![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Im comming to you guys to see what you would recommend, see if you have any links to good reviews and charts comparing the various ATI card performances against eachother. I am on a very limited budget, but at the same time if i am going to upgrade, i want to actually get an upgrade.
It would be great to find a site that would benchmark the 9500 up through the x800 series of cards. Ive read multiple reviews of what the series of x700, and x800 can do, and ive read multiple reviews as to what the 9800 can do, and they fluctuate so much you cant compare review A to review B. Atleast thats the case in the reviews ive read.
There is a site which i believe Hardocp linked at one time: http://www.techreport.com/etc/comparo/graphics/ which compares graphics cards specs. I believe most of the information to be accurate here but cannot say for certain, no benchmarks there although a few links to some.
Any help you guys could provide would be great, im sure that theres probably some place out there which has done a somewhat complete lineup of cards, just not certain as to where to find it.
Now some history: (read "Why i ask for help")
I got on the ATI bandwagon just prior to a harddrive crash in the beginning of 2003, i believe the drive crash was caused not only from a faulty IBM Deathstar, but also being triggered between a motherboard incompatibility and my Lemon 9500.
Bought a 9500 which i had hopes of modding to a 9700 pro. However not only did i get the new black pcb with 128 bit memory interface instead of the 256 of the binned 9700's i also got a card that didnt like to be unlocked. This was a pretty crippling blow for the cost of the card at the time.
Anyway, i am thinking about upgrading nowdays again, and am a bit uncertain as to what to get my hands on. I dont particularly want to get away from ATI now that ive got all the basic tweaks down and quirks discovered unless there was some absolutly great deal out there.
Anyway, what i was really looking for was an upper level mainstream card. In truth basically every card out there right now can walk all over my relatively crippled 9500, although i am surprised that its not a total dog as far as performance goes. Unfortunatly i can usually only afford to upgrade my graphics card about once every couple of years.
Stepping from a Voodoo rush variant which cost $220 for its time to a Voodoo 5 5500 that i shelled out $300 on, which was way past its prime the day it came out. Basically DOA as far as future compatibility was concerned once 3dfx went down. Then to the crippled 9500 for $160, i seem to have the ability to make a series of dismal choices when upgrading. It has not worked properly in 2 of 3 motherboards ive owned now. This card is a total lemon.
It was nearly impossible to get my Epox 8KHA+ to post with the card in, had to reset it 300+ times in a row usually to get it to post after each shut down. And the only way to turn my computer off now with my NF7-S 2.0 is to hit the master power switch on my PSU as my board keeps cycling on and off for either a software shutdown, or a power button shut down. Im pretty sure that its related to my videocard, but for now it works so i havnt messed with testing other cards, as i do not have any others right now.
Ive had nothing but issues with my computer and upgrading.. Truthfully, between the Deathstar, short lived v5 5500, 8KHA+ that would not post with Lemon 9500 inside, NF7-S 2.0 that will not turn off, and my two sticks of Corsair PC3200 which will *not* run prime95 stable at PC3200 speed, im considering just buying a console for my next upgrade. I cant even really overclock my barton i specifically bought to overclock because of all the various troubles. However before i go to that extreme, i thought i would try one more time.
Someone is going to say "Dood you need to make more use of the RMA function when ordering upgrades." Yeah, i know. I do not intend to get screwed over again, but at the time, paying 35 bucks for RMA and shipping was just out of the question when i figured i could make it work somehow. For what its worth, i did RMA my DOA NF7-S 2.0 and go basically without my primary computer for almost two weeks.
I have a feeling half my problems have come from, or are comming from this 9500 in my machine. Feeling that way enough to warrent replacement even if i dont own any newer games to take advantage of increased graphics power. If anyone has a different thought, please let me know, but thats pretty much what i have come to the conclusion of.
This ends my story for now, hopefully you had a good laugh if nothing else. I do hope to avoid such problems this time around, is why im posting to get a few ideas and opinions.
So thanks for any help you guys can provide, be it a solution to a problem i am having, or some ideas for upgrading my videocard, all will be well appreciated. Specs are below incase anyone is interested.
Ratha
-
It would be great to find a site that would benchmark the 9500 up through the x800 series of cards. Ive read multiple reviews of what the series of x700, and x800 can do, and ive read multiple reviews as to what the 9800 can do, and they fluctuate so much you cant compare review A to review B. Atleast thats the case in the reviews ive read.
There is a site which i believe Hardocp linked at one time: http://www.techreport.com/etc/comparo/graphics/ which compares graphics cards specs. I believe most of the information to be accurate here but cannot say for certain, no benchmarks there although a few links to some.
Any help you guys could provide would be great, im sure that theres probably some place out there which has done a somewhat complete lineup of cards, just not certain as to where to find it.
