5600 Ultra vs 9600 Pro 128Mb?

[Codename49]

I'm thinking which one of those two to get. The ones I have in mind are linked below.

To be hoenst, I'm kind of pulled toward the 5600 ultra sicne from what I hear it seems to be pretty much equivalent performance wise to the 9600 pro. What is pulling me toward nvidia, is I prefer their drivers, and support for linux is a ton nicer from nvidia.

http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=322446
http://www.compuhq.com/aticora96pro.html

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dguy6789]

The 9600 pro is faster in almost all occasions, and it is over 30 bucks cheaper, and ATI's drivers have improved un imaginably, i see know reason to ever get a gf fx 5600 ultra because of its lacking performance for its price. 200 bucks?!! Come on, if your gonna pay that much get a radeon 9700.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
The 9600 pro is faster in almost all occasions, and it is over 30 bucks cheaper, and ATI's drivers have improved un imaginably, i see know reason to ever get a gf fx 5600 ultra because of its lacking performance for its price. 200 bucks?!! Come on, if your gonna pay that much get a radeon 9700.

i got a modable 9500 that will do 9700 pro type speeds for $130.00

no way i'd take a 5600 for $200.00

 

[Codename49]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
The 9600 pro is faster in almost all occasions, and it is over 30 bucks cheaper, and ATI's drivers have improved un imaginably, i see know reason to ever get a gf fx 5600 ultra because of its lacking performance for its price. 200 bucks?!! Come on, if your gonna pay that much get a radeon 9700.

See the links I mentioned for prices...

 

[stardust]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
The 9600 pro is faster in almost all occasions, and it is over 30 bucks cheaper, and ATI's drivers have improved un imaginably, i see know reason to ever get a gf fx 5600 ultra because of its lacking performance for its price. 200 bucks?!! Come on, if your gonna pay that much get a radeon 9700.

i don't reckon seeing the 5600ULTRA revision 2 being beat by ANY 9600Pro. Of course ppl nowadays then make the excuse that "OMG DIDN"T U KNOW?!?! you could TOTALLY overclock that 9600 to high @$$ speeds man!!!"

check: hexus.net, x-bit, tomshardware, firingsquad, anandtech (for rev1 i think..) and other reviews

then tell me if "almost all" is a suitable phrase

EDIT:

the geforce5600U rev2 is a GAINWARD, its 5% faster than the normal geforcefx 5600U rev2. Tomshardware has the compare between the Gainward and the Nvidia ES.

 

[AnAndAustin]

I do agree that the 9600pro is IMHO marginally better but as said nVidia's Linux drivers are unsurpassed. I'd say ATI's drivers are probably better than nVidia's, certainly nothing to warrant buying a card based on its drivers (exc Linux). The 9600pro is generally preferable as it often comes in cheaper than the FX5600ultra and you don't have to worry as to whether you get rev1 or the much faster rev2 flipchip. It is clear however that there is no bad choice to make as the 2 are VERY close indeed. As said the 9500PRO and 9700nonPRO can be had for real bargains sometimes and are easily better.

 

[Pete]

Codename49, you could've at least taken the extra second to linkify your chioces.

As to the cards you linked, the 9600 Pro is far better than that 5600--it's no contest. Note that the Gainward you linked is a plain 5600, despite what Gainward's almost-deceiptful name implies. The 9600P should whip a 5600 in every way, and is worth the extra $30.

The sire you linked looks iffy, though. That $35 extra charge is as psuedo-fraudulent as Gainward's naming system, as you're drawn to CompuHQ thinking the card is $130, and you're slapped with a $35 mystery charge that puts the price in line with other, more reputable resellers. Look into Allstarshop and NewEgg as well.

If you'd like reasons why a 9600P is a better choice than a 5600Uv2, look here. As the 9600P seems better than a 400/400MHz 5600Uv2, I think it's safe to say it's much better than a ~325/275MHz 5600.

I don't have any experience with Linux support, though, so I can't comment on that. Digit-Life compared a 4200 to a 9500 in Linux, if you want a recent article comparing nV vs. ATi Linux gaming. It appears you can't enable AA/AF with ATi's drivers, which would almost make the 9600P pointless. If you game in Windows, though, that shouldn't be a problem--I'd imagine ATi has at least decent 2D functionality in Linux, and you can enjoy the 9600P's superior 3D speed in Windows.

 

[stardust]

gosh darnit i thought codename49 was smart enough to choose the Ultra rev2..... so i didn't bother pasting that link.

