9800 PRO outdated already???

[BoboKatt]

OMG so I upgraded to a Sapphire 9800 Pro 128 meg about 7 months ago and apart that the video card is messed up with weird artifacting and vertical lines that display at any temp and even at the old Dos boot up when it's posting.. (that only go away when I wiggle the card or shove a pencil to keep pressure on the video card..!!)... I always thought the performance of that card was top notch. I cannot believe I am reading posts here where folks will tell others that they seriously need to upgrade their video card if it's a 9800 pro and they have a kick ass AMD64 3500 or something. I distinctly remember reading on Anandtech that the 9800 still holds it's own quite well.

I really want to get rid of this card because of that weird wiggling issue ( I changed everything on my computer thinking it was something else, mobo, PSU etc.. nope it's the card) but I cannot imagine spending 500$ more for a video card and it must be AGP as my 939 board only has that. I have been reading about the 6800NU (what the hell does NU stand for??) and noticed that BFG tech 6800OC one in my area sells pretty cheap. Would I notice a great difference in games such as EQ1, EQ2 and WOW or are these cards only gonna be better in HL2 and Doom3 which I do not play?? Which one has the best success rate of soft moding? Why the heck does a 6800GT cost like 200$ more than a 6800?? Wow sorry for all the questions.. I?ll probably find most of my answers if I keep reading as I am doing now LOL. Thanks all :0

 

[bamacre]

A 9800pro card is fine.

If the card you bought is under warranty, have it replaced. Don't let other people tell you what kind of video card you need to have. As long as it makes YOU happy, that's all that matters.

NU = NonUltra (Vanilla)

There are plenty of benchmarks in AT articles under "Video."

 

[five40]

Seems to me like your problem might be a cooling issue. When I first got my 9800 pro I had the same issues. Then I modded my case and added 4 fans in the side. It's been running like a champ since then.

 

[Todd33]

The 9800 Pro also plays EQ2 beter than a 6800 card right now. Sony and Nvidia are working on "performance issues" . One guy on the official baords showed fraps results showing his old 9700 Pro performning better than his $400 8600GT.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Todd33
The 9800 Pro also plays EQ2 beter than a 6800 card right now. Sony and Nvidia are working on "performance issues" . One guy on the official baords showed fraps results showing his old 9700 Pro performning better than his $400 8600GT.

What do you think is going to happen when Sony and Nvidia resolve this issue?

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Todd33
The 9800 Pro also plays EQ2 beter than a 6800 card right now. Sony and Nvidia are working on "performance issues" . One guy on the official baords showed fraps results showing his old 9700 Pro performning better than his $400 8600GT.

What do you think is going to happen when Sony and Nvidia resolve this issue?

Umm, Nvidia card will still be slower?

 

[Todd33]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Todd33
The 9800 Pro also plays EQ2 beter than a 6800 card right now. Sony and Nvidia are working on "performance issues" . One guy on the official baords showed fraps results showing his old 9700 Pro performning better than his $400 8600GT.

What do you think is going to happen when Sony and Nvidia resolve this issue?

So many people are complaining and ditching EQ2 and/or Nvidia over this issue, the damage might be done. I played EQ2 on a 9800 Pro it runs great. So the OP has nothing to worry about if he simply replaces it without dumping another $200 for a 6800GT.

Sorry if I hurt any 6800 owner's e-penis.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: bamacre
A 9800pro card is fine.

If the card you bought is under warranty, have it replaced. Don't let other people tell you what kind of video card you need to have. As long as it makes YOU happy, that's all that matters.

NU = NonUltra (Vanilla)

There are plenty of benchmarks in AT articles under "Video."

:thumbsup: definitely try to get it replaced!

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Todd33

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Todd33
The 9800 Pro also plays EQ2 beter than a 6800 card right now. Sony and Nvidia are working on "performance issues" . One guy on the official baords showed fraps results showing his old 9700 Pro performning better than his $400 8600GT.

What do you think is going to happen when Sony and Nvidia resolve this issue?

So many people are complaining and ditching EQ2 and/or Nvidia over this issue, the damage might be done. I played EQ2 on a 9800 Pro it runs great. So the OP has nothing to worry about if he simply replaces it without dumping another $200 for a 6800GT.

Sorry if I hurt any 6800 owner's e-penis.

That's not what I asked. And thank you for the last comment. It lets me know what kind of mentality I'm dealing with.

To the OP. 9800pro is a kicka$$ card especially at current price points. I see them going for about 150.00 here and there. I am currently trying to trade for one in the FS/FT forum. They seem to play everything out there, at least at playable framerates with some candy.

I would just get it replaced, but don't base a purchasing decision on a single game. That's never a good idea. Unless you absolutely know that you will only play that one game and never anything else.
Just my opinion.

