Video/Graphics Card Help

I'm currently debating on which of these two cards I should go for. My choices are:

ATI Radeon 9600 XT 256MB (http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/product.asp?pid=8282&sid=1HBBP4R0KPJC9LKJ9BK69 T4H3022DXFC)
and
ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256MB (http://www.buyxtremegear.com/sap9800xt256.html)

Is there really a reason why I should fork out the extra 200 bucks to get the 9800? Or will the 9600 do just fine?

Anybody?

It would help if we knew what you were upgrading from.

Extra $200? Try extra $300. Whats your CPU speed, usual res you play in, and like Data said, current card.

This will be going in to a whole new system. More than likely with an AMD 3000 or higher.

I usualy run in 1024x768 and went with the 9600pro


Best value in video cards

period

256mb is pointless right now. You are going to see no performance gain. I would just get the 9800pro 128MB.

I was just sort of thinking ahead with the 9600XT 256mb version seeing how it was only 40 bucks more than the 128 version. Just to save me from upgrading for a long time.

So say I do go with the 128, which is going to be the best one? The 9600XT or the 9600 Pro? Is there a major difference between them?

Get the 128meg version, its faster. The 256meg version has much slower ram.

I believe the only difference in the 9600 Pro, and the 9600XT, is that the XT has a 500Mhz core, and the Pro has a 400Mhz core. Both should have 600Mhz memory (300x2). Which one is better depends on the price you get for both of them.

Just bought my brother a 9600XT for $153 retail. Good card, and came clocked at 500/650. Slightly faster ram that the stock ATi's card is.

Yeah..I had read that the 9600XT came a little overclocked from the factory or whatever, which was why I was sort of leaning towards it more. I've seen a few really good prices on both cards and they weren't very much higher or lower than the other. Buying them retail though, the XT is around 60 or so higher than the Pro (according to Pricewatch). Is the $60 price increase worth going with the XT for the 100mhz core increase?

9600XT 128, or 9800pro 128, the 256 isn't quality and won't be helping you much....

also, about 3-4 months till the next line of cards i think...

It probably isnt worth the extra $60.

I'm in the same boat as xero. I am trying to decide between a 9600XT or 9800Pro. The Sapphire 9600XT 128mb is $234 while the Sapphire 9800Pro 128mb is $391. Keep in mind that prices are canadian and local. I am upgrading from a Geforce 2 and an AMD 1800XP+ processor. I am thinking about playing at 1024x768 with a little AA turned on. I've never played at a higher res so I don't know what that would look like. :roller: I'm thinking that the money I save now buying the 9600XT will allow me to play the games I want now at a decent framerate and buying another mid level video card some time in the future that will have new features like dx10 as an example or buy a 9800Pro which may be more future proof since it's obviously faster and has 8 pipelines vs. 4 on the 9600XT. Although buying a 9800Pro won't necessarily put me in the whole, I'd hate to spend more money than I have to. BTW, how well do these cards overclock? Is it worth buying ATI over Sapphire?

Hey i have a radeon 9600 xt anyone know the best drivers to get for it im gettin fps spikes right now ..

Well for now I've decided on going with the 9600 line of video card, I just can't decide which would I should go for. The XT or the Pro. I'm leaning more towards the XT now since its only about $20-$30 higher than the Pro, and after looking at some of the benchmark tests, it outperforms the 9600 Pro, and even the 9800SE (On the UT2k3 benchmark I'm looking at anyway).

So this brings me to my next question. Which version of the 9600XT is going to be the better buy? I see things like Gigabyte, Sapphire, and then just a normal one (when searching Pricewatch.com anyway), and I'm wondering whats the difference, if any?

Thanks for the help!

Here's (http://users.erols.com/chare/video.htm) a gpu comparison chart that might be helpful.

If you have to have a new card now, I say go with the 9800. If you're rich, go with the 9800XT. If you can wait a few months until the new chipsets come out, do so and either go for the new card or potentially save a few bucks on one of the cards mentioned above.

edit: i sorta posted this w/o reading much of the thread, like your last post. The SE cards are the weakest in each category. So from weakest to strongest, it goes SE, regular, PRO, and XT. For pure performance, the 800 series blows the 600 series away. Just depends on what you want from a card.

The 9800 series is just a bit too expensive for me. And like some have said, 256MB in a video card won't make much of a difference since there aren't really any games out now (could be some coming out) that can take advantage of such a powerful card.

What new chipsets are coming out in the next few months?

And if I do go with the 9600XT, which one should I get? The Sapphire, Gigabyte, or just the normal ATI?

There are 128MB flavor 9800's. New ones in the stores are getting harder to find but there are many on internet trading posts, ranging in price from $200 to $300. Many 9800np's (non-pro's) can be run at XT speeds.

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but just saying that for a little more money, some research, and some tweaking, you can have yourself a 9800 that runs at XT speeds.

As for which 9600 manufacturer to go with, I'd say ATI or Sapphire :shrug:.

There are 128MB flavor 9800's. New ones in the stores are getting harder to find but there are many on internet trading posts, ranging in price from $200 to $300. Many 9800np's (non-pro's) can be run at XT speeds.

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but just saying that for a little more money, some research, and some tweaking, you can have yourself a 9800 that runs at XT speeds.

As for which 9600 manufacturer to go with, I'd say ATI or Sapphire :shrug:.

Yea I've heard about being able to flash the BIOS or something like that to make the 9800 in to an XT I believe, but I could be wrong on that one.

I didn't understand the different types actually. I would think they are all ATI cards, just a different type, but again I could be wrong on that one.