Places to buy X1950pro AGP

Chomped said:
Ok I got my HIS x1950 Pro 512mb APG card and plugged it in. When I turned on the power nothing happened.
If I unplug the card then computer turns on. Does this mean my power supply isn't good enough to run the card?

I have an Antec True 550w
AC input: 115v/12a, 230v6a; 60hz/50hz
DC Output: +5v/ +12v/ +3.3v/ -5v/ -12v/ +5sb
Max: 40A/ 30A/ 32A/ .5A/ 1.0A/ 2.0A

The card requirements:
450w w/ 30amp current on a 12v rail.

I have no idea what any of this means (what's a rail?) and if my PSU isn't good enough what one should I get?
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear your PSU isn't working. I'm guessing you have the older discontinued TruePower 550w with 24a on the +12V (rail) and yes this is likely your problem. If you've had the power supply a while, you can also shave an amp or two off that 24a spec due to age. Before we recommend a PSU, are you looking for a PSU just to get your current AGP Rig going or are you looking for one that you could move later to a PCI-E Rig which would be Crossfire/SLI capable.
 
Johnny78 said:
I'm thinking ahead to the longevity of the card and I was wondering if I should invest in an aftermarket cooler since many people have questioned the efficacy of Sapphire's stock cooling. If so, what cooler should I look for?
Click to expand...

Just get something like this...

ZALMAN VF900 – CU 2 Ball VGA Cooler - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118001

And something like these applied to the VRM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010110576+1375726621&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=576

And then you'll have something like this:
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Sapphire_Ultimate_X1950PRO/index.shtml
http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=172&pid=g&grp=3

That's what I'm planning to do anyways... ;)
 
wizzard0003 said:
Just get something like this...

ZALMAN VF900 – CU 2 Ball VGA Cooler - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118001

And something like these applied to the VRM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010110576+1375726621&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=576

And then you'll have something like this:
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Sapphire_Ultimate_X1950PRO/index.shtml
http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=172&pid=g&grp=3

That's what I'm planning to do anyways... ;)
Click to expand...

I was too, until I read the post @ XS. They pretty much said that the Accelero X2 will outperform the VF900 for X19XX series for a much cheaper price. Well I did and I'm realy happy. Even the X2 is on sale this week. So I just went with that, and temps drop from around 72C max, to around 56C with no more jet engines taking off. So personally I would save the cash and go for the X2 :D
 
I have a hard time believing that the accelero will beat the vf900. Does the accelero cover the ram chips too? Maybe that is what helps so much?
 
yes and it you can get it a metal piece to cover the voltage regulators for 6 dollars
 
YoNeX said:
I was too, until I read the post @ XS. They pretty much said that the Accelero X2 will outperform the VF900 for X19XX series for a much cheaper price. Well I did and I'm realy happy. Even the X2 is on sale this week. So I just went with that, and temps drop from around 72C max, to around 56C with no more jet engines taking off. So personally I would save the cash and go for the X2 :D
Click to expand...

According to that link, the VF900 "Outperformed" the Accelero X2... :confused:

This is the order they listed:

VF900 > VF700 > Accelero X2...

The only thing they said was better about the Accelero X2 was that it was quieter at high fan speed but it's cooling was on par with the old VF700... ;)
 
wizzard0003 said:
According to that link, the VF900 "Outperformed" the Accelero X2... :confused:

This is the order they listed:

VF900 > VF700 > Accelero X2...

The only thing they said was better about the Accelero X2 was that it was quieter at high fan speed but it's cooling was on par with the old VF700... ;)
Click to expand...

You have to read a little into the thread.
 
honestjohn said:
Sorry to hear your PSU isn't working. I'm guessing you have the older discontinued TruePower 550w with 24a on the +12V (rail) and yes this is likely your problem. If you've had the power supply a while, you can also shave an amp or two off that 24a spec due to age. Before we recommend a PSU, are you looking for a PSU just to get your current AGP Rig going or are you looking for one that you could move later to a PCI-E Rig which would be Crossfire/SLI capable.
Click to expand...

