Upgrade to ATI 9800 Pro

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Fragmire

Member
Jul 18, 2005
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I'm planning to upgrade from 9600 Pro to 9800 Pro 256MB (yeah, I'm lagging behind by a few generations). The upgrade will mainly be for the new effects and such that I want to use in the next genration of RTS coming out (so FPS is not really a huge concern). Questions:

1. Do you guys think it's worth the $180? Does it even make sense for me to upgrade just for the effects?

2. How does the noise level and power consumption compare between 9600 Pro and 9800 Pro?

3. How much performance improvement should I expect to see? I do occassionally play Halo, BF2, among others, but not on a daily basis.

Thanks!
 
Malladine

Malladine

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2003
4,618
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1. I would say that for that price a 6800 (non gt) would work better by far
2. No idea, but the 9800pro takes very little. A 300W ps is enough for a standard system w/the 9800pro
3. The 9800Pro is at least 50% faster imo. It will handle those games just fine.
 
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Munky

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2005
9,372
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76
I've owned a 9800pro, and from my experience I can tell you the following:

1. The card is not fast enough to smoothly run any game at settings which require 256mb video ram. You can save some money by getting a 128mb version.

2. The cooler is not loud, and I used to run it on a cheap 320w PSU without problems.

3. It's still a decent card for modern games, even BF2, as long as you dont run it at resolutions higher than 1024x768. In fact, if you keep the settings at medium, in some games you can even use AA/AF at playable frame rates (HL2 for example). It's definitely a big improvement over a 9600.

4. If you do have $180 to pend, then for that money you can get a better card. A 6600gt is better, and it costs ~$150. A 6800 is even better still, and it goes for ~$180 these days. If I were you, I'd either get the 6800, or you can wait a month or so for the new midrange cards from Ati or Nv, which should offer better performance than the 6800 for the same price.
 
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Fragmire

Member
Jul 18, 2005
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1. I'm definitely not up-to-date on video cards since I stopped tracking them about 2 years ago, but I heard that certain lightings effects in Age of Empire III need newer cards, and I'm just guessing that 9800 Pro is considered "newer" since it's not entirely outdated, yet.
 
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Fragmire

Member
Jul 18, 2005
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I don't want to start another ATI vs. nVidia argument, but I've never been a big fan of nVidia. Have stuck with ATI for the last two cards, and it was two Matrox before that. That's why I'm looking at the 9800 Pro.
 
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VIAN

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2003
6,575
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Well, Age of Empires III's effects utilize Shader Model 3, which only the 6x00 series from Nvidia contain. ATI isn't gonna release that for another few months.
 
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dguy6789

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2002
8,558
3
76
A 9800 Pro is still a pretty good card by todays standards. But there is no real reason to buy it right now because there are faster cards that can be had for less money(such as a 6600gt).

Do NOT make the mistake of picking a video card because it is ATI or nVidia. Pick the card because it is fast, not because some company you don't like makes it.

With the 6600GT out, there is absolutely NO reason to buy a Radeon 9800 Pro.
 
Malladine

Malladine

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2003
4,618
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Originally posted by: Fragmire
I don't want to start another ATI vs. nVidia argument, but I've never been a big fan of nVidia. Have stuck with ATI for the last two cards, and it was two Matrox before that. That's why I'm looking at the 9800 Pro.
Click to expand...
x800 then - same price as the 6800 non-gt

That said, nVidia make good cards too, though I personally have never owned one. My wife's rig had a Geforce2 64mb though and it performed well at the time.
 
Muscles

Muscles

Senior member
Jul 16, 2003
424
13
81
Originally posted by: Fragmire
I don't want to start another ATI vs. nVidia argument, but I've never been a big fan of nVidia. Have stuck with ATI for the last two cards, and it was two Matrox before that. That's why I'm looking at the 9800 Pro.
Click to expand...

You're not a fan of nvidia yet based on your past it doesn't look like you've ever owned one of their vid cards before. Do yourself a favor and buy the 6600GT or 6800 and you'll be glad you did.
 
aiya24

aiya24

Senior member
Aug 24, 2005
540
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a 9800pro isnt bad i had one in my last system that i had for the last 2 years and at the time it was great for anything i threw at it. fast forward to now its not too hot anymore. i would say get a 6800nu, 6600gt or if you must have ati then a x800pro.

i would have gone with nvidia in my last build but i didnt have money to get a 6800gt so i settled for a x800pro and bought it off ebay, brand new, oem . i paid $250 with free shipping and when i put it in my system turns out it was a xt. i even checked it with atitool and yup it was with all 16 pipelines. i got lucky and this was back in Feb.~March when they were still like $450.
 
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Waylay00

Golden Member
Nov 15, 2004
1,793
0
71
I have a 9800 Pro and a 7800GTX. The picture quality is the same. Don't believe these comments saying that Nvidia's picture quality is worse etc. Do yourself a favor and get a 6800GT.
 
ElFenix

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
Originally posted by: Fragmire
1. I'm definitely not up-to-date on video cards since I stopped tracking them about 2 years ago, but I heard that certain lightings effects in Age of Empire III need newer cards, and I'm just guessing that 9800 Pro is considered "newer" since it's not entirely outdated, yet.
Click to expand...

9800 pro is pretty much the exact same thing as 9700 pro which came out just over 3 years ago.
 
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superfly27

Senior member
Jun 25, 2005
293
0
0
Whoops! Double post.
Well, I'm not going to waste this space. What version of Shader Model does ATI have?
 
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ESA1178

Junior Member
Sep 15, 2005
1
0
0
I had an ATI 9800 Pro 128mb for 2 years before it started to fry. The reason was my PSU. I was using the stock PSU which was 250W. (Teach me to read the box before I buy). Anyhow, I started getting some flickering and little stripes. So I bought a Zalman V700-CU fan. No change. In fact, it got worse. Big black boxes and 1/2 " vertical stripes, yikes! I called ATI, and they told me I needed MORE POWER SCOTTY! (Star Trek).
The warranty was void since I had removed the stock fan. I looked around and replaced the card with a 9800 pro 256mb from NewEgg. Along with a 350 PSU. The difference in quality 'tween 128mb & 256mb is amazing. I play Call of Duty UO and Battlefield 2 with my team online. The details are amazing on those maps and vehicles. And I have the video at 1280X 1024 75Hz. I didn't go for a different make of card cause I am very happy with the 9800pro. overall..
 
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OvErHeAtInG

Senior member
Jun 25, 2002
770
0
0
Originally posted by: Fragmire
LOL. Great information. I guess I'll wait on my purchase then.

Thanks a lot, guys.
Click to expand...

Good call.

Although, frankly if you need an AGP card, you don't need to wait too long, as the newer cards won't even be AGP any longer. I'd say, keep your eyes peeled for some killer deal on a 6800GT AGP. I just got an X800XT PE for 249 brand new. Keep your ear to the ground, since sometimes there are killer deals on AGP cards.
 
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