videoclone
Golden Member
still cost allot
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Best Buy has 9800Pro for $299
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digitalduck
Senior member
Ok, I know it was $400 last week and now its on sale for $299 so its a pretty damn good deal, but what about ebay? Say getting it for around $250..the only thing is that even if it was an unopened retail box, when it comes time for a warrenty issue, wouldnt you still need the receipt for ATI or not? If not then perhaps ebay would also be a way to go..if not then BB looks like its going to be the best price and if I want this card and will eventually get it but am waiting for a good price.. should i RUN OUT AND GET IT NOW? ...too bad they wont have any BF deals...but still, $299 is pretty good..
Agreed. I had a similar experience, going from Ti4200 to a 9700 Pro... the eye candy is gorgeous!
YES RUN OUT AND GET IT NOW 😉 It depends what video card you are using now and ur computer specs... we'll need to know that to see if it warrants an upgrade. as far as EBay vs. Best Buy... when it comes down to a warranty issue (fingers crossed) you *may* run into problems with the ebay product, whereas with a purchase from BB you're safe. So IMHO unless you're buying from a reputable seller with hundreds of + feedback I would fork over the extra $50 and go with BB.
digitalduck
Senior member
Yeah youre right and as far as my specs... im going from a 64mg 8500 radeon I had a post about it a couple days ago..so perhaps i should run out and get it 🙂
ECS K7S5A
Athlon XP 1.47 ghz (am selling this and will be going to a 2ghz Athlon XP)
512 2100 DDR
Win XP
Here is post
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=31&threadid=1191189
ECS K7S5A
Athlon XP 1.47 ghz (am selling this and will be going to a 2ghz Athlon XP)
512 2100 DDR
Win XP
Here is post
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=31&threadid=1191189
After looking at your specs and your thread, my advice still stands.. RUN OUT AND GET IT NOW!!! 😀 You'll be able to run KOTOR / NFS:U with full AA/AF at 1024x768. The new card will put your 8500 to shame 😉
Good move upgrading the CPU too, moving to a 2400+ should make your CPU less of a bottleneck. Perhaps you'll go even higher than 1024x768. Just make sure you don't get the upgrade bug and start upgrading everything else! I warn cuz everytime I upgrade one component, it starts a nasty chain reaction that doesn't stop until I've 'upgraded' to a practically new PC. :evil:
PS - another advantage to going with BB is that you can have the card NOW!
digitalduck
Senior member
Kai920, you certainly make a good point and I will most likely run out tonight, soon, but what about the 9700 or the new 9600 xt or something...ive heard the 9700 is pretty good all around, does that mean that the 9800 is still better in the long run? I really dont need the 256 mg version so I think the 9800pro will be sufficient for now..
The 9700 is a good card too. It's got the full 8 pipelines just like the 9800 series, though it runs at a slower core/mem speed. You can find these for ~$200 now over at the FS/FT forum.
Let's assume you get $50 for your 8500.
In summary,
9800Pro at BB ~325 after taxes - 50 = ~275
9700/Pro on FS/FT ~200 (USED) - 50 = ~150
9600XT ~220 after taxes - 50 = ~170
If price was of no concern obviously go for the 9800Pro 🙂 OTOH, a 2nd hand 9700Pro would fit you nicely should you find one. OTOOH 😉 if you're a HL2 fan you can't go wrong with the 9600XT either! Heh. So there you have it. It depends what you want to spend! Don't forget, the 9600XTs come with a coupon for Half-Life 2 when it does come out.
I agree with you though - a 9700/9800 will be better for the long run.
Found this from the conclusion of 9600XT review over at HardOCP:
HTH
digitalduck
Senior member
Kai920, thanks again for your help...have the 9800 in front of me now and am about to install it...will post reactions in a bit...
Went from a Ti200 to a 9800PRO and WOOT!
Halo may not run that fast, but I still stay above 29fps with full detail at 1024*768, and Max Payne 2 runs silky smooth at 1024*768 6xAA 16xAF. COD runs 1024*768 max details silky smooth, but not with AA/AF enabled. I can only turn that on when I relax the detail settings. However, I LOVE this card, it's a quantum leap in performance for me and should last me the next couple of years until the next 'big thing' comes along.:beer:
Halo may not run that fast, but I still stay above 29fps with full detail at 1024*768, and Max Payne 2 runs silky smooth at 1024*768 6xAA 16xAF. COD runs 1024*768 max details silky smooth, but not with AA/AF enabled. I can only turn that on when I relax the detail settings. However, I LOVE this card, it's a quantum leap in performance for me and should last me the next couple of years until the next 'big thing' comes along.:beer:
Bump for a great Video card + Price!
