I'm getting a Radeon 9800 PRO...

Apr 15, 2003, 09:06 PM

Probably... i am hoping to save up allowance (most of it) mow lawns and do other stuff to be able to buy the $400 video card ATI Radeon 9800 PRO. I am tired of having a pretty old video card (Although in all reality, i have yet to have it not make a game run perfectly...). But still... i would love so much to be able to have a Radeon 9800 PRO and never have to upgrade it again until 3 or so years from now...

~~DriveEuro~~ · Apr 15, 2003, 10:21 PM

Well, that's gonna be a lot of lawns...

shuki · Apr 16, 2003, 02:38 AM

sell off the r8500 too. that might help with the last $75~$80....

~~DriveEuro~~ · Apr 16, 2003, 02:49 AM

Yeah, that would definetly cut back your total by about 1/6 of the price.

shuki · Apr 16, 2003, 03:02 AM

and if he's talking post lawn cutting season the price will hopefully be reduced further ... hopefully by at least $50 with possible another $50 rebate somewhere bringing it down to $300 if he gets real lucky (blessed)

Necrosis · Apr 16, 2003, 04:44 AM

Hey GS....

I'd recommend you go with the 256 meg version if you can afford it.

toddsmack2k · Apr 16, 2003, 08:01 AM

Great to hear GS! You know you could get you a great card in less time, i mean the 9700 is till a decent card

. It could also be that i tend to get impatient when i want something and i could see how you might be tempted when you get $300. But if the 9800 is what you really want then by all means get that bad boy of a card and treat yourself for putting in all that time and effort working for it. You will not be disappointed im sure! Remember you can do it

~~Asuka~~ · Apr 16, 2003, 05:12 PM

Originally posted by generalstupid
Probably... i am hoping to save up allowance (most of it) mow lawns and do other stuff to be able to buy the $400 video card ATI Radeon 9800 PRO. I am tired of having a pretty old video card (Although in all reality, i have yet to have it not make a game run perfectly...). But still... i would love so much to be able to have a Radeon 9800 PRO and never have to upgrade it again until 3 or so years from now...

Generally, getting a top-of-the-line card is only for those who have lots and lots of money to spare. The decrease in value here is enormous, as you'll generally get it for half the money half a year later

So if you'll ever want to sell it off because you want to get a better card, you'll have a huge loss!

Now take a look at me for a smarter solution: I upgraded from a 8500 to a Ti 4800SE, which is still a clearly noteable improvement, it didn't require me go mowing thousands of lawns, and it also didn't totally kill my budget so I have still enough for other stuff. Besides, I'll be able to get a newer card next year again (or perhaps already for X-Mas, who knows

), and if I sell it off then, I won't have such a big loss

Vampyromaniac · Apr 16, 2003, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Asuka
The decrease in value here is enormous, as you'll generally get it for half the money half a year later

Not quite . . . 9700pro has been out about 8 months now, still no sub-$200 prices . . . No sub-$250 for that matter, either

Anyway, I don't think generalstupid is worried about re-selling that card, he said he wants to buy it and use it for a long time.

Apr 16, 2003, 09:28 PM

yea... and i wont sell my 8500 LE either... i have pretty much everything i need other than a good video card and a case to make a pretty good computer... once i get a case it will have my K7S5A mobo, Athlon XP 1500+, 512 megs PC2100 RAM, actually it wont have a HDD... hmm... i need to buuy one soon... but it will have a crappy little 16 meg video card till i get a new one... and i'll just use onboard sound...

~~WyreTheWolf~~ · Apr 19, 2003, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vampyromaniac
Not quite . . . 9700pro has been out about 8 months now, still no sub-$200 prices . . . No sub-$250 for that matter, either

Anyway, I don't think generalstupid is worried about re-selling that card, he said he wants to buy it and use it for a long time.

Actually I have seen some of the lower clocked Radeon 9700 Pros (Radeon 9700 Gold) for around 218.

***Zardon*** · Apr 19, 2003, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by WyreTheWolf
Actually I have seen some of the lower clocked Radeon 9700 Pros (Radeon 9700 Gold) for around 218.

Gold? what speed do they run at?

***Zardon*** · Apr 19, 2003, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by generalstupid
i would love so much to be able to have a Radeon 9800 PRO and never have to upgrade it again until 3 or so years from now...

in 2 years time the 9800 will probably be entry level.. isnt that a thought?

~~WyreTheWolf~~ · Apr 19, 2003, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zardon
Gold? what speed do they run at?

here is the info I found on it.

PowerColor Radeon 9700 GOLD

Powered by the revolutionary AGP 8x RADEON 9700 visual Processing Unit (VPU) with core engine @275Mhz clock speed .

Supports 8 parallel rendering pipelines process up to 2.2 billion pixels per second.

4 parallel geometry engines process up to 275 million transformed and lit polygons per second.

Complete DirectX 9.0 support for precedented realism and sophisticated visual effects.

