When 9600XT? And, Incompatibilities?

[baldurga]

Hi to everybody,

I have a couple of questions:

a) I have an EPOX 8KHA+ (KT266A) and I am not sure if an ATI 9600Pro would run ok due to x4/x8 AGP. My mobo doesn't support x8 but x4, but I have heard that that's the only GPU that needs x8 support. Any light on this question?

b) I plan to buy a 9600Pro, but I don't know if it is worth to wait until 9600XT is out. My deadline is the end of October, and also Pro is about $150 while XT would be about $200, don't know if the difference correspond to increased performance. Any suggestions/ideas are welcome.

Thanks to all!


Still looking for a <b>good online retailer</b> in Spain :frown:

 

[cleeve]

a) It'll work fine in any system with 4x AGP

b) Always wait until there is a game you OWN that you cannot play, because hardware is always getting faster and cheaper. Even waiting 2 months can make a notable difference in price.

If you have games right NOW that are running too slow for your liking, the best price/performance is the Radeon 9700 non-pro or 9800 non-pro.

Stay away from anything that has "SE" in it though, i.e. 9800SE. These cards are gibbled (half the pipelines and memory bandwidth) and useless.

The 9600 PRO is a very good card too for a bit cheaper, the 9600XT won't be much better but it might be worth it to get the half-life 2 voucher.

------------------
Radeon 9500 (hardmodded to PRO, o/c to 322/322)
AMD AthlonXP 2400+ (o/c to 2600+ with 143 fsb)
3dMark03: 4055

 

[baldurga]

Thanks Cleeve.

The reason to upgrade is because me GF3Ti500 is showing its age. Currently the most demanding games I play are Morrowind and Dungeon Siege. I can't use AA or AF at 1024x768 and I would like.

I know time is always a key factor, but to tell you the truth I will travel to USA in a month and I want to take advantage of it, buying some components (my list grows every week!). In my country are horribly expensive.

Also, 9600Pro is about $150; 9800NP is about $250. I kwnow it performs better, but price is $100 higher, quite a lot and out of my budget. Still, I think price/performance belongs to 9600Pro.

Currently I am looking at newegg, but if anyone have another suggestion, that would be great. Also, websites are always cheaper than brick&mortar stores, right?


Still looking for a <b>good online retailer</b> in Spain :frown:

 

[cleeve]

Yup, for the price a $150 9600 PRO can't be beat.

ALthough, look around for 9700 non-pros! They can be around $200 if you're willing to spend the extra $50.

------------------
Radeon 9500 (hardmodded to PRO, o/c to 322/322)
AMD AthlonXP 2400+ (o/c to 2600+ with 143 fsb)
3dMark03: 4055