question about radeon?

[Robc1880]

I was looking at getting a video card for my brother for christmas and was wondering if i should go for the 9700np or 9700p or the 9600p? Is the 9700p faster than the 9700np? I am looking at staying under $250 for the card, i have found a few non-pros under this price so that is why i'm asking if they are a good card. I am just looking for a fast out of the box card because i know he won't be overclocking. Can anyone help? thanks

his system:
Xaser3 with 430W PSU
Abit nf7-s v2.0
corsair pc3200 c2pt
amd 2500 (not oc'd)

Remember, there are no stupid questions, just stupid people.

 

[ad_rach]

The 9700np is a great card.It is merely a slightly underclocked 9700pro (275/270 core/memory, instead of 325/310).It is considerably better out of the box than a 9600pro, because it has 8 rendering pipelines instead of 4 and a 256bit memory bus,instead of a 128bit one.

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[Ion]

250 budget huh? I would be searching for 9800np in place like newegg.

 

[BirdRobin]

Get the 9700np or 9800np... 8 rendering pipelines are always better than 4... =D

B|rD[RoB|n]

 

[Robc1880]

thanks for the help guys.

Remember, there are no stupid questions, just stupid people.

 

[GeneticWeapon]

The guy didnt understand that a 9700Pro is better then a 9700...do you think that telling him about memory bus widths and pixel pipelines are going to make things any clearer for him?(I guess higher is always better :tongue: )

<b>I help because you suck</b>

 

[BirdRobin]

Its true... Sorry about that lolx =p

B|rD[RoB|n]

 

[oops]

What's the difference between a card that supports 128MB and 256MB for 9700Pro, 9800, 9800Pro? eg) How much better is a 9700Pro w/128MB compared to 9700Pro w/256MB (does that even exist)? I've pretty much narrowed it down to these three and I'm leaning towards the 9700Pro after reading the THGC Graphics Card Buyer's Guide but I'm still not *entirely* sure of what I want to get.

 

[russmon]

circuitcity.com has 9800 Non-Pros for $249. I have one and it is working fine. OCed to near 9800 Pro levels.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

There is no R9700-256mb reference card (Built by ATI). There may be some OEM-partner out there that has done it, but I haven't seen any mention of one.

As for it's effects. Not much under most conditions. It's main benifit is for situations requiring storage of large chunks of data (Large Resolutions, higher AA/AF settings [depends on the type as well]).

To get an idea of how an R9700PRO 256 would act, your best idea would be an R9800 256mb (not the PRO) of which there are a few (<A HREF="http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9800/radeon9800pro/compare.html" target="_new">still no reference card</A>).
To see what the effect is on an R9800 PRO 128 vs 256 check the following <A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030604/index.html" target="_new">THG review</A> ,keeping in mind that there is also a 10mhz clock boost on the 256mb of memory.

For the most part it's not worth the extra money. However if the cards are equally priced, and the clockes are evenly matched, and the memory is of equal quality, then why not? It also depends on whether you like to run your games at very high res. This will only really work for older games, as newer games will suffer too much of an overall penalty for the 256mb to have any impact (what use is 12 fps vs 10 fps?).


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <b>RED GREEN</b> GA to SK

<A HREF="http://www.lochel.com/" target="_new">-NEW PIC IN THGC ALBUM-</A>

 

[oops]

hmmm, i get it. well then, it's the 9700pro that i'm getting. thanks!

 

[HardWareBoss]

Thay are selling Ati Radeon 9800 pro for $300.