How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

[Jarrovian]

I've done some tests recently, and thought it was time I had an upgrade.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+
1GB RAM (2 x 512)
ATI Radeon 9800 SE, 128MB RAM
Windows XP
17" TFT (LG 1710B)
PSU 400W

Current 3dMark scores:
3D mark 03 (1024x768) score = 3910, CPU score = 771
3D mark 05 (1024x768) score = 1762, CPU score = 3469
3D mark 06 (1280x1024) score = 369, CPU score = 767
Battlefield2 fps runs at about 55-35/24-20 (not sure waht the two sets of figures are)

It's a 3 year old PC which I bought from microland (now gone bust).
Just treated myself to a Sapphire Radeon X1950Pro 512MB (AGP) which I hope will bring it up to speed. Had to stick to AGP.
However, I've since read that some pcs struggle with power requirements. Will I be ok?
If so, any guess what my new score will be when I install it?

[megawhompertoo]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

PSU 400W

400W should be plenty (at least 18A on the +12v rail?) , but monitor your voltages via speedfan or some other voltage monitoring utility to ensure they are up to spec. the measured voltages should remain withi +/-5% of 12V, 5V, and 3.3V.

As far as your e-longation factor, I predict a score of 753,522,175 3DMarks (3DMark92).

[[R-PUB]MrD]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

is it only 18A on the AGP model? wow! I think it's something like 34A for a pci-e based pc!

[megawhompertoo]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

is it only 18A on the AGP model? wow! I think it's something like 34A for a pci-e based pc!

surely not:

34A*12V = 408W

and that is before you begin to figure 5V and 3.3V rails.

just check with the site (or manufacturer's site) that you're buying from, and make sure you have the appropriate amperage.

[[R-PUB]MrD]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

surely not:

34A*12V = 408W

and that is before you begin to figure 5V and 3.3V rails.

just check with the site (or manufacturer's site) that you're buying from, and make sure you have the appropriate amperage.

When I say you need a minimum 34A PSU to use a pxi-e x1950pro, that means for the averge gaming pc, with all it's parts like HDD, DVD Drivers, mobo, cpu, fans, etc the pci-e card pulls down such power that you need a 34A output PSU to power everything together safely! My PSU is 580w and 38A or something like that, so that basic calculation is a bit iffy. Is that the maximum rating or the rating that can be run all day long?

[Jarrovian]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

400W should be plenty (at least 18A on the +12v rail?) , but monitor your voltages via speedfan or some other voltage monitoring utility to ensure they are up to spec. the measured voltages should remain withi +/-5% of 12V, 5V, and 3.3V.

As far as your e-longation factor, I predict a score of 753,522,175 3DMarks (3DMark92).

Thanks for the help!
I've checked my power supply and the details under the Voltage coumn are:
+3.3V = 28A
+5V = 40A
+12V = 17A
I hope these are the correct figures to use , as this is all new to me!

Still seem ok?

[Scinto]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

you shouldnt be disapointed with the x1950pro, its faster than the 7800GS (was the top Agp Card) and alot cheaper

[[R-PUB]MrD]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

+12V = 17A
I hope these are the correct figures to use , as this is all new to me!

Still seem ok?

can you give us the exact make and model and we'll look at it.

From the figures you just quoted, you don't appear to have anywhere near enough ampage on the single 12v rail to power your system and the graphics card. I've had a budget 500w one for a basic athlon barton pc before and that only had 17a on its single rail and would just about power the system and an agp 6600gt card. You might be needing 30a minimum on a dual rail good quality psu to power your system and a x1950pro. Anything less and you might be back here posting about low fps, card switching off, other symptoms that will slowly get narrowed down to your psu not being powerful enough.

[Jarrovian]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

can you give us the exact make and model and we'll look at it.

From the figures you just quoted, you don't appear to have anywhere near enough ampage on the single 12v rail to power your system and the graphics card. .... You might be needing 30a minimum on a dual rail good quality psu to power your system and a x1950pro. Anything less and you might be back here posting about low fps, card switching off, other symptoms that will slowly get narrowed down to your psu not being powerful enough.

