a hard choice

[im333]

I was about set to upgrade my (old) system with an AGP 7600GT for £100, unitl of course, I read that the x1950 Pro whips it to shame and is only £30 more!

So, I read a little more and was gutted when I learnt about the PSU requirments!

I have:

A7N8X deluxe 2 mobo

AMD Athlon XP 3000+

2gb PC2700 DDR RAM

ATI Radeon 9700 Pro (old, but I love what it can do - still play BF2 on high detail )

X-Power 450w PSU with 1x12v with 18A and a PCI-e connector.

So guys,

Can I go for the X1950Pro AGP (512mb) and run it without upgrading the PSU?

If not, is my best bet still the Leadtek 7600gt?

This is a little urgent because I have the 7600GT on order and have about a day left to change before shipping!

Your kind help is appreciated,

im333

 

[Dav0s]

that PSU is nothing special, but i expect it will run both the 7600 and x1950 just about. wait for someone to confirm this tho

and welcome to OC3D

 

[JN]

It may work, but I wouldn't expect that PSU to hold out for long. Personally I'd upgrade the PSU to a respected brand ~500w PSU to avoid anything getting fried.

 

[im333]

But, say if I didn't upgrade the PSU (I only just bought the damned thing a month ago, not expecting to buy a new GPU), would it be good for the 7600gt - I'm guessing yes?

 

[JN]

But, say if I didn't upgrade the PSU (I only just bought the damned thing a month ago, not expecting to buy a new GPU), would it be good for the 7600gt - I'm guessing yes?

Yeah it shouldn't have too much trouble with the 7600GT. To be honest, the X1950Pro isn't that much of a power guzzler, but it will still give a low-end PSU a run for its money.

 

[markkleb]

Any QUALITY 400watt and up should run the X1950 just fine.

I have had both cards, and the x1950 is prettier to look at while gaming BUT adds a lot of heat (means its drawing a bunch more power)

The 7600 only takes about 30 watts so I would recommend you use it unless you are planning on getting a better PS soon.

 

[llwyd]

Whatever you decide, I would still upgrade the PSU when you can, cheap PSUs can take out all your hardware if they go wrong, which they most probably will in time.

 

[FarFarAway]

Yes agreed. Cheap PSU's = blown up hardware

 

[Dav0s]

/me nods, and like many others on this forum, learnt the hard way

 

[rbanksy]

1950Xpro with 380W Antec PSU

rekon il get away with it?

 

[chocodood]

i recently bought these mate:

OCZ 600W stealthX*something* PSU

and

X1950XT 256MB Sapphire (same price - more or less)

I recommend you do the same unless your budget isn't as low as mine. Go for ebuyer

:wavey:

 

[!TIMMY!]

Id agree on buying a good quality PSU, my Hiper just died on me and lucky didnt take any other components with it. Im glad I didnt buy a cheap one as I would proberley be left with no PC.

The X1950 Pro needs 30 Amps on the 12v rail of a 450w + PSU:

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx1950/radeonx1950pro/specs.html

If this is your PSU:

http://www.xpcgear.com/xpower450w.html

then you only have 15 Amps on your 12v rail, therefore I would recomend a new PSU if you want to get the X1950 Pro which personally I would recomend over the 7600GT.

Check Tom's Hardware, for their VGA charts and compare the 2 graphics cards:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/vga-charts/battlefield-2142,242.html?p=479