Which card is good?

[cpcpatrick]

I live in HK and I would like to upgrade my graphics accelerator. As I know the Nvidia FX series perform bad in DX9 benchmarks, I think I would like to turn to ATI's field. I am now considering cards at US$200, including 9600 Pro, 9800 SE, 9500 and 9700? Which one has the best price/performance ratio? In addition, is the current Catalyst driver stable and compatible with Nvidia's Detonator? If there is problems in settings, any web sites can help me?

Looking forward to yr suggestions and recommendations
Have a nice day.

 

[HardWareBoss]

9600 pro but I'm not sure on 9800 SE.

 

[lord_tyranus2]

If you are willing to go up to $225 the 9800 nonpro is available sometimes if you can find a good deal. recently it was at best buy (after MIR).

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Catalysts are fine, their major issues are ancient history, although all cards/drivers have some issues, ther are usually identified and addressed realtively quickly by both companies now. I will also not comment about other issues as your main concern I'm sure is stability.

I would say go with the R9600P. The R9800SE isn't necessarily a bad thing but it does depend on which one it is and it's price. Generally speaking, without modding,the R9600P is your best choice.


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[Spitfire_x86]

Get a 9600 Pro. Avoid 256 MB versions and save money

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[sargeduck]

Get a 9600 Pro. Also, since I got my 9600 the day it came out, I have not had a problem with my card. The problems with ATI's drivers are a thing of the past, and you'll probably find that most people now say that the catalyst's are more stable now then the fx's.

As each day goes by, I hug my 9600Pro just a little tighter.

 

[cleeve]

Er... Guys?

Why in the world would you recommend a 9600 PRO over a Radeon 9700?

for about $200, the Radeon 9700 will kick the ass of the 9600 PRO to hell and back.

If you can find a Radeon 9800 for $225 like lord tyrannus said, that's even better.

Stay away from the 9800 SE... it's a gibbled version of the 9800 with half the pixel pipelines turned off. It's about as fast as a 9500 non-pro, which is another card to stay away from.

The 9600 PRO and 9500 PROs are great cards, but the 9700 is *clearly* far superior.

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Radeon 9500 (modded to PRO w/8 pixel pipelines)
AMD AthlonXP 2000+
3dMark03: 3529

 

[TKS]

DO NOT get a 9800 SE. They only have 4 pipelines open and are underclocked beneath a regular 9800 nonpro.

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TKS