Radeon 9600 pro? Worth its price?

[Leviathan]

I'm going to buy a GC and came across Radeon 9600 pro. Later I discovered a review on www.tomshardware.com that made me hesitate.

http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030416/index.html

So I wonder if this chip is worth its price or if there are disadvantages.
I'd also be greatful for comments regarding in-game performance and game compability.

(I dont want to spend too much money.)

/Thanks

[NuGGeTTi]

get a 9800PRO it is around 350-400€ and it is definately worth the buck! just ordered one for my self!

[Indiana]

The 9600Pro definitely is one of the very few cards in the gfx-market that is worth its price.
For about €130-150 there's no real competition to this card. The 9600Pro manages overall very smooth and even framerates throughout most games, even 4xFSAA/8x aniso are often fully usable.
The only disadvantage of this card is that it is NOT a benchmark-runner.

So if high 3DMarks is more important to you than gameplay, this is not the card for you.

[Technoid]

Tom generally says bad things about ATI since Nvidia is lining his wallet

[Leviathan]

Thanks a lot!
But today, when I went to the shop to buy it, it was sold out.
(Bad omen?)

Anyway, I'll buy it, sooner or later.

[Fred H]

??? - Hercules 3D Prophet 9800SE AIW 128MB ???

??? - PowerColor Radeon 9700PRO AIW 128MB DDR ???

Video input, capture? TV out?

Comments, please.

Fred H

[Ribbit]

The 9700Pro will be much faster than the 9800SE.

[Indiana]

Yes, the 9700 will be MUCH faster.
Other features should be exactly the same, as AFAIK all Radeon AIW cards are equipped with the same RageTheater chip.

[Fred H]

Thanks,
and what about the:
Asus Radeon 9600XT 128MB DDR
AGP, ATI 9600XT, DVI-I, VIVO ?
It is cheaper, no TV tuner but I need only analog video input and TV output. TV tuner is not a major need here.
At the present I am sending video via SCSRT to a VCR and via the VCR's RF tuner to the TV. By this I can record video to VCR too.
I can also watch and capture from TV to the PC in the same way (of course, in the reversed direction)

How do these cards work in this setup?

Fred H

[Fat Tone]

All the following are on XP2500+'s with at least 512MB of PC3200:

I have a Connect 3D 9600Pro 128MB - gets around 3200 3dMark03s. (costs ~£120)
I just built a system using the ASUS 9600Pro XT - ~3700. (costs ~£145 and includes the HL2 voucher)

A mate bought 2off Hercules 9800SE AIW - both have softmodded to 9800Pro AIW. went from 3800 to 5800 with no o/c. costs £160.

I've played Simpsons H&R and Max Payne 2 so far on my 9600Pro and its very smooth indeed. The latest Tomb Raider game suffers a little.

HTH

T.

[gangster]

9700 non-pro is best value in the us, imo, $182 delivered. it is the cheapest way to get full 256 bit bus'. better than any 9600, especially when you use aa/af.


i realize you're not in the us, but maybe similar price scaling over there...?

[Fred H]

9700 non-pro is best value in the us

Non-pro is not a VIVO and not an aiw card.
It's not my thread, but I asked about different cards with VIVO or AIW. The game futures, speed is ok but not the major needs for me.

Has anybody a comment about the Asus Radeon 9600XT 128MB DDR
AGP, ATI 9600XT, DVI-I, VIVO, in comparation with other brands, regarding the video capture and video output to TV or VCR?

Fred H

[Indiana]

Hmm, some say the VIVO cards have (together with all other non-AIW cards) worse TVOut than those AIWs, because only the latter are equipped with the RageTheater chip.
I cannot really confirm this myself.

Be aware that the TVOut of the AIW as well as the VIVO will be a bit less sharp than that of your G400, though.
Otherwise, if you don't need the tuner, the realtime MPEG2-recording (not really possible with your system anyways...) and the other nice AIW features, the VIVO should be a nice and cost-efficient solution.

[gangster]

Originally posted by Fred H
Non-pro is not a VIVO and not an aiw card.
It's not my thread, but I asked about different cards with VIVO or AIW. The game futures, speed is ok but not the major needs for me.

Has anybody a comment about the Asus Radeon 9600XT 128MB DDR
AGP, ATI 9600XT, DVI-I, VIVO, in comparation with other brands, regarding the video capture and video output to TV or VCR?

Fred H

Gotcha.

There is a 9700 non-pro aiw for $280.

No experience with any 9600...

[Byock]

I love the 9800Pro AIW, has excellent TV-out, and is very easy to use.

And the gaming isn't half bad either.