Anyway AFAIK, the 5600U rev2 by gainward is faster than the 9600pro.. let me look into those benchmarks again

 

[stardust]

hexus review

quote:

So as we saw on the previous page, both cards are evenly matched in the midrange. They exhibit similar performance for a similar price and that's what we like to see. The clock increase on this newer revision FX5600 Ultra definitely hasn't hurt anything, infact it gives NVIDIA the midrange crown back in terms of raw performance, it definitely is faster overall than 9600 Pro.

 

[Corporate Thug]

how well does the 5600 ultra OC?

 

[stardust]

Originally posted by: shady06
how well does the 5600 ultra OC?

here we go again...

My ES of the 5600U topped 1ghz in memory and 482 core without artifacts.

 

[Codename49]

Originally posted by: Pete
Codename49, you could've at least taken the extra second to linkify your chioces.

As to the cards you linked, the 9600 Pro is far better than that 5600--it's no contest. Note that the Gainward you linked is a plain 5600, despite what Gainward's almost-deceiptful name implies. The 9600P should whip a 5600 in every way, and is worth the extra $30.

The sire you linked looks iffy, though. That $35 extra charge is as psuedo-fraudulent as Gainward's naming system, as you're drawn to CompuHQ thinking the card is $130, and you're slapped with a $35 mystery charge that puts the price in line with other, more reputable resellers. Look into Allstarshop and NewEgg as well.

If you'd like reasons why a 9600P is a better choice than a 5600Uv2, look here. As the 9600P seems better than a 400/400MHz 5600Uv2, I think it's safe to say it's much better than a ~325/275MHz 5600.

I don't have any experience with Linux support, though, so I can't comment on that. Digit-Life compared a 4200 to a 9500 in Linux, if you want a recent article comparing nV vs. ATi Linux gaming. It appears you can't enable AA/AF with ATi's drivers, which would almost make the 9600P pointless. If you game in Windows, though, that shouldn't be a problem--I'd imagine ATi has at least decent 2D functionality in Linux, and you can enjoy the 9600P's superior 3D speed in Windows.

Apologies in regards to links .

Are you sure that the gainward I linked to isn't ultra? The "Ultra/760" in the title seems deceptive. PLus the review at http://www.gamepc.com/labs/print_content.asp?id=gw56ufc&cookie_test=1 seems to refer to the same gainward card as ultra.

As far as the site, I wasn't a huge fan of that either, but then again I dont really care much for the box, I like to pay for what's inside the box. The reason I mentioned it (note though the 35 charge can be rmeoved if you opt for a no box version - but then again I haven't checked resellerratings for these guys), is simply being the first result on pricewatch that wasn't powercolor (as I read somewhere about some ram issues with 9600p powercolors).

Reason I mentioned linux, is even though I do gaming in windows, its rather convininent for example when I want a quick round of lets say enemy territory to just start it up in linux, without having to reboot back into windows.

Thanks for other links and the help though .

 

[Eagle17]

CATALYST drivers are coming to linux including monthly updates. (they are being worked on right now) These will have full support for all of the same features that are in the windows versions.

Also it seems that nobody in this forum seems to like AA and AF turned on in there games. the 9600 pro will at least give you playable experiance with aa/af turned on also it will be better quality.

also nNvidia's most last few sets of drivers have been trainwrecks. they are finally starting to fix some of the major FX problems... still many games are having issues with FX cards... I would compare the current state of nvidia drivers to the ATI 8500 drivers when it was released.

Nvidia will have there drivers straight very soon, I am sure there has been some major talks about the issues lately (especially in share price and market share).

If you get a 5600 do not plan on useing AA/AF when you play. and if you plan on playing ps 2.0 games like TR6 and HL2 than you may need to run in a lower res mode. 800x600 or turn down the graphics quite abit.

 

[ZimZum]

People are confusing the plain 5600 ultra with the 5600 ultra rev 2. The 5600 ultra is nothing special performance wise and gets beat handily by the 9600pro. While the rev 2 on the other hand is a very good performer and on par if not faster than the 9600. The Rev 2 is also more expensive, around $200 and as has already been mentioned at that price a 9700 non pro can be had that will annihilate the the rev 2. That Gainward IS NOT a rev 2. In fact Im not even sure its an ultra.

 

[Pete]

cn49, no way you're getting a 5600Uv2 for less than $200 for the near future. That Gainward is a plain 5600, as the name weakly implies: Gainward FX PowerPack! Ultra/760 TV/DVI GeForce FX 5600 AGP 8X 128MB DDR Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI Retail. Click on the manufacturer's link provided by Googlegear, then on the card+box picture to enlarge it, and you can see the silver "ribbon" on the box clearly states only 5600, not 5600 Ultra. The difference in name b/w this $130 card and the one GamePC reviews is two letters, "XP." I'll leave it to you to figure out where they go.

