Worth upgrading from 9700pro to 9800 XT?

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 07:40 PM

My wife wants to buy me the 9800 XT for Christmas. But i really need some faster memory and would like a Acrilic uv case. So this is my delema, get the 9800xt or the other goodies. Let me know if the 9800xt is really worth it over the 9700 Pro, which has the Zelman heatpipe on it, and a 36 cfm fan upgrade. I can get 420/375 with no artifacs. I thought that was good for a 9700pro.

BWX · Dec 11, 2003, 07:42 PM

Your system deserve's a 9800xt, or maybe wait till the new cards come out.

Zardon · Dec 11, 2003, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jjmd
My wife wants to buy me the 9800 XT for Christmas. But i really need some faster memory and would like a Acrilic uv case. So this is my delema, get the 9800xt or the other goodies. Let me know if the 9800xt is really worth it over the 9700 Pro, which has the Zelman heatpipe on it, and a 36 cfm fan upgrade. I can get 420/375 with no artifacs. I thought that was good for a 9700pro.

ah quite a dilemma you have here, but its a good one ...... not a "how do I pay the bills" !

Well the 9700 pro is still a fabulous card and the fact you can hit 420 core is a strong argument for you getting the other goodies instead.

You have to weigh the ups and downs here. in theory with the 9800 XT you will get more notable performance in gaming if you play at the highest resolutions and want all the eye candy on maximum, the 9700 pro wont be able to handle this as well, especially if you start overclocking the 9800 XT card. Until I actually tested out the XT I thought it wasnt going to make much of a difference with gaming , but at 1600x1200 when frame rates are so crucial it really does make a noticeable difference.

In your case though, I would say, get the other goodies now, especially the better memory (one of the most important parts of a rig) as this will help overall system performance and save some money for the next ATI card coming out early (ish) next year.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Dec 11, 2003, 07:49 PM

9800 xt is a waste upgrading from a 9700 pro

the overdrive feature isnt anything fantastic and overclocking the 9700 pro, your cpu and a really good dual kit and mobo will get u the performance u need really. uve got a good proc and good mobo overclock it, add some ram heatsinks to the 9700 pro if possible and pc 3500 ram

blade5545 · Dec 11, 2003, 07:53 PM

For that kina money go for watercooling and get rid of those tornado fans.

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zardon
ah quite a dilemma you have here, but its a good one ...... not a "how do I pay the bills" !

Well the 9700 pro is still a fabulous card and the fact you can hit 420 core is a strong argument for you getting the other goodies instead.

You have to weigh the ups and downs here. in theory with the 9800 XT you will get more notable performance in gaming if you play at the highest resolutions and want all the eye candy on maximum, the 9700 pro wont be able to handle this as well, especially if you start overclocking the 9800 XT card. Until I actually tested out the XT I thought it wasnt going to make much of a difference with gaming , but at 1600x1200 when frame rates are so crucial it really does make a noticeable difference.

In your case though, I would say, get the other goodies now, especially the better memory (one of the most important parts of a rig) as this will help overall system performance and save some money for the next ATI card coming out early (ish) next year.

Thanks Zardon, thats what i was thinking, as my memory is just one stick and i can't get over 220 fsb with it. Maybe some Cosair DDR 500 pro 2 x 512 would do the trick.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1

And this Acrylic Case.

http://www.case-mod.com/store/produc...roducts_id=630

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blade5545
For that kina money go for watercooling and get rid of those tornado fans.

I hear u "well maybe not" LOL. Was going to go water but just haven't found what i wanted. If i want to get one boxed or go peice by peice. As this is the next project on my list. I have been reading up on water systems and want to get the best from the start and not buy one and have to up grade the hell out of it to get what i want.

Zardon · Dec 11, 2003, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jjmd
Thanks Zardon, thats what i was thinking, as my memory is just one stick and i can't get over 220 fsb with it. Maybe some Cosair DDR 500 pro 2 x 512 would do the trick.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1

And this Acrylic Case.

http://www.case-mod.com/store/produc...roducts_id=630

sounds like a good plan to me. let us know how it goes, top end memory is worth every penny, especially when you overclock hard. and your 9700 pro is no slouch either.

new ati hardware next year will be asskickingly good, not sure if the XT is worth your specific upgrade for the time being. your move seems good to me.

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zardon
sounds like a good plan to me. let us know how it goes, top end memory is worth every penny, especially when you overclock hard. and your 9700 pro is no slouch either.

new ati hardware next year will be asskickingly good, not sure if the XT is worth your specific upgrade for the time being. your move seems good to me.

My only problem about buying memory right now is that i will be going AMD 64 here soon and the memory has to be reg right! Owell i guess i will have a nice second setup.

swimtech · Dec 11, 2003, 09:07 PM

Guys (jjmd particularly),

I would have thought that an upgrade to a 9800XT would be overkill, but from reading the Visiontek review here it shows an overall improvement in actual frame rates of between 10-20% over a 9800 pro at stock speeds, much less what it would show over a 9700 pro (granted jjmd's is overclocked) - probably more like 20+% minimum. The 1:1 improvement in FSB that is going to be gained by going to PC4000 memory (250Mhz) is only 15% over your present 220Mhz fsb. Unless all the increase in memory bandwidth translates directly into framerate increases during gameplay (and it generally doesn't), then the greatest improvement in gameplay speed (granted - only at highest resolutions with eye-candy turned up) would come from the upgrade of the video card to a 9800XT and overclocking it a bit.

That being said, the memory may do 260-270 (with voltage jump and luck) which would translate to an increase of 20-25% in memory bandwidth (if the CPU uses every bit of the increase) which should translate to an increase of 10-15% in application performance for all programs, and the OS, and
games.

If you use the computer primarily for gameplay at high resolution, consider getting the 9800XT over the memory upgrade - the increased performance is double (give or take) over what it would be even with overclocked PC4000 ram, and will futher futureproof the unit gamewise.

If you would be satisfied with a 10+% increase in performance across all apps and willing to wait for the next ATI rev, get the memory. BTW, the OCZ memory will likely do better 1:1 (it hit 270Mhz, the Corsair wouldn't make it that high according to CPU magazine - but in overclocking - as always - your mileage may vary).

I really can't believe I'm tossing my two cents in this way - but the numbers say... Just consider carefully what you really want.

~~craig588~~ · Dec 11, 2003, 09:23 PM

I would save up an get a prommie mach II. (thats what I'm saving up for right now

) forget about any upgrades for a while. the prommie should trreat you very nicely once you get it.

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by swimtech
Guys (jjmd particularly),

I would have thought that an upgrade to a 9800XT would be overkill, but from reading the Visiontek review here it shows an overall improvement in actual frame rates of between 10-20% over a 9800 pro at stock speeds, much less what it would show over a 9700 pro (granted jjmd's is overclocked) - probably more like 20+% minimum. The 1:1 improvement in FSB that is going to be gained by going to PC4000 memory (250Mhz) is only 15% over your present 220Mhz fsb. Unless all the increase in memory bandwidth translates directly into framerate increases during gameplay (and it generally doesn't), then the greatest improvement in gameplay speed (granted - only at highest resolutions with eye-candy turned up) would come from the upgrade of the video card to a 9800XT and overclocking it a bit.

That being said, the memory may do 260-270 (with voltage jump and luck) which would translate to an increase of 20-25% in memory bandwidth (if the CPU uses every bit of the increase) which should translate to an increase of 10-15% in application performance for all programs, and the OS, and
games.

If you use the computer primarily for gameplay at high resolution, consider getting the 9800XT over the memory upgrade - the increased performance is double (give or take) over what it would be even with overclocked PC4000 ram, and will futher futureproof the unit gamewise.

If you would be satisfied with a 10+% increase in performance across all apps and willing to wait for the next ATI rev, get the memory. BTW, the OCZ memory will likely do better 1:1 (it hit 270Mhz, the Corsair wouldn't make it that high according to CPU magazine - but in overclocking - as always - your mileage may vary).

I really can't believe I'm tossing my two cents in this way - but the numbers say... Just consider carefully what you really want.

Thanks for the reply, Makes for some thought. But i just dont play games, my computer is use all acrossed the board from digital editing to Grafix rendering to data base and movie editing. So i guess what it comes down to is, what i want most first. So i guess i have some thinking to do.

toddsmack2k · Dec 11, 2003, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jjmd
My only problem about buying memory right now is that i will be going AMD 64 here soon and the memory has to be reg right! Owell i guess i will have a nice second setup.

Only the FX has to have registered memory. Not the 3200. I also think you are better served to do a system upgrade instead of the 9800. You will really see the benefit with the rest of your system faster. I have a 9700 Pro with a 3200 64 AMD. I am going to wait until next year for the upgrade GPU wise.

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 09:32 PM

Only the FX needs reg memory, great that might just sway me to system upgrade then instead of vid right now. Thanks Todd

toddsmack2k · Dec 11, 2003, 09:39 PM

NP jjmd, the 320 64 bit chip runs standard memory. Go for at least 400 Mhz or higher.

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 09:43 PM

will do buddy, is AMD releasing any faster 64's any time soon. Just wondering.

swimtech · Dec 11, 2003, 09:44 PM

The memory upgrade is 100.00 less too...

toddsmack2k · Dec 11, 2003, 09:45 PM

Yes is really all I can say. i dont know of an exact time line but it will be soon i bet

jjmd · Dec 11, 2003, 10:46 PM

Who makes the best MOB for the AMD 64. I like these, any good.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1

I think the NVDIA nForce 3 pro150 will be better than VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237 What do you think.

toddsmack2k · Dec 12, 2003, 02:25 PM

ATM the Via chipsets have less problems. I think the Nforce will end up being faster but as of now they are about dead even speed wise. I would go with the Via for stability.

