help me choose.............

Kgentatszu]

guys,
since ati rulez now, i'm planning of getting one online( never attempt to try that before), so what i need now is advice ,advice and advice. and , i'm not a rich person, i'm only around 15. i think i can only spare around 250+(<290) for an ati 9700pro. by the way keep in mind that i live in Malaysia and i'm a nOOb at these. so, what do you recommend?? apart from that , what's the difference between an oem and a retail, if possible go for the cheapest, i'm not planning to OC it or in other words i'm just gaining experience and maybe oc it a bit........
i just want value for performance ......that's all, i 'd hope that you could give suggestions...............Any links? ideas??

Allex

I cannot offer you the perfect solution for choosing a videocard, but this is how i make my decisions :
1. choose the maximum price level
2. choose the manufacturers (based on rumours, articles, comments on forums)
3. read the complete specs for each card :
- cooling system (only for GPU or extended on memory) <- better cooling system, higher o/c-ing level
- memory - manufacturer and CAS latency (lower CAS -> higher o/c-ing limit)
4. check the warranty given by each seller to his videocard
5. verify (if possible) what comes bundled with the video

OEM are components destined for system integrators while retail products, usually are destined for final customers and offer them the choice of buying the videocard (example given) with other extras included. Well, i've encountered many times the equation BULK = OEM and buying my videocard as a BULK meant i got the card (not packaged) offered with a drivers CD and cables.

FuNsTeR

oem is not clocked at normal 9700pro clock speed ie stock speeds should be 325mhz core and 310 mhz memory but on the oem it is 290 mhz memory ... if you are not really bothered with the slightly lower memory speed then go for it ... but a cheeper option would be to get the 9700 non Pro its core speed is 275 mhz and memory speed is 270mhz not bad or you could go for the 9500 pro which is a excellent card and is even cheaper if you can get a hold of it

Kgentatszu]

if possible, i would like a card whch can highly out perform my current GF4..........

shuki

maxwell - my advice is to NOT BUY ANY OEM card! As hard as it is to wait, I highly suggest waiting until you have enough money to buy either a sapphire or a built by ATI r9700 pro retail. They retail for $299 in the US and that is mgfr suggested retail price (msrp). Wait another few weeks or work an odd job or two to get the extra $50-$60 to buy a retail card. Then get the r9700 pro

Kgentatszu]

by the way, shuki i'm dealing with a person named Hardwired in the buy and sell thread. can you check if that card is worth the price.?? apart from that, how much extra dollars do i have to pay to get it shipped to malaysia.