9700Pro for $138 (refurb) good buy? Testing it?

T

theHinge

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 4, 2004
Messages
139
Hello forum... I'm kinda new to gaming, longtime DV/audio editor. Got a refurb Powercolor 9700Pro 128MB/256 bit from newegg, just arrived for the new box I'm putting together and came across t[H]is place after the fact. I will say that this card is unlike anything experienced to date, and can see how the newer cards could become truly addictive.

Some basic questions:
Good deal for barebones card at $138? It is built on the 9800-style setup with large 4-pin molex onboard. does NOT have a heatsink on the back of the card as I have seen on other 9700's.

How to test for artifacts,etc.? I noticed some 'shimmering' in 3dmark2001SE (old box w/new card in temporarily). It seems to be just a few specific parts of the tests and only a couple small parts of the screen which seem to be on the scen itself and not specific to areas of the monitors. Also some white pixels during the point sprite test at the end (horse). Do I need to be concerned? Try different drivers? Poss just 2001and this card? My old Voodoo3 and Viper V770 Ultra did not do that as I recall.

Cooling solutions? I want it to live a long time for life in the other boxes as I upgrade and not cook the MSI Neo2 and 2.8C where it will be for now (a lot better than the ol' P3's @ 15% OC I have been using.

Thanks!
 
Well, I have a softmodded 9500 > 9700 and I don't see any artifacts in 3dmark, but plenty in a couple of ATI graphic demoes. The NPR one and the glass orbs in the forest one have some crazy artifacting going on.

Awesome card though, worth getting.
 
Turns out mine is the 'rev. 3' version - hence the missing heatsink on the back (nOOb mistake). Tested out pretty well on old box & it kicks butt. Looks like a keeper.

TNT Ultra in the other box actually has the same boogers in 3Dmark2001SE as the ATI card (at least on the tests it will actually run).

Now only if newegg will actually get the new stuff here... :D
 
Cool, have d/l'd it & will install here in a bit when I get the new mobo running.
 
ahh a new addicted person to keep us company :p

isnt hardware the f 'n greatest ? :)
 
Hardware is the bidness!! I just put my box together and and am already running a 422Mhz OC on the CPU (less than two hours on it). 9700 Pro now happily running at 8x on the 4.7 drivers and ATItool will applied in a few.

Pretty cool setup for $550 inc mobo & mem. :D
 
yes, yes it is.

the 9700 pro was a huge jump in performance over previous cards. not just 1+1+1 , it was like 1+1+6 . it was imho 5 generations ahead of the previous cards of just a year earlier.
so i can imagine your amazment from voodoo land , to 8 pipe 256bit goodness.

... trs 80 huh ? massive :D
 
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