9700P or 9800NP?

[bdaley]

Which is better, the 9700P or the 9800NP(not SE)?

I'm looking for something that won't break the bank, but will allow me to play Halo (my trusty old Radeon 8500 ain't cutting it) and also will give decent performance in upcoming DX9 games.

I've also been considering a 9600P (the price is right), but I'm not sure how long of a life that will have for upcoming games.

Any advice/opinions will be appreciated.

Thanks.

"I'm a man armed with a fork in a land of soup."

 

[dunno]

I'd say if the price difference isn't much, then go for the 9800 since it's a newer core and has a couple new features that the 9700 doesn't have (e.g. F-buffers). Also, a number of people have had success in flashing the 9800 with a pro bios and effectively turning it into a 9800pro with same clockspeeds. But if the 9700pro is significantly cheaper, then go for that since in actuality the performance difference is probably within a few percent of eachother. As for the 9600pro, it's probably around half the speed of the 9800 so yeah longevity is a bit questionable.

 

[Michaelius]

I'm trying to decide this also r9800 is slightly slower and cheaper.
I think I'll get it rather than 9700 pro becouse it's cheaper (that's main reason and it can be moded to 9800pro with ease.

 

[bdaley]

I just bought a R9800 at Circuit City on sale for $249. It seems like a pretty good deal.

Thanks for your input everyone.

"I'm a man armed with a fork in a land of soup."