Upgrade from 9600Pro

[MrWho]

Hi there. I joined these forums in order to seek some advise.

I currently have an ATI 9600Pro (which, except for a couple of new games, I'm quite happy with), and I was thinking of take advantage of the fact that Xmas is right around the corner and my fiancé doesn't mind me spending some money on the PC and upgrade it (maybe) to one of the following cards:

First, I saw an ATI X600 for what seemed to be a good price (wich is not worth mentioning here, since prices here are always quite higher than in the states, and I don't want to confuse you, but take my word for it, the price seems alright to me), but I read somewhere that the X600 is somewhat like an 9600Pro with a different name and not much more. So, if I take it correctly, it wouldn't make me much of a difference... or would it?

Secondly, I saw an 6800LE for quite a bit more, but still in the price range (although almost over the limit) of what I intend to spend. Would this be, in your opinion, an upgrade I'd take notice of in games?

About my other hardware (if it helps you base your advises), although I'm now running an Athlon XP 2400, I'm waiting for a replacement for my burned-up Athlon64 3000+.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, since my paycheck is almost here.

Cheers!

 

[Bateluer]

The X600 series is a joke, pretty much the same thing as your 9600 Pro. The 6800LE is a much better choice, a 6600GT would also be a good option. Not sure when ATI's X700 AGP version comes out.

 

[StrangerGuy]

What are your system specs and how much are you willing to spend?

 

[MrWho]

My system specs are:

MSI KT4 Ultra (soon to be replaced by an MSI nForce3 mobo)
Athlon XP 2400 (soon to be replaced by an Athlon64 3000+)
512Mb DDR333 (soon to be replaced by 512Mb or 1Gb DDR400)
the rest is, I think, not necessary for this topic (soundcard, HDDs, DVD-RW, etc).

As to how much I'm willing to spend, I'd go for about 250?, which is the price of the 6800LE 256Mb. As I said, the prices around here are a bit too high compared to other parts of the world, and I don't trust buying this kind of stuff on-line (I only order books and CDs on-line, and that's it).

Bateluer: Thanks for the tip, that was exactly my thought, I only wanted to confirm it. Between the 6600GT and the 6800LE, if both fit into my price range, which one would you pick?

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: MrWho


Bateluer: Thanks for the tip, that was exactly my thought, I only wanted to confirm it. Between the 6600GT and the 6800LE, if both fit into my price range, which one would you pick?

There is a chance that you could unlock the extra pipelines in a 6800LE, but its not a certainty. Me personally, I'd pick up a 6600GT. To my knowledge, there isn't much performance difference between the too, but the 6600GT costs less and is SLI capable, if you get the PCIe version, which is doubtful given your NF3 mobo choice.

 

[MrWho]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
There is a chance that you could unlock the extra pipelines in a 6800LE, but its not a certainty.

I'd go with that chance. I never done any of those softmods (I assume you're refering to that). Any chance they damage the card and void the warranty?