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ATI 9600XT or 5900SE

S

SurferNick

n00b
Joined
Jan 6, 2004
Messages
7
Im building a comp and i dont know what video card to put in it. I plan on getting a budget card now and when i save up, later on getting a really high end card. So for now i was thinking about the ATI 9600Xt or the 5900SE. Which one and why?
 
SE = special edition, a short yellow bus variety.

take a look here:

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/over2003/

it seems 5900se is about as fast as 9600xt, but i don't recomment buying 1) nvidia or 2) trimmed down products. go with 9600xt - that's my vote. besides, you get a coupon for half-life 2 with 9600xt. :)
 
Originally posted by codeflux
SE = special edition, a short yellow bus variety.

take a look here:

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/over2003/

it seems 5900se is about as fast as 9600xt, but i don't recomment buying 1) nvidia or 2) trimmed down products. go with 9600xt - that's my vote. besides, you get a coupon for half-life 2 with 9600xt. :)
Click to expand...

are you looking at the same benchmarks? the 5900SE owns the 9600XT. 5900SE all the way. The 9600 series is waaaaaaaay too overrated.
 
Originally posted by codeflux
SE = special edition, a short yellow bus variety.

take a look here:

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/over2003/

it seems 5900se is about as fast as 9600xt, but i don't recomment buying 1) nvidia or 2) trimmed down products. go with 9600xt - that's my vote. besides, you get a coupon for half-life 2 with 9600xt. :)
Click to expand...
Well let's take a look at the numbers from that review:

Code Creatures (1024x768)
5900SE - 42.5
9600XT - 28.4

Serious Sam (1024x768)
5900SE - 202.6
9600XT - 160.7

RtCW (1024x768)
5900SE - 192
9600XT - 154.3

UT2003 (1024x768)
5900SE - 111.7
9600XT - 94.1

Unreal 2 (1024x768)
5900SE - 75.3
9600XT - 69

RightMark3D (1024x768)
5900SE - 63.6
9600XT - 74.5

Splinter Cell (1024x768)
5900SE - 37.3
9600XT - 27.9

Did you even read it? The 5900SE pounces on the 9600XT at EVERY game benchmark (loses in synthetic) yet you say the 5900se is "about as fast." ATI fanboyism at its finest. Get the 5900SE or spend some more on the 9700 pro. The 9600XT plain isn't worth it.

EDIT: Both FiringSquad and HotHardware have better reviews. Go read those too. However, the results are similar.
 
9600xt should o/c higher than 5900se. besides, it's $30 cheaper. ok, ok, i'm partial to ati. :)
 
Originally posted by codeflux
9600xt should o/c higher than 5900se. besides, it's $30 cheaper. ok, ok, i'm partial to ati. :)
Click to expand...
Well the $30 cheaper version doesn't come with HL2. You can still find the 5900SE with Call of Duty though for about the same price as the 9600XT w/HL2. On a bright note though, admitting your problem is the first step to recovery :)
 
The 9600 will pretty much spank the nvidia card in the DX9 department. I'd go with the 9600 if I were you, I have one, and I love mine.
 
Originally posted by future guy
The 9600 will pretty much spank the nvidia card in the DX9 department. I'd go with the 9600 if I were you, I have one, and I love mine.
Click to expand...
Not quite. Read the reviews I posted. Even in TR:AOD w/ PS2.0 the 5900SE still wins. Albeit, not by much, but a win is a win and considering by how much it beats the 9600XT in other games this is a no brainer. If you go ATI, go for the 9700 pro. MUCH better choice over the 9600XT, but about $25 more than the 5900SE.
 
I'm not even going to attempt a discussion with you obs, you spoke of someone else being an ATI fanboy but you yourself are obviously hell bent to get this guy to use an nvidia card, who's the fanboy? Anyways, like I said, I'd with the 9600 over the 5900SE based on my personal preference and what I've seen.
 
Originally posted by future guy
I'm not even going to attempt a discussion with you obs, you spoke of someone else being an ATI fanboy but you yourself are obviously hell bent to get this guy to use an nvidia card, who's the fanboy? Anyways, like I said, I'd with the 9600 over the 5900SE based on my personal preference and what I've seen.
Click to expand...
Yea, that must be why I suggested to get the 9700 pro instead. I'm sorry if all the reviews looking at those two cards disagree with you.
 
I know I've posted this before but to me right now its a no brainer:

<$200 = FX5900SE
>$200 = R9800Pro (can be found for $250)
 
If money an issue then get a 5900SE, if not get a 9700Pro the lowest I've seen them is around $210.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=320747
As for OCing...the 5900SE will OC up to a 5900Ultra sometimes 5950Ultra levels, a 9600XT can OC close to a 9700Pro performance wise, the 9700Pro can OC to close to a 9800Pro. Now we all now that a 5900Ultra spanks a 9600XT.;)
5900SE
http://www.buyxtremegear.com/evga5900128r.html
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-179&depa=1
 
SE = Bad for ATi, Good for nVidia.
XT = Good for ATi, Bad for nVidia. :)
 
As an ATI fanboy, I obvioously have to say...5900 - they can be had for 200.
 
Does the 5900 still wipe the floor with the 9600XT in AA/AF benchies? None of the links showed any :p

Just askin incase you like eyecandy, because from my experience ATI is a few steps higher in that department.
 