If you're willing to spend ~$210, get a Radeon 9700. Otherwise, in the ~$150 area, the 9600P rules.

Again, in the future, please linkify your links with the forum tags. An extra few seconds on your part saves everyone else who's trying to help you some time.

As for rebooting--eh, Windows takes only about a minute to boot up nowadays anyway.

 

[Pete]

Here's Gainward's $217 5600U. A $230 5800 is a far better buy (double the fillrate!) if you must buy nVidia.

 

[Mem]

It`s all down to price and version you get,if you`re spending just over $200 then the 9700NP is the best buy and will smoke any FX5600 Ultra,if it`s the normal FX 5600 Ultra then going for the 9600 Pro is the better choice.

Bottom Line is the FX5600 Ultra (new flip version) which has 400mhz core and memory speed is not a bad card but when you take the price into account then you see that the 9700NP is faster and better value for money.

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: Mem
It`s all down to price and version you get,if you`re spending just over $200 then the 9700NP is the best buy and will smoke any FX5600 Ultra,if it`s the normal FX 5600 Ultra then going for the 9600 Pro is the better choice.

Bottom Line is the FX5600 Ultra (new flip version) which has 400mhz core and memory speed is not a bad card but when you take the price into account then you see that the 9700NP is faster and better value for money.

Now days you can get a 9800NP for $250 or a 9700NPAIW for $300

 

[Mem]

Now days you can get a 9800NP for $250 or a 9700NPAIW for $300

As I said it`s all down to price, the 9700NP is still cheaper then the 9800NP .

 

[AnAndAustin]

So basicly the FX5600 nonULTRA just like the Rad9600 nonPRO are seriously slow and the GF4TI4200 is a much better choice (perhaps the enhanced vers or 4800SE if little extra). The FX5600ULTRA is slower than the Rad9600PRO, hence why nVidia belatedly released the 5600ULTRA V2 flipchip with higher clocks as it is then roughly EQUAL with the Rad9600PRO although the 9600PRO should come in cheaper and has more mature drivers (Linux aside), uses less power and produces less heat ... both should o/c well so I'd say price is the key factor. Gainward's naming has always been mis-leading, almost to a sueable degree and I've always mentioned this to people ... plus some of their cards had simple soldering / power regulatory faults which doesn't instill confidence that their quality (and controls) are that they once were. You can't be sure of getting a true FX5600ULTRA V2 flipchip @ 400/800 but all nonPOWERCOLOR Rad9600PRO should all be VERY dependable in perf, clocks and o/c'ability so that's another bonus. You should also find the FX5600ULTRA V2 flipchip is pricier than the std FX5600ULTRA (after all it costs more to produce) and therefore you are VERY likely to afford a Rad9700nonPRO which even before o/c'ing to 9700PRO/9800PRO type levels is WAY WAY faster and better than the 9600PRO or FX5600ULTRA V2 flipchip can ever be.

So 4200 for cheap perf but only offering low AA+AF and lacking DX9 otherwise the Rad9600PRO is the card to get ... unless you find an FX5600ULTRA V2 flipchip for a bargain price rather than the Rad9700 levels it's more likely to come in at!

 

[dajo]

Worth reading...

 

[Pete]

I don't think those benchmarks are entirely accurate, dajo. Benchmarks that far before release should be taken with a huge sack of salt.

 

[dajo]

I agree... just thought it was interesing. I have my doubts in general about benchmarks, except maybe for raw fps scores during use.

Seems like the best "benchmark" is just playing the game!

 

[AnAndAustin]

It is interesting for sure but ... wel it's already been said. I would expect nVidia have been working very hard optimising for DoomIII and that's probably a big reason for nVidia & ID setting these pre-release test suites up. Anyway I would seriously expect the gap to close significantly when DoomIII makes it to the hands of consumers however [ H ] is relative to other pre-release info I've seen on DoomIII ... I guess we'll have to wait and see but on current games and bms ATI have the clear advantage due mostly to lower pricing for the same perf.

EDIT: Some wierd text colour screw up.

 

[rickn]

http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/graphiccard/2003/9xFX/
they did a gf fx roundup, and threw a 9600pro into the comparison. seems the new flipchip, in this case the gainward 5600ultra, performs better than the 9600pro. Cheapest 5600ultra rev 2 on pricewatch was PNY from Compuplus @ $189, but their shipping is high.

btw, that review by nordic they didn't use the best game, lots of controversy. I've read a few other reviews, and both cards seem very comparable. Some may have you believe that the 9600pro walks all over the 5600ultra rev 2 or vice versa, simply is not true. Buy whichever you think you will be happy with.