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Need Some Advice

2Xtreme21

2Xtreme21

Diamond Member
All right. My current system:

Athlon XP 2500+ @ 2.2 GHz
512 MB PC3200 DDRAM
Soyo SY-KT600 DRAGON PLUS v.1.0
ATI Radeon 9600SE

I just upgraded my Mobo / Processor / RAM about 2 months ago, but I just came to the realization that I need to upgrade this P.O.S. Video Card. I just got Doom 3 yesterday and it's basically unplayable because my card bottlenecks so badly. So I come asking for advice:

I'm throwing around three options here, and, bearing in mind that I'm on an extremely tight budget, I'd like to get the best bang for my buck.

- Crucial ATI Radeon 9700 Pro (refurb) - $129.99 (OOS now, but they'll replenish)
- PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800SE 256bit - $119.00 (Pray for a softmod) + VPU HSF (I'll have to find a good one)
- Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB- $198

Concerns:
- I really like the Radeon 9700 Pro because it's an awesome card for its price, though is the refurb gonna kill it?

- The 9800SE is an awesome card for its price... if modded. I've been known to not have good luck with such things, so I don't want to buy something that will be equivilant to that of a 9600 Pro if unable to mod. Then again, if I *DO* mod it, I get a 9800 Pro for $80 less! I also have to factor in the cost of another HSF, because I'll need another if it does mod.

- The 9800 Pro is, of course, the best card of all those listed, but I'm really not sure I'm up for spending $200 on it. Yes, I know, it's a great deal for what it's worth, but I just do not have $200 to spare.

I just need help in deciding what will be the best card for me. As of now, I'm only planning on snagging Half Life 2 and it would be great if I could run Doom 3 and Half Life 2 in decent graphics settings without screwing up the performance.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit: Perhaps I should look into nVidia options? If so, I'm not too familiar with any of them...
 
i would go 9700pro since you are on a tight budget. you will get 80-85% of the proformance of a 9800pro and even more if you over clock it.
 
If you can afford to spend $200, I'd go with this MSI 9800Pro instead. They're out of stock right now, but it's a better card than the Sapphire since it's got a r360 (9800XT) core.

The Radeon 9800SE is nice too for the price, but I wouldn't expect getting a 9800Pro out of it (~40% chance) especially since you have not had good luck with modding things. But even at stock, it's a good performer. If you OC it slightly, you should be able to get slightly better performance than a stock 9600 Pro.
 
Originally posted by: usernamemax20charact
If you can afford to spend $200, I'd go with this MSI 9800Pro instead. They're out of stock right now, but it's a better card than the Sapphire since it's got a r360 (9800XT) core.

The Radeon 9800SE is nice too for the price, but I wouldn't expect getting a 9800Pro out of it (~40% chance) especially since you have not had good luck with modding things. But even at stock, it's a good performer. If you OC it slightly, you should be able to get slightly better performance than a stock 9600 Pro.
Click to expand...

But why not get a 9700 pro for 10 dollars more that will kill a 9800SE?
 
Originally posted by: Cawchy87
Originally posted by: usernamemax20charact
If you can afford to spend $200, I'd go with this MSI 9800Pro instead. They're out of stock right now, but it's a better card than the Sapphire since it's got a r360 (9800XT) core.

The Radeon 9800SE is nice too for the price, but I wouldn't expect getting a 9800Pro out of it (~40% chance) especially since you have not had good luck with modding things. But even at stock, it's a good performer. If you OC it slightly, you should be able to get slightly better performance than a stock 9600 Pro.
Click to expand...

But why not get a 9700 pro for 10 dollars more that will kill a 9800SE?
Click to expand...

Damn. Must be something wrong with my eyes. I didn't even see that until now. D'Oh! :roll:

You're right. 9700Pro all the way.
 
How long, in today's standards, do you think the 9700 Pro will last me? I've went through the schpeel with buying bargain equipment and needing to replace it every 6 months or so. Will I be able to last for at least 1.5 years with this thing?

Also, I'm hesitant about it being refurbished. Will that be a problem?

Thanks for all your help guys. I truly appreciate it.
 
That specific 9800 SE will NOT softmod to a 9800 Pro with out overclocking it. It's speeds are 325/580 unlike the pro or other SE cards which are 380/680. And thats a big push on the overclock (55/50) at least without some serious cooling. My suggestion is the 9800 SE that's 380/680 & 256-bit (softmods around 85% of the time) which is what I did or get a 9800 pro. Both excellent deals.
 
Originally posted by: Delorian
That specific 9800 SE will NOT softmod to a 9800 Pro with out overclocking it. It's speeds are 325/580 unlike the pro or other SE cards which are 380/680. And thats a big push on the overclock (55/50) at least without some serious cooling. My suggestion is the 9800 SE that's 380/680 & 256-bit (softmods around 85% of the time) which is what I did or get a 9800 pro. Both excellent deals.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

Seconded

-Kevin
 
Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
How long, in today's standards, do you think the 9700 Pro will last me? I've went through the schpeel with buying bargain equipment and needing to replace it every 6 months or so. Will I be able to last for at least 1.5 years with this thing?

Also, I'm hesitant about it being refurbished. Will that be a problem?

Thanks for all your help guys. I truly appreciate it.
Click to expand...

It really depends on what you plan on using it for. The fact of the matter is that the 9700 Pro is about 2 years old now, it's a good card, but it is starting to show its age for a gaming card. If you are seriously replacing equipment every 6 months, then you really should consider saving up a bit and getting either an R420 or NV40 based card.
 
Yeah I'm really considering buying the 6800 or the x800. The 6800 normal will last me for a while? And it's not terribly overpriced; though, should I be concerned about standard vs. GT? Is it that big of a jump?

Once again, thanks!
 
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