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MSI RX2600PRO AGP tested

by on25 January 2008

Index



For this test, we decided to use an older system which we like to call "old faithful," based on Intel's 865PE socket 478 chipset paired with Intel's P4 Northwood processor working at 2800MHz. The reason for which we decided to pick this system is the fact that the AGP market is dying, and that those in search for the AGP card either want to make a nice HTPC out of their aging system or simply just want to refresh it a little. MSI HD 2600 Pro was compared to the PowerColor's X1950 Pro 256MB AGP, which works at 575MHz for the core and 690MHz (1380MHz effective) for 256MB of GDDR3 memory.

Testbed

Motherboard:
MSI 865PE Neo2-P Platinum Edition
Intel 865PE Chipset
Intel ICH5 Chipset

CPU:
Intel P4 Northwood @ 2.8GHz

CPU-Cooler:
Stock Intel Cooler

Memory:
Kingston PC3200 2x512MB Value Series
CL 3-3-3-8 @ 2.5V

Graphics Card:
MSI HD 2600 PRO 256MB (RX2600PRO-T2D256Z/D2) (supplied by MSI)
PowerColor X1950 Pro 256MB (supplied by PowerColor)

Power supply:
Fortron BlueStorm II 500W

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (supplied by Seagate)

Case fans:
Arctic Fan Pro 2L TC 80mm
Revoltec Dark Blue 80mm Fan

Futuremark testing

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The 3DMark testing clearly shows the advantage of the X1950 Pro card, which is normal if you consider the faster memory, more ROPs and 256-bit memory interface. That difference is noticeable in 3DMark 03 where the HD 2600 Pro has 3849 marks less, and in the 3DMark 06 where the difference is lower, 671 marks.

Games

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Games like F.E.A.R., pushed at maximum settings, really show the difference, as the HD 2600 Pro just doesn't have enough raw power to fight the battle with X1950 Pro, but it still gives playable FPS in realistic resolutions for this system.

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World in Conflict at maximum details is just not made for this kind of system, so in order to get at least double digit results we had to put the game on medium settings. Even then, the cards, as well as the entire system, just didn't have what it takes to run this demanding game.

Image

In Serious Sam 2 the difference rises as you set higher resolutions, which we can attributed to the difference in memory amount and memory interface, but MSI HD 2600 Pro handles Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filtering really well.

If you plan to use this card for an HTPC system, you will have no trouble watching HD video content. We tried playing a few HD movies and the CPU usage ranged from 30 to 50 per cent, which is understandable if you consider that this an ancient single core processor and playing HD content is only made possible thanks to the HD 2600 Pro card. The card handles Windows Vista and its Aero Glass without any problems.


Conclusion

The card is capable of running most games at reasonable resolutions, its cooling is effective and the temperatures are surprisingly low. It's a silent AGP card with a reasonable price and price is often what really matters in the upgrade market. We could mention the flaws, like DDR2 memory, only if we forget the price, which is currently €80,90, which is the main fact when you compare it to the X1950 Pro.

When compared to the X1950 we can talk about some performance issues, but these cards aren't in the same class or generation for that matter. Simple math comes into play: X1950 Pro will cost you €123.60, or €50 more, which is not a small price, especially if you are investing in the upgrade of an old system with AGP slot. For €50 less you'll get HD video capability and DX10 support.

Looking at the current situation on the AGP market, MSI's HD 2600 Pro card is a tempting offer, so we can easily recommend it. If you are considering on mild refresh of you AGP system, and don't want to invest (or should we say waste) your money on cards like the X1950 Pro, the passive MSI RX2600PRO-T2D256Z/D2 based on the HD 2600 Pro core is definitely a great choice.





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Last modified on 26 January 2008
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