Radeon 9600XT to 9800Pro Upgrade?

[GN]

I currently own an ASUS Radeon 9600XT, and am just wondering if upgrading to a 9800Pro would make any major difference in performance? I have my 9600XT clocked at core-500 memory-650[DDR]. Would upgrading be just a waste of $?

 

[effee]

It'd make a difference in higher performance games like Doom3 no doubt

 

[dakels]

If you're talking about gaming, it will make a significant difference. The R9800 Pro is a much more powerful card then the 9600. Pipelines make all the difference.
With R9800 pro's coming down to the $180-200 range, they are probably the best bang for the buck right now.

 

[LordPhoenix]

wait & get geforce 6600 gt

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: GN
I currently own an ASUS Radeon 9600XT, and am just wondering if upgrading to a 9800Pro would make any major difference in performance? I have my 9600XT clocked at core-500 memory-650[DDR]. Would upgrading be just a waste of $?

Prolly, unless you're getting it to play the newest games and like the eye candy. I don't think the 9600xt can run Doom 3 or Far Cry at high settings (much less "ultra" or whatever).

I went from a 9600pro->9800pro. At first I wasn't very impressed by the diff. But now, with D3 & FC, I'm glad I switched cuz I like the eye candy. I guess the older games were barely taxing the 9600pro. These new ones are stressing the h3ll outta my 9800pro.

 

[CaptainWafflos]

Wait for next generation mid-ranged cards like the X700XT and 6600GT.

 

[kornphlake]

Right, wait for those next gen cards to come out, they'll push the price of the 9800 pro even farther and you'll be able to get one at the current price of a GF4Ti 4200. Buying a 9800pro now would leave you kicking yourself for not waiting for prices to drop even farther.

 

[ROcHE]

I used to have a Radeon 9500 Pro (which is about the same speed as a 9600XT). Upgraded to a 9800Pro and I would do it again.

I bought the r9800 used tough. That was a very good 50$ upgrade but I would not pay more than that. Keep in mind that I made this move before the Nvidia 6600GT appeared on the market.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: LordPhoenix
wait & get geforce 6600 gt

Yes, or sell 9600xt and then buy 9800Pro.

 

[iwantanewcomputer]

Originally posted by: LordPhoenix
wait & get geforce 6600 gt

much better bang for same buck

 

[CrazySaint]

I'm planning on upgrading my video card soon (I'm currently using a Radeon 32MB DDR that's WAY WAY overdue for an upgrade), and was planning on getting an 9600 XT because I'd like to keep the price at about $150 or less, but I might be willing to wait a little while if I can get a significantly better card in a few weeks. I doubt I'll be playing Doom 3 very much, but I would like to be able to wait close to two years before being forced to upgrade again. I'm not a FPS whore, and probably won't upgrade again as long as I can play current games ("current" as of 18-24 months when I plan to upgrade again) at at least 800x600 at medium settings with at least 20-30 FPS and the fact that there already games that will stress a 9600 XT concern me.

I've been out of the loop a while, so how long do you guys think it will be before the 9800 Pro or some other higher performance AGP card will come into the $150 or less range?

 

[CrazySaint]

bump

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: CrazySaint
I'm planning on upgrading my video card soon (I'm currently using a Radeon 32MB DDR that's WAY WAY overdue for an upgrade), and was planning on getting an 9600 XT because I'd like to keep the price at about $150 or less, but I might be willing to wait a little while if I can get a significantly better card in a few weeks. I doubt I'll be playing Doom 3 very much, but I would like to be able to wait close to two years before being forced to upgrade again. I'm not a FPS whore, and probably won't upgrade again as long as I can play current games ("current" as of 18-24 months when I plan to upgrade again) at at least 800x600 at medium settings with at least 20-30 FPS and the fact that there already games that will stress a 9600 XT concern me.

I've been out of the loop a while, so how long do you guys think it will be before the 9800 Pro or some other higher performance AGP card will come into the $150 or less range?

You could find a 9700 Pro within that budget on the FS/T forums here (used obviously). I had one until about three months ago, and could play FarCry (and probably Doom 3, since my brother plays it on that card now) just fine at maxed settings at 1024x768. Well, "maxed" except for AA....that slowed FarCry down to 15fps in outdoor scenes at times. With it off, I'm pretty sure I never had framerates below 35-40.

 

[dguy6789]

My friend has a 9600 pro and i have a 9800xt. Let me tell you the differences.

1st of all, he runs farcry at 1024X768 at the absolute maximum graphics settings at a good 30fps. I run the same settings with probably twice the framerate at least.

2. He gets same fps in doom 3 at medium settings that i do at ultra(about 40)

3. Any other game then these, both cards can do easily.

 

[kamranziadar]

I think you should wait for 6600 GT. Or you can wait more for Bigges to come down.

 

[kamranziadar]

You can Buy 9800SE from Newegg, unlock all 8 pipes with Omega Drivers, and Overclock it to beat XT, for $149 and i am talking about Powercolor version. But still i would recomend wait for 6600GT to come out i mean AGP Version.

 

[CrazySaint]

Hmmmm...sweet. Didn't know you could mod the 9800SE that way. Any downside to that? Like it only works on some cards or there's a chance of something going wrong? Also, any chance the 6600GT AGP version will be below $200 any time soon (once its released, of course)? I know its worth the extra $50 on a price/performance ratio, but $150 is pushing my budget as it is so $200 is out of the question.

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: LordPhoenix
wait & get geforce 6600 gt

why would you want to wait an get a 6600 gt? we are not too far away from another generation of cards being released. so going from 9600 xt o to a 6600 gt wouldnt make sense.
you wont see much improvement in MOST games, in Doom 3, yes

i suggest wait one more round and then make up your mind

 

[dakels]

I would try to get my hands on a Radeon 9700 Pro for $120 or less, which should not be that hard. Just make sure you have a reliable source. A 9700 pro can handle any video game on the market and run the most demanding games at a respectable frame rate and settings.

You're always going to get a game that will stress the newest video card. Doom 3 hammers my Radeon 9800 Pro which is overclocked to 420/340 when I set the options really high. There is no commercial video card that can run that game with maxed out settings like 1600x1200 or higher and 8x FSAA and run high (50+) frame rates. That game high settings were designed for next generation video cards with 512mb on board RAM.

As for the 9800SE... you are takng a risk there AFAIK. From what I have seen only a minority % have successfully opened up to 9800 Pro performances. The 9800 SE as is, is not a good value.

I would wait for a 6600 if they really are that good for that sub $200 price range. You have to consider too that a card as good as a 6600 or 9800 pro 256bit will easily transfer into your next computer.