Radeon LE and DVD

[Palpatine]

Are the hardware DVD same in all radeon cards? I plan to buy a Radeon LE for some gaming and watching DVDs. Also is the LE retail and oem card any different (clock and ram)?

Thanks
Palpatine

 

[noko]

Yes. They are all the same.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[Crashman]

LE is an OEM item. The VE is a retail boxed item. The LE is better than the VE. The LE is the same as the OEM Radeon DDR except for the clock speed.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Palpatine]

So the LE is the OEM and the VE is the same card in Retail. Why then the VE is worse than the LE? I thought retail products were better.

 

[noko]

The LE has the same video chip as the 32DDR Radeon or the 64DDR Radeon, the VE has a modified cut down version of the Radeon chip similar to the Mobile Radeon.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[Crashman]

Noko is right. The VE is a "Value" series chip, with some of the features removed. It's like comparing an OEM GeForce GTS to a retail GeForce MX-the GTS is a better performer even in OEM trim. The LE is the full version of the Radeon chip, but with a lower clock speed and Hyper Z disabled in software. Since Hyper Z is disabled in software, activating it is simple. And raising the clock is also simple. The VE has it's T&L engine disabled in Hardware, it can't be fixed.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Palpatine]

Is the LE model better in 3d gaming and 2d quality than the MX400 32mb ddr? Here in Greece the LE costs 150$ and the MX400 100$.

 

[noko]

2d on the Radeon I would say yes, now the LE in 32bit gaming should be faster especially if you unlock hyperZ and overclock. What are your system specs? I also have a MX400 and maybe it will be fast enough for your needs anyways. If you don't mind 16bit gaming then the MX400 performs real good for the money. Still it does 32bit gaming up to 1024x768x32 on alot of game titles just fine. $50 more for an LE may not be worth it. Stay away from the MX200's or MX100's they are half the speed of a regular MX. Your sure that is not the regular 32mb DDR Radeon you are talking about? Vice the Radeon LE.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by noko on 06/21/01 01:42 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[noko]

For the money in your case since the LE cost significantly more I recommend the MX400 32meg. The LE is not worth $150. How much are the Kyro2's going for there?

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[Palpatine]

My system is Duron 800Mhz (still not overclocked) on a MSI Turbo-r. This pc is more for linux, programming and beta programs so i dont look for top performance.

The prices in Greece are more expensive than those that i see in bestbuy or retail stores in USA or UK. As for the LE i phoned a retail store and they told me that they dont have a LE radeon. Also i see in their online store only Radeon 32DDR OEM so i assume that this is the LE version and if not then it might be possible that this model is not imported in Greece.

For the price that Noko asked here are some in USD:

Hercules Prophet 4000 32MB: 85$
Hercules Prophet 4500 64MB: 147$
Hercules 3D Prophet II MX400 32MB: 108$
ATI RADEON 64 MB DDR VIVO OEM: 225$
CREATIVE GeForce2 Ultra 64MB DDRAM AGP Retail: 522$
MATROX G450 DH 32MB AGP DDR OEM: 135$
ASUS V8200DDR DELUXE GEFORCE 3: 575$
AMD ATHLON THUNDERBIRD 1200MHZ CLOCK 266MHZ: 175$

Pretty high, eh?

Palpatine

 

[noko]

Save yourself the headaches, the MX supports Linux much better then the Radeon and you can download the drivers straight from nVidia on most Linux versions. Take a look:

<A HREF="http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux" target="_new">http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=linux</A>

My MX 2d is pretty much the same up to 1024x768 as my Radeon for sharpness. After that the Radeon maintains its sharpness and the MX starts to look bad at 1280x960 and above. The Radeon does have better sharper colors then the MX regardless of the vibrance control in the drivers which always gives a non natural effect to images. I do have a cheap MX400 by Innovision so other brands may do better in 2d then mine.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[noko]

I recommend the Hercules 3d Prophet II MX400 for 3d in Linux and game performance, good price, the Matrox for 2d quility if that is most important. Supposenly the Matrox's also work great in Linux, I wouldn't know myself. I wish I can tell you more about the MX in linux since that is why I got the MX400 in the first place, I am just waiting to get SUSE 7.2 to use on it. Right now I am using W2K on the MX400.

The prices are kinda high compared to others here but not to excessive except maybe the GF2 Ultra, and GF3, thats is just plain ridicules.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[noko]

Also note that the Kyro/KyroII does not support linux, there are no drivers out for Linux.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[Crashman]

Better, yes, but not even close to 50% better, so for $150 it's a bad buy, unless you need the features.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[noko]

You will have no problem using DVD on a MX, I use WinDVD2000 which I like better then PowerDVD because I think it has better quality. On my 800mhz athlon while playing a DVD cpu usage varies (cycles) between 30-55%. Your Duron will work just fine. Now my Innovision came with DVD software, I don't know about the Hercules Prophet II MX400. Which may add the cost up some unless you already have DVD software.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by noko on 06/21/01 03:06 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Palpatine]

From the MX400 boards the Hercules is the best? I see other cheaper cards from different manufacturers. What are the differences? 2d quality? board quality?

 

[noko]

Well the chip is pretty much the same from nVidia, the lower cost boards may have cheaper ram (like mine), cheaper filters for 2d and other items to cut costs. I would recommend now the Hercules or the Elsa and the Gainsworth boards. I am satisfied with my cheap Innovision MX400 but not to impress and I will be surprised if I still have it 6 months from now.

Well to eat your <b>C kie</b> and have it too, gotta get <b>Rade n II</b>

 

[Sihs]

I've just read on newegg's reviews about the LE that someone called ATI and asked about DVD playback. ATI people told him it is not the same as the retail. Anandtech's review says otherwise. Who's right?

Sh!t Happens.

 

[AEboy128]

The radeon VE is dual monitor. That is the difference. The le is kinda like a low end radeon. But with a registry hack the disabled hyper-z can be enabled, and the le can be oc'd to be the same as the 32mb ddr.

Im savin up for a Cobra!! Hehe!!

 

[Crashman]

Thew card has to use the same parts in oreder to use the same drivers. How's that sound?
The LE comes on a PCB identicle to the Redeon 64 VIVO. But it has less memory on that PCB, at a slower clock, and various features from VIVO are available, the full TVO version has both outputs but no input. All the small parts remain the same, but the ones that are not used are not present. You even get the same driver CD.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine