<div class="IPBDescription">Worth it, or not</div> Currently I have an ATI Radeon 9200... do you think the $500 upgrade to the 9800 pro 256mb is worth it? Or should I get the $300 upgrade to a 9800 Pro 128mb? Or should I stick with my old one?
I got the 9800 Pro 128MB recently and find that it kicks immense amounts of arse. The 256MB version does not yet have any games that really make use of it (even the Doom3's and HL's will not, according to their developers), so you're really planning for a generation of unannounced games.
The way I see it, you pay $300 more for just a little extra boost in performance. When the next gen video cards come out, the price of the 9800 will go down to more reasonable levels
The way I see it, you pay $300 more for just a little extra boost in performance. When the next gen video cards come out, the price of the 9800 will go down to more reasonable levels <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Very true...
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->AGP is the style of plug they use, and they are all AGP. the XT is just another superlative saying its a slightly even better card. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
oohhh...
I think I might go for the 9800 Pro 128mb... seeing how it's a lot cheaper and it'll do the job well.
It's a waste of money, IMO. Unless you think you'll need it in the long run. I don't play too many newer games so I haven't bought a new gfx card in years.
by the time you'd need 256 of ram, the 9800 would have become obsolete, and having bought twice $200 cards would have both been less expensive and more powerful in the long run (and won't feel the difference right now)
Hrm.. pay 350 (300 card, 50 HL2) to run the game pretty, and have the card be replaced in the next approximate three to four years (thats usually how long mine have lasted anyway), or pay $150 ($200 - $50 voucher for HL2) for a card that can run it pretty. Granted not AS pretty, but pretty none the less. 9600 XT.
TalesinOur own little well of hateJoin Date: 2002-11-08Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
The R9800 XT can be purchased from ATI for $500. It's the fastest, prettiest card on the market. The R9600 XT is going to be purchasable from ATI for around $200. It outperforms the R9700 Pro in every aspect, and comes with 256MB DDR onboard standard. As well, the XT series automatically overclock themselves when it's safe to do so; it's a function of the drivers. It won't void your warranty either, just in case something DOES go wrong, you can just request a replacement part from ATI.
Wait until the R9600 XT is released, and buy that. You'll thank yourself, and be able to buy $300 of pizza and beer.. or soda, if underage, to power yourself through nights on end of gaming goodness. It's easily the best value on the market at the moment, same wth the R9500 and R9600. (Though the R9500 still beats out the R9600, if you can find one) Plus, the XT series come with a voucher for HL2 when it's released, so that cuts the $200 price tag by $40-60, as you likely were going to buy it ANYWAY.
Get a card you wouldn't cry about replacing in the next 2 years. Yep, 2 years. That's how you know you've made the right choice <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
Speaking of video cards and broke people, I'm still using a geforce 2 mx 400 on a 600 mhz computer <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
If you're a tech freak, you'd change your card in two years no matter what. Right now, the 9600 and 9800 are too close to justify any real need to take the twice-as-expensive 9800. Like I said, Rather than paying 400 bucks every 2 years, paying 150-200 every 1 year/18 months would both be less expensive, and you will have better performance when needed.
coilAmateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance.Join Date: 2002-04-12Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
edited October 2003
Benchmarks for HL2 put the 9600 Pro and 9800 Pro at about 40 and 70-80 FPS, respectively (running full-featured). The performance discrepancy really makes the 9600 less than ideal in my eyes. /:
I'm currently considering the 9800 Pro (probably not the 9800 XT, but there is or was a $400 preorder offer for it on ATI.com, including HL2 voucher... so I'm torn)... I just don't want to have to replace it for a *long* time, so perhaps it's better to get the next step up now.
Comments
winnar
The way I see it, you pay $300 more for just a little extra boost in performance. When the next gen video cards come out, the price of the 9800 will go down to more reasonable levels
winnar
The way I see it, you pay $300 more for just a little extra boost in performance. When the next gen video cards come out, the price of the 9800 will go down to more reasonable levels <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Very true...
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->AGP is the style of plug they use, and they are all AGP. the XT is just another superlative saying its a slightly even better card. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
oohhh...
I think I might go for the 9800 Pro 128mb... seeing how it's a lot cheaper and it'll do the job well.
Has anyone compared the 9600 and 9800?
<!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
The R9600 XT is going to be purchasable from ATI for around $200. It outperforms the R9700 Pro in every aspect, and comes with 256MB DDR onboard standard. As well, the XT series automatically overclock themselves when it's safe to do so; it's a function of the drivers. It won't void your warranty either, just in case something DOES go wrong, you can just request a replacement part from ATI.
Wait until the R9600 XT is released, and buy that. You'll thank yourself, and be able to buy $300 of pizza and beer.. or soda, if underage, to power yourself through nights on end of gaming goodness. It's easily the best value on the market at the moment, same wth the R9500 and R9600. (Though the R9500 still beats out the R9600, if you can find one) Plus, the XT series come with a voucher for HL2 when it's released, so that cuts the $200 price tag by $40-60, as you likely were going to buy it ANYWAY.
Speaking of video cards and broke people, I'm still using a geforce 2 mx 400 on a 600 mhz computer <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
/me is ordering right now.
I'm currently considering the 9800 Pro (probably not the 9800 XT, but there is or was a $400 preorder offer for it on ATI.com, including HL2 voucher... so I'm torn)... I just don't want to have to replace it for a *long* time, so perhaps it's better to get the next step up now.
***EDIT***
WOOhooooOOo. After an hour and 40 minutes on hold, I am now a proud owner of the 9800 Pro 126mb.