9600xt, 9700 pro, or 9800???

[djm68]

Building a PC for my son...amd 2500 mobile to be OC'd, Shuttle AN35N-Ultra, 2x256 crucial value select. I am a bit confused with which video card to go with -- budget is $150, max.

I was looking at the 9600xt @ 150, but then I saw a 9700 Pro at newegg's refurb page for $135.

9700 pro at newegg

and also a 9800 at newegg (also refurbed) fro $145

9800 at newegg

And thoughts about what card to gi with? Seems like the 9700 pro is an awfully nice deal...

Thanks,
DJM

 

[Concillian]

I believe newegg offers a few days to return a refurb card. I'd say try out the 9700 Pro and test it out extensively for a week. I think that's the best deal of the cards you list.

 

[djm68]

Hey Concillian,

Yeah, newegg offers 15 days to return refurbs. Undoubtedly, my son will put the card through its paces right away!

Thanks for the input,
DJM

 

[Matthias99]

In terms of bang/buck at stock speeds, the 9700Pro is best. The 9800 performs almost identically to a 9700Pro, although it may overclock more. If you don't care about overclocking, just get the 9700Pro.