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Should I return my Radeon 9500 Pro for PowerColor 9700 NON-Pro

T

thatsright

Diamond Member
Okay Please help me decide here (of course this is probably already self evident but..........)

For the record, I'm building a new system with a ABIT IC7 & P4c 2.4GHZ Overclocked to 3.2Ghz and Kingston HyperX PC3500 512MB X 2.

I got a Retail ATI 9500 Pro Video card for my new system I'm building; in fact it's still sealed in the plastic so I could still return it without penalty. I paid full retail price for it, $219, plus tax (haven't mailed in the Rebate yet). Well I was just on NewEgg and I saw the PowerColor 9700 Gold, NON-Pro card for CHEAPER than I paid. Now I'm thinking about returning the Radeon 9500 Pro and getting the PowerColor 9700. (The only annoying thing about this is I would have to wait about a week to put my system together.)

BUT;

1.Does anyone have this EXACT Card on a system like this? What is your experience with it, good or bad?

2. Can anyone say how much more performance I'd get out of the card over the Radeon 9500 Pro?

3. If I do get this card, Can I use the ATI Catalyst drivers for 'Built by ATI' from ATI's website, or is it 'Powered by ATI', or do I have to download drivers from the PowerColor website Only?

4. BTW; I don't play games that much. I will mostly use the PC for Internet, File sharing, CD Burning, Photo Editing, Movie watching and some gaming. But the games I do want to play, are BF1942, Max Payne, UT2003, Enter the Matrix, and a few others. I'd say gaming would consist of maybe 15% of my time, other wise I'd be gunning for a Radeon 9700Pro/9800Pro.

Suggestions/Opinions/Comments please.

Thanks guys
 
yes

yes

1. i dont have but had a sapphire

2. it is 40-100% faster depending on AA/AF res etc

3. ati drivers will work on it

4. Enter the matrix is pretty stressful on the vid card considering how crappy it looks IMO but you will want a fast card for it no doubt
 
Double the bandwidth due to 256bit access, a lot more speed than 9500 Pro, will last much longer, can probably OC to pro speeds, you can use the built by or powered by drivers from ATI's site, both work same for my OEM card.

You can also select higher shipping and with newegg, it comes within 3 to 4 days even with their 'free' shipping.

For the time you do game, it'll make a fiarly large difference.
 
Well I appreciate anyone replying, but I hope I could get a bit more than one word.😀 Basically, is anyone using the PowerColor 9700 on the ABIT IC7? If so, how is it working for you? And also, if anyone could answer a few, or all of the other question above, that would be pretty sweet.

Thanks
 
Originally posted by: AgaBooga
Double the bandwidth due to 256bit access, a lot more speed than 9500 Pro, will last much longer, can probably OC to pro speeds, you can use the built by or powered by drivers from ATI's site, both work same for my OEM card.

You can also select higher shipping and with newegg, it comes within 3 to 4 days even with their 'free' shipping.

For the time you do game, it'll make a fiarly large difference.
Click to expand...

Is it just me, or I thought that the 9500 Pro is the same clock speed as the 9700, though of course the 9700 has twice the Bandwith; which it seems like the reason i'll be buying it.

As for O'cing it. I think I'll wait a while to try that, if I do at all. With buying my new system, and then O'c the P4c 2.4 to around 3.0-3.2Ghz, and considering how much research I've had to do just to 'figure all that out,' I'll prolly wait a week or two before I even think about O'Cing the 9700.

But thanks for all of the tips and suggestions; and KEEP EM' COMIN
 
hi,
here's some direct comparisons...
http://www.bjorn3d.com/_preview.php?articleID=71
http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=Mzc0
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=1735

this should answer any questions that you have about performance difference among fast systems.

as for the rest...
1. no, i dont have this exact system though i have just ordered a 9700np for my p42.7 oc system.
3. yes, you can use the "built by" ati catalyst drivers.
4. it's a good investment anyway. it's a "pay you to get more" arrangement for a reasonably large improvement and you have a pretty much top notch system anyway. why not spend less money and get more. where's the downside? any problems that you might have with the 9700 you would very likely have with the 9500pro and they'd likely be driver related.

good luck
 
I have that Evil Commando 2 Gold(silly name, isn't it?) in my system and so far its been working great. You also get 4x4 Evo 2 with it so...heh.
I'd say yes, definitely.
 
I don't like my PowerColor 9700 non-pro. It's not clocked right, it has weird signal problems (ie, not sending a signal when Windows or X starts up for like 10 seconds, enough to shut my monitor down), and the 3.4 ATI drivers won't work.

I probably wouldn't buy an ATI card right now if I had to do it over again, and I really wouldn't buy a Powercolor.
 
DRATS, (or some other similar negative euphemism);

I just checked on New Egg, and their all out of stock:disgust: I guess I'll have to call tomorrow, and see if they will be getting anymore in at that price soon?
 
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I don't like my PowerColor 9700 non-pro. It's not clocked right, it has weird signal problems (ie, not sending a signal when Windows or X starts up for like 10 seconds, enough to shut my monitor down), and the 3.4 ATI drivers won't work.

I probably wouldn't buy an ATI card right now if I had to do it over again, and I really wouldn't buy a Powercolor.
Click to expand...

Might want to check with the company... you might have a defective card for RMA.... :Q

I'd make the move, personally. The 9700 non-pro will plain and simply LAST longer, having more "oomph" to it! You'll appreciate the bandwidth the instand you turn on AA/AF or other pretty-graphics features. 🙂

If you're not going to use it, don't bother. Most users simply don't know about the features and leave them off. If you go for it, be sure to use the graphic enhancements it so you really *see* the advantage!
 
chaotic, I really think (as bluemax has said) the card might be defective. I've heard nothing but good stuff from other users too, unless you count the "wtf I want 2.8ns ram on this!!!" complaints 🙂
 
If you read the reviews for the Powercolor 9700 nonpro I think most of the posts say that the card comes overclocked to 9700 pro levels. This might be a good thing to have.
 
Originally posted by: bluemax

Might want to check with the company... you might have a defective card for RMA.... :Q
Click to expand...

Oh man, I hope not. I got this card after I RMAed my Ti 4400.

It's usable, but annoying. There are other things, like when I soft-reboot, the text has it's bottom cut off.

Oh, well.

 
I have a Saphire 9500 Pro which I bought for $178 a few months back great buy at the time works perfect at 324 297 for me. but if u bought a 9500 Pro for over 200 EASILY change cards for the 9700!!! with out a doubt
 
Chaotic you seem to be unlucky...I'd RMA that.

The only thing I would wonder about that Powercolor 9700 is the speed of the ram. Is it slow or not becuase toss in the fastest GPU out there if your ram is slow you really won't see a benefit
 
from what I've seen the evil commando 2 can come with 3.6 (very rare, what I got, I'm unlucky...), 3.3 and sometimes 3.0 too, I think. so its a gamble.
 
Originally posted by: Harabecw
from what I've seen the evil commando 2 can come with 3.6 (very rare, what I got, I'm unlucky...), 3.3 and sometimes 3.0 too, I think. so its a gamble.
Click to expand...

Is it printed on the chips? I'd like to find out what I have.
 
Hey Chaotic... what kind of power supply do you have? It's possible you might have a flaky power supply killing your video cards....

Just checking. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: bluemax
Hey Chaotic... what kind of power supply do you have? It's possible you might have a flaky power supply killing your video cards....

Just checking. 🙂
Click to expand...

That one died on a PC Power and Cooling 350W. This one is on an Antec TruePower 550. The one I have now has always been like it is.
 
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