Any point in going from a 9600 pro to a 9800 pro?

[dajo]

My 9600 pro is running at 450/350 and scores over 16K in 3dmark2001se without AA/AF stuff. Great image and great play in Jedi Knight II.

I know the 9800 is superior in bandwidth, 8 pixels, and some other image enhancing features, but would I really see much difference playing at 1024 X 768 (all in game features at highest setting)?

I guess what I'm asking is will my 9600 play upcoming games well at 1024 X 768 (that is, in a fluid manner without halting behavior)?

Do you think the 9800 pro will drop in price sometime this year?

Thanks!

 

[FullRoast]

It's hard to say, but if I had a 9600 Pro, I think I'd wait. The 9600 Pro plays the games you have now well, the requirements for the new games will be better known when they are closer to coming out, and with the 9800XT right around the corner, you could wait to see if the 9800 Pro prices drop or not.

 

[Regs]

Your first mistake and biggest was judging on whether or not you should buy a new card because a 3dmark score. Wrong wrong.

9800 offers vastly more image quality and AA/AF performance than a 9600. Mostly because of its 8 pipe lines and 256-bit Memory Interface, and not to mention a graphics core overhaul.

However, If I where you I would wait for a more performance bound DX9 card to arrive. For ATI, the 9800 and it's counter parts will be the flagship for the stronger performer in DX8 games for awhile. When more DX9 games come out it will be a different story however.

 

[modedepe]

If you're going to continue playing at 10x7 I don't see much of a point. The reason to get a 9800 pro would be so you can turn that res up and use high amounts of aa and af. The extra pipelines and 256bit memory interface helps the 9800 pro be a lot faster in those instances.

 

[Killrose]

I would wait till you run into a game/app that studders due to a video card bottle-neck and it is unbearable by your own standards, then upgrade. I would imagine the 9600 pro should handle the 10x7 res on most upcomming titles, but maybe with no/low levels of AA & AF in some cases.

That new 9800XT looks pretty tempting 🙂

 

[tallman45]

It is high resolutions and AA/AF that require a faster card. If you are planning on staying at the lower resolution and not enabling AA/AF then you will see little if any speed advantage of a 9800.

Like others have recommended, I would wait and see if your 9600 cannot handle the future games. By then 9800's will likely be replaced by newer models which would cause price drops in the current line.

 

[sodcha0s]

Yeah, I've been waiting it out with my 9500pro, hoping the prices will drop. Seems though that instead of ATI dropping prices, they just quit making the damn cards..... 9700np and 9800 np are hard to find, and the pro versions are still too expensive for my taste, I just can't see spending more than $200 MAX on a video card, unless it's an AIW type of card.

 

[Richdog]

Originally posted by: tallman45
It is high resolutions and AA/AF that require a faster card. If you are planning on staying at the lower resolution and not enabling AA/AF then you will see little if any speed advantage of a 9800.

Like others have recommended, I would wait and see if your 9600 cannot handle the future games. By then 9800's will likely be replaced by newer models which would cause price drops in the current line.

Ditto. :beer:

 

[sman789]

wow, how are you gettin that high in 3dmark01

highest i get with mine is 137**
teh link is in teh other 9600 thread (praising it)

 

[dajo]

Thanks for all the replies. Been at work all day and they block forums!

Read a lot about the upcoming 9800XT and 9600XT. Think I'll wait until those parts are reviewed and available. Might go for the 9600XT if it's hot, or maybe the 9800 Pro will have dropped quite a bit.

Anyway, it's not like I have a dog of a card, and this one will do fine for a few more months.

 

[GullyFoyle]

I wouldn't count on falling ATI prices until Nvidia (or someone else) brings some competition.