I'm just looking for a PSU just to get my current AGP Rig going.
 
HonestJohn was kind enough to provide me with the following links for some high quality PSUs which weren't too expensive....relatively speakng.

This Silverstone is an excellent PSU, isn't to bad on the wallet and provides 38a on a single +12v rail.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...E168171631 11

This OCZ 700w is also really sweet .....

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...OT C-SHOPPING - Great Price

If you go to the Sapphire Forum the Mods will swear up and down that the Enermax Liberty 620w Dual-Rail with 22a on each +12v rail / 36a combined/sustained/continuous is one of the best, and that's how I ended up with mine. If you do a search and look at the review sites they say this power supply is excellent.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode= 270342 - Free Shipping



I ended up buying the Silverstone ST56ZF. It's a single rail but it's very potent with 38 amps on the 12V rail. Every single review on the web all concurr it's an excellent PSU. It'll power the X1950 PRO with no problem and it can handle SLI set ups as well so it should be good to go for years to come.
 
Chomped said:
I'm just looking for a PSU just to get my current AGP Rig going.
Click to expand...

The ones I recommended to Johnny78 are great for furture-proofing, but if you're only concern is your current Rig, the two below are reasonably priced and either one would be great .....the Antec one is even crossfire ready for X19xx series of cards.

Enermax Liberty / 500w / dual-rail / 22a per +12v rail / $109
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194003

Antec NeoHE / 550w / tri-rail / $109
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103941
 
Alright I'm up and running (thnks HJ and others). I'm a ATI newbie so I'm not sure what I need to select in the Catalyst control panel to get the most out of the card.

I'm running te 7.1 rivers. On page 19 - post 380 the screen shot shows a little tool window. I can't find where to activate it.

Can someone help me on this?

Thanks.
 
Chomped said:
Alright I'm up and running (thnks HJ and others). I'm a ATI newbie so I'm not sure what I need to select in the Catalyst control panel to get the most out of the card.

I'm running te 7.1 rivers. On page 19 - post 380 the screen shot shows a little tool window. I can't find where to activate it.

Can someone help me on this?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Your welcome Chomped, take a look at the link below to Tweakguides and start reading around 3/4 of the way down where it tells you how to switch between Basic & Advanced views. I think this will answer most of your questions, might even be worth printing a hard copy.

http://www.tweakguides.com/ATICAT_7.html
 
Okay so I've been enjoying my Sapphire X1950 PRO AGP for close to a month now and although I've not had any major probs with temps, I decided to order an aftermarket cooler. I've been tempted to try to overclock the card more but I figured I'd replace the stock cooling before I did so. Anyway, I just ordered a Zalman FC ZV9 Fatal1ty cooler from newegg. From what I've read, it's pretty identical to the Zalman VF900 but it has better fan speeds. I also ordered some Artic Silver 5 since that seems to be the thermal paste of choice for most people. Like I've said earlier, I'm a tech noobie for the most part and I've never replaced a stock cooler before. Quick question, because the Sapphire card has 512 MB of memory, does it require more than the 8 VGA ram heatsinks that are provided with the Zalman card? Should I go ahead and order some more? Anyway, sorry if this is a stupid question. Thanks.
 
You're fine, 8 is the right number for ram heatsink (unless you want to put them on the backside too).
 