I went from a GeForce2 GTS-V card to this 9800Pro (I know, I know) and I'm still wiping the drewl from my mouth every time I play a game (it's been months now!). I game a lot, but always thought dishing out $300.00 for a card was too much for my pocket, Oh how was I wrong.
For those of you who are reading this thread thinking..."Gee, what a great price but I don't really want to spend that kind of money on a video card" I just have one piece of advice....DO IT! You'll thank me later, have a garage sale, pawn those old golf clubs...do whatever it takes! 😀
Okay I've spent too much time typing, must get back to MOH: Spearhead.....
I went from a GeForce2 GTS-V card to this 9800Pro (I know, I know) and I'm still wiping the drewl from my mouth every time I play a game (it's been months now!). I game a lot, but always thought dishing out $300.00 for a card was too much for my pocket, Oh how was I wrong.
For those of you who are reading this thread thinking..."Gee, what a great price but I don't really want to spend that kind of money on a video card" I just have one piece of advice....DO IT! You'll thank me later, have a garage sale, pawn those old golf clubs...do whatever it takes! 😀
Okay I've spent too much time typing, must get back to MOH: Spearhead.....
Ooooo boy that's quite a jump eh? 😉
I wish I could have held out like you. I also once owned a GF2 GTS, and now I'm running a 9700 Pro... In between them I had the ATI 8500 followed by the GF4 Ti4200. Looking back now I wish I would have just skipped those two and went straight to the 9700Pro, but a year is a looooong time to hold off in today's market.
F**K! I just remembered... I went GF2 > 8500 > 9700 Pro... then I traded my 9700 Pro for a Ti4200 + cash. Easily one of the stupidest mistakes I've ever made :frown: Then I did it the other way around a few months later LOL...
/me kicks self and complains to Regs
That's funny, I was going to go right to that 8500 from the GTS-V, then the 4200 was the hot deal - still money was tight. I actually built a system for my bro with that 9800Pro and was so overwhelmed by what I was missing I just 'found' the money to get one myself! Miracles do happen (well thanks to American Express CC). 😉
I just picked this up from the BB in Burbank, CA. BB.com showed that they were sold out everywhere at every store in So. Cal.
I went to the Burbank one and had to wait in the designated "Computer" line for 30 mins w/c wasn't so bad if they had it in stock, real bad if they were actually sold out.
After listening to a couple of irate customers complain about waiting in the same line to just "look" around, I found out that they had 3 in stock.
Picked one up right there.
I went to the Burbank one and had to wait in the designated "Computer" line for 30 mins w/c wasn't so bad if they had it in stock, real bad if they were actually sold out.
After listening to a couple of irate customers complain about waiting in the same line to just "look" around, I found out that they had 3 in stock.
Picked one up right there.
RussianSensation
Elite Member
Hi I never used the Omega Drivers before. I've always used Ati drivers. I have a Radeon 8500 and i am gonna upgrade after the new generation comes out since i've waited this long anyways.
I am not a fan of either ATI or Nvidia, but I am rather a fan of a well-made product with good customer support and that performs both reliably and as advertised. In that sense both companies have somewhat fulfilled this (Ati with Speed and Nvidia with stable drivers) and then some.
Now my friend let me use his ti4200 videocard some time ago when they had the controvercial 45.23 drivers for it.
This is what i can recall from playing many games i've played.
From the earliest drivers to CAtalyst 3.9s 9 (all the problems i've ever had with ATI videocard drivers)
- many countless times the screen would be occupied by vertical lines and the games would lock up so i'd have to reinstall the drivers and how did this happen? oh after a month of gaming by itself i might add
- medal of honour used to run slow => so had to wait for an upgrade (example of how many games would run slow and you'd have to wait for an upgrade with ati always)
- inability for drivers to recognize some characters in the game mafia, and other games where you'd just see pixels covering the whole character or object
- choppy textures in games, some games give you PHysical Memory Dump error (Pacific Theater: Deadly Dozen 2, and Call of Duty crashes once in a while)
- texture glitching in IL2-Sturmovik
- and many others i cant even recall everything like racing games like need for speed underground to max payne 2 not displaying lights properly in direct x 8.1 mode
Nvidia drivers = no problems that i've ever encountered with all the games i've played with ati card
all this aside do omega drivers give a noticeable performance boost and/or STABILITY in games with an AtI product? what about with Nvidia product?
I am not a fan of either ATI or Nvidia, but I am rather a fan of a well-made product with good customer support and that performs both reliably and as advertised. In that sense both companies have somewhat fulfilled this (Ati with Speed and Nvidia with stable drivers) and then some.
