Sapphire uses faster memory

[bandikoot]

on the 9600XT. <A HREF="http://www.beyond3d.com/reviews/sapphire/9600xt/" target="_new"> Does it matter? </A>

 

[Vimp]

Thats very interesting. Can anyone tell me what saphire's warrenty is? Is it just 1 year?

 

[Vapor]

Weird that it doesn't reach it's spec speed of 350MHz though...only 343MHz.

Stock performance is good, though only slightly better than ATi's.

Maxtor disgraces the six letters that make Matrox.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Of course.

The question is does it matter if they are similar memory chips.

And like Vapor says, that's a pretty low OC for such a high rated memory module (but maybe it's just the method). My R9600Pro does 530/360 stable without issue. The main thing is that ATI decided not to give people the same overclocking potential that those of us with the R9600P had. You can get faster memory still from other vendors. Personallly I'm not too impressed, it's not the Fireblade edition or something that would lend to that heritage. Even the BRAVO and Extreme editions out there have much faster memory (2.5ns) which would go much further.

Often it's a SMALL margin, but the BBA model is not a good one to compare to, compare it to the Hercules, ASUS, HIS (<A HREF="http://www.gamersdepot.com/hardware/video_cards/his/9600xt/001.htm" target="_new">reviewed here</A> and <A HREF="http://www.hardavenue.com/reviews/his9600xt1.shtml" target="_new">here</A>). The Sapphire NON-Fireblade edition does not come with Thermal Diodes unlike the ASUS and Hercules boards (along with the ATIs). Not sure how Overdrive works on these non-Fireblade cards without the thermal sensors.

BTW, if you read the article you would be able to decide for yourself if the performance difference mattered to you or not.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[bandikoot]

The question wasn't for myself, it was more rhetorical. Well that's not quite right; it was for all the others who might read the article. Through the magic of the internet I expect people to telepathically understand my meaning. As for whether or not the BBA was the card to compare it to or not I'm not going to judge. Within the context of what I pick up lurking around these forums and reading what people recommend, it does seem like the BBA is the "gold standard" that everyone seems to be comparing the other ati cards against, intentional or not, so in that manner it might be considered a worthy opponent. Now, I must find a light bulb as I had to type that last sentance in a suddenly very dark room.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Yeah, and generally I would say that BBA cards are the gold standard, however for most of us the Reference BBA R9600XT was a BIG dissapointment. I mean seriously. A wicked new core, and then you give it CRAPPIER memory? Thankfully alot of their OEM partners quickly diverged from that path to nowhere. Seriously, this was a GREAT opportunity to put just a little more juice in the cab the way these other OEMs did and give it more memory bandwidth which is really what would benifit the R9600 series most. Just imagine what an R9600XT core with memory siimilar to that of the FX5700U could do? Some 2.5ns memory running at 350+ would have made a HUGE dent in the FX5700U's advantages in higher res., and would've helped it much more against the R9500P which also pulls away dramatically at higher res.

This is one of the few examples where it is a perfromance disadvantage to go with BBA. Sure some of the features are nice but if you are thinking of the R9600XT, and you are definitely going to overclock then the BBA is one to avoid because of the memory.

Sad really. I just hope they don't repeat that for the RV380 or I will have to wait for the OEM-partner's gear to hit shelves (should I decide that route instead of the R42X).


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK