Radeon 9800np 249$ + free shipping BACK at BB

[Johnbear007]

I have my pro at 410 clock 355 (710) memory right now, and am still going to puch more.

I agree that honestly I think springing the extra 40$ for a pro online is a better idea at this point.

 

[Medicated858]

Just an update for you guys. I got my card today. Works fine came with cables and driver cds. Im not sure if its a sapphire or not, cause the driver cd is a sapphire one. I dont plan on flashing the bios, I just thought Id let you all know. And yeah the pros do seem to overclock like beasts. With good cooling it seems like you push them really far.

 

[CaptainPete]

I ended up going by BestBuy myself last night. Or rather, to two of them, trying to find the elusive Samsumg 9800np. Got Infineon ram in both cases.

Although, the one that I opened up and installed seems to run just fine at 418/330, so it's not necessarily a total loss. The Infineon memory really, really dosen't like going above it's rated 333MHz though...it'll run for a while and then you get massive blocky artifacts. Sigh. Still, it's within spitting distance of a stock pro on the memory side. It's a setup that's just screaming out for a game that's GPU limited instead of bandwidth limited. =) The average overclock on a pro seems to be around 440/380. I'm still trying to decide if I should just keep the damned thing, or return it and buy a pro and get some good Samsung memory. One thing I know though, after playing games all night on this thing I'm not sure if I can go back to my Geforce4 Ti4600...it's so nice to be able to crank things up and still have it be silky smooth.

 

[uwannawhat]

Where can I find the "softmod" for this 9800 non-pro to a 9800 pro?

TIA

 

[Lanyap]

Originally posted by: Medicated858
Just an update for you guys. I got my card today. Works fine came with cables and driver cds. Im not sure if its a sapphire or not, cause the driver cd is a sapphire one. I dont plan on flashing the bios, I just thought Id let you all know. And yeah the pros do seem to overclock like beasts. With good cooling it seems like you push them really far.

What are the memory markings?

Is there nothing on the card that indicates that it is a Saphire

 

[VTrider]

Geez, just came back from Best Buy and they marked the 9800Pro (ATI) back up to $399.00 minus $50.00 instant rebate, and the 9800NP down to $300.00 from $350.00?

Last week they were $50.00 cheaper? Perhaps they made a mistake?

 

[lifeguard1999]

9/12 : $249
9/16 : $299
9/22 : $249
9/28 : $299
9/30 : Back to $249

Go figure.

 

[Medicated858]

I dont know anything about memory markings and such. Ill check if you tell me where to look.

 

[PING]

Originally posted by: lifeguard1999
9/12 : $249
9/16 : $299
9/22 : $249
9/28 : $299
9/30 : Back to $249

Go figure.

i'm hoping next week
10/05 199.99 :evil:


syntax edit.

 

[VTrider]

Originally posted by: Medicated858
I dont know anything about memory markings and such. Ill check if you tell me where to look.

I believe you can easily tell just by closely taking a look at the memory chips on the card. Most likely they will say either Infineon or Samsung.

 

Originally posted by: VTrider

Originally posted by: Medicated858
I dont know anything about memory markings and such. Ill check if you tell me where to look.

I believe you can easily tell just by closely taking a look at the memory chips on the card. Most likely they will say either Infineon or Samsung.

Yep, they will say either, samsung is the best while infineon doesn't overclock as well.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: PING

Originally posted by: lifeguard1999
9/12 : $249
9/16 : $299
9/22 : $249
9/28 : $299
9/30 : Back to $249

Go figure.

i'm hoping next week
10/05 199.99 :evil:


syntax edit.

That would be nice but I doubt it. The 9800Xt is going to be 499$ and if the others dont stay high, then the 9800XT wont sell.

 

[Lanyap]

Originally posted by: Medicated858
I dont know anything about memory markings and such. Ill check if you tell me where to look.

The memory chips on these cards are four little black 3/4" squares around the edge of the card. If you look at the picture __HERE__ you will see them around the bottom right corner of the card. Look for the white lettering on top of the memory/RAM chips. You should see the name of the manufacturer (Samsung or Infinion) and a bunch of letters and numbers (ex. 66S240M-TCB3). We want to know what the white lettering says. Thanks.

 

[wnied]

The only Radeon 9800 I see at Circuit Citys website, is the 9800 pro for $349.99.

