IS this 9800 ok? (thinking of purchase)

[HansSvetty]

http://www.bananapc.com/Products/product_info.asp?product_id=10008&classif_id=

It's suspiciously cheaper....

hans

 

[Sammy5000]

Interesting. I was thinking it was the lite version, or a refurb, but since it only details OEM, I think it is a pretty good deal. You may want to check this reseller's rating, however, just to be on the safe side.

 

[lifeguard1999]

That is $240 + S&H for a 9800 Non-Pro. Best Buy has a retail 9800 Non-Pro for $250 + tax + free shipping.

 

[DoobieOnline]

Last time I checked, Best Buy had bumped their 9800 back up to $299 but I couldn't get into the site just now to see what the current offering is. I've ordered from bananapc recently and they're a good company. I had a problem with a card and their customer service department took care of me without any hassle.

You may want to hold off for a couple of weeks to see some performance numbers on the Radeon 9600XT when it's released later this month. According to Anand's article it will beat the 9700 Pro and it will have a retail price of $199 (which includes Half-Life 2). The 9800np barely loses to the 9700 Pro in almost every benchmark, so if the 9600XT can beat the 9700 Pro you should definitely consider picking one up and saving some cash.

 

[JBT]

OOS probasbly not getting anymore in either I doubt

 

[HansSvetty]

Very good of you to suggest that. I had no idea.

Helpful advice all around. Patience may be a virtue right now with card upgrading.

 

[Maskirovka]

Originally posted by: HansSvetty
Very good of you to suggest that. I had no idea.

Helpful advice all around. Patience may be a virtue right now with card upgrading right now.

yes...paitence is the best advice. i have a bunch of money burning a hole in my pocket....but i'm getting out my asbestos pocket liners for a while.

 

[lifeguard1999]

Yeah, Best Buy's web site is screwed up at this time.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Patience is always a virtue with card upgrading. For the next few months, a Radeon 9800 will be a solid investment. It's only next spring that the new generation cards will come out.

 

[Emultra]

Originally posted by: DoobieOnline
Last time I checked, Best Buy had bumped their 9800 back up to $299 but I couldn't get into the site just now to see what the current offering is. I've ordered from bananapc recently and they're a good company. I had a problem with a card and their customer service department took care of me without any hassle.

You may want to hold off for a couple of weeks to see some performance numbers on the Radeon 9600XT when it's released later this month. According to Anand's article it will beat the 9700 Pro and it will have a retail price of $199 (which includes Half-Life 2). The 9800np barely loses to the 9700 Pro in almost every benchmark, so if the 9600XT can beat the 9700 Pro you should definitely consider picking one up and saving some cash.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, 9600XT beat 9700 Pro and it will ship for $199 including Half-Life 2? Seems too good to be true...but if it isn't, then w00t.

 

[Maskirovka]

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024
Patience is always a virtue with card upgrading. For the next few months, a Radeon 9800 will be a solid investment. It's only next spring that the new generation cards will come out.

yea...wait until you actually need to upgrade. myself, i'm going to wait until hl2 comes out, see the benchmarks and the performance of my ti4200. then make a decision. i doubt my 4200 will be acceptable, so i'll be upgrading to whatever looks like the best deal at the time.

 

[DoobieOnline]

There's a big discussion going on in another thread right now over the 9600XT vs 9700 Pro claim. I'm skeptical, but if they pull it off I'll be picking one up if it's a good OC'er, too. I lucked out and bought a refurb 9800np yesterday from Newegg. Got a great deal on it, so hopefully it won't have any probs.

 

[HansSvetty]

A considered approach for sure.

 

[lifeguard1999]

Yeah, I am skeptical too of the claim that the 9600XT beats the 9700 Pro.

 

[cockeyed]

Grab an ATI brand 9800np retail from Best Buy for $250 and get the 3 year warranty to boot. The only problem is finding one. I lucked out today and got the last one in 2 stores I went to, even though their web site says they had them in stock at all stores in my area. BTW, the shelf price was $299.99; I had the associate scan it for me and it came up $249.99. I suspect that that is why it was still on the shelf

 

[HansSvetty]

Why do you like the warranty? Isn't it another $35 or something? Has it ever helped you out in the past?

Curious,

hans

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: HansSvetty
Why do you like the warranty? Isn't it another $35 or something? Has it ever helped you out in the past?

Curious,

hans

3 year warrenty is standard on retail products

just cuz person X hasnt used it in the past doesnt mean they wont use it in the future

 

[cockeyed]

Originally posted by: HansSvetty
Why do you like the warranty? Isn't it another $35 or something? Has it ever helped you out in the past?

Curious,

hans

What I was getting at is, that for only $10 extra ($250 retail vs $240 OEM), you get the 3 yr warranty from ATI. It's like buying any other type of insurance; for the unexpected. It is a bet with the insurer over the specified period of time. To insure a $250 board @ $3.33 a year, for 3 years, seems like a good deal to me.

 

[HansSvetty]

I though it was some sort of extra cost extended service replacement contract, for a fee. I didn't know that any retail card can be replaced for up to 3 years. I suppose you just show the reciept then. I could have sworn you were granted 30 days or less, depending on the place, but video cards may be different, since the manufacturer will replace a bad card. I had no idea.

Best Buy salespeople always push the service agreements or warranty. Redundant in this case? $3.33 a year is well worth it.

I hope my tone wasn't insincere in my last post. My intentions in asking were not skeptical, just uninformed. This might not have come through in the writing, with the multiple questions. No offense taken I hope.

hans

 

[Nyquest007]

I'm not sure how long I can wait on the upgrade. With games like Tron 2.0, JEdi Academy, and Halo, all needing DX9 to look their best, I may just go ahead and pick up an new card. But Do I spend 150 on 9600pro or 250 on 9800np? ocing is a real upgrade for both but the 8 pipes and 256 bit mem on the 9800 are leaning me towards it's side and that does make it more future proof. I think I fried my 4400ti. I replaced the hsfan and but some new grease between them, got an extra 10 mhz from the core for about a day, then it started booting up as a 4200. Now it won't oc for nothing. It will but at no performance gain. Any Ideas?

 

[cockeyed]

HansSvetty

No offense taken! I had a feeling that you were thinking about the extra Best Buy service plan that they always try to sell. I don't buy those since they are redundant and expensive.

Nyquest007

I would go for the 9800np if you could round-up the extra cash. The 9600pro is a good card, but a 9800np would provide a larger performance gain from your Ti4400. I also prefer the 8 pipe/256bit configuration. An analogy would be that the 9600pro is like a high RPM- V6 and a 9800np is like a slower RPM- V8, both power the car pretty good, but the V8 has more muscle when it's needed.

 

[Budmantom]

OOS

 

[Nyquest007]

Thanks for the Guidance. I go back and forth on the issue. I'm pretty set on ATI, just which one is the hard part. Get the Okay version now and wait on a power house card when the games get here, or just get the power now? So many choices for a yound padwan learner.