Johnny78 said:
Okay so I've been enjoying my Sapphire X1950 PRO AGP for close to a month now and although I've not had any major probs with temps, I decided to order an aftermarket cooler. I've been tempted to try to overclock the card more but I figured I'd replace the stock cooling before I did so. Anyway, I just ordered a Zalman FC ZV9 Fatal1ty cooler from newegg. From what I've read, it's pretty identical to the Zalman VF900 but it has better fan speeds. I also ordered some Artic Silver 5 since that seems to be the thermal paste of choice for most people. Like I've said earlier, I'm a tech noobie for the most part and I've never replaced a stock cooler before. Quick question, because the Sapphire card has 512 MB of memory, does it require more than the 8 VGA ram heatsinks that are provided with the Zalman card? Should I go ahead and order some more? Anyway, sorry if this is a stupid question. Thanks.
Click to expand...

You may want to order some extra RAMsinks to apply to the VRM... Something like these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010110576+1375726621&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=576

And then you'll have something like this:

http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Sapphire_Ultimate_X1950PRO/images/11.JPG

http://www.sapphiretech.com/en/productfiles/172image2.jpg

http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Sapphire_Ultimate_X1950PRO/index.shtml

http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=172&pid=g&grp=3

Hope this helps... :)

aznpxdd said:
You're fine, 8 is the right number for ram heatsink (unless you want to put them on the backside too).
Click to expand...

I don't think there is anything you would want to stick RAMsinks to on the back of this card... :confused:

http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Sapphire_Ultimate_X1950PRO/images/08.JPG

But I could be wrong... :p
 
wizzard0003,You recommend buying some extra ramsinks. Is that merely for future uses? I've read that once a ramsink is removed once, the adhesive on it is pretty much useless. Also is there anything I should keep in mind when I remove the stock heatsink from the card? How do you clean the GPU and the ram chips? Rubbing alcohol and q-tips or is there a better method? Anyway, I'm pretty excited to put the Zalman ZV9 on there. It should look like a pretty bitchin card. Thanks for any advice in advance.
 
Johnny78 said:
wizzard0003,You recommend buying some extra ramsinks. Is that merely for future uses? I've read that once a ramsink is removed once, the adhesive on it is pretty much useless. Also is there anything I should keep in mind when I remove the stock heatsink from the card? How do you clean the GPU and the ram chips? Rubbing alcohol and q-tips or is there a better method? Anyway, I'm pretty excited to put the Zalman ZV9 on there. It should look like a pretty bitchin card. Thanks for any advice in advance.
Click to expand...

Take a look at the links I gave you... You will need to cool the VRM
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Sapphire_Ultimate_X1950PRO/images/11.JPG
As the Zalman doesn't come with anything for the VRM, you use the extra "RAMsinks" on THAT... ;)

The VRM regulates the voltage for the card and gets VERY HOT...!

Many problems can occure if it's not cooled,,, :eek:
 
Speaking of VRM, has anyone tried putting the Arctic Cooling VRM Heatspreader on a Sapphire X1950Pro 512MB?
 
Well, I've had to kick the fan to 86% in ATT to keep my card under 70°C at full load. Having already lost one card to overheating, I'm not going to play that game again. I guess my system is quieter than some, though, because that stock cooling is LOUD to me at these speeds.

Figure I'll try one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835110015

Reviews give it comparable cooling ability and noise to the VF900, but it exhausts externally. The big question is, will it fit?

And Wizard, all those ramsinks are out of stock. :D
 
So you think I would be better off with my old Antec True 430 (26a/+12v single rail) or a Antec Neo430 HE (still in the box) claiming 16a at both +12v.
single optical and HD, not much other draw, just 2 silent 1200rpm 120mm case fans, and passive watercooling. I wouldnt mind just returning this Neo430...$70 bucks in my pocket for more beer
 
Waterhazard said:
So you think I would be better off with my old Antec True 430 (26a/+12v single rail) or a Antec Neo430 HE (still in the box) claiming 16a at both +12v.
single optical and HD, not much other draw, just 2 silent 1200rpm 120mm case fans, and passive watercooling. I wouldnt mind just returning this Neo430...$70 bucks in my pocket for more beer
Click to expand...

