16 replies to this topic

[karmatose]

This is pretty straight forward. A simple question that anyone can answer. Ive already looked at the HCL on the Wiki but thought i would ask the question in here and see if i can find some updated answers.

I have my PCIe Radeon Saphire X1600Pro that I've given up on and just want to throw money at this problem. I have $500CAD to spend on a new video card. This card must have dual DVI and be FULLY SUPPRORTED by Natit (Preferably Neo's installer as I'm lazy). Let the sugestions begin.

Edited by karmatose, 06 February 2007 - 10:59 PM.

[Korrupted]

Suggestion 1: Don't get a 512MB video card; only the ATI x1900 or x1950, whichever one it is, with 512MB works. All others have failed from what I've heard(the drivers are made for 256mb cards)

[karmatose]

At $500 both of those cards are in my budget. Thanks for the rec. Any specific maker/models?

Edited by karmatose, 06 February 2007 - 10:26 AM.

[REVENGE]

Well, here's a question.  With so much money, do you intend to get a card to do gaming in Windows as well?  Because if that's the case, I would consider getting a DX 10 compatible card [which seems to also fit in your budget], and in the future someone will probably figure out a driver hack similar to Titan/Natit once Apple builds those cards into their systems as well.

[enb14]

For osx the best cards are 6xxx or 7xxx with 256MB, remember that DX10 card have more than 256MB so this cards doesn't works yet on OSX.

Edited by enb14, 06 February 2007 - 04:49 PM.

[karmatose]

I dont use Windows. So DX10 compatibility isnt a priority. Is there any 512MB cards out there that i can get that may only show 256MB but still give me full acceleration? Or any DX10 cards that work under OSX and give full acelleration?

And im looking for specific makers and models for cards that are proven to work.

Edited by karmatose, 06 February 2007 - 07:12 PM.

[cmdshft]

You should look in the Natit wiki in OSx86's Wiki. It lists all the working cards, and which ones are fully supported. Then just research the ones you like.

[karmatose]

I did look at the wiki. I said that in my first post. Just looking for cards that might not be on there or if the wiki has not been updated in a while.

[BarryBar]

There is the Asus x1950XTX and the Sapphire x1950XTX also the toxic edition that are reported working from what I remember of the posts here. The device id for the x1950XTX cards is also in the driver which Apple supplies with OSX. So I guess these type of videocards will be an option in upcoming updated Mac Pro systems.

You can search for them and verify. One complaint with x1950 xtx is that the fan is blowing at full speed all the time. Some people do not like this and recently in one post the solution was to put more quiet fan on it.
See this http://forum.insanel...showtopic=40583
You could also buy the one from Sapphire with the water cooling (toxic edition) which also had a good review on a pc hardware site.

I do not whether you are in hurry but in february/march the new ati cards will come out and that will make the price drop of the old x1950xtx series. That will save you maybe 100 dollar or more so I think.

[Colonel]

I'd say go for an nVidia GeForce 8800GTX.

[karmatose]

BarryBar, on Feb 7 2007, 12:02 AM, said:

There is the Asus x1950XTX and the Sapphire x1950XTX also the toxic edition that are reported working from what I remember of the posts here. The device id for the x1950XTX cards is also in the driver which Apple supplies with OSX. So I guess these type of videocards will be an option in upcoming updated Mac Pro systems.

You can search for them and verify. One complaint with x1950 xtx is that the fan is blowing at full speed all the time. Some people do not like this and recently in one post the solution was to put more quiet fan on it.
See this http://forum.insanel...showtopic=40583
You could also buy the one from Sapphire with the water cooling (toxic edition) which also had a good review on a pc hardware site.

I do not whether you are in hurry but in february/march the new ati cards will come out and that will make the price drop of the old x1950xtx series. That will save you maybe 100 dollar or more so I think.

You sir are a king amongst men. Thank you for the informative post. And, no i am not in a hurry, so i will wait I can deal with no GL/QE/CI for another month.. Or atleast till my first payday in March And who knows, maybe the new ATI cards will be supported under OS X with hacked up drivers!

Colonel, on Feb 7 2007, 12:11 AM, said:

I'd say go for an nVidia GeForce 8800GTX.

That one is just a bit out of my price range.. I can only afford the GTS. Remember, im working in Canadian funds

Hella nice card though.


.... Does anyone know if the ATI X1950XTX (the one from ATI themselves) I found one hella cheap and may pick it up if  it does.

Edited by karmatose, 07 February 2007 - 01:06 AM.

[casse]

BarryBar, on Feb 7 2007, 01:02 AM, said:

There is the Asus x1950XTX and the Sapphire x1950XTX also the toxic edition that are reported working from what I remember of the posts here. The device id for the x1950XTX cards is also in the driver which Apple supplies with OSX. So I guess these type of videocards will be an option in upcoming updated Mac Pro systems.

I'm considering a x1950xtx card myself and the cheapest one I could find in the EU - by some margin - was MSI's. Nobody has mentioned using this specific card on these forums which makes me a bit leery. However, looking at pictures of all the different x1950xtx cards - excluding the water-cooled ones although that shouldn't really make a difference, right? - I see no external differences at all except the sticker for the brand. Also, the impression I get from reading reviews is that they all follow the ATI reference design completely.

So, the question is: Is it safe to assume that any x1950xtx cards will have the same compatibility as the Asus and Sapphire cards? I understand, of course, that there are no absolute guarantees and that it's my risk, but I would appreciate the opinions of some of the more knowledgeable people here. Thanks.

[enb14]

My evga 7900 eVGA GT CO works flawlessly with resolution change, full acceleration no mouse tearing.

