9550, 9600 Pro or 9600XT?

[adurkee]

Hey everyone, I am looking for a plan vanilla video card for overclocking/gaming. I plan to replace the stock cooling, as well as add ramsinks to the card. Which of these cards would be a decent mid-level card with some overclocking headroom?

 

[canadageek]

well, i guess it all depends on how much you want to spend and when you're planning to upgrade next. my rig has a 9600XT, it runs doom3 smoothly at medium seetings w/o AA, and i've never regretted buying it. however, now that manufacturers are releasing 6600GT's on AGP, that'd be my first choice. otherwise, go for the 9600XT

 

[dguy6789]

The 9600XT is the fastest of the 3, but is not worth the price difference between it and the pro. Get the 9600 pro.

 

[adurkee]

I read where the 9550's overclock very well with decent cooling. I just may decide to go with a 9550 and put the extra savings toward some better cooling for the card.

 

[cubeless]

or, conversely, spend the $ that the xtra cooling costs ($30ish?) to get a better base vid card...

 

[dguy6789]

Every one of the 3 cards mentioned overclock very well. At most, the 9550 would reach 9600 pro speeds tho. Some 9600 Pros can reach 9600xt speeds, and the 9600xts can go anywhere from stock to over 600mhz core depending on cooling. 9550s really are a waste. Most 9600 pros reach xt speeds on stock cooling.

 

[LTC8K6]

What will it cost you to replace the cooler and add ramsinks?

I would not get less than a 6600GT or 9800pro these days.

If you can only afford a 9600 card, then get a 9600pro with 128MB of ram. The clocks should be 400/600 core/mem. Don't pay for 256MB of ram, and don't get one with the slower 400mhz ram.

You could also look at a 9800SE. It's similar to a 9600pro and I'm not sure which is likely to overclock better. You want at least 350/600 core/mem on a 9800SE.

 

[adurkee]

True.

 

[LTC8K6]

A 9550 has a core clock of 250Mhz. I don't think anyone wants that.

 

[Killrose]

buy the card that runs best with-out overclocking. Oveclocking usually only yeilds 5-10 frames per sec. if you are lucky. Though it is worth doing, you should consider all the costs of having to mod the card and maybe consider a card that might cost more at the start, but out perform a cheaper card with all the mods done to it.

 

[Pete]

IMO, the four-pipe 9600 series should now be considered low-end. The eight-pipe 9800s, X700s, and 6600s can be considered mid-range, and the 12- and 16-pipe cards, high-end.

Anyway, if ATi still offers their 9600XT for $100 after a $40 trade-in credit, that seems like a good buy. Check the Hot Deals forum.

IMO, spending money on an aftermarket HSF (and especially on RAMsinks) is a waste for a 9600-level card. You're better off putting that $ toward a 9700, 9800, or 6600GT.

 

[dguy6789]

9600 based cards are still very fast. Besides doom 3,a 9600 pro can run any game at 1024X768 at max settings at over 40fps. Farcry and doom 3 are pretty much the only games that really push these cards, hl2 and all others are easy for this card.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
You could also look at a 9800SE. It's similar to a 9600pro and I'm not sure which is likely to overclock better. You want at least 350/600 core/mem on a 9800SE.

Why is a 9800se available at less cost than a 9600xt? Is it slower? if so, why?

 

[impemonk]

Its a litte odd of me to say this but why not try buying the cheaper 9600SE? I have that pupy clocked to 480/500 stock cooling from a default 325/400 clock speeds. The damn card is super cheap and costs only 50-60 bucks, SOOO you get this card you might have some room for the next gen cards that will come later next year (otherwise you can also wait for 6600GT AGP prices to drop to the 180-200 mark by April 2005). I know people will say that the 9600SE is the worst of the 9600 line but heyyy, its super cheap nowadays. Plays CS:S like a charm with 70 fps on 800x600 resolution.

 

[rancherlee]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
9600 based cards are still very fast. Besides doom 3,a 9600 pro can run any game at 1024X768 at max settings at over 40fps. Farcry and doom 3 are pretty much the only games that really push these cards, hl2 and all others are easy for this card.

You have ALOT better 9600pro than me then...... 1024x768x32 everything maxed is chop city with any kind of action going on on the screen. 800x600 everything maxed only gets a bit chopped when there is alot of action going on. My 9600pro AIW 128meg is clocked at 505core 730mem and I have a plenty of Horse power behind it with my Xp mobile at 2.5gig/235fsb

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: impemonk
Its a litte odd of me to say this but why not try buying the cheaper 9600SE? I have that pupy clocked to 480/500 stock cooling from a default 325/400 clock speeds. The damn card is super cheap and costs only 50-60 bucks, SOOO you get this card you might have some room for the next gen cards that will come later next year (otherwise you can also wait for 6600GT AGP prices to drop to the 180-200 mark by April 2005). I know people will say that the 9600SE is the worst of the 9600 line but heyyy, its super cheap nowadays. Plays CS:S like a charm with 70 fps on 800x600 resolution.

Boy did YOU get suckered! The same money would have bought a 9550 which is AT LEAST 50% faster than the stinky 9600SE. The SE has only a 64-bit memory path vs. 128-bit. Cuts speed in half. Terrible.

But for only $50, you could do worse.