m3lisk]

But what should I buy right now???

 

[Blacklash]

I was very interested in seeing a 2950 myself and now I have serious doubts about the rumor:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070710/20070710005460.html?.v=1

 

[HellasVagabond]

But what should I buy right now???

Even a GTS 320 can hold its own easily especially since it has plenty of room for overclock at stock cooler and voltage.

 

[m3lisk]

I was looking at this actually: $360 PNY 640mb

What I REALLY don't understand is that on paper the 2900xt kicks the crap out of everyone, but its actual performance is way lower than what it should be...

 

[m3lisk]

Meh, I just bought a 7300LE on ebay for $50, so I used up the rest of my paypal money. That at least will allow me to run 2gb of dual channel and not have to use that 6100. its still a piece of crap, but its better than onboard.

 

[HellasVagabond]

Paper aint always what matters.....Technology varies from GPU to GPU thus when we count transistors and pipelines it doesnt really matter that much...The GPU architecture matters the most.

 

[HellasVagabond]

Trt740 i dont know who erased your post but in responce to you saying that 2x X2900XT in Crossfire won over 2 8800Ultra in SLI in this URL : http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1131/1/page_1_introduction/index.html

Its 1 8800 ULTRA against 2 X2900XTs in Crossfire.

 

[trt740]

Trt740 i dont know who erased your post but in responce to you saying that 2x X2900XT in Crossfire won over 2 8800Ultra in SLI in this URL : http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1131/1/page_1_introduction/index.html

Its 1 8800 ULTRA against 2 X2900XTs in Crossfire.

I realized that error and corrected it my self. It was more a cost comparison bang for the buck not crossfire verse sli so I erased it. My error.

 

[trt740]

I'm here

Anyways, about the HD2950XT/PRO. Keep dreaming guys. It wont be out for a long time. Nevertheless I blame the poor performance in DX10 on the bad driver coding that afflicts both AMD and Nvidia. At this moment I am leaning towards buying the 8800GTS 320MB for DX9; put it this way, anything faster than an 8800GTS 320MB can be called overkill for DX9.

Anyways about the drivers, AMD and Nvidia both have non-DX10 ready drivers I mean, they don't like DX10; they are geared more towards the DX9 applications.

The HD2900XT is an excellent graphics card. Yes the cooling is shitty and it isnt the fastest graphics card on earth but as some guys already said, it has potential. Not only are the drivers really boggling down the potential (theoretically the HD2900XT > 8800GTX on Paper) for the HD2900XT the memory too. As we saw from the HD2900XT 1GB GDDR4, the HD2900XT due to its super scalar architecture, responds better to better memory.

The cooler could do with a redesign , even though its copper, really, AMD should use an IHS instead of the shim! It will help heaps with cooling. The cooler's copper array could do with more surface area as well, not having more copper but having heatpipes which DONT flatten out as they contact the copper plate; I mean it doesnt really cost more to produce heatpipes; why not have more of them? Why not use thermalright's heapipes for an example? (but keeping it two slot).

The power consumption is not that humongous though, as I would expect, "normal" enthusiasts (yes I just demoted you guys to becoming average joes sorry) would expect the need for power supplies of what... 850W? Just to power one HD2900XT. Well lets just step into reality and realize that most TPU users are using only 50% of what their PSU offers at load, the HD2900XT should only take it up to 70~75% load and most modern PSUs do fine with that. Any NeoHE 550 or Corsair 520 or iGreen 500 could take the HD2900XT without any problems.

(Though at this moment it would be better to purchase a TT toughpower 600W for one HD2900XT).

Now back on topic. HD2950XT? Well lets "expect"

I would expect the following changes to the cooling

-Better cooler design that optimizes the vents beside the GPU slot
-More heatpipes, like at LEAST 6
-Cooler casing manufactured from aluminium (< a bit of a premium though)
-Proper fan using bearings which remain quiet; i.e. PAPST server fans which arent usually used (I have one, moves a heck of a lot of air and is silent; only 80mm).
-Copper fins that are designed logically to provide most surface area WITHOUT trapping heat; I would say that rather than having that crappy grille at the expansion slot, the copper fins should be extruded FROM the slot, transferring heat onto the case and furthering heat dissipation

Now onto the GPU itself
-45/65nm PLZ
-Higher stream processor speeds please
-Faster GDDR4
-More ROPs (amd can be called the king of shaders )




Blame the people who designed the ATX specification for being so short sighted. I would run 8800GTXs in SLI with water cooling though...not air cooling.


EEEEDDDIIIT:

lol anyway about the HR-03 PLUS. Its a great cooler, I find that is the only viable safe way to design a cooler which does better than stock. There is almost no way that you can outperform stock cooling these days on the 8800GTX/HD2900XT without doing some thing like that. Yes its better but I would invest in water cooling for overclocking. The HR-03 plus for stock usage is excellent, I dont know why you think its so ugly; it looks like a gem to me. Aesthetically and Practically its perfect. I would really want one of those on my X1950PRO atm.

Also I installed my Thermalright H03 today dropped my stock load temps by nearly 30 degrees. It also allowed me to overclock stable at 621/2040 and load temps only went up around 5c give or take 2 degrees fluctuation. It's the best Air gpu heatsink I have ever seen. When the new version comes out for the R600 it will be a great item for 2900xt owners. It does take up 3 slots in my Mid tower case leaving 1 PCI slot open if you install it on the downside of the card. If you install it wrapped around the card the temps go up a few degrees but all the PCI slots are left open. It is not as big as it looks and is fantastic looking. It looks like a piece of metal art work. my card idles overclocked at 44c with a 92mm Arctic cooler fan 35CF and I cannot hear it at all over my very quiet Scythe 120mm fans.

 

[HellasVagabond]

I didnt know we can delete our own msgs thats why i said someone erased it.
My bad i guess

 

[Gabriel]

I'm going with ATI 2900 1gig. Because;
1. Nvidia has not released drivers for my present card, THAT WORK! with Vista.
2. The 2900 runs slightly cooler than the 8800 Ultra.
3. Ati supports VIVO, HDMI etc.
4. Nvidia is not supporting their product and I feel as though they are giving me the finger!
5. Waiting for the next card is a never ending thing. There is always something better just around the corner.

I'm new here but I'm not new to all this.