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| Sapphire RADEON X1950 Pro Make Friends with Yesterday’s Fast | ||
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(Review by Aaron (Ludicrous) Vienot, November 26, 2006) |
Final Thoughts
The Sapphire X1950 Pro is, in our estimation, an excellent card for its market position. It is a reasonable choice for the gamer or other moderate 3D user who wants to go beyond that aging DirectX 7 or 8 card, but has no wish to give up all of the nicest features, and certainly doesn’t want to purchase a seemingly-affordable DirectX 9 card, only to be slapped in the face with Frame Rates From the Slow Lagoon.
Why can we recommend it? First, there are the GPU-level improvements, including the CrossFire internalization update that finally makes ATi’s multi-GPU technology as easy to use as Nvidia’s SLI. The fact that the card can slot into the width of a single bay is also a favorable point, especially for small-form-factor users.
Second, there is the value of the package; Sapphire includes all of the cables a home theater integration enthusiast will need to connect to the Avivo video output. The cables are probably not a high-dollar item from Sapphire’s perspective, but since all retail outlets use them as high-margin profiteering devices, the end-user sees a potential $30 savings.
Third, the X1950 Pro held up well for a $199 card, especially considering that our two game tests used DirectX 9 and absolute maximum visual settings as the baseline. Even then, this card proved itself to have a nice sweet spot at 1024x768 with AF and AA settings turned on, and it remains capable at 1280x1024 if the user prefers to sacrifice a few visual options and/or dial back the AA. If that isn't satisfactory, assuming the second x16 PCIe slot is present, just wait a couple paychecks and add the second X1950 Pro in CrossFire mode. No need to abandon the initial investment
Our first impressions were correct: what we have here is a full-featured GPU neatly targeting the $199 midrange price point. Nvidia 7900GS and GT owners can no longer dominate the LAN party.
And thanks to Sapphire, that GPU is available in an attractive and well-stocked package.
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