SMOOTHVISION 2.0 technology provides new levels of image quality with advanced full-scene anti-aliasing (FSAA) and anisotropic filtering.

Revolutionary new video features including VIDEOSHADER and FULLSTREAM technologies.
Supports 256-bit memory interface with 128MB of powerful double data rate (DDR) memory @540Mhz clock speed with peak 17.2GB/sec bandwidth.
Compliant to AGP 3.0 specification by Intel Corporation supports the corresponding technology, AGP 8X, doubles the peak bandwidth capability of the AGP bus to 2.1GB/s, while retaining compatibility with the previous-generation AGP 4X technology.

Featuring ATI -Industry-leading software suite for the best enhancement and accelerate the ultimate visual experience.

First 8-pixel pipeline architecture provides top 3D performance for both Direct3D and OpenGL games and applications.

Display configuration supports CRT, DVI-I & TV-Out (PAL/NTSC).

Multi display configuration support with ATI HYDRAVISION software.

Industry-leading hardware DVD video playback with software DVD player support.

Supports 3D resolutions (32-bit color) up to 2048x1536.

First to fully support DirectX 9.0 and the latest OpenGL functionality.
Includes Deluxe Game Pack with full version of latest sport racing entertainment 4X4 EVO2 and 6 other lite games like Serious Sam (The Second Encounter), Stronghold (Crusader),Rally Trophy, Zax (The Alien Hunter), Myth III (The Wolf Age) and Age of Wonders II ( The Wizard^s Throne).
3D Features

Eight parallel rendering pipelines

Four parallel geometry engines

256-bit DDR memory interface

AGP 8X support

SMARTSHADER 2.0

Programmable pixel and vertex shaders

16 textures per pass

Pixel shaders up to 160 instructions with 128-bit floating point precision

Vertex shaders up to 1024 instructions with flow control

Multiple render target support

Shadow volume rendering acceleration

High precision 10-bit per channel frame buffer support

Supports DirectX 9.0 and the latest version of OpenGL

SMOOTHVISION 2.0

2x/4x/6x full scene anti-aliasing modes

Adaptive algorithm with programmable sample patterns.

2x/4x/8x/16x anisotropic filtering modes

Adaptive algorithm with bi-linear (performance) and tri-linear (quality) options

HYPER Z III

3-level Hierarchical Z-Buffer with early Z test

Lossless Z-Buffer compression (up to 24:1)

Fast Z-Buffer Clear

TRUFORM 2.0

2nd generation N-Patch higher order surface support

Discrete and continuous tessellation levels per polygon

Displacement mapping

VIDEOSHADER

Seamless integration of pixel shaders with video

FULLSTREAM video de-blocking technology

Noise removal filtering for captured video

MPEG-2 decoding with motion compensation, iDCT and color space conversion

All-format DTV/HDTV decoding

YPrPb component output

Adaptive de-interlacing and frame rate conversion

Dual integrated display controllers

Dual integrated 10-bit per channel 400 MHz DACs

Integrated 165 MHz TMDS transmitter (DVI & HDCP compliant)

Integrated TV Output support up to 1024x768 resolution

Optimized for Pentium 4 SSE2 and AMD Athlon 3Dnow!

PC 2002 compliant
Revolutionary New Video Features

Unique VIDEOSHADER engine uses programmable pixel shaders to accelerate video processing and provide better-looking visuals

ATI new FULLSTREAM technology removes blocky artifacts from Streaming and Internet video and provides sharper image quality
Operating Systems Support

Windows XP

Windows 2000

Windows Me
Display Support

VGA connector for analog CRT

S-video or composite connector for TV / VCR

DVI-I connector for digital CRT or flat panel

Independent resolutions and refresh rates for any two connected displays
System Requirements

Intel Pentium 4/III/II/Celeron, AMD K6/Duron/Athlon/Athlon XP or compatible with AGP 2X (3.3v), 4X (1.5V), 8X (0.8v) or Universal AGP 3.0 bus configuration (2X/4X/8X).

128MB of system memory

Installation software requires CD-ROM drive

DVD playback requires DVD drive
Minimum 300 watts power supply or above.
Modes Tables

2D DISPLAY MODES

Resolutions, Colors and Maximum Refresh Rates (Hz) in 256, 65K or 16.7M colors
Monitor Resolution Refresh Rate (Hz)
640x480 120 Hz
800x600 120Hz
1024x768 120Hz
1152x864 120Hz
1280x1024 120Hz
1600x1200 85Hz
1920x1080 75Hz
1920x1200 75Hz
1920x1440 75Hz
2048x1536 60Hz

3D Resolution and Color Modes

Maximum 3D Resolutions (128M Frame Buffer)

Resolution Colors
2048 x 1536 16.7M
2048 x 1536 65K

ADDITIONAL POWER CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS

The Radeon 9700 must be connected to the computer power supply to meet its performance and high-speed memory requirements.
In order to supply the ATI Graphics Accelerator card with the necessary power, we have included the Power Extension Cable.
Use the Power Extension Cable to connect the Radeon 9700 to the computer hard Drive power connector.
Installation Procedure
Remove the power cable from the hard drive .
Connect the 4-pin connector of the Power extension Cable to the Radeon 9700 power connector.
Connect the Power Extension Cable from the Radeon 9700 card to the power supply connector.
Connect the Power Extension Cable to the Hard Drive connector.

