Best low power PCIe card?

[Todd33]

I saw the X800XL and X1600XT, both are powered by the PCIe bus and had reviews which showed the peak system power at just under 300W. Is this the best I can do for my requirements? I assume the X1600XT is the better choice of the two?

This is not for my personal system, it's work related.

 

[Astonm]

Currently i am running a 6800GS on a 300W generic supply w/ no problems. It has a 288 max continuous, 300 max, and a 19A +12 rail

 

[Matthias99]

I saw the X800XL and X1600XT, both are powered by the PCIe bus and had reviews which showed the peak system power at just under 300W. Is this the best I can do for my requirements? I assume the X1600XT is the better choice of the two?

Most reviews are actually showing the power draw at the wall, which doesn't take the PSU's efficiency into account.

Generally speaking, you should be able to run anything but the VERY highest-end video cards out there today (unless the system has a lot of other stuff in it) on a good 300-350W PSU without a problem.

As far as those two graphics cards... you can check digit-life for some head-to-head benches, but they should be pretty close. I think.

 

[Zebo]

7800GT is the best watt/performance GPU uses same power as 6800GS noted by Astonm and of course is much faster.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gpu-consumption2006.html

 

[BernardP]

Do I correctly understand that you want a card that will draw power only from the PCI-E slot, without needing an additional connector?

Then the 6800GS and 7800GT are out, although they draw litlle power from the additionnal connector.

X1600T fits the bill, but is viewed more or less as a flop fot ATI because it can't beat a GeForce 6600GT.

Just wait a few weeks. The new GeForce 7600GS and 7600GT will be launched in early March. They will be much more powerful than the X1600XT, with low power consumption, thanks to the .90 micron die size. The 7600GS and GT are discussed in this Inquirer Article

BTW, they are off-track when they say the 7600 series will compete with the X1600 series and the X1800GTO. If they compete with the latter, they will destroy the former.

 

[jdkick]

If it's work related do you actually need a mid-range PCI-Express card? Why not go with a more basic solution?

If you do need some level of performance then yes, the X800*, X1600* and 6600* cards is where you'll end up if you don't want to supply additional power to the card. And I understand your concern, especially if you're working with a boxed PC with some generic 250W power supply.

I'm running a Sapphire X1600XT at the moment. I'm an occassional gamer and wanted a card below $200CDN w/ SM3.0 support... enter the X1600XT. The AVIVO features also appealed to me as I do a little video work from time to time. As for performance, it's tricky. The X1600XT beats out the X800/X800GT, will run with the X800GTO and frequently beats out the 6600GT. Yes, there are some titles where the 6600GT will take the lead, but that's usually in pure speed benchmarks... the X1600XT will usually jump ahead once the eye candy is turned up.

Anyway, there are options... no need to have the latest/greatest and sometimes we can't wait for the next model to be released.

 

[Todd33]

I need an AGP and PCIe solution (can be two diff cards) which has low power consumption and good 3d performance. We don't have the option to replace proprietary power supplies. Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Cookie Monster]

EVGA 7800GT going for 250 after rebate, grab them quick!

 

[jdkick]

Originally posted by: Todd33We don't have the option to replace proprietary power supplies.

I hear you... our small factor systems run on 160W to 220W power supplies - scary. For more serious work we tend to order the tower models as they have more robust power supplys (350W).

For PCI-Exress, X800GTO, 6600GT or X1600XT would be the list. Anything less and performance will suffer and anything more and you'll need a dedicated power connector.

It's a little trickier to find a decent AGP solution that doesn't require power tho... even my old Radeon 9500 Pro required additional power. Just a floppy connector tho...