ATI - HD4890 (fastest card for use with Calamity drivers) and JPAC

[csnow]

I decided to go LCD with my arcade cabinet so I have a brand new JPAC and an ATI HD4890 video card.  The HD4890 are no longer made and kinda hard to find, but I scored on on my local Craigslist.  The 4890 is the fastest card available that can be used with the Calamity ATI drivers.  This will allow you to output to an arcade monitor and be able to handle PS2 and Dreamcast emulation without a problem.  I installed the card in my PC to test it and it plays Tekken 5 (PCSX2) at 60fps with no problems.  Tekken 5 is the most resource intensive game in the PS2 emulation library.  I am also running an i7 processor so make sure you have a good CPU.  I also launched several DreamCast titles like Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, etc and they play perfect.

The fan on this card is loud.  Not sure if it is like this from ATI or if it the fan bearing.  I did check on NewEgg and you can buy an aftermarket cooler for this if it is the fan bearing.  I played several hours and the card didnt overheat, it was just noisy/loud.  You probably wouldn't hear it inside a cabinet with the game music playing.  I am want to be upfront with my observation.

This is the perfect combo for someone wanting to convert a cabinet to play more modern games.  I would like to get $125 plus shipping for both the JPAC and HD4890.

Local pickup is available if you live in San Antonio.  I can re-install the card and you can check it out.

Chris

[csnow]

Weekly bump