Current psu is a Mercury APX4400XA.

Well, it looks like all predictions were right!
Installed card and drivers, all seems fine until I tried to run 3D mark06: BLACK SCREEN.
Rebooted, Google earth caused same problems: BLACK SCREEN.
I've only used the drivers that were on the installation CD, so I'll download the latest ones off the web later, but it looks like I'll have to upgrade the psu after all.
So, is it a 580W that I need, or will I have to make sure that the total amps output for 12V is above 30? (I'm looking at one that has 2 x 12V @19A, Antec TruePower 2.0 TPII-550)

I've noticed that the power connection is via 2 molex type (my last card used one smaller berg connector). Do I connect both molex connenctions from the same cable?

This help is much appreciated!

[[R-PUB]MrD]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

not sure about the molex connector issue. My card simply uses the square 4 pin black pci-e connector running off my PSU.

I chose the Hiper 580w PSU as it is supposedly crossfire certified, if I decide I want to go that way in the future, although doubt it. It is also quiet, very heavy, reliable model and only £60 sterling here in the uK which isn't an obscene price to pay really when you are thinking of protecting your components with something reliable where electricity is concerned.

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/98564 £58 plus postage now

As to other models that will cover a gaming pc with a single x1950pro, i suggest you look through the official forums for your model of card and see what PSU's people manage with (go with the people saying they are getting the most fps, as low fps can be a symptom of not quite enough power from the PSU.)

dual rail 12v, v2.2 is what you should be aiming for.

Connect the graphics card to one rail, then everything else to the other. Attaching your graphics card to the same rail as your HDD or DVD drives might be a bad idea when they power up and start spinning, sucking off power.

And remember, you aren't looking for a PSU by its max Ampage, but it's max STABLE ampage under normal conditions. It's going to take a lot of writing down and comparing numbers outside of official recommendations on your cards official site.

[Jarrovian]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

Thanks MrD.
Well, I've had success today.
I connected the second molex up, and installed the latest drivers for the card, and since then all seems fine. Ran both 3dmark tests and have had a couple of rounds of Battlefield 2 (most important), with settings turned up.
3D mark 05 result = 8213 (was 1759)
3D mark 06 result = 3983 (was 369)
Still think I'll take you're advice and look further into upgrading my psu!

Cheers!

[[R-PUB]MrD]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

with my system, I get 9600 approx in 36mark05 at the default install settings in the software. You are pretty close I suppose, was kind of expecting more from yours

[Jarrovian]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

Maybe have something to do with my 1gig ram (as opposed to your 2) and your faster processor, or will this not have any effect on the 3D mark tests?
I wonder how much difference the psu will make on results?

Do the modular psu's come with all cables needed, or do you have to buy those seperatley?
Also, are all psu's of the same size, ie will it fit?

[[R-PUB]MrD]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

right, that Hiper one i have, has a downwards facing fan. Some cases are so small depth wise that you fit an old style psu, your dvd drive jams against the cables coming out the front of the psu. That's the only thing to worry about really, apart from rumours of Dell pc owners needing specialised psu's from Dell.

Get a decent PSU and it will come with all the cables you need, although when you find a model on a shopping site you like, google for reviews and specs from review sites AND the manufacturers site then compare your existing ones cables and the components you have in your machine.

Definitely check what power connectors go into your motherboard (20 or 24pin) and if the PSU has the right connector. (latest high end psu's are v2.2)

I have a few extra leads I didn't attach to my Hiper, but could do in future if I it more HDD's or an extra GPU.

Attaching some pics of how they fit, cables fitted and spaces to fit more, and finaly the fun I had with the length of the x1950pro when fitting relative to my HDD (see how I had to move the HDD because they wouldn't fit side by side!)

[Reeps]

Re: How will my pc cope with X1950Pro?

ya pc's a tad dusty m8...lol