Connect 3D and Sapphire Blizzard Radeon X1900 XTX
by Josh Venning on April 10, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Final Words
We've talked a lot about ATI's X1900 series lately, and it just happens to be the kind of graphics card that people like hearing about. The X1900 XTX is one of the most powerful cards available at the time of this writing, and it's going to be impressive no matter how it comes from the manufacturer. For those interested in a reliable, good quality X1900 XTX Connect3D's version will certainly do the job, but the Blizzard X1900 XTX arguably does it a little better and with a bit more panache.
Whether or not water cooled cards like this will be more than a novelty is yet to be seen, but this one manages to work well, install easily, and look good doing it. It does have its drawbacks though. We already mentioned that it is a bit of a power hog, which is a red flag for many PC users. Also, while we didn't find any specific problems with heat, the water reservoir and radiator of the Blizzard are likely less effective than other solutions due to their location and size. A larger reservoir with a radiator external to the case can do a better job, first because more water means the ability to store more heat, and second because eventually the air flowing over the radiator would be warmer inside the case than out. We also found that care had to be taken when installing the card, as the hoses were somewhat fragile and space may be an issue as it tends to fill up the inside of the case (though not a lot more than any other X1900 XTX).
There area few other concerns with water cooling as well. First, water and electronics are not good bedfellows, so anyone that moves their computer around a lot will want to exercise extra caution. We also wouldn't mind seeing a water cooling solution that did something for the GPU RAM as well as the GPU core. That second point leads us into our final comment: while the detached radiator connected to the GPU via two hoses does offer a bit more flexibility in terms of where you locate the radiator, it might be better overall to simply go with an attached water radiator and a traditional two-slot design. That way you eliminate the possibility of damaging or crimping the hoses, there's less chance for developing a leak, and you can easily cover the RAM as well as the GPU core.
The Blizzard isn't perfect, but few products are. While we weren't able to overclock it higher than some of the other X1900 XTXs in the past, we still got a fairly high overclock, and the factory overclock alone is a plus to this package. Other positive things are the fact that it does run much more quietly than other X1900 XTXs, it comes completely assembled so you won't have to worry about voiding any warranties in your quest for water cooling, and it's quite easy to install. It didn't show any breakthroughs in terms of heat dissipated and temperatures, but there weren't any heat problems either so by all accounts the water cooling system seems to do its job.
Price wise, we understand that the Blizzard X1900 XTX will be selling for $570 with a $30 mail in rebate when it's released, which should be about the third or fourth week in April. The Connect3D X1900 XTX is selling for about $495 at the time of this writing. Currently, the X1900 XTX is available for about $50 or $60 less than the NVIDIA 7900 GTX which is good news for ATI considering performance between the two is so similar. If you're interested in the games offered by Sapphire, you also have to consider that you're getting an extra $60-$80 in value there, but that only really applies if you would otherwise purchase two of the offered games separately.
We realize the X1900 XTX has been in the spotlight lately, but we felt that these cards and particularly the Blizzard X1900 XTX warranted a look. We know that these aren't the most affordable cards on the market right now, and it can be frustrating hearing about the kind of gaming power available without it being financially within reach. However, the stakes are higher with these high-end cards for both ATI and NVIDIA since they help to drive perceptions and create market share, so we want to keep a close eye on what's happening with them. For those that want more economical offerings, we will be looking at some more moderately-priced cards range in the near future.
We've talked a lot about ATI's X1900 series lately, and it just happens to be the kind of graphics card that people like hearing about. The X1900 XTX is one of the most powerful cards available at the time of this writing, and it's going to be impressive no matter how it comes from the manufacturer. For those interested in a reliable, good quality X1900 XTX Connect3D's version will certainly do the job, but the Blizzard X1900 XTX arguably does it a little better and with a bit more panache.
Whether or not water cooled cards like this will be more than a novelty is yet to be seen, but this one manages to work well, install easily, and look good doing it. It does have its drawbacks though. We already mentioned that it is a bit of a power hog, which is a red flag for many PC users. Also, while we didn't find any specific problems with heat, the water reservoir and radiator of the Blizzard are likely less effective than other solutions due to their location and size. A larger reservoir with a radiator external to the case can do a better job, first because more water means the ability to store more heat, and second because eventually the air flowing over the radiator would be warmer inside the case than out. We also found that care had to be taken when installing the card, as the hoses were somewhat fragile and space may be an issue as it tends to fill up the inside of the case (though not a lot more than any other X1900 XTX).
There area few other concerns with water cooling as well. First, water and electronics are not good bedfellows, so anyone that moves their computer around a lot will want to exercise extra caution. We also wouldn't mind seeing a water cooling solution that did something for the GPU RAM as well as the GPU core. That second point leads us into our final comment: while the detached radiator connected to the GPU via two hoses does offer a bit more flexibility in terms of where you locate the radiator, it might be better overall to simply go with an attached water radiator and a traditional two-slot design. That way you eliminate the possibility of damaging or crimping the hoses, there's less chance for developing a leak, and you can easily cover the RAM as well as the GPU core.
The Blizzard isn't perfect, but few products are. While we weren't able to overclock it higher than some of the other X1900 XTXs in the past, we still got a fairly high overclock, and the factory overclock alone is a plus to this package. Other positive things are the fact that it does run much more quietly than other X1900 XTXs, it comes completely assembled so you won't have to worry about voiding any warranties in your quest for water cooling, and it's quite easy to install. It didn't show any breakthroughs in terms of heat dissipated and temperatures, but there weren't any heat problems either so by all accounts the water cooling system seems to do its job.
Price wise, we understand that the Blizzard X1900 XTX will be selling for $570 with a $30 mail in rebate when it's released, which should be about the third or fourth week in April. The Connect3D X1900 XTX is selling for about $495 at the time of this writing. Currently, the X1900 XTX is available for about $50 or $60 less than the NVIDIA 7900 GTX which is good news for ATI considering performance between the two is so similar. If you're interested in the games offered by Sapphire, you also have to consider that you're getting an extra $60-$80 in value there, but that only really applies if you would otherwise purchase two of the offered games separately.
We realize the X1900 XTX has been in the spotlight lately, but we felt that these cards and particularly the Blizzard X1900 XTX warranted a look. We know that these aren't the most affordable cards on the market right now, and it can be frustrating hearing about the kind of gaming power available without it being financially within reach. However, the stakes are higher with these high-end cards for both ATI and NVIDIA since they help to drive perceptions and create market share, so we want to keep a close eye on what's happening with them. For those that want more economical offerings, we will be looking at some more moderately-priced cards range in the near future.
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haelduksf - Monday, April 10, 2006 - link
Because a well-designed water-cooling setup is more efficient than any heatpipe-based air cooler. See any overclocker's forum on the internet for proof.NullSubroutine - Monday, April 10, 2006 - link
i could have been mistaken, but i thought the x1900xtx and the 7900 gtx xo edition from evga were pretty much tied?z3R0C00L - Monday, April 10, 2006 - link
Not really..The x1900XTX has more features, performs better in newer games and also support HDR+AA. There are no extra's over the x1900 series that you can get with the 7900GTX.. save maybe 5FPS more in OpenGL games... but not many people play those games.
The x1900XTX is the better card for HighEnd buyer's.. better drivers, better performance and more features.
NullSubroutine - Monday, April 10, 2006 - link
i know it was the inquirer, but the did an article on the overclocked 7900 and it showed they pretty much tied in most situations. granted, it came factory overclocked. i still personally would take x1900xtx for a single card solution, but would take the 7900 for sli (if you can actually find two cards).