Sorry I should have asked this here...

[mcrilly]

Hi,

Can of you kind people advice me on what ATI Radeon to buy for top gaming proformance? My budget isn't really limited. The specs of my current mahcine are as follows:

P4 3.0EGhz
1024 Mem of RAM DDR
200 Gig HDD
ATI Radeon 9600 256MB SE (Poor performance)

I'm looking to upgrade the GFX card, and maybe even the memory (at a later date)

I was looking at the Hightech ATI Radeon 9800 256 Pro. What do you people think?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[YODA74]

http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030604/

[mcrilly]

Hi,

Thanks for that matey. From what I can see, getting a 256MB version of the card could work out to be a waste of money? However, in future cases, that amount of memory (with only an 10Mhz speed increase, DDR II) might come in handy.

So what do you think I should do? Make myself "future proof" (in a sense) and buy a 256MB variant, or go for the 128MB version to save on money and upgrade later if needed?

[BigBlue66]

Go top of the line now if you have the money. You will be glad you did.

[mcrilly]

Hi,

Well, do you recommend that card? I'm going for that card because it's what I have in my system at the moment (but a (much) cheaper version).

Are there any other cards out there I should consider?

[malcore]

I believe they no longer make the 256Mb version using DDR2 with a 10Mhz clock increase. DDR2 came and went quickly in the graphics card world. The 256MB version uses regular DDR now on a 9800XT PCB.


The newest Radeons are the X800Pro and the X800XT, which use GDDR3 memory. The performance of these cards is quite remarkable, well nigh doubling that of the mighty 9800Pro/XT.

They have however just been released and are in extremely high demand, are still hard to find in stock, and do come at a premium. Average $450-$500 at present.

If you want the absolute top and can't wait a month for these cards to be readily available and come down closer to the $400 range, then by all means do so.

As for the 256MB 9800Pro or 9800XT, right now they are in limbo price/performance wise. Far too expensive in comparison to the X800 (with twice the performance), being only marginally lower in price.

However, the 128 Mb version of the 9800Pro is right in the sweetspot for price/performance. One of these cards can be had right now for as low as $200. The performance over the 9600 series is night and day. You will notice a dramatic improvement.

The choice is yours, spend over $450 now for the best of the best, wait a month for the same to be $50 or so less, or jump now at a 9800Pro 128MB.

The only people going for the 256MB version of the 9800Pro are overclockers because these cards now actually use the R360 core (9800XT) instead of the R350 core (9800Pro). These adventurous ones can actually flash the card's BIOS to a 9800XT thus having a much higher priced card for a good bit less.

For us less adventurous ones the 256MB 9800Pro is just not worth the money.

[mcrilly]

Hi,

Well, I would be prepaired to save up for a nice card but let me explain why I've all of a sudden gone card crazy!!

I recently got a copy of FarCry (I do love my gaming) and the GFX are gorgeous (from what I've seen on screen shots) Now with my 9600 SE you can imagine the game doesn't look to good (Low on all detail options and running in 800x600) even with a gig of ram and a 3ghz P4 to help along the way.

Basically, I want to make sure I'm making the right choice as to "secure" a decent future for my system when it comes to up coming titles such as HL2 and Doom 3. Of course, I will truely need a GFX card upgrade for these games, but I don't want to splash out £300+ on a card I won't really need. This is why I want to make absolute sure I'm buying a good, decent card at a decent price (though I have no price limit really)

I've read else where (on this forum) that Sapphire hardware isn't recommended? http://www.pcwcomponentcentre.co.uk/invt/210300020 < I was going to go for that baby, but it has Sapphire components! What do you guys think? (I know, I know, I kinda just contradicted what I just said about price and over doing it :))

[malcore]

I have nothing against Sapphire products, however I strongly recommend against paying that much for a 9800XT. The 128MB 9800Pro has only slightly, and I do mean slightly less performance than a 9800XT, but is half the price.


My recommendation is to find a 128MB 9800Pro for somewhere in the £140 to £175 range. Or, dish out now and find an X800Pro for quite possibly £400.

Don't pay that much for a 9800XT or Pro. Don't be fooled by big numbers.

[mcrilly]

Hi,

Ah I see. What about this card > http://www.pcwcomponentcentre.co.uk/invt/r9800piceq128 ? What do you think of that card and it's price tag? (I really want to buy from PC World, as it's where I got my PC from in the first place)

[malcore]

Hehe,

I just went to the site and was just about to post a link to that exact card (http://www.pcwcomponentcentre.co.uk/invt/r9800piceq128) .

Yes, nice card, not bad price. The added bonus of that card is it is quiet, the card stays cooler because it exhausts the air out the back. Just to let you know, it will block the first PCI slot. These cards get very, very hot (60-75 Celsius) and can really add to heat within the case. This card will help reduce that by exhausting air out the back.

I know, I bought the exact aftermarket heatsink for my 9800 Pro.


Yes, much better purchase than the 9800XT right now.

£135 less for a card that is slightly less powerful than the 9800XT is a steal.

[mcrilly]

Erm...

Hang about... Isn't an AGP card going to preform better than a PCI card? Should I go for a different card that's AGP since I want a top gaming card!

[malcore]

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. It IS an AGP card. What I meant was, this card has a special heatsink/fan on it which will extend down over the first PCI slot, using two brackets at the back of the case.

It connects into the AGP slot however, not the PCI slot. No worries.;)

[mcrilly]

Hi,

Oh I see! That's good. Do you happen to know anything about the installation costs at PC World or anything about PC World at all?

Anyone else care to butt in?

[malcore]

Sorry, no I don't. But hey, that's what we're all here for. If you feel up to it we can guide you step by step through uninstalling the old card and installing the new one by yourself.

It's much easier than you would think, and we all love this stuff here. Like I said, it's why we're here.

[mcrilly]

Yeah erm,

abit of a problem there... I've got a pre-built system that i got from PC World, and if I open it up I will void the warrenty! That's why I need to get PC World to fit it, as I think my 5 year cover plan covers free installs of new hardware I buy from them (but I wouldn't mind paying for it anyway)

I did a course at college called 'Installing IT' that covered hardware etc so I could install it my self no problem, I just want my warrenty ;O)