Of the ATI 9500 Pro's out there...REAL ATI the best?

[DDDavey]

I've been reading here as to what seems to be the best option right now for not a whole lot of money, read reviews etc. Seems as though the 9500Pro is the better deal/advantage over the Ti4200/4400.

I checked out newegg.com, under actual ATI, and there only seems to be one....for $198

ATI RADEON 9500 PRO 128MB DDR DVI AGP RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset:9500 PRO Visual Processing Unit
Engine clock: 275 MHz
Memory:128MB of double data rate SDRAM
Memory speed: 540 MHz
Eight parallel rendering pipelines
Four parallel geometry engines
128-bit DDR memory interface
BUS: AGP 8X support
OS Support: Windows® XP, Windows® 2000, Windows® Me
Ports; VGA + DVI + S-Video
Retail box (see pics for details) Model#: RADEON 9500 PRO 128M


Is this the one to get? Eh, time to go home, I'll finish this post after

 

[renditionkid]

If you wait abit Hercules or some other vender will probably put a version of the 9500 PRO with better cooling than the stock ATI one. But performance wise I doubt there would be a big difference.

 

[DDDavey]

Originally posted by: renditionkid
If you wait abit Hercules or some other vender will probably put a version of the 9500 PRO with better cooling than the stock ATI one. But performance wise I doubt there would be a big difference.

I've been "waiting" since 1999, It's time to build Reason I ask, is it's the only ATI 9500 I see. There are also some by Sapphire, but I can't find too much about them on here.

Here's the 128MB Sapphire for $182:

ATI OEM RADEON 9500 128MB DDR BULK
Specifications:
Chipset: ATI RADEON 9500
Memory:128MB 128-bit DDR memory
Supports the new AGP 8X standard (2.0 GB/sec)
Unique VIDEOSHADER? engine uses programmable pixel shaders to accelerate video processing and provide better-looking visuals
ATI's latest FULLSTREAM? technology removes blocky artifacts from streaming Internet video and provides sharper image quality
SMARTSHADER? 2.0 technology allows users to experience complex, movie-quality effects in next-generation 3D games and applications
OEM Box (see pics)
Powered By ATI Manufactured By Saphire Technologies Model#: RADEON 9500 128MB -OEM

The two 64MB Sapphire's look the same.

So would my best bet be the REAL-ATI 9500 for $198? Or is there something cheaper that will do BETTER

 

[nardvark]

careful careful careful careful!!!!!!
make sure to note whether the card is a 9500 PRO or just a 9500.
that sapphire one is a non-PRO, the PRO performs much much better.

as far as ati vs. partners...the only downside I see at this point to buying ATI is that people have complained that they cannot overclock the cards (not that the card doesn't have headroom, but that clock speeds have been locked).
this might change with the partner boards?
if overclocking doesn't matter, i'd say spring for the ATI, I doubt you'll be disapointed.

 

[chizow]

Yah definitely right, don't get the vanilla 9500, go with the pro. Anyways, IIRC in one of the AT articles, Sapphire makes like 99% of ATIs cards, so their board quality should speak for itself. What mods they make to each to differentiate is a different question. They may use cheaper parts, different BIOS', diff. revision GPUs, could be lotsa things. Regarding retail vs. OEM, I'd go for a retail since it will come at a higher stock clock speed and may have more room for OCing. Early revision cores are always hit or miss, but at least you'll have a higher stock speed to start with.

Chiz

 

[DDDavey]

Good point about the Pro edition. I forgot to mention that... So I'm assuming there's only that ONE card actually made by ATI?

And, is there anything that's better for cheaper?

 

[tenoc]

As noted, it'll take a while a while for the price to drop since the OEMs (Dell, etc.) are grabbing a lot of the current production.

 

[nardvark]

I've already seen a sapphire 9500 pro at newegg for 183...(yes, it was a pro), and I wasn't expecting a 15 dollar drop this quickly. It is an OEM, but there wasn't a description of what it came with, so I'm not sure if it comes with no cables and software or what...