Now my friend let me use his ti4200 videocard some time ago when they had the controvercial 45.23 drivers for it.
This is what i can recall from playing many games i've played.
From the earliest drivers to CAtalyst 3.9s 9 (all the problems i've ever had with ATI videocard drivers)
- many countless times the screen would be occupied by vertical lines and the games would lock up so i'd have to reinstall the drivers and how did this happen? oh after a month of gaming by itself i might add
- medal of honour used to run slow => so had to wait for an upgrade (example of how many games would run slow and you'd have to wait for an upgrade with ati always)
- inability for drivers to recognize some characters in the game mafia, and other games where you'd just see pixels covering the whole character or object
- choppy textures in games, some games give you PHysical Memory Dump error (Pacific Theater: Deadly Dozen 2, and Call of Duty crashes once in a while)
- texture glitching in IL2-Sturmovik
- and many others i cant even recall everything like racing games like need for speed underground to max payne 2 not displaying lights properly in direct x 8.1 mode
Nvidia drivers = no problems that i've ever encountered with all the games i've played with ati card
all this aside do omega drivers give a noticeable performance boost and/or STABILITY in games with an AtI product? what about with Nvidia product?
RussianSensation
Elite Member
I play Call of Duty at 1280 x 1024 with all settings maxed out Trilinear filtering enabled, 32-bit textures, max detail levels no slow down whatsoever on my Radeon 8500
Max Payne 2 1600x1200 no problem
However dont even ask me about AA/AF my card vs Radeon 9700/9700Pro/9800Pro/XT will be like me running against Donoval Bailey in 100metre race
For everyone who wants to play games with AA/AF you simply cannot do it with Radeon 8500/Ti4600 or anything from the old 8.1 generation.
Thats where 9700/9800 shine assuming you have a fast CPU like 3.0ghz p4 or 3200+
Because ironically in a lot of games 3.0ghz p4 + radeon 8500 > 1600+ xp + radeon 9700Pro
read this article for anyone who has a slow cpu and wnats to upgrade:
2003 Gamers Hardware Upgrade Guide benchmarks
Max Payne 2 1600x1200 no problem
However dont even ask me about AA/AF my card vs Radeon 9700/9700Pro/9800Pro/XT will be like me running against Donoval Bailey in 100metre race
For everyone who wants to play games with AA/AF you simply cannot do it with Radeon 8500/Ti4600 or anything from the old 8.1 generation.
Thats where 9700/9800 shine assuming you have a fast CPU like 3.0ghz p4 or 3200+
Because ironically in a lot of games 3.0ghz p4 + radeon 8500 > 1600+ xp + radeon 9700Pro
read this article for anyone who has a slow cpu and wnats to upgrade:
2003 Gamers Hardware Upgrade Guide benchmarks
Okay, i've got a question for you all... Should I upgrade to a 9800pro?
Here is my current config:
GF3 Ti-200
Athlon XP 1800
1GB PC2100
ABIT KR7A-RAID KT266
for the other details you can view the link to my rig at the bottom...
Also, I am planning to upgrade my proc. to a XP-2600 (T-Bred) in the next month or so...
My question is: will I see a large performance increase with the 9800Pro? Is my proc. (the 1800, or you can assume that I will have the 2600 soon) fast enough to not be the bottle neck?
I play mostly UT2003 (soon to be UT2K4), and the occasional other game... but definently plan on playing HL2 and Doom3 when they arrive!
What do ya think?!
Thanks for any advice/feedback!
Epsil0n
Here is my current config:
GF3 Ti-200
Athlon XP 1800
1GB PC2100
ABIT KR7A-RAID KT266
for the other details you can view the link to my rig at the bottom...
Also, I am planning to upgrade my proc. to a XP-2600 (T-Bred) in the next month or so...
My question is: will I see a large performance increase with the 9800Pro? Is my proc. (the 1800, or you can assume that I will have the 2600 soon) fast enough to not be the bottle neck?
I play mostly UT2003 (soon to be UT2K4), and the occasional other game... but definently plan on playing HL2 and Doom3 when they arrive!
What do ya think?!
Thanks for any advice/feedback!
Epsil0n
Well i went from a geforce3 to the 9800pro and i could see a difference. I think it was worth it. Well your current proc. could be a bottleneck (but you can still see a better change) for it but if you upgrade your proc. with the 9800pro you will be happy. Half life 2 is got a partnership with ati and doom3 has nvidia. But the 9800pro is a good card and should last awhile. Some say nvidia is better or the other way around. My advice is read about the top cards for both ati and nvidia and see which would best suit you.
Off topic but try "call of duty" that is a great game since you like shooters
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