chose ATI 9800 pro 256mb or 9600XT256mb?

[Nuno Brito]

What i chose the 9800 pro seems good but 9600 seems better in economically.
In core 9600 have 500, and 9800 have 380.
In memory 9600 have 600, and 9800 have 700!

What is the BEST?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[fallguy]

The 9800 Pro is actually 680Mhz on the memory, 340Mhz real speed.

Personally, I would get the 9800 Pro, for $200 at CompUSA, or its $215 at newegg right now. It will get far better frames than the 9600T 256meg, and virtually the same as the 9800 Pro 256meg. Really the only time the 256meg would be better, is if you game at 1280x1024 and especially 1600x1200 with 4xAA/8xAF or more. Even then, the FPS increase is probably not worth the extra $100.

Cliff notes: Get the 9800 Pro 128meg.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

I concur.

 

[Nuno Brito]

But it will run half-life 2 and doom 3 with high quality? what will be the frames? 20, 30, 40, 50, 60?

 

[Joe DeFuria]

But it will run half-life 2 and doom 3 with high quality? what will be the frames? 20, 30, 40, 50, 60?

We won't know that until those games ship and we can measure performance.

But the 9800 is better equipped to run both of those games than the 9600. In other words, if the 9800 doesn't cut it...the 9600 certainly won't.

If you are buying a new card specifically for those two games, you really should wait until at least one of them ships first. By that time, you'll be able to choose from a new generation of cards.

 

[Nuno Brito]

Thankx. but the next generation cards will be able to run better?

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Oh, and looking at your original post:

What i chose the 9800 pro seems good but 9600 seems better in economically.
In core 9600 have 500, and 9800 have 380.
In memory 9600 have 600, and 9800 have 700!

The 9800 has 8 pipelines and a 256 bit bus, vs the 9600's 4 pipelines and 128 bit bus, so in "reality", your numbers should look like this:

In core 9600 have 500, and 9800 have 760.
In memory 9600 have 600, and 9800 have 1360

 

[Tim Murray]

the reason that you're confused is that you've failed to consider the memory bus width and the number of pipelines in each card.

the 9600XT has a 128-bit memory interface and a 4x1 pipeline configuration, whereas the 9800 Pro/XT/non-Pro/Vanilla/Chocolate/Neopolitan has a 256-bit memory bus and a 8x1 pipeline configuration. BASICALLY (it's not quite, but it's a decent approximation), this means that the 9800 Pro performs like a 9600XT that had double the memory and core clocks of the 9800 Pro. so, for the 9600XT to perform like a 9800Pro, it'd have to be running at 760Mhz core and 680Mhz raw memory speed (so 1360 when you take into account DDR).

so, yeah, 9800 smokes it.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Thankx. but the next generation cards will be able to run better?

Don't they always?

 

[Joe DeFuria]

the reason that you're confused is that you've failed to consider the memory bus width and the number of pipelines in each card.

Nyah! Nyah! Beat you to it! 8)

 

[Nuno Brito]

ops i forgot that, os the pipes! thankx again

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Just don't ask us how many pipelines nVidia cards have.

 

[Sxotty]

Baron that was hildarious BTW... (except wait doesn't the SE have 4 pipes?)

 

[Tim Murray]

the reason that you're confused is that you've failed to consider the memory bus width and the number of pipelines in each card.

Nyah! Nyah! Beat you to it! 8)

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

Just don't ask us how many pipelines nVidia cards have.

Either one, two, or four. Maybe eight if you're John Carmack.

Baron that was hildarious BTW... (except wait doesn't the SE have 4 pipes?)

yes, the SEs have 4 pipes, but I think there are 2 SEs--a 256-bit 4 pipe version, and a 128-bit eight pipe version... crazy stuff.

 

[Nuno Brito]

what diference makes the pipes?

 

[Sazar]

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

reminded me of the daily show the other day

 

[Nuno Brito]

what is the hell daily show have with this?

 

[ZoinKs!]

Thankx. but the next generation cards will be able to run better?

Don't they always?

Two words: "FX 5200"

 

[Nuno Brito]

why FX5200?
FX5200 is the worst graphic card inthe world!

 

[ZoinKs!]

It's a joke... Joe implied that new generation cards are always better than older gen cards. Of course, I couldn't resist pointing out a new card that's worse then the old.