hey carterarce, same boat....It's a PITA trying to decide which $$ gate to stop at.
Have checked the reviews/roundups, read the posts on the forums. Consensus seems to be to spend the extra for the 9800 pro. Though I'll probably go ahead and make the jump, providing this just in case it's more than you wanted to spend:
card pipes pixfillrate engclock memclock $ (newegg avg)
9800 pro (128) 8 3.04 380 680 212
9600 xt (128) 4 2.0 500 600 163
9600 xt (256) 4 2.0 500 600 184
9600 pro (128) 4 1.6 400 600 132
9600 pro (256) 4 1.6 400 600 146
Was going with the 9600pro/256 but after doing the research the $60-70 looks well-spent considering the numbers above and benchmark results.
(can't attest to the speeds on the cards, did the best i could from ATI's website)
Another factor is mfg (OEM, Sapphire, Atlantis, PowerColor, etc.) Any feedback the seasoned vets might have as to cooling differences between the mfgs would be helpful.
Lastly, these are all 1.5v cards for newer mobos, right? Thanks for the assist, you folks are a wealth of knowledge and pretty funny sometimes.
I doubt I need this much card, such is the dilemma.
Happy gaming....
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N2U400-A (K7USB400)
2600+ Barton
512MB DDR PC2700/333
WD120GB