Accessories
1 set A/V cable / S-Video Cable.
Manual.
CD Driver with S/W DVD player.
Power Extension cable.
DVI to CRT Dongle.
S-video to AV converter.

Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days.

VC-105-158Regular price: $238.00Sale price: $216.00

Since it is listed as having all eight pipelines, and two textures per pipeline... that does make it a Pro... But the lower clocks would lend to a slower overall card. I am sure that with the Warp11 BIOS, that the card could be at least clocked to stock speeds.

Vampyromaniac · Apr 19, 2003, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by WyreTheWolf
Actually I have seen some of the lower clocked Radeon 9700 Pros (Radeon 9700 Gold) for around 218.

speed = 275/270, it is a plain 9700, not 9700pro

BWX · Apr 19, 2003, 08:02 AM

General, I would just get a 9700pro if I were you,-- I just got one yesterday for 260 bucks-- the thing is awsome-- I just softmodded it to smoothvision 2.1 and ran through 3dmrk03 and scored 4648, that's without OC'ng my old system much either-- So far this card runs at 341/642mhz, but I'm thinking it will go higher- I'm just taking my time.

A 9800pro would be cool- but for that much more money? I dunno- these 9700pro's kick ass- that's all I can tell you...... You would be VERY happy with one for a while.

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k3=625494

~~WyreTheWolf~~ · Apr 20, 2003, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vampyromaniac
speed = 275/270, it is a plain 9700, not 9700pro

Ah... but it has all eight pipelines enabled ... making it a Radeon 9700 Pro, clocked at the speeds of a Radeon 9700 non Pro. Would still be faster than a Radeon 9500 Pro! and only a few bucks more... Warp11 BIOS would allow for some serious overclocking... and I am betting that you could hit fairly decent speeds with one of these things.

But then again ... what do I know .. I am still running a Geforce4!

BWX · Apr 20, 2003, 07:24 AM

My 9700pro goes to 340/640 (580ddr)- but it's default mem. speed is 290- so it's going back

Apr 20, 2003, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BWX232
General, I would just get a 9700pro if I were you,-- I just got one yesterday for 260 bucks-- the thing is awsome-- I just softmodded it to smoothvision 2.1 and ran through 3dmrk03 and scored 4648, that's without OC'ng my old system much either-- So far this card runs at 341/642mhz, but I'm thinking it will go higher- I'm just taking my time.

A 9800pro would be cool- but for that much more money? I dunno- these 9700pro's kick ass- that's all I can tell you...... You would be VERY happy with one for a while.

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k3=625494

is it built by ATI and where did you get it?

~~DriveEuro~~ · Apr 20, 2003, 04:02 PM

He got money back from NewEgg on a card that he purchased a long time ago.

BWX · Apr 20, 2003, 06:20 PM

Here- and don't buy anything from them!!

http://www.ateck.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=453055075

They lie! If they give me a hard time I'm gonna call the FTC and the BBB- They false advertized-

This is still a good card- But they lied- so it is going back

Vampyromaniac · Apr 20, 2003, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by WyreTheWolf
Ah... but it has all eight pipelines enabled ... making it a Radeon 9700 Pro, clocked at the speeds of a Radeon 9700 non Pro.

Actually, both the plain 9700 and 9700 Pro come with 8 pipes . . . The only difference is clock speed.

<<browsin thru AnandTech . . . >>
Here ya go:

Quote:

The Radeon 9700 only differs from the Radeon 9700 Pro in clock speed; it runs at a 275MHz core clock with 270MHz DDR SDRAM (effectively 540MHz). The first thing you'll notice is that these are the same exact speeds as the Radeon 9500, but obviously with the architectural benefits (more pipes, 256-bit memory interface) of the Radeon 9700.

So it goes:

Code:

9700 Pro . . . 325/310 . . . 256-bit memory . . . 8 pipes
9700 . . . . . 275/270 . . . 256-bit memory . . . 8 pipes
9500 Pro . . . 275/270 . . . 128-bit memory . . . 8 pipes
9500 . . . . . 275/270 . . . 128-bit memory . . . 4 pipes

~~Asuka~~ · Apr 20, 2003, 07:10 PM

Originally posted by BWX232
Here- and don't buy anything from them!!

http://www.ateck.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=453055075

They lie! If they give me a hard time I'm gonna call the FTC and the BBB- They false advertized-

This is still a good card- But they lied- so it is going back

That's the best you can do. Seems their fraud was quite successful - it's now listed as "Sold out"

~~WyreTheWolf~~ · Apr 20, 2003, 10:08 PM

Quote: