I realized the Best Buy here DOES have the 9800 NP for almost the same price I paid for the 9700 Pro retail today. I could cancel my order and go to Best Buy to get the 9800NP tonight, should I?
Will the 9800 NP run slightly better than the 9700Pro?
- Thread starter FluxCap
- Start date
I am trying to get those facts as well 
/ I feel like I jumped the gun in ordering the 9700 Pro from newegg when I go drive down the street and grab the 9800 for about $15 more.
/ I feel like I jumped the gun in ordering the 9700 Pro from newegg when I go drive down the street and grab the 9800 for about $15 more.
Malladine
Diamond Member
- Mar 31, 2003
- 4,618
- 0
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The 9800 non-pro is cheaper than the 9700 pro...Originally posted by: FluxCap
I am trying to get those facts as well
The R350 core is almost the same thing as the R300 core, so the one with the higher core clock should be faster. But of course you also must take memory bandwidth into concideration, which I believe is lower on the 9800NP. I'll do some quick benchmark searching and see what I turn up.
Hmm, that is what I do want to find but I think the 9800NP has not been out long enough to have enough numbers for me to decide.
I thought the 9800 (R350) was much more efficient at handling stencil shaders as compared to the 9700 (R300). This makes a difference in upcoming games like Doom 3 with it's use of shadows....
I couldnt find any benchmarks in my brief search.
You might want to go over to the Futuremark Forums, I am almost willing to bet somebody over there would know.
You might want to go over to the Futuremark Forums, I am almost willing to bet somebody over there would know.
You can put a 9800 pro bios on the 9800NP. Even without doing that you can clock it to 9800pro speeds.
Definately go for the 9800.
Definately go for the 9800.
Ketchup
Elite Member
- Sep 1, 2002
- 14,559
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The clock speeds on these cards are pretty much identical, (depending on whose card you buy) but there are a few reasons why I might be inclined to go with the 9800 NP, if I were in the same situation.
1) The added features of the 9800 core MIGHT make it better for future games. This would mean very little to me if the card were more expensive, but since they are the same price, I think it would make since to go ahead and get the 9800.
2) The 9800 PRO can overclock much higher than any 9700 PRO ever could, and I see no reason why the 9800 NP would be any different. If you like to overclock, I think the 9800 would be the better choice.
1) The added features of the 9800 core MIGHT make it better for future games. This would mean very little to me if the card were more expensive, but since they are the same price, I think it would make since to go ahead and get the 9800.
2) The 9800 PRO can overclock much higher than any 9700 PRO ever could, and I see no reason why the 9800 NP would be any different. If you like to overclock, I think the 9800 would be the better choice.
Well, don't ask me why but I changed my order and got the 9800 Pro, no more upgrading for a while !!
Great thread, I've been wanting to know about these differences myself for some period of time. From the info I've gathered, according to various sites, it seems the R350 core (9800) is simply a updated and optimized core with some minor updates. Differences include:
The R350 has a F-Buffer (Smartshader) which supplements the SmartShader. Purpose is to theoretically allow shader code of infinite length without having to resort multi-pass operations. Once again, keyword is theoretical.
Minor updates to Smoothvision and HyperZ.
What the heck does all that mean? Just about nothing without software being optimized for the hardware. I'd get the 9800np though if prices are similar, just more potential to be faster (OC). Currently with most if not all games, performances differences at stock speeds are relatively comparable.
The R350 has a F-Buffer (Smartshader) which supplements the SmartShader. Purpose is to theoretically allow shader code of infinite length without having to resort multi-pass operations. Once again, keyword is theoretical.
Minor updates to Smoothvision and HyperZ.
What the heck does all that mean? Just about nothing without software being optimized for the hardware. I'd get the 9800np though if prices are similar, just more potential to be faster (OC). Currently with most if not all games, performances differences at stock speeds are relatively comparable.
The price difference between 9700 and 9800 is too large for my taste. You can get 9700 pro for $260 shipped or so. 9800 pro is almost $300 I dont think $40 difference for 2 fps is worth it. You cant see less than 20 fps difference so, unless it would be over 20, not worth it. Personaly id buy a 9700 non-pro. Best deal if you ask me. Around $200 shipped or so. But I guess it comes down to how much you are willing to throw away for a video card.
It is Budman and the stencil buffer feature that was added, which should come in handy for HL2 and Doom3.
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