question about ati radeon 9800

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bb04

n00b
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Aug 12, 2004
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Need some help. I just purchased a Compaq Presario SR1000T computer and a got the 256MB DDR ATI Radeon 9800 w/ TV-out & DVI Cap. I don't know a lot about cards, but I know I wanted a powerhouse so I can play Half-Life 2, Doom 3, The Sims 2, etc, etc. Is this card a good card, or did I waste my money. Also, is there a major difference between this card a 9800 PRO? I appreciate any replies.
 
The ATI Radeon 9800 NP (Non-Pro) while not near top of the line anymore is still an awesome card. You should be able to play most of today games (UT2004, Far Cry, Doom III, HL2) just fine.

See sig for my system specs, I am able to run UT2004, Doom III, and *cough cough* Half-Life 2 just fine. My system has some problems on Far Cry but I think it's the CPU there.

What are your other system specs?
 
Now would that be the beta of hl2 and is that still out also hl2 was at e3 :D

Ok then ... it will work fine the 9800.
 
If I wanted, is there a safe way to overclock the 9800 np to 9800 pro speeds?

EDIT:
In doing my research, is the card that I'm getting a PRO? Because I can't find any reviews or information on just a 256MB 9800 NON PRO.
 
Most of the Radeon 9800 NP series are OEM only. You wouldn't see them retail, they are mainly sold to HP, Dell, Gateway etc, to be put in their machines. As for overclocking it, yes there is a way. Look on ThinkComputers.Org they have a guide on how to Flash the bios to Pro. Personally I wouldn't do it though.

As for HL2... I'll let you be the judge of that. :confused:
..::{Removed because Cleric doesn't want to get in trouble}::..
 
If you mean the 9800 to 9800 Pro, basically you flash 9800 Pro BIOS onto the 9800 NP card. Usually they are pretty much the same product, but I wouldn't recomend doing that because you can b0rk your card.

As for HL 2, don't worry about it. You'll be able to play it by the end of the month.
 
Yeah, I've never heard of a 256meg non pro. I have a 128meg non pro and the core overclocks to 420MHz very easily (this is the core speed of an XT I think) but the mem only goes to 330MHz which is the speed of a pro. So at the very least you can get a pro out of what you have. But most likely, you already are getting a pro if it has 256meg.

Also, get ATITool (google). It automatically detects the best core/mem speed that don't cause visual atrifacts by actually rendering stuff and not just some math equations like the coolbits nVidia thing does.
 
When I get the system, is there a way to tell if it is a PRO or NON-PRO? (I've never owned a video card before, so forgive the possible ignorance of my question)?
 
Yeah, just look at it in the device manager.

It'll either say Radeon 9800 or Radeon 9800 Pro
 
It could, overclocking reduces the life of your hardware. I used to be hardcore into overclocking, and back in the day when you could overclock a 300mhz Celeron to 450mhz it was worth it, but now it really isn't. It's a double edged sword, you'll gain some extra performance but it may damage or kill your card. I only will overclock towards the end of the hardware's life, right now I have my 2200+ overclocked to about 2400+ but I won't have it much longer. I haven't even thought about overclocking my 9800 Pro yet.
 
Well, as long as I can play all the latest stuff on the 9800 NON-PRO at a decent resolution, I'll be more than happy. One final question: what is the lifespan of said video card, if I don't overclock a whole lot, etc?
 
They last as long as you don't mess them up. I still have a 16meg ATI Rage in my Linux box, and a Voodoo 3 2000 in my parent's computer.

Truthfully a 9800 NP should last you until the "Geforce 7" and "Radeon 9 Series". I usually upgrade on every other generation.

Voodoo 3, Geforce 3, Radeon 9700NP, Radeon 9800 Pro
 
What about the bus speed? I've heard that my card has a 128-bit bus. Is that bad?
 
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