Originally posted by Flipside
The 5900XT/SE/LX are all the same...;)
Click to expand...
There are 5600XT, etc. and they totally suck. Bennyb your not looking at the reviews are you? Because if you had bothered you'd know your answer. :rolleyes:
If I remember correctly ATI still uses the same IQ algos from the 8500 days....
 
Originally posted by Bennyb
Does the 5900 still wipe the floor with the 9600XT in AA/AF benchies? None of the links showed any :p

Just askin incase you like eyecandy, because from my experience ATI is a few steps higher in that department.
Click to expand...
FiringSquad has some.
 
Well let's take a look at the numbers from that review:

Code Creatures (1024x768)
5900SE - 42.5
9600XT - 28.4

Serious Sam (1024x768)
5900SE - 202.6
9600XT - 160.7

RtCW (1024x768)
5900SE - 192
9600XT - 154.3

UT2003 (1024x768)
5900SE - 111.7

9600XT - 94.1

Unreal 2 (1024x768)
5900SE - 75.3
9600XT - 69

RightMark3D (1024x768)
5900SE - 63.6
9600XT - 74.5

Splinter Cell (1024x768)
5900SE - 37.3
9600XT - 27.9
Click to expand...

obs the only place a 5900se even looks like killing a 9600xt is in code creatures and even then its not a spanking.And the benchys you posted above work against your statment friend as take a good hard look at them?
number 1# most of the benchys are current dx8.1 games yet the 5900se only just beats the 9600Xt buy a few points Secondly the average 9600XT goes for around $150 in america against $200 for the 5900se.

So the 9600xt is still the better buy in my eyes it's a little 4 pipeline card that can keep up with a 8pipeline 256bit video card with insane clockspeeds and that's in dx8.1 hows it gonna panout when the dx9 games arrive lmao:p

Hardly the thrashing you are concluding!

And looking at the price of the 5900se in australia $499:eek: Against a 9600Xt $246(i know we get screwed lol)Its a wonder nvidia sells even 1 of these cards based on them benchmarks?
 
@trapine you have too look at the other reviews. The 5900SE still beats the 9600XT. The 5900SE come with CoD, the 9600XT comes with a coupon for HL2. The cheapest 9600XT I've seen with HL2 is around $170 (I've seen OEM's for around $140), the 5900SE come in at $188. Based on all those things the 5900SE would be the better buy.
But why are we even compare these cards? The 5900SE is a low-high end card while the 9600XT is a high end mainstream card. ATI just doesn't have a card that compares to it, except for the 9700Pro. Now with that in mind the 9700Pro is the clear winner in performance and the overall best value.
What we should be doing is telling ATI "great job with the 9600 series" because that's what the new highend cards will be based off of. Think of a 9800Pro based off of the 9600 series...mmmmm:D
And if Valve can't get their little game to run well with some nice IQ settings on both cards, then it's not worth my money.
 
That exactly what im trying to say CrimandEvil;) Look im not saying the 9600Xt is the one and only best card in the world or that it pulls 5000fps in anything.But for a sub $150 to $170 that has only 4 pipelines and 128bit to boot. and its only just behind an fx5900 is excellent going in my view;)
And where i am based here in australia bang for buck nothing comes close to it:)
And for the fx5900nu to only pull them benchys with all that power that card is supposed to have is nothing short of abissmal
:eek:
 
Originally posted by CrimandEvil
Now with that in mind the 9700Pro is the clear winner in performance and the overall best value.
Click to expand...

Is it?

A 9700pro is essentially a 9800np at stock and can be expected to overclock a bit short of 9800p stock speeds.

For $20 less you can get a 5900nu that can be expected to run at 5950U speeds at which it compares pretty well with a 9800p across the board in games (as opposed to speculative demos).

Not to say that the 9700P is necessarily a worse choice, just that it isn't the clear cut winner either.

I don't think either of the above cards belongs in a comparison with $160-185 cards with a $40 game promotion, wherein the 9600XT is so clearly and utterly outclassed that the recurrence of these threads boggles the mind.
 
9600XT is overrated.. enuff said!

5900 SE is a good card no doubts there but the chances of a 5900 SE to hit 5950 speeds are at best unknown.. some people have been able to.. others haven't

for the 9700 pro it most always overclocks well in terms of core atleast.. memory is again up to luck of the person.. but considering that the newegg.com powercolor cards are based off 9800 pro pcb.. they should run a tad cooler and overclock better.. (i am yet covering data to see if it is true)

both cards are in their own right pretty good.. you can grab either for the dough you want to spend or for the company that you prefer to buy from!

For me personally I prefer ATi's anti-aliasing as opposed to nVidia's and hence have kept my 9700 pro and not upgraded to anything higher!
 
Thanks so much everyone for all your help. By checking out all these replys im swayed to the EVGA 5900SE because it costs the same as the 9600XT at newegg.com and seems to have gott higher benchmarks. Im new to videocards and overclocking so i dont think ill be ocing the card i get, at least not till i get confident with oc other pc components. Thanks
 
most SE choke when it comes to ram..

try the non ultra.. (w/ BFG you are certain to get it)

from zipzoomfly.com (a bud here got it too) for 184 smacks.. not bad!
 
The best I've been able to hit on my 5900SE is about 450/800. I usually run it at 420/770. It runs Call of Duty nicely at either 1280x1024 (no aa or af) or 1024x768 with 2AA and 4AF so I'm happy.

p.s. i'm running stock heatsink
 
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