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Radeon 8500 series

F

fanboi

Member
Anybody still using these? I gave my old 8500LE 128MB to my friend, and I sometimes still regret it...

Those were some nice cards, awesome quality/price ratio.

Kinda makes me feel stupid when he can run most of the programs/games I run with nearly the same quality...not all, but most.
 
I had one a couple years back, but it was DOA. I got a GF3 Ti 200 golden sample from Gainward as a replacement, so I never got the chance to try the card out.
 
I have an 8500DV 64 Mb card that I gamed / video edited with. Great card IMO. I still have the card although I do most my gaming on my 6800 GT (soon to be Ultra). The card could run most games at decent frame rates up until doom 3 / far cry.
 
I remember reading that ATI retired the 8500 series because it was too good, and they were selling it too cheap. They then replaced it with the el crapo 9000 series, which cost more and performed worse than the 8500's.
 
I have one that will run at 300/300 setting on my floor. It runs great but the fan is dieing. I just replaced it with a 6800nu. I think I am going to but it in a htpc and use the tvout. Unfortunatly the 3D part will go to waste. :-(
 
My wife is using my old Radeon 9100 on her machine. That's the same as 8500 LE. It's perfect for her use as she rarely plays any games. But it could and can play most games perfectly fine if needed. I paid like $60 around 2 years ago for this card and it's still great card.
 
I had one...8500 128MB. Ran everything up through BF1942 well enough. I destroyed it somehow when I added a Zalman heatpipe to it. Some AS might have gotten on the card or something got shorted out cause now it artifacts badly. I'm thinking of running it through the dishwasher before throwing it out, cause it would definitly be a great card for a casual gaming rig.
 
Originally posted by: fanboi
I remember reading that ATI retired the 8500 series because it was too good, and they were selling it too cheap. They then replaced it with the el crapo 9000 series, which cost more and performed worse than the 8500's.
Click to expand...

The 9000SE was the only crap of them. The 9000 non pro consistently pwned the entire gf4mx series as it was designed to, and the 9000 pro was 95% as fast as the best 8500, and it had full stream.
 
I've still got the original 64MB 8500 flagship, keeping it stock @ (275/275), still runs all of my older games really well but newer games such as Doom3 and T:V really make the card show its age, gonna be time to upgrade soon.
 
Originally posted by: raildogg
pretty good cards but not even close to matching 9800's price/performance
Click to expand...

I sold my 9800NP flashed Pro and downgraded back to 9100 little over a year ago. I felt 9800 didn't offer me enough difference in performance on the games I was playing back then. Of course FarCry and Doom3 wasn't out at that time.
 
I was using my 8500 for Cnc Generals, UT2004, and FFXI...

But it was going bad (long rubber-band like planar texture artifacts, and other glitches after 10-30 minutes). I tried underclocking to no avail.

I gave it to my wife so she could get the Sims2 running on her PC. But it still weirds out after an hour or so on the game.

I've been keeping an eye out for another one for her as a replacement. Still a good budget performance card for anything but FPSs. Hell, it even plays Doom3 (albeit at 640x480).
 
still using an 8500 64MB in my secondary PC

runs UT2K4 just fine so we can have LAN games 🙂

I love the 8500... great card.
 
I actually currently own FOUR of that card - they were so cheap a little while ago, while still providing awesome 2d and adequate 3d for extremely light gamers.

Here's what I've got

-a regular 8500 128MB in my sister's rig

-a 9100 128MB in my parents' rig (the same card as the 8500LE essentially)

-2X Hercules 8500LE 64MB; one in my testing rig and another lying around looking for a home.


I like the 8500 much more than the GF3 series as a 'cheapo' card to put into rigs because text is much sharper. Also, all four of my cards have DVI/VGA and tv-out, which is nice 🙂 .
 