[flatlyna]

casse, on Feb 7 2007, 01:31 PM, said:

I'm considering a x1950xtx card myself and the cheapest one I could find in the EU - by some margin - was MSI's. Nobody has mentioned using this specific card on these forums which makes me a bit leery. However, looking at pictures of all the different x1950xtx cards - excluding the water-cooled ones although that shouldn't really make a difference, right? - I see no external differences at all except the sticker for the brand. Also, the impression I get from reading reviews is that they all follow the ATI reference design completely.

So, the question is: Is it safe to assume that any x1950xtx cards will have the same compatibility as the Asus and Sapphire cards? I understand, of course, that there are no absolute guarantees and that it's my risk, but I would appreciate the opinions of some of the more knowledgeable people here. Thanks.

I'm one of the guys with a working Sapphire x1950xtx.  Choosing the right card took me some time based on my needs.  I game in XP, specifically racing sims and flight sims with the odd FPS now and then.  I also run a 21" lcd so to get the highest quality it made sense to go for a 512Mb card, hence the x1950xtx.  I had previously tried a 512Mb nVidia 7900GTO but it didn't work due to the memory size and I had temporarily used a 256Mb 7300GT card, which worked flawlessly.  

If you have occasional gaming needs in OSX or Windows then I'd really recommend a 7900GS card as the best value for money, or perhaps a 7900GT depending on price.  Either with 256Mb is pretty much a cert for compatability.   If you prefer ATI cards then a 256Mb x1950xt is a great choice.
DX10 cards would be a waste and unlikely to be compatible until Apple offers a card based around the same core... though if they'd been keeping tabs on the goings on in here they might lock down the drivers in the future - who knows.

I like MSI gear and providing the deviceID of the card you mention is the same as the Sapphire or Asus you should be good to go.

[casse]

flatlyna, on Feb 7 2007, 10:39 PM, said:

I'm one of the guys with a working Sapphire x1950xtx.  Choosing the right card took me some time based on my needs.  I game in XP, specifically racing sims and flight sims with the odd FPS now and then.  I also run a 21" lcd so to get the highest quality it made sense to go for a 512Mb card, hence the x1950xtx.  I had previously tried a 512Mb nVidia 7900GTO but it didn't work due to the memory size and I had temporarily used a 256Mb 7300GT card, which worked flawlessly.

Thanks for that summary, very useful for me and, I'm sure, others. I'm actually pretty set on getting the x1950xtx, I'm planning a pretty high-spec system and the price difference to the xt is pretty small and I don't want to regret being cheap later. I might wait for a while to see if these cards drop in price in anticipation of - or at least response to - the new generation of Ati cards. But those seem to be two or so months away which feels a bit long. *sigh*

I might get the cheapest possible fully working card for the time being which would be the 7300gt, I guess. I'm also not sure the x1950xtx will actually fit in the case I'm getting (Antec solo). If I get the 7300gt I can measure it up properly before I take the plunge.

When I do get the x1950xtx I will convert it to the Accelero 2 cooler right away, maybe even coupled with some fan solution that expunges the hot air through the pci slots. Oh well, thats another matter.

flatlyna, on Feb 7 2007, 10:39 PM, said:

I like MSI gear and providing the deviceID of the card you mention is the same as the Sapphire or Asus you should be good to go.

The device id is wholly decided by the underlying Ati board used, isn't it. Or can Sapphire/Msi change the device id although they're using the same board?

[flatlyna]

casse, on Feb 9 2007, 05:01 AM, said:

Thanks for that summary, very useful for me and, I'm sure, others. I'm actually pretty set on getting the x1950xtx, I'm planning a pretty high-spec system and the price difference to the xt is pretty small and I don't want to regret being cheap later. I might wait for a while to see if these cards drop in price in anticipation of - or at least response to - the new generation of Ati cards. But those seem to be two or so months away which feels a bit long. *sigh*

I might get the cheapest possible fully working card for the time being which would be the 7300gt, I guess. I'm also not sure the x1950xtx will actually fit in the case I'm getting (Antec solo). If I get the 7300gt I can measure it up properly before I take the plunge.

When I do get the x1950xtx I will convert it to the Accelero 2 cooler right away, maybe even coupled with some fan solution that expunges the hot air through the pci slots. Oh well, thats another matter.The device id is wholly decided by the underlying Ati board used, isn't it. Or can Sapphire/Msi change the device id although they're using the same board?

Fitting the Accelero 2 makes the graphics card taller by quite a bit (I'll measure it later).  I have an Antec P150 so I know it fits fine in that case - I imagine the Solo is the same width case so it should be ok.  

I've taken a look into the deviceid's - http://ati.amd.com/d...r/vendorid.html
x1950xt should be 7244 and the x1950xtx is 7240 so I reckon you'd be safe to go for the MSI.

[casse]

flatlyna, on Feb 9 2007, 04:56 PM, said:

Fitting the Accelero 2 makes the graphics card taller by quite a bit (I'll measure it later).  I have an Antec P150 so I know it fits fine in that case - I imagine the Solo is the same width case so it should be ok.

Yes, I think they are identical on the inside. Thanks, that's really good to know! Do you have hard drives exactly opposite the graphics card, though? Will filling up all the hard drive slots be a problem?

On a side note (this is all off topic I guess, apologies for that), I was planning on getting the p150 case but after asking on xtremesystems forum I began to doubt the psu would be enough for an overclocked core 2 duo and x1950xtx. Do you have any feeling you're on the edge there, powerwise?

flatlyna, on Feb 9 2007, 04:56 PM, said:

I've taken a look into the deviceid's - http://ati.amd.com/d...r/vendorid.html
x1950xt should be 7244 and the x1950xtx is 7240 so I reckon you'd be safe to go for the MSI.

Right, that sounds good, thanks again. Hmm, might have known I could look that up somewhere.