is it really worth it?

Z

zerogt86

Gawd
Joined
May 6, 2003
Messages
734
i need to buy a new vid card, and i have between 150-200 to spend. at zip zoom fly i can get a powercolor 9700 pro retail for $205. at newegg, they have the oem 9800 pro for like 268. is it worth it to spend an extra 63 dollars for a 9800 pro?
 
no, not really. Are you going to hang on to the card for awhile?
 
In the long run they'll both be obsolete at the same time.

Its kind of like when I got my Dell laptop, I worried over 700MHz or 850MHz for longevity.

Now both are slow as hell, I just saved $400 by getting the 700 instead. Same architecture, just a slight improvement in speed and a few other things... I'd get the 9700. Spend $60 on a game or something.
 
Originally posted by zerogt86
i need to buy a new vid card, and i have between 150-200 to spend. at zip zoom fly i can get a powercolor 9700 pro retail for $205. at newegg, they have the oem 9800 pro for like 268. is it worth it to spend an extra 63 dollars for a 9800 pro?
Click to expand...
No it's not. Especially if you are on a budget.
 
i'd say yes its worth it.

denpends on when your next upgrade is.
 
It is over your budget and a very minor improvement, so I'd say no. The 9700 Pro is a very capable card
 
id say yes it is worth it.. 9800pro 128 is still on the top list next to his big brother 9800pro 256 DDRII which is next to 9800XT (very minimal difference between the 2) 9800pro 128 will take any games (prolly including HL2 or D3, but who knows those games arent even out yet), but i bet you there's no games out there that 9800pro cant run it.. 9700pro having a hard time playing some games w/ all the eye candy (FFXI for example) so i say go for 9800pro and u will not regret it..
 
Originally posted by Betauser
9800pro 128 is still on the top
Click to expand...

that's hardly a reason to go and spend extra money if you're not sure WHY its at the top of the list...

if its not in your budget, i'd say don't go for it. both are direct x 9 cards and very strong cards. they'll both run the next gen games and they should last you til your next upgrade, but probably not further w/ some of the new tech out.
 
as far as my needs, i would like to be able to play anything i throw at it (except d3/hl2) with all the eye candy at max, and alittle AA / AF at either 10x7 (newer games) or 12x10 (older games). im still not sure which card to get...
 
im just saying the 9800pro is still one of the best card out there that can handle any games u throw it w/ all the eye candy, while 9700pro can hardly keep up w/ it, but still a good card.. i just pointed out the 9800pro is still the list coz it is true that 9800pro is the 3rd place among the 256 DDRII memory.. im not saying that go for 9800pro coz it's in top list.. if u cant afford it, dont go for it.. but i can guarantee you once the new card comes out 9700pro will be obsolete.. but 9800pro wont.. why?

not everyone here can afford a 350-500 dollars card, so where what's left them? 9800pro

new card will be around 400-500 bucks, while 9800pro is under 300 bucks.. so most users go w/ 9800pro coz they can afford it..

i didnt say go for 9800pro coz it's in the top list.. not the reason y get 9800pro, the reason y go w/ 9800pro is it is standard card even the new cards comes out!!! it wont be obsolete till the new cards becomes affordable to everyone!!

correct me if my theory is wrong.. :(
 
with my system in sig (2500 will go up to 3200 speed soon), does everyone agree that a 9700 pro will b able to play most games out now at atleast 10x7 w/ max eye candy and some AA and AF for good measure?
 
This is way over symplifying but.... 9700 Pro == 9800 Pro. The only real difference is clock speeds. Sure there is some new technology on the 9800 Pro but it all boils down to a overclocked 9700 Pro.

If all your want is a card that can play 10x7 with AA/AF, the 9700 Pro can easily do this.
 
The 9800pro is slightly faster than the 9700pro in DX8 games and in most respects, you won't notice the difference.

The 9800pro also has improved DX9 shaders (that is the main difference between the two)

So if you plan on playing a lot of DX9 games, the 9800 does have better longevity...
 
I think 0ldman summed it up perfectly, they're each going to be obsolete at basically the same time so save your money and go for a 9700pro. I would suggest you look a little harder and see if you can find a 9800non pro for around $200. It's dead even with a 9700pro in current games and it has all the DX9 improvements of the 9800pro.
 
Originally posted by EarthwormJim
I think 0ldman summed it up perfectly, they're each going to be obsolete at basically the same time so save your money and go for a 9700pro. I would suggest you look a little harder and see if you can find a 9800non pro for around $200. It's dead even with a 9700pro in current games and it has all the DX9 improvements of the 9800pro.
Click to expand...

believe me, that would be my first choice, but no reputable online shops have them, and no local place (CC, BB) carry them any longer. To bad it isnt 6 monts ago, everyone was selling the 9800 np's for 200, o well.
 
from zipzoom don't get the powercoler version of the radeon 9700pro get the oem ati radeon 9700pro its the same price at $209 i heard bad things about powercoler i would avoid it at all costs.
 
ive heard bad things about the power color 9800's, but all the reviews i can find about the 9700's seem to check out (even here from [H]), so i think the retail powercolor is better then the oem ati.
 
hey, this might sound like a stupid question, but can the 9700 pro do hardware dvd playback (i.e. not require a software dvd decoder)?
 
Unless you're running sick amounts of AA/AF at 1280x1024 or better, the frame rates are going to be so high in most games with either card that you won't notice the difference.
 
same system as you and my 9700pro can play any game at 1024x768 with 4xAA and 16xAF with no problems at all, nothing wrong with a 9700pro <good overclockers too> Or you could always get a 9800np <if your not into overclocking>, but if your budget is $200 stay with a 9700pro <for overclocking> or a 9800np

DASHlT
 
theres no reason for me too look at an fx 5900 is there... ive heard such bad things about the fx line, but alot of people are talking about them lately (and i allready have CoD so that deal doesnt do a whole lot for me). although it seems that ATi has better pixel shaders which seem to be more important in the long run. o i dont know.
 
Nope, don't consider the fx cards. The 9700 pro will be better and I also believe it is not worth that extra cash. The improved pixel shaders for dx9 will offer what maybe 5fps more over the 9700 pro? In almost all cases 5fps is not going to be the differnce between playable and not playable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top