Which 9600 Pro to get?

[Vassago1]

I'm in the process of selecting a "stop-gap" solution to hold me over until I get a new computer sometime next year (hopefully pre-LH2 release) where cost will be no object. The heart of my computer is an Athlon 1.2Ghz with 512 DDR RAM which has been adaquate for awhile now, but starting to show a little rust (hence the new computer in about 4-6 months).

Until then, I need to upgrade my vid card (still running an older GF2 ultra I got in a free upgrade). I've been checking reviews / prices / etc and it seems like due to lack of availability of other cards, the 9600 pro 128mb is the way to go. I've heard good things about Sapphire, but looking them up online, 9600 Pro turns up a host of options. Are they all basically the same, or does certain notation have any significance?

I mean, how hard is it to name cards...NVDA and ATI keep jumping around the number spectrum until my head starts spinning. You've got the 9700 which is older than the 9600, but somewhat faster and more expensive. Don't even get me started on NVDA's naming conventions.

Anyway, I was about to get the Sapphire RADEON 9600 PRO EZ 128MB 8X AGP RETAIL off of GameVE.com for $152, but wanted to get some expert opinions.

Thanks for any help...

 

[lifeguard1999]

There are 4 different versions of the 9600:

9600 Lite or SE --> 64-bit memory interface -- avoid at all costs
9600 Non-Pro --> 325 MHz core / 200 MHz Mem
9600 Pro --> 400 MHz core / 300 MHz Mem
9600 XT --> 500 MHz core; Not shipping yet.

and for the 9800 there are:

9800 SE --> avoid
9800 Non-Pro --> great deal but hard to find
9800 Pro --> $300+ for the 128 MB version; more for the 256 MB version
9800 XT --> Hard to find and expensive

Be sure to avoid the Lite or SE version of the 9600 (or 9800 for that matter) and you may need to take into account that sometimes they double the memory speed since it is DDR memory. Thus 300 MHz becomes 600 MHz, etc.

 

[Murphq]

The "EZ" line of cards are slower than the other 9600pros thats why they are cheaper.

I personally own an ATI 9600 pro. They offer a better warranty then other companies, so I ouwld go with this one.

 

[Megatomic]

I also own/use/love a built by ATI Radeon 9600 Pro. It's a fantastic card. I'd recommend it (and I do so often) to anyone.

However, missing from lifeguard1999's list is the AIW 9600 Pro. That's the card I'd wished I waited for (unless there is also going to be an AIW 9600 XT). There is a review of this beauty up at The FiringSquad.

 

[lifeguard1999]

Well, yeah, I did skip the AIW 9600 Pro as well as the 9600 Pro Ultimate (has the huge passive heatpipe heatsink).

 

[Vassago1]

Thanks for the info on the "EZ." That's what made me wary. I'd spring for an AIW card, but I'd never use the other features on the card. Looks like I need to go hunting for the non-"EZ" version.

1 questions about the AIW card though...if you've got a cable modem, do you still need a split off the coax into the card to watch TV? I'd assume so, but that's just an educated guess.

 

[lifeguard1999]

Yes. I use one of those cable Y splitters. In my case I do not have an AIW, but a separate TV Tuner card.

 

[Vassago1]

What's the "Atlantis" I see in some of the Sapphire cards?

 

[lifeguard1999]

Just Sapphire's name for the card. It does not mean anything.

 

[Vassago1]

Sapphire RADEON 9600 PRO ATLANTIS ULTIMATE 128 MB 256-bit DDR AGP 8X TVO/DVI

So this one is free of the "EZ" taint as well and should be clocked higher (although not as high as the AIW), right?

 

[Vassago1]

http://www.gameve.com/store/gameve_viewitem.asp?idproduct=1381&showit=1

here's the link...

 

[Nuggs]

Originally posted by: Vassago1
Sapphire RADEON 9600 PRO ATLANTIS ULTIMATE 128 MB 256-bit DDR AGP 8X TVO/DVI

So this one is free of the "EZ" taint as well and should be clocked higher (although not as high as the AIW), right?

this will come with the defualt 400/300 pro clock speed but will not over clock as well as the standard pro, The ultimate come with a heat pipe which doesnt cool the GPU as well as the standard heat sink and fan on the standard pro.

 

[Vassago1]

The standard 9600 pro being the one from ATI I assume

.I see from your sig that you got yours way up there...what extra cooling are you using?

 

[Vassago1]

Well, I went with the standard ATI 9600 Pro...Amazon had them for $184.

Thanks for your help and comments.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Vassago1
Well, I went with the standard ATI 9600 Pro...Amazon had them for $184.

Thanks for your help and comments.

Good choice. As to overclocking the BBA Radeon 9600 Pro, I'm doing a little of that myself. I have the core up to 450MHz and the memory up to 333MHz (666MHz DDR). I haven't touched the GPU cooler yet and I installed some BGA ramsinks using fragtape on the ramchips. The ramsinks are probably not necessary, I'm just a little compulsive with cooling.

 

[tallman45]

When it comes out the AIW 9600 pro looks like the one to get. First it is clocked higher than a 9600Pro:

http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardware/ati_all_in_wonder_9600_preview/default.asp

"We?ve been told by representatives from ATI that the ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 PRO will be the first ALL-IN-WONDER card to ship with clock frequencies higher than its counterpart (which is clocked at 400MHz core/600MHz memory), so the ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 PRO should be the fastest RADEON 9600 PRO card ATI offers directly."

UPDATE: 8/6/03 We've just been informed the final clock speeds of the ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 PRO: 400MHz core/650MHz memory, an increase of 800MB/sec in peak memory bandwidth.


Second, it comes with a copy or coupon for a full version of HL/2

Third, it comes with full copy of Studio 8

Look slike the Msrp will be $249, it should be avaiable by now though.

 

[Vassago1]

I thought about the AIW 9600 Pro, but I'd never use the other features, and the $50 coupon for HL2 is just going to sit for 6 months.

It seems like people have had success getting their 9600 Pros up to speeds that rival or surpass the AIW version, so since this is a stop gap solution, I went with the vanilla pro.