Now some history: (read "Why i ask for help")
I got on the ATI bandwagon just prior to a harddrive crash in the beginning of 2003, i believe the drive crash was caused not only from a faulty IBM Deathstar, but also being triggered between a motherboard incompatibility and my Lemon 9500.
Bought a 9500 which i had hopes of modding to a 9700 pro. However not only did i get the new black pcb with 128 bit memory interface instead of the 256 of the binned 9700's i also got a card that didnt like to be unlocked. This was a pretty crippling blow for the cost of the card at the time.
Anyway, i am thinking about upgrading nowdays again, and am a bit uncertain as to what to get my hands on. I dont particularly want to get away from ATI now that ive got all the basic tweaks down and quirks discovered unless there was some absolutly great deal out there.
Anyway, what i was really looking for was an upper level mainstream card. In truth basically every card out there right now can walk all over my relatively crippled 9500, although i am surprised that its not a total dog as far as performance goes. Unfortunatly i can usually only afford to upgrade my graphics card about once every couple of years.
Stepping from a Voodoo rush variant which cost $220 for its time to a Voodoo 5 5500 that i shelled out $300 on, which was way past its prime the day it came out. Basically DOA as far as future compatibility was concerned once 3dfx went down. Then to the crippled 9500 for $160, i seem to have the ability to make a series of dismal choices when upgrading. It has not worked properly in 2 of 3 motherboards ive owned now. This card is a total lemon.
It was nearly impossible to get my Epox 8KHA+ to post with the card in, had to reset it 300+ times in a row usually to get it to post after each shut down. And the only way to turn my computer off now with my NF7-S 2.0 is to hit the master power switch on my PSU as my board keeps cycling on and off for either a software shutdown, or a power button shut down. Im pretty sure that its related to my videocard, but for now it works so i havnt messed with testing other cards, as i do not have any others right now.
Ive had nothing but issues with my computer and upgrading.. Truthfully, between the Deathstar, short lived v5 5500, 8KHA+ that would not post with Lemon 9500 inside, NF7-S 2.0 that will not turn off, and my two sticks of Corsair PC3200 which will *not* run prime95 stable at PC3200 speed, im considering just buying a console for my next upgrade. I cant even really overclock my barton i specifically bought to overclock because of all the various troubles. However before i go to that extreme, i thought i would try one more time.
Someone is going to say "Dood you need to make more use of the RMA function when ordering upgrades." Yeah, i know. I do not intend to get screwed over again, but at the time, paying 35 bucks for RMA and shipping was just out of the question when i figured i could make it work somehow. For what its worth, i did RMA my DOA NF7-S 2.0 and go basically without my primary computer for almost two weeks.
I have a feeling half my problems have come from, or are comming from this 9500 in my machine. Feeling that way enough to warrent replacement even if i dont own any newer games to take advantage of increased graphics power. If anyone has a different thought, please let me know, but thats pretty much what i have come to the conclusion of.
This ends my story for now, hopefully you had a good laugh if nothing else. I do hope to avoid such problems this time around, is why im posting to get a few ideas and opinions.
So thanks for any help you guys can provide, be it a solution to a problem i am having, or some ideas for upgrading my videocard, all will be well appreciated. Specs are below incase anyone is interested.
Ratha
-
Code:
OS: Win98 SE
MB: Abit NF7-S 2.0 - (Bios 2.3)
Processor: AMD XP 2500+ Barton @ 1.837ghz @ 333mhz
Ram: 2x 256 Corsair PC3200 @ 2-2-2-6-1 @ 333mhz (CMX256A-3200C2)
Video: ATI Sapphire Radeon 9500np (128 bit)
Sound: Creative Soundblaster Live
HDD1: Western Digital 120 w/8mb cache
HDD2: Western Digital 120 w/8mb cache
DVD: Samsung - DVD SD-608 - 40x8
CDRW: Lite-On - LTR-52246S - 52x24x52 - (204310007215)
Case: 3DCOOL Tornado 1000
Power: Antec - PP352X 350 Watt
Monitor: Cybervision - 15" C50
Keys: AT&T - RT101 - 120275-101 Rev B - (52250188)
Mouse: Logitech TrackMan Stationary Mouse - T-CC2-9F (LU069305378)
NIC: Linksys - NC100U Ver 2 - (213005699-E57U-AB-D)
Router: Linksys - BEFSR41 Rev 2 - (Bios 1.45.7) - (C2122034371)
Modem:
Heatsync: Thermalright SK7
Thermalgoop:Arctic Silver Ceramique
Speakers: MLi 691H
-
BARTON:
27488
axda2500kv4d 9581488270946
aquca0306tpaw