Radeon 9800 Pro Warning (again)

nemesismk2

Diamond Member
Sep 29, 2001
4,810
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www.ultimatehardware.net
"I'm making this post a sticky for a while.

ATI for sure launched a cheap version of the Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card. We recently already reported this in our news section. Again I like to warn each and everyone of you that is in the market for a Radeon 9800 Pro that there is something very questionable going on in the industry right now. And it has ATI's approval as more manufacturers are selling this version.

I was just checking our forums and noticed that people are able to buy a Radeon 9800 Pro in the 170-180 USD range, and they have no clue why the card was so cheap. Fantastic price, yet a way too low price. It's a Radeon 9800 pro alright, yet equipped with 128-bit memory where it should be 256-bit. Basically frame buffer bandwidth is cut in half and despite full eight pipes it's placing itself in the mid-range segment as core and memory clocks are lowered also. This will have a serious effect on overall performance. Take a Suzuki Hayabusa motor cycle which can do like 300 KPH yet it is forced to drive on a small road where it will never exceed 100 KPH. Look at the Suzuki as the Radeon 9800 Pro and the road the memory bandwidth.

I'm not saying it's a bad card, I do think you should be well informed to make a proper decision before buying.

These 'castrated' versions seem to pop up everywhere ... if you click here you can see a Radeon 9800 Pro priced at 164 USD !! When you read on you'll notice 128-bit memory, it's just something that a lot of people never heard of or can understand.

Please be careful when buying and ask the salesmen if it is the 128 or 256-bit memory version !"

Radeon 9800 Pro Warning (again) at Guru3D
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
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...I guess, but why not just keep the 9800 around instead? Currently going for the 5900XT's price (if you can find one), and a little bit better value.
 

Mellman

Diamond Member
Jul 9, 2003
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Originally posted by: reverend1313
Just read the fine print, know what your buying, and do your research and this is a non issue.


agreed....but you know how many idiots there are out there? those who do that are a VERY VERY small minority...
 

nemesismk2

Diamond Member
Sep 29, 2001
4,810
5
76
www.ultimatehardware.net
Originally posted by: reverend1313
Just read the fine print, know what your buying, and do your research and this is a non issue.

I have found that usually there is no fine print to read and it's especially bad if you purchase hardware online. Alot of the time the information ie specifications don't contain things like core and memory speed etc so it's hard to do research.

Here is a good example of what I mean!

"ATI 9800 Pro $200 at 1 Store

Graphics Card, ATI RADEON 9800 XT graphic processor, AGP 8x interface, 128 MB (SDRAM), Performance: 2048 x 1536, 256-bit See full specs"

What type of video card is it a 9800 Pro or a 9800 XT? :confused:
 

welst10

Platinum Member
Mar 2, 2004
2,562
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How can you tell it's 128 bit or 256bit? I have a 9800 Pro that comes with my 8300. But I don't know which version it is.
 

Delorian

Senior member
Mar 10, 2004
590
0
0
Originally posted by: welst10
How can you tell it's 128 bit or 256bit? I have a 9800 Pro that comes with my 8300. But I don't know which version it is.

If the memory is in a 4 chip line above the gpu (I-shaped) you have 128-bit
If the memory is 2 above and 2 to the side of the gpu (L-shaped) you have 256-bit
 

Matthias99

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2003
8,808
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Originally posted by: Cerb
...I guess, but why not just keep the 9800 around instead? Currently going for the 5900XT's price (if you can find one), and a little bit better value.

Guesses:

1) The 9800NP ate too much into 9800Pro sales. Since all you have to do to turn it into a Pro is to turn up the clocks (as opposed to the 9800SE, which you have to softmod), it's an easy way to get a 9800Pro cheaply.

2) It gives them a way to sell GPUs that have flaws in one side of the memory controller. Much like you can sell 9800 cores with 1 or 2 bad pipes as 9800SEs.
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
1. Maybe, but not because of OCing. Few people do that, really. Probably that it cost near the same to make. Also, the 9800SE does not require any hardware or firmware modding, save a few brands that have clock speed locks. You downloaded drivers with modified text files, and the extra pipes were enabled.

2. Eh, maybe, but why wait this long? The 9500 Pro was good, and a 9800 with Pro GPU and RAM speeds, even if 128-bit RAM, would have been a good card for the $175 point until NVidia started phasing the 5900s and now have the 5900XTs, just hair below the bang/buck of the normal 9800. With 128-bit RAM, the NVidia gets a bit of edge just from bandwidth (look at softmodded 128-bit 9800SE scores vs. FX--IIRC, Toms and Digit-life have good benches for them).
 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
9,031
36
91
Originally posted by: nemesismk2

I have found that usually there is no fine print to read and it's especially bad if you purchase hardware online. Alot of the time the information ie specifications don't contain things like core and memory speed etc so it's hard to do research.

Here is a good example of what I mean!

"ATI 9800 Pro $200 at 1 Store

Graphics Card, ATI RADEON 9800 XT graphic processor, AGP 8x interface, 128 MB (SDRAM), Performance: 2048 x 1536, 256-bit See full specs"

What type of video card is it a 9800 Pro or a 9800 XT? :confused:

Vote with your wallet, don't buy from web sites that have poor or misleading descriptions. Online retailers save huge amounts of money as opposed to brick and mortar stores. Some of them seem to think that they can run a website with crappy pictures and incomplete product descriptions. These guys don't get my business. I tend to think that online retailers should have a larger burden than brick and mortar stores to desribe their products fully and provide at least one good, detailed picture of the item, if not many. The excellent layout and abundance was what oringally attracted me to Newegg.
 

ronnn

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
3,918
0
71
I am surprised that people accept this type of garbage, just plain misrepresentation in my mind. I am so annoyed about this, that I may buy Nvidia next round. If only they were quiet (damm) I would for sure. I even emailed ATI ..... The worst is that a work mate of mine is picking up a 9800pro this weekend on my reccomendation and I am totally worried that he will get ripped. :disgust:
 

powerMarkymark

Platinum Member
Jan 29, 2002
2,164
0
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Whew!

You had me worried for a minute there, I purchased mine for $299.00 Canadian at Future Shop and I just checked the box. Mine is the 256 bit version.

Thanks for the heads up.

Mark
 

MichaelZ

Senior member
Oct 12, 2003
871
0
76
Originally posted by: Matthias99
Originally posted by: Cerb
...I guess, but why not just keep the 9800 around instead? Currently going for the 5900XT's price (if you can find one), and a little bit better value.

Guesses:

1) The 9800NP ate too much into 9800Pro sales. Since all you have to do to turn it into a Pro is to turn up the clocks (as opposed to the 9800SE, which you have to softmod), it's an easy way to get a 9800Pro cheaply.

2) It gives them a way to sell GPUs that have flaws in one side of the memory controller. Much like you can sell 9800 cores with 1 or 2 bad pipes as 9800SEs.

they're pretty good guesses. the 2nd one is very clever IMO.
 

ronnn

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
3,918
0
71
NCIX special this week is probably the 128 bit version, but no one seems to know for sure. Not marked either way. This is way to confusing and many not dumb people are going to get burned by this. Very bad pr for ATI.