 

[Malak]

The mentality of someone with good manners? He apologized.

 

[James3shin]

...this thread reeks of fanboyism and if a person honestly thinks that even after Sony and NV clear things up on EQ2 that a 98pro will outperform a 6800 is just not logical by any means, not direceted at nautistica.ei

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: malak
The mentality of someone with good manners? He apologized.

The apology in itself was a stab.

Back on topic please?

 

[Todd33]

Would I notice a great difference in games such as EQ1, EQ2 and WOW or are these cards only gonna be better in HL2 and Doom3 which I do not play??

I wasn't trying to start anything, I was just answering his question. I have personal exp with EQ2 and followed the technical discussions on their official boards for weeks. Of course it's a bug, the 9800 pro is not faster than a 6800 in anything. Will he see a difference if he upgrade for games like EQ2? Ya, he might see his perfromance go down at the moment (one month and counting).

If he had asked about Doom III, I would say get the 6800 in a heart beat. I'm no ATI fanboy, I recommend Nvidia cards all the time. I never recommend a brand blindly though, it depends on the person and the games.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Todd33

Would I notice a great difference in games such as EQ1, EQ2 and WOW or are these cards only gonna be better in HL2 and Doom3 which I do not play??

I wasn't trying to start anything, I was just answering his question. I have personal exp with EQ2 and followed the technical discussions on their official boards for weeks. Of course it's a bug, the 9800 pro is not faster than a 6800 in anything. Will he see a difference if he upgrade for games like EQ2? Ya, he might see his perfromance go down at the moment (one month and counting).

If he had asked about Doom III, I would say get the 6800 in a heart beat. I'm no ATI fanboy, I recommend Nvidia cards all the time. I never recommend a brand blindly though, it depends on the person and the games.

I never said, or thought, that you were an ATI fanboy. I asked one question about what would happen when Sony and Nvidia got this issue resolved, then references to an e-penis was made.

I was expecting an answer such as,"Then the 6800 would trump a 9800pro as usual" or "It is uncertain if Sony and Nvidia will ever get this resolved.".

As far as recommending an ATI card, I just did in this very thread. Must be my alter-ego e-penis I suppose. <--- necessary emoticon for effect.

 

[Creig]

Originally posted by: BoboKatt
...the video card is messed up with weird artifacting and vertical lines that display at any temp and even at the old Dos boot up when it's posting.. (that only go away when I wiggle the card or shove a pencil to keep pressure on the video card

You might want to either try the card in a different system, or try a different card in YOUR system. It might be the card, but sounds more like a bad contact in your AGP slot itself. If the card works fine in another system you might want to try cleaning the contacts on video card AGP connector. You could also try NOT seating the card all the way down into the AGP slot. Try pushing it in about 3/4 of the way and see if the problems disappear. I've seen instances where the video card would malfunction when totally seated, but worked fine if you pulled it back out of the AGP slot about 1/4".

 

[Creig]

Oh, and your 9800 Pro is a fine card and will play any game out there at a good framerate/decent resolution. Don't worry about anybody who says it's outdated. It'll keep you going strong for awhile yet.

 

[BoboKatt]

Many thanks for that reply and I shall try to first of all clean the contacts ( which I admit I never thought of) and will also try the 3/4 seating in the AGP slot. Woot!!! something new to try!!

Thanks again!

 

[meltdown75]

I have also heard of problems with the screw being tightened too much, thus unseating the card just enough to cause problems. But yeah, take an eraser and gently rub any residue off of any contacts which look to be less than 100% golden goodness.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Todd33
The 9800 Pro also plays EQ2 beter than a 6800 card right now. Sony and Nvidia are working on "performance issues" . One guy on the official baords showed fraps results showing his old 9700 Pro performning better than his $400 8600GT.

I say thats a load of wash. EQ2 runs great on my 6800GT. You've got to remember the average level of techinically expertise on the EQ2 forums is pretty low. I responded a post there last night about a guy asking about a video card upgrade. He actually wanted to upgrade his integrated to either a 128MB FX5200 or a 256MB 9600XT. I set him along the path of a 6600GT or a full 6800.

 

[CraigRT]

You might also want to physically relocate your PC. (Just for testing)

If the monitor is physically near an energy field, large power lines, anything like that, it can cause the monitor to shake, not sure since you said you prod the card and it goes away, but i experienced that once at work, and I moved my computer about 20 feet into another office and problem went away. Even tried different power outlets before that. Needed to actually pick up and move.

good luck anyways.

 

[kuangs168]

i'm pretty sure 9800 pro will last long and strong for almost all games in next 2 years

 

[ronnn]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

What do you think is going to happen when Sony and Nvidia resolve this issue?

Everyone playing that game will buy a nvidia card and by that time prices will likely be lower.


So they get good performance now and save money.