I hate my 8500. I've had so many issues with their drivers all the way back before Catalyst series were introduced. The card is a terrible overclocker. I used my friend's 4200 and the 2d quality was better on the 8500 but it was much slower in games back in the days. My biggest problem is that every time i uninstall and install new drivers even using ati's uninstall feature or control panel + driver cleaner, often with a new driver old problems are fixed and new ones come along. Pretty much there hasn't been 1 driver for my 8500 that hasn't given me problems. I remember Cat's 4.5s made my computer randomly reboot!! Back in the days Cats 2.3s made medal of honour freeze. Now 4.9s give me vertical lines in doom 3. Pretty much this is the only and the worst videocard I've ever owned. It makes me question whether or not I'd want to purchase an ATI card again; but I dont hold grudges. To sum things up, when the card was fast enough for "at the time present games", the drivers were the worst I could imagine. When the drivers started to get better over time, the card became too slow for modern games (that is within 1 year of my purchase Dec 2002 (or only 5 months after introduction)). Now, it is too slow, and every revision of drivers makes me really mad when I get issues in Far Cry, then Doom 3 and so on. The only comforting feeling was the 50% ati discount that I received from a friend back then when I purchased the card.
 
i really liked my Radeon 8500-128MB. I got it almost a year after release (for ~$125) and the drivers were eXcellent - never any problems. Mine was a wonderful o/c'er - hit 303/606 with zero problems. ALL of the subsequent driver releases through May '04 worked perfectly and generally gave some improvement. 🙂

The card was certainly fast enough (for over a full year) - UNTIL early this year. And what it "lacked" really annoyed me - especially comparing the FC screenshots with what i was seeing "in game". 😛

When i got Thief III - Deadly Shadows - AWEsome game! - i even bought an Audigy 2 just to enjoy the incredible audio - i HATED the lack of DX9 features - Thief's lighting SUCKED on the 8500 (and it is really Xlint) so i put the game away . . . . by June a Hot Deal $223 9800XT upgrade was in order . . . . "just what the Dr. ordered" 🙂

:thumbsup:
 
I still have one 128mb R8500 (retail 275/275 version). Had up to three of these at one time. Great card. One of my favorites. Preferred it over my old 64mb ti4200. Still a pretty decent card (all things considered).
 
I owned an 8500 for about two years and I must say that it was an amazing card. I paid like $100 for it and it served me well all the way up till about a month ago. Even managed to play 1/3 of DoomIII using it. Missed the eye candy on DoomIII too much so ended up getting a 9800 Pro.
 
I loved my 8500 - got it right after release on some freaky one day price at Best Buy, walked in to buy a gf3 ti200, walked out with a $130 8500 64 Meg - and that outlasted the whole rest of the computer that I built at that time. Sold it to buy a 9500 Pro - I have a 21" monitor, so it wasn't cutting the ut2003 @ 1600*1200 - but I really loved that card. I wish I still had it, I have been thinking of buying it back. I had my dad buy a 9100, he used it for a year and then upgraded, that baby is still in my sister's comp. It's never gonna leave, I swear it 🙂

I had that card long before the Cat's started, and I remember installing different drivers for different games! :-D
 
Im still using one in my primary computer 🙁 Its great and all but i get massive amounts of artifacts... ne one know why? It's not even overclocked yet...
 
Originally posted by: ksherman
Im still using one in my primary computer 🙁 Its great and all but i get massive amounts of artifacts... ne one know why? It's not even overclocked yet...
Click to expand...

I dont get artifacts, but the games "lock" when I play them. I uninstalled and reinstalled drivers 10x and upgraded DirectX9.0b to DX9.0c. Usually after 10-15 min Far Cry shuts off and I get vertical Red/Blue/Yellow lines across teh screen forcing me to REboot. When Far Cry is actually playable, I often get texture corruption on the gun (it turns blue). I never played with my card overclocked (only overclocked when i benched it 2 years ago). Now using 4.9s => This "vertical line problem" is also found in doom 3 upon loading the first level and same thing happens with Command & Conquer Generals. I am so fed up with this card, it's unbelievable.