~wnied~

 

[Medicated858]

Okay i finally checked. The memory says: Samsung 322
K40263238E-6C33

 

[Woz]

Originally posted by: CaptainPete
I ended up going by BestBuy myself last night. Or rather, to two of them, trying to find the elusive Samsumg 9800np. Got Infineon ram in both cases.

Although, the one that I opened up and installed seems to run just fine at 418/330, so it's not necessarily a total loss. The Infineon memory really, really dosen't like going above it's rated 333MHz though...it'll run for a while and then you get massive blocky artifacts. Sigh. Still, it's within spitting distance of a stock pro on the memory side. It's a setup that's just screaming out for a game that's GPU limited instead of bandwidth limited. =) The average overclock on a pro seems to be around 440/380. I'm still trying to decide if I should just keep the damned thing, or return it and buy a pro and get some good Samsung memory. One thing I know though, after playing games all night on this thing I'm not sure if I can go back to my Geforce4 Ti4600...it's so nice to be able to crank things up and still have it be silky smooth.

Hey Cap'n, I was wondering if I was the only one who successfully flashed this thing with the pro BIOS with complete success. I was doubting myself and wondering how it could be working. Powerstrip reports Pro default settings at 378 core and 337.5 memory. I took the memory down to 310 ATM because it tends to run hot while gaming. I thought I might get some RAM sinks. I got mine with the extra $25 digital coupon and plan to keep it. Stock Pro performance for non-pro price, baby!

 

[VTrider]

Originally posted by: Medicated858
Okay i finally checked. The memory says: Samsung 322
K40263238E-6C33

why can't I be this lucky?

 

[Medicated858]

Will this flash then?

 

[crapito]

Originally posted by: Medicated858
Will this flash then?

probably, but try and manually overclocking first! make damn sure you can run a stable system @ Pro speeds before you force your card into Pro speeds. i've never run a video card for less than a week at overclocked rates before flashing its BIOS. much easier to take your time and do it right, then rush in and potentially fry/damage your video card. incorrect BIOS flashing isn't covered under warranty...

 

[DRS]

Is BB's price match policy for 14 or 30 days on computer accessories?

 

[Alkaline5]

Originally posted by: DRS
Is BB's price match policy for 14 or 30 days on computer accessories?

Technically it's 14 days, but in my experience it all depends on who is working the customer service counter.

 

[DRS]

From the BB website:

"Store Price Guarantee
If, within 30 days (14 days for computers, monitors, printers and notebooks, camcorders, digital cameras and radar detectors) of your purchase from Best Buy, you find a local competitor offering a lower price on an available product of the same brand and model, we'll refund the difference plus another 10% of the difference. Bring us verification of the lower price, plus your original Best Buy receipt to claim your refund. Does not apply to BestBuy.com pricing, special, bonus or free offers, and in California cellular phones and pagers. Does not apply to products with special financing offers. For complete price guarantee details, please see a customer service representative. We reserve the right to limit quantities. See store for complete details."

I read that as 30 days for video cards. Once they mentioned monitors they are separating out the computer category to specific items.

 

[GullyFoyle]

The subject should be updated; PRICE IS NOW $239!!

 

[CheetahMk2]

Woohoo!!!!!!

I went to BestBuy today with what you said in mind... and I 'hinted' at it [Samsung/Infineon] to the BB guy, and he was like "yeah... they got a fix for that... flash the EEPROM : )" [emphasis his] We were totally on the same page from the first moment. He said *exchanging* it wouldn't be a problem if it didn't work with my system... but who cares! When I asked to see what he had, he showed me a bunch of boxes, some with yellow stickers on them,with the 'package protection device',package slightly bent. The other kind was BRAND NEW no markings on em aside from factory shrinkwrap. I immediately sought out the NEWEST UNSTICKERED box I could find, and idled a bit to check out stuff then went home.

Opened the box, Samsung GC2A baby! Feels like Christmas three months early! I hope I didn't just *Shoot* [damn language filter.. I'm HAPPY here!] out all my good luck with this and that Dell WD 200 deal..... This is nice ^_^ It'll blow the 9600XT I was planning on out of the water, and 256 pipe guaranteed to boot. Thx Op!

BTW: It is $240 now. $10 cheaper!

 

[CheetahMk2]

Maybe they are using better components in the newer cards same as chips OC better in later steppings? Easier to produce? Or I just got ass lucky? This is going in the B&M thread : )

And I hope my tips help anyone else still looking, go for the NEW boxes! No guarantees, but that seemed to work for me. Maybe missing the bus two times on my way there initially was the bad before the good ^_^