HD 3650 vs 2600XT

[mondobyte]

I am putting a computer back together after a direct lightning strike (most likely a localized EMP effect rather than your basic lightning surge through the electrical system) basically fried, melted, vaporized or charred everything except the case in one way or another but did not take out the SmartUPS or the surge protectors! In fact, I did not loose any of the SmartUPS or the ubiquitous TrippLite or APC Surge protectors that I have on nearly everything in the house -- still most of the electronics were heavily damaged or destroyed. Isolated and/or BATTERY operated devices with long cords (i.e., wired Thermometers, Rain Gauge, Headphones, 2-Way Radios) became inert, failed, or went wonky. None of the remote controls seems damaged but all the batteries in the remote controls went dead immediately and required replacement. So much for the lightning story ... on to the real meat of my questions.

I had a K9A2 with a Phenom (will be a K9A2 and a Phenom 9950 upon replacement) with 2
MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Silent Heat Pipe Video Card
in the Crossfire configuration. Worked very well and it is FANLESS. I am having problems finding replacements for these cards. This configuration played most games very niceley at high frame rates and high resolutions (1600x1200) - UT versions, Quake versions, HL versions, Witcher, etc. I don't have a large format HD TV/Display in my library YET ... but I want to keep the door open for those possibilities. I really liked the QUIET and long term reliability of the FANLESS design (no fan to make noise, no fan to fail and overheat).

I was considering a replacement with 2 x HIS Hightech H365P512GNP Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported iSilenceIII Video Card instead of the 2 RX2600XT-T2D512EZ.

Cost for either of these two solutions is not the issue here so please leave that out of the equation. I am also not paricularly interested in an nVidia solution as the K9A2 Platinum does not support SLI. I could be open to alternative Radeon based solutions in the under $225 price range.

So here are the questions?

From a purely video performance perspective, which is the better situation?

I read some reviews that suggest the 2600XT is a better card while others say it is a push while still others say the 3650 is definitely better.

From a thermal performance perspective, which is better?

If I read between the lines a bit, what I think I understand is that the heat generated from the 3650 will be considerably less than the heat generated from the 2600XT due to the newer chip fabrication process of the 3650.

From a future capabilities perspective, which is the better of the two?

Again, I don't see a big difference in the specs in terms of capabilities but am I a victim of incorrect thinking?

Finally, is there a single (edit) VERY QUIET or FANLESS (end edit) RADEON video card that would perform significantly better than either of these Crossfire solutions in the under $225 price range?

At the time that I built this computer, it seemed that 2 Crossfired 2600XT video cards were much less expensive compared with a single high-end video card based on the choices that were available at that time.

I currently run XP x64 but could run Vista 32/64 easily down the road (My license is for Vista Ultimate 32/64 so I am running XP x64 as a downgrade)

Thanks for you help.

 

[Sylvanas]

From a purely video performance perspective, which is the better situation?

I read some reviews that suggest the 2600XT is a better card while others say it is a push while still others say the 3650 is definitely better.

They are probably both about the same but the 3650 is by far the better choice. It is 55nm, runs cooler, has support for DX10.1 and HDMI pass through plus UVD.

From a thermal performance perspective, which is better?

If I read between the lines a bit, what I think I understand is that the heat generated from the 3650 will be considerably less than the heat generated from the 2600XT due to the newer chip fabrication process of the 3650.

True

From a future capabilities perspective, which is the better of the two?

Again, I don't see a big difference in the specs in terms of capabilities but am I a victim of incorrect thinking?

3650 is more 'future proof' than a 2600 due mainly in part to DX10.1

Finally, is there a single RADEON video card that would perform significantly better than either of these Crossfire solutions in the under $225 price range?

1x 4850 will unquestionably destroy any and all of the cards you mentioned no matter how many you put in Crossfire. Best of all, you don;t need to spend $225- this Sapphire can be had for $155 MIR and is the best performing and value card until you get to $275 which is 4870 territory.

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: Sylvanas

Finally, is there a single RADEON video card that would perform significantly better than either of these Crossfire solutions in the under $225 price range?

1x 4850 will unquestionably destroy any and all of the cards you mentioned no matter how many you put in Crossfire. Best of all, you don;t need to spend $225- this Sapphire can be had for $155 MIR and is the best performing and value card until you get to $275 which is 4870 territory.

My error, I should have added very QUIET or FANLESS to that question.

Yes ... there are lots of "Jet Engines" out there that will easily outperform either of the two proposed choices.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: mondobyte

Originally posted by: Sylvanas

Finally, is there a single RADEON video card that would perform significantly better than either of these Crossfire solutions in the under $225 price range?

1x 4850 will unquestionably destroy any and all of the cards you mentioned no matter how many you put in Crossfire. Best of all, you don;t need to spend $225- this Sapphire can be had for $155 MIR and is the best performing and value card until you get to $275 which is 4870 territory.

My error, I should have added very QUIET or FANLESS to that question.

Yes ... there are lots of "Jet Engines" out there that will easily outperform either of the two proposed choices.

Well, I'd hardly call it a Jet Engine- although each to his own. You might want to consider this 4850 that comes pre-installed with a VF900 that is 18-25db which is hardly audible at all.