The thing is 3dMark01 and 3dMark 03 run which do use videocard drivers and dx9.0c spec and they give me no artifacts at all....

Any ideas, anyone?
 
Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Originally posted by: ksherman
Im still using one in my primary computer 🙁 Its great and all but i get massive amounts of artifacts... ne one know why? It's not even overclocked yet...
Click to expand...

I dont get artifacts, but the games "lock" when I play them. I uninstalled and reinstalled drivers 10x and upgraded DirectX9.0b to DX9.0c. Usually after 10-15 min Far Cry shuts off and I get vertical Red/Blue/Yellow lines across teh screen forcing me to REboot. When Far Cry is actually playable, I often get texture corruption on the gun (it turns blue). I never played with my card overclocked (only overclocked when i benched it 2 years ago). Now using 4.9s => This "vertical line problem" is also found in doom 3 upon loading the first level and same thing happens with Command & Conquer Generals. I am so fed up with this card, it's unbelievable.

The thing is 3dMark01 and 3dMark 03 run which do use videocard drivers and dx9.0c spec and they give me no artifacts at all....

Any ideas, anyone?
Click to expand...
Just one (probably one you are considering but don't want to hear . . . so here goes, anyway) . . ..


UPGRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


seriously

(or RMA it . . . . it is FUBAR) 😉
 
Apoppin thanks for the advice. I am actually contemplating upgrading. I saved up some $$$ and I dont really care about having the fastest card on the block but if I am going to upgrade, I might as well get a decent card. I was thinking getting one sometime near Christmas so I could play HL2 when it comes out. I still like to do occasional gaming once in a while and now I simply can't because the card locks up in any DX9 game.

So you think the card is DOA? I just dont understand why it runs old DX8 games fine, but nothing new works with it....

Today I installed latest intel chipset drivers 6.2.1.1005 or something? Upgraded my motherboard BIOS to the latest, again reinstalled ATI drivers and used driver cleaner, installed 4.9s and disabled Video and System Cacheable in the BIOS, set all driver settings to default .... and still have vertical line lockup in 3dmark03...doom3, far cry, etc. Used ATI Tool for detecting Artifacts...nothing....

grrrrrrrr......
 
Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Apoppin thanks for the advice. I am actually contemplating upgrading. I saved up some $$$ and I dont really care about having the fastest card on the block but if I am going to upgrade, I might as well get a decent card. I was thinking getting one sometime near Christmas so I could play HL2 when it comes out. I still like to do occasional gaming once in a while and now I simply can't because the card locks up in any DX9 game.

So you think the card is DOA? I just dont understand why it runs old DX8 games fine, but nothing new works with it....

Today I installed latest intel chipset drivers 6.2.1.1005 or something? Upgraded my motherboard BIOS to the latest, again reinstalled ATI drivers and used driver cleaner, installed 4.9s and disabled Video and System Cacheable in the BIOS, set all driver settings to default .... and still have vertical line lockup in 3dmark03...doom3, far cry, etc. Used ATI Tool for detecting Artifacts...nothing....

grrrrrrrr......
Click to expand...
Yes, i really do think you 8500 is seriously messed up. (sorry)

My 8500 ran the DX 7 and 8 games perfectly . . . . it simply didn't provide any DX9 "eyecandy" was the reason i upgraded . . . . i was playing Thief III and was disappointed at the crap lighting (which looked awesome in the screenshots; and ARE awesome with a Radeon 9800xt series which i got).

However, NO lockups or screen analomys with any DX9 game (except Far Cry Demo).

Just curious, have you tried flashing the card's BIOS (i know ati doesn't "allow" it for warranty purposes)?

Are you out of warranty? The card is barely 3 years old . . . . have you had it that long? . .. .if so, i'd RMA it before i tried anything else.

 
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