You'd be better off with the one that works. Not being a smartass, you just won't know until you try it. Thoroughly test the True by stressing the card and use the Neo430 if it doesn't work. Looked up your Neo430 and that tri-rail looks to be the better of the two. It provides 32a on the three 16a +12v rails - combined.

(+12v1) + (+12v2) + (+12v3) = 384w divided by 12 = 32a
 
honestjohn said:
You'd be better off with the one that works. Not being a smartass, you just won't know until you try it. Thoroughly test the True by stressing the card and use the Neo430 if it doesn't work. Looked up your Neo430 and that tri-rail looks to be the better of the two. It provides 32a on the three 16a +12v rails - combined.

(+12v1) + (+12v2) + (+12v3) = 384w divided by 12 = 32a
Click to expand...

Good point. I thought the Neo430 would be the better of the two also. I certainly like the modular cable design, but it wont even post... My old second-hand True 430 seems to be working, well see how it handles some stress.
 
NStriker said:
Yeah, I know. ;)

Just thought I'd let ya know that I got that PCIe to 4-pin adapter you found way back when. Put it in today and it works wonderfully where my previous mod job did not. Cost $19 shipped, though. Still, if you have PCIe connectors on your PSU, it may be the way to go.
Click to expand...

Good to hear you got it going... :)

I just went ahead and made my own harness to work with my BoosterX3...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104019

Now each molex on my Sapphire has 12.5 amp independent power for 25 amp's
total auxillery power separate from the system PSU... :D

BTW, that BoosterX3 is an exellent "High Quality" unit... VERY Impressive... ;)
 
Well, although the True 430 posted (unlike the Neo 430 HE), it doesnt appear to be up to the task of supporting the 1950 at full tilt. Guess I'm off to get another PSU.
 
Waterhazard said:
Well, although the True 430 posted (unlike the Neo 430 HE), it doesnt appear to be up to the task of supporting the 1950 at full tilt. Guess I'm off to get another PSU.
Click to expand...

Well, picked up a PCP Silencer 610 (surely capable of running this card) and am still getting massive artifacting after a few minutes of stress. The card? I think so...The mobo or PSU, doubtfull...regardless, after having enough time consuming headaches with RMA, I've decided to bite the bullet, pay the restocking fee, and upgrade to AM2 and PCIE. My arse hurts.
 
Everybody always says the PSU, but rarely is card artifacting EVER because of the PSU.

Video artifacting at stock speeds is bad memory on the card 99% of the time. You can test to see what causes it by underclocking your card. Try the core and then try the memory... whatever one stops the artifacting when you reduce it's speed by 50-100mhz or so is the culprit. The reason why it is more likely memory is simple statistics. There are 8X more memory chips on the card then core chips. A single defective one will cause artifacting.
 
ok, my HIS turbo 512 Mb is perfect, runs fast and cool BUT has very annoying problem that seems to be getting worse by every day that passes.

whatever i do , there is a hissing - sputeringnoise coming from my speakers -headphones , that is driving me nuts, i cant play anything and even watching a simple avi file i can listen to it unless i turn the volume way to high!

btw it seems to change pits or even "power" dependign on what i do.. i open a 3d game, its; more loud, i open another it has a diferent noise, ..a splash sceen loads? it sputters and cackles and then becomes a whininy noise again....

( note the card itsel is rather quiet, even at full load when it ramps up to 71% fan speed ( never went higher..) it is audible but not exceedingly so..)

has anyone else encountered these issues?
 
Yashu said:
Everybody always says the PSU, but rarely is card artifacting EVER because of the PSU.

Video artifacting at stock speeds is bad memory on the card 99% of the time. You can test to see what causes it by underclocking your card. Try the core and then try the memory... whatever one stops the artifacting when you reduce it's speed by 50-100mhz or so is the culprit. The reason why it is more likely memory is simple statistics. There are 8X more memory chips on the card then core chips. A single defective one will cause artifacting.
Click to expand...

