Torn on which video card . . .

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: X-Man

Originally posted by: CaiNaM

Originally posted by: Crazyfool
The 5900XT is the same as the 5900SE and is the slower version of the 5900. 9800Pro is a no-brainer in this comparison.

Now, if you were talking a 5900 or 5900Ultra it would be a tougher decision. 5900 vs. 9800Pro would be a coin-toss and 5900Ultra versus 9800Pro would favor the 5900Ultra.

BTW, in case I have pointed it out a million times, I have the 9800Pro.

why is that? the 5900xt can be had for $159 and is 95-100% of the performance of the 5900, and able to overclock to 5900u speeds or close to it. the gpu is the same as it's 5900 counterparts (not gimped in any way), and while the memory is slower, the latency is lower resulting in only slightly less performance than a 5900. no, it's not as fast as the 5900 or 9800pro, but pretty dang close and for a lot less $.

Yeah, that's pretty amazing . . . Firing Squad did a review of the MSI 5900 XT, and it overclocked to 500+/800+, which is faster than a 5950 Ultra!

Some of them overclock really well, but then again, so do a lot of 9800Pro cards -- mine hits XT speeds (or close to them) pretty easily.

Also, I can't find a 5900 *anything* on Pricewatch for under $185. A 5900XT for $159 would be impressive if you could still find one for that price. It looks a lot less attractive when the prices are that close.

And the 5900SE is significantly slower than the 9800Pro. The 5900/5900SE/5900XT are pretty close to the 9800NP, and the 5900Ultra gives the 9800Pro a run for its money in most games. But the 9800P generally beats the "regular" 5900 cards pretty soundly, even without AA and AF enabled.

THG benches from last month

Digit-Life's 3Digest

 

[XMan]

Also, I can't find a 5900 *anything* on Pricewatch for under $185. A 5900XT for $159 would be impressive if you could still find one for that price. It looks a lot less attractive when the prices are that close.

There ya go.

 

[CraigRT]

9800.. I have a 9700 Pro on an NForce2 mobo and I gotta say, this is the least problematic system I have ever had I think!
it's wonderful

 

[PCTweaker5]

Why are these mobile chips better? Isnt the FSB lower than the regular ones therefore decreasing performance?

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: PCTweaker5
Why are these mobile chips better? Isnt the FSB lower than the regular ones therefore decreasing performance?

1) The multiplier is unlocked.

2) They are designed to run at their stock speeds at 1.45 volts, thus, they are "cherry" chips compared to other 2400+ or 2500+ chips that can only run stock at 1.65. Bump the voltage up and a lot of people have been getting 2.4 Ghz plus.

 

[XMan]

Well, I went ahead and bought the MSI 5900XT . . . the XFX one for $159 disappeared, so I had to pay a bit more.

It had a pretty solid review at PCStats: Text

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: IceCreamMan2633

Originally posted by: McArra

Originally posted by: shady06
9800 pro

 

[XMan]

Augh, so I saw the one day sale on the 9800 Pro for $208, cancelled the XT, and bought that. Any chance of getting my 9800 Pro to XT speeds?

 

[dgerard]

Go with a Radeon rather than NVidia (best performances from what I've seen). The 9800 pro is a great card, way superior in perf. to the 9600 XT. I used a 9600Pro before (scored ~3,700 on 3DMark03), gameplay was okay but not that smooth (UT2003, Freelancer, Half Life). Upgraded to a 9800XT (still paying for it...), the difference was spectacular, a brand new gaming experience on the same old rig. I'd recommend ATI anytime...

 

[mboy]

Originally posted by: X-Man
Augh, so I saw the one day sale on the 9800 Pro for $208, cancelled the XT, and bought that. Any chance of getting my 9800 Pro to XT speeds?

With the reports of the OEM cards shipping recenlty from Newegg, you probably have a worse chance of NOT hitting 9800 XT speeds.
I got mine this past weekend and have it now @ 400/738 (6030-3dMK2003 with almost no tweaking)with stock cooling. Forgot to look at the ram before I installed the card, so not sure if it is the new hynix which is overclocking VERY well for most, or the samsung.
My Artic silincer should be here in a day or so with my ram sinks, so I imagine I will be able to break XT speeds with little effort.