Dec 11, 2003, 07:40 PM	#1
jjmd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In Your Mothers Closet... Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	Worth upgrading from 9700pro to 9800 XT? My wife wants to buy me the 9800 XT for Christmas. But i really need some faster memory and would like a Acrilic uv case. So this is my delema, get the 9800xt or the other goodies. Let me know if the 9800xt is really worth it over the 9700 Pro, which has the Zelman heatpipe on it, and a 36 cfm fan upgrade. I can get 420/375 with no artifacs. I thought that was good for a 9700pro. __________________ [COLOR=blue]Win XP Pro all updates.[/COLOR] [COLOR=blue]Asus Crosshair, Amd 64 X2 6000. 4 GB Cosair Dominator,2 MSI 7900gs 512 mg, 2 raptor 150 gig in raid 0. 22inch View Sonic LCD, 2 HP 16x dvd burners, and some other crap. HE HE HE. [/COLOR]

Dec 11, 2003, 07:42 PM	#2
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,669 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Your system deserve's a 9800xt, or maybe wait till the new cards come out. __________________

Dec 11, 2003, 07:49 PM	#4
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	9800 xt is a waste upgrading from a 9700 pro the overdrive feature isnt anything fantastic and overclocking the 9700 pro, your cpu and a really good dual kit and mobo will get u the performance u need really. uve got a good proc and good mobo overclock it, add some ram heatsinks to the 9700 pro if possible and pc 3500 ram __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard

Dec 11, 2003, 07:53 PM	#5
blade5545 Shoots first ask's questions later Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Austin,TX Posts: 330 Rep Power: 0	For that kina money go for watercooling and get rid of those tornado fans. __________________ Dell Inspiron 700m 2 ghz Intel Mobile 2mb L2 cache 12.1 Ultrabrite 1.25 gig ram 80gig hdd 8x DVD-RW 4.5lbs 1.5" thick 5 hours battery DFI NF4 Ultra - D AMD Winchester 64 3200+ @4125+ 2.62ghz sold Swiftech H20-120-BB REV. 3 LIQUID COOLING KIT 2x512 OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Dual Channel sold Platinum Rev 2 OCZ POWERSTREAM 520W sold ATI X700 PRO SEAGATE 160GIG SATA Windows XP PRO SP2 / PearPC - Apple OS X 10.2 Unknown "The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself."

Dec 11, 2003, 09:07 PM	#10
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	Guys (jjmd particularly), I would have thought that an upgrade to a 9800XT would be overkill, but from reading the Visiontek review here it shows an overall improvement in actual frame rates of between 10-20% over a 9800 pro at stock speeds, much less what it would show over a 9700 pro (granted jjmd's is overclocked) - probably more like 20+% minimum. The 1:1 improvement in FSB that is going to be gained by going to PC4000 memory (250Mhz) is only 15% over your present 220Mhz fsb. Unless all the increase in memory bandwidth translates directly into framerate increases during gameplay (and it generally doesn't), then the greatest improvement in gameplay speed (granted - only at highest resolutions with eye-candy turned up) would come from the upgrade of the video card to a 9800XT and overclocking it a bit. That being said, the memory may do 260-270 (with voltage jump and luck) which would translate to an increase of 20-25% in memory bandwidth (if the CPU uses every bit of the increase) which should translate to an increase of 10-15% in application performance for all programs, and the OS, and games. If you use the computer primarily for gameplay at high resolution, consider getting the 9800XT over the memory upgrade - the increased performance is double (give or take) over what it would be even with overclocked PC4000 ram, and will futher futureproof the unit gamewise. If you would be satisfied with a 10+% increase in performance across all apps and willing to wait for the next ATI rev, get the memory. BTW, the OCZ memory will likely do better 1:1 (it hit 270Mhz, the Corsair wouldn't make it that high according to CPU magazine - but in overclocking - as always - your mileage may vary). I really can't believe I'm tossing my two cents in this way - but the numbers say... Just consider carefully what you really want. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Dec 11, 2003, 09:23 PM	#11
~~craig588~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In clothing Posts: 3,510 Rep Power: 0	I would save up an get a prommie mach II. (thats what I'm saving up for right now ) forget about any upgrades for a while. the prommie should trreat you very nicely once you get it.

Dec 11, 2003, 09:32 PM	Thread Starter #14
jjmd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In Your Mothers Closet... Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	Only the FX needs reg memory, great that might just sway me to system upgrade then instead of vid right now. Thanks Todd __________________ [COLOR=blue]Win XP Pