Need help buying a radeon 8500..

[FortFunFoSho]

Hey everyone!

I am about to buy a radeon 8500. I like it because of the price and some of the good things I have read about it. I currently have a p3 500 with 256 ram and a voodoo 3500.

I am curious as to suggestions on where I should buy one and what exact type?

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[cmdrdredd]

depends on what you need. You can get OEM or LE versions for under $100 clocked a bit lower than retail ones. Try newegg.com for a start

 

[FortFunFoSho]

I had checked them out and came up with two different ones.

What is the difference between oem and le?

 

[movinslow]

OEM means that you get the bare card, not in retail box. Usually cheaper.
LE is the slower clocked version. 250/250 as opposed to 275/275. Generally, LE does not have dvi out, so if you want that, make sure it has it.
So, the card could be one of them, both, or neither.

I'd say the LE is a good deal. Should be able to o/c to non-le speed no problem. Be careful though, some LE's are clocked slower than 250/250. Also, try to get built by ati. Saphire has more of a chance with a slower clock.

Some say getting 128mb card is better and future proof. Price difference is probably $20 between 64mb and 128mb. Certainly if you don't wanna buy another card anytime soon, go with the extra memory. If you need it, you'll have it.

Good luck!

 

[Blooz1]

NewEgg has the Sapphire 8500LE for $72 with free shipping..I just ordered one tonight...