Yup, I think that is the real issue at hand here (or the other main problem is the VRM are overheating). I think that is why I can't even overclock my memory without it giving me artifacts or crashing.
 
Well, I just installed the Zalman ZV9 on my Sapphire X1950 PRO and I'm here to say that this card performs way beyond my expectations. The cooler looks great on the card, is much quieter than the stock fan (even at full speed) and the temps are way way down. I'm a huge gamer and with the stock fan at 85% my full load temps hovered around 61-62 degrees. This morning I just played Half Life 2 for an hour with the new cooler installed and afterwards I checked the temp on the card and it was at 38 degrees. Amazing. Plus I've got the card overclocked to 621 for the core and 1450 for the memory. For anyone looking to get more performance out of their card while extending the life at the same time, I highly recommend this cooler.
 
So I've been on alot of forums and got alot of different replies, but people seem to be the most knowledgeable in here so here goes; I have a Thermaltake PurePower 420w with what I believe is a single rail rated at 18amps. However, this is all new to me so here is the link to my particular PSU:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/produc...9r/w00089r.asp

Can anyone clue me into whether or not this is sufficient? I'm running a P4@3ghz and 1gbpc3200 as well as 1 HD and standard CD/DVD drives and nothing else. If this is indeed insufficient, can someone point me in the direction of a cost efficient power supply?
 
Having read through a bunch of the posts here I see several questions on cooling, power, etc. I have written a guide for the Sapphire card and all that went into my install and thoughts.. and general rambling. lol

Take a look here

Hope it helps...
 
Thanks for that last post, power section helped me alot. Unfortunately I cannot find any power supplies with 30a on 12v, I suppose they run upwards of $150 or more which is more than I am able to spend as I am also purchasing the x1950. I did however find and Enermax with 485w and 22amps on 2 rails with pfc for a little less than $100.

TBH anything more than that would make me reconsider buying the card all together. Two of the reviews on newegg were from guys with x1950pros and a hell of alot more going on inside the tower than me so I'm fairly confident this will do the trick. Unless you want to point me in the direction of a single 12v with 30amp for no more than $100...lol...I will take my chances, thanks for the article.
 
Stratman said:
I would definitely look into getting a new PSU
Click to expand...

More than likely it won't be, but you don't need to spend $150 on a new one. Although if you do, you can move it into your next PCI-E rig if you build one. Anyway see link below. This Antec is $102 and within spec and also appears on ATI Crossfire Ready List, so it should be more than enough for a single card config. E-Wiz has free shipping on this model as well.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-NEOHE55
 
Katotonic said:
So I've been on alot of forums and got alot of different replies, but people seem to be the most knowledgeable in here so here goes; I have a Thermaltake PurePower 420w with what I believe is a single rail rated at 18amps. However, this is all new to me so here is the link to my particular PSU:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/produc...9r/w00089r.asp

Can anyone clue me into whether or not this is sufficient? I'm running a P4@3ghz and 1gbpc3200 as well as 1 HD and standard CD/DVD drives and nothing else. If this is indeed insufficient, can someone point me in the direction of a cost efficient power supply?
Click to expand...


Here's a few power use chart's below, to hopefully ease your mind a little. V-card makers way overstate power needs, due mostly in part, to all the poor quality units in the market place, that don't come close to there listed outputs, so take all this with a big grain of salt ! The unit you have now, should be fine with your current hardware specs. Or, if you'd feel better, the Antec that Honest John listed, would be a good unit at the right price. I've run Antecs units, and have done well, with all of them. You get what you pay for, right.

Just for yuks, here's a x1950 pro running on a 300 watter, with 18 amps on the 12 volt rail. CPU is a little slower though, about 20 watts less power use, than yours.

http://www.lostcircuits.com/video/sapphire_x1950proagp/4.shtml

Power use chart=

http://www.techreport.com/reviews/2006q4/radeon-x1950-pro/index.x?pg=10
 
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