Anyplace to pre-order 9600 Pro?

[Wizard99]

Does anyone know of any online PC stores that are pre-ordering the Radeon 9600 Pro's?

 

[rickon66]

I don't know the answer for your question, but I have just got to know why you or anyone else would buy the 9600Pro when the 9500Pro is still available. The 9600Pro is slower than the 9500Pro. One reviewer said it should have been called the 9400Pro, it is a step backward.

 

[Orbius]

No actually its faster in Splinter Cell, Quake 3 and Commanche 4 than the 9500pro. Plus it seems to have excellent overclocking potential.

 

[Schwan]

And look what happens when you overclock its full potential.

link

 

[selfbuilt]

Actually, the performance difference of the 9600P vs 9500P is negligible in Commanche 4 or Quake 3. Although Anandtech's review gave the 9600P an infinitesimal advantage, both Tech Report and HotHardware gave a similar advantage to the 9500p on those two games. Basically, a complete wash.

The ONLY game benchmark so far that shows a significant advantage to the 9600P is Splinter Cell. Although this bodes well for future games (e.g. Doom 3), keep in mind that on current titles the 9500P consistently outperforms (or at worse matches) the 9600P.

However, early reports do also seem to indicate 9600 Pro is a superb overclocking candidate. If that gets confirmed on shipping products, I'll be very impressed with 9600P. Still, I'm curious as to what the playing field will look like once the (supposedly) performance-enhancing Catalyst 3.3. drivers come out....

 

[IKeelU]

I'm also trying to chose between the 9500 and 9600 (both Pro). Can anyone predict if the 9600 will be available within the next 2 weeks? And for what cost (street, not ati)?

 

[FearoftheNight]

9600 also does not require additional power connection and run cooler..but if its green....eww....