9800, 5900, or wait for the NV40?

[krazynutz]

Hey guys, I have a friend who's itchin' to buy a new video card. He want's to keep it under $200 so my question is this: Should he get a Radeon 9800 non-pro, an FX 5900 non-ultra, or just wait to see what the mid-range NV40 cards can do when they come out?

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.

 

[cleeve]

9800 non-pro, unless you can wait the 4 months.

________________
<b>Radeon <font color=red>9500 PRO</b></font color=red> <i>(hardmodded 9500, o/c 322/322)</i>
<b>AthlonXP <font color=red>~2600+</b></font color=red> <i>(o/c 2400+ w/143Mhz fsb)</i>
<b>3dMark03: <font color=red>4,055</b></font color=red>

 

[krazynutz]

Ok, so is it worth doing the non-pro to pro bios flash on the 9800? Where's a good place to buy a non-pro card? Because I can only find it around $175, retail. Is it cheaper anywhere?

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.

 

[pauldh]

Hey, Fellow Taylor Ham eating Jersey Boy here. I'd recommend the Saphire R9800 pro for $205. $5 isn't too much overbudget. I've owned both the R9800 NP an Pro. My NP came with lousy ram (infinion?) and no way could OC enough to think about a Pro bios. It was a nice card though. But the pro is definately the better buy now IMO. Back then it was a $100+ difference. Gameve or allstopshop seem fine and don't charge us NJ tax like newegg now does.

<A HREF="http://www.gameve.com/gve/store/productdetails.aspx?sku=VC-SA-039" target="_new">http://www.gameve.com/gve/store/productdetails.aspx?sku=VC-SA-039</A>

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[krazynutz]

yeah, that Newegg thing really chaps my ass. Thanks for the info man.

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.

 

[pauldh]

Yeah, zipzoomfly(googlegear) gets a ton of my business since the Newegg NJ warehouse(s) opened up.

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[krazynutz]

zipzoomfly has always gotten a lot of my business. Good place to go. Anyway, I'm gonna put up a post similar to this one in the overclocking area to get more opinions. I can get a 5900 128MB card for around $180, and apparantly, I can slap the 5950 ultra bios on it and get top-notch performance, all for $180. Any opinions?

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.

 

[Willamette_sucks]

A Sapphire 9800np will most likely reach 9800 XT speeds, so you can flash your bios to 9800 XT bios if you wish.

You may refer to my awesome thread <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=392111#392111" target="_new">here</A>, on flashing your 9800np to 9800 Pro or XT.

A 9800np OCd/flashed is a better card IMO than a 5950.

Me: are you saying I can't provide?
Me: cause I know I can provide.
Me: oh and I can provide money too😉
Rachel: why do we need money when we can just stay in our room and have sex all day?<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Willamette_Sucks on 03/31/04 10:25 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[krazynutz]

is the np version the same chipset as the XT? I thought there were differences. Hmmm...I know you can go from np to pro, and from pro to XT, but is it safe to go from np to XT? Also, what cooling problems will I run into. I read that going from a 5900 to a 5950 the card will actually run cooler due to the increase in fan speed. Bottom line: Which card is truely better? A 9800 XT or a 5950 Ultra?

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.

 

[Willamette_sucks]

9800XT is better than 5950. 9800np and 9800xt are the exact same cards, aside from cooling/clock speeds.

Id say you could do those speeds with stock cooling and no ramsinks, however additional/better cooling is always recommended, and helps in extending the life of your hardware. You could cool your card very well for 30-40 dollars (gpu and ram). Less than that if you don't worry about ramsinks.

Me: are you saying I can't provide?
Me: cause I know I can provide.
Me: oh and I can provide money too😉
Rachel: why do we need money when we can just stay in our room and have sex all day?

 

[pauldh]

oh boy 9800XT is definately better than 5950U. SHoot, I'd game on a R9800 Pro anyday over a FX5950. I can't see anything costlier than a R9800 Pro being worth the money right now. He should Get a R9800 pro and OC to where he is comforatable.


ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[coolsquirtle]

XGI is the way to go dont listen to these fanboys

RIP Block Heater....HELLO P4~~~~~
120% nVidia Fanboy
never tried to go crazy when it comes to o/cing.
THGC's resident Asian and Graphics Forum's resident nVboy 😀

 

[baldurga]

If your can wait, DO IT! Time is always on your side.


Still looking for a <b>good online retailer</b> in Spain :frown:

 

[krazynutz]

please, no fanboy responses. Anybody got any links to cold hard facts? Benchmarks?

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.

 

[pauldh]

There are tons of links. You can start right hear on TomsHardware guide. Eliminate Quake 3 redicuouly high framefrates, and the Radeons clearly outdo the NV's. The R9800 pro is quite a nice top end card and it's $200.

<A HREF="http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/vga-charts-13.html#unreal_tournament_2003" target="_new">http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/vga-charts-13.html#unreal_tournament_2003</A>

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[krazynutz]

Sweet. I'll tell my friend to get the 9800 pro! I have the 5900 non-ultra so I'll try the bios upgrade for myself and be content...for awhile. Thanks guys. I still have a new (RMA'd) GeForce 4600ti I'm trying to sell. Any takers? It's blue and $120 - free shipping in the US!

<font color=blue>Asus P4P800 Deluxe, 2.6C @ 3.25Ghz, 512 MB Geil Platinum PC4000, Antec TruePower 430, Swiftech MCX4000 w/Sanyo Denki 92mm - 26 deg idle.