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Thread ID: 41602	2004-01-16 02:28:00	Radeon Cards... please explain	fergie (424)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
207853	2004-01-16 02:28:00	Hi. Ive been a hard core Nvidia supporter ever since i've been into computers (only like 5 years...) First vid card was a TNT, then got the pro version, then the Geforce 2, geforce 4, and currently i have a GF FX 5200 (i was low on $$ when i go tit - reget the move every time i play a game...) But I've just seen a Radeon 9600 XT 256mb 500MHz on sale for $360 I thought this was a bargin - a 256mb card for $360 But, i've never followed Radeon - so i don't no anything bout them. Whats the XT? is that better/worse than the PRO? Whats the 9600 like? i take it the higher the number, the better the card? a 9800 is better than the 9600? And what would the 9600 compare to with the Nvidia brand? would this be a good purchase? upgrading from a GF FX 5200, and needed for games - play the latest for the next year or so? o - and whats GeCube the maker like?	fergie (424)
207854	2004-01-16 03:34:00	'sup Fergie, yeah I'm with you on this one... the new Radeon's are kick@$$. Just finished reading the latest PC Powerplay mag and they have a great review of the nVidia's 5700, 5900, 5950 and ATI's 9600XT and 9800XT, the results speak for themselves, the Radeons are currenty mopping the floor with the FX cards, by quite a few points, from what I gather nVidia's Pixel Shader 2.0 is not working very well so they are playing catchup at the moment. If you're planning an upgrade I would go for it but there are things to remember. 1)ATI's driver's are known to have problems.. ie some cards work better with certain driver versions and others don't really care. The nVidia driver's are a quite a bit more stable than the ATI ones. No good having all that grunt if your drivers keep acting up? 2) Expect to pay a few extra penny's, the price you stated sounds pretty good, does it come with dual output, D-Sub & DVI, TV-Out etc. The straight answer to your question would be yes buying an ATI card to replace a FX5200 is a good upgrade, better DX9 support, improved shading, more memory and the clock speeds and over-clocking ability is not too bad at all. Personally I wouldn't mind a 9800XT but I ain't got $1000.00 to spend on it.... cheers chiefnz	chiefnz (545)
207855	2004-01-16 03:44:00	o yeah, it aslo comes with half life 2 (o - a coupon - get it when its out) I'm off to order it: O - first tho - theres nothing wrong with Gecube aye?	fergie (424)
207856	2004-01-16 04:08:00	ATI's drivers have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few year adn drivers shouldnt put you off buying a radeon. Here is the order of current cards from slowest to fastest: 9200SE 9200 9200PRO 9600SE 9600 9600PRO 9600XT 9800SE* 9800 9800PRO 9800XT *it is debatable whether or not the 9800SE is faster than a 9600PRO or XT. The XT's ATI's latest release and only really offer clock speed increases and new temp monitoring. But in saying that they are awsome cards. If you were wishing to stay with nVidia then the 5700 Ultra has proven to be a good preformer. Personally i still have doubts about the nVidia card preformance under DX9.0. Toms Hardware has recently done a HUGH roundup of graphics cards ranking then check it out: www.tomshardware.com	Pete O'Neil (250)
207857	2004-01-16 07:01:00	Hey, sorry to hear that you bought the FX 5200 tricked by the "FX" bit huh? ; ) Anyway, an Radeon 9600 Pro will be slightly better than the FX 5600/5700. Personally, I would recommend the 9800 Non pro. It kicks the !@$% out of the 9600 specially when u turn up the goodies (AA and AF) and the resolution. It's not too expensive neither, around $560 incl GST. XT is the latest range from ATI, main difference being a feature they call "Overdrive". In short overdrive is just a safer way to overclock ur graphics card, bascially it continuousy set new clock and memory speed depending on ur cards temperature. Not very useful if you ask me... and definitely not worth the extra money. Hope this helps : )	Kenshin (2501)
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