Radeon x1600 or x850 ?

Question

Which is the better card and how much should I expect to pay?

Graphics cards btw.

Another card isn't an option, plus I need AGP. So it's out of these two, I just need to know which would be better.

Answer 1

YOUR PC
if you have a power supply of only 350 or 400 W, you may be limited to a X1-600 (or 650); even a X-850 might not get enough power, from such a PSU, leave alone any other of the cards listed).
if the PSU of your PC delivers less then 350W, you may want to stick with a X1-350 or possibly a X1-550.


if you are out for gaming and casual video on an XP desktop, go for the X-850 (preferably a XT or even an XT-PE); it'll give you (more then) twice the FPS that a X1-600 ever will.

if you are into Vi$t0 and video editing, the X1-600 is more recent and thus better suited. and a X1-650XT can actually deliver a decent frame rate, provided you limit yourself to 1280x1024 or so.(1280x800 on a widescreen)

TIP (for a couple dozen bucks Xtra...):
if you want the best gaming experience on AGP (and provided you have an AGP8 motherboard) go for a X1-950.
/!\ only an option if the PSU of your PC delivers @ least 500W

for (High definition) video, general desktop (Vi$t0) and decent gaming, get yourself a HD2-600, the follow-up of the X1-600. nota bene, the X-850 will still have higher frame rates then a HD2-600 (!)
/!\ the HD2 serie are power hogs and require @ least 450W PSUs

ATI SERIEs:
600/650 cards are entry level gaming card with decent desktop performance, sometimes even more then decent.

800/850/900/950 are the top gamer cards. the same chip architecture are used for ATI's professional cards

a X1-600 is not better / higher / more powerful then a X-850.
they have a couple more recent features (like shader 3), but with lower performance / frame rates.
as pointed out @ the beginning, the only reason to take a X1-600 (why not a X1-650?) would be limitations of your Power supply (400W or 350W; less wouldn't do)

PRICE:
you might get a X1-600 for less then a 100 bucks, but even a X850 will cost you from 150 onwards.
a HD2-600 XT AGP may be a compromise (at about 135).

Answer 2

i suggest the newer ati x1000 series like the x1600. The x850 is an older card. the x1600 has 512mb of dedicated video memory. You should pay no more then $100 for an x1600 agp. here is a good x1650 pro

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161052

Answer 3

screw them both and go with a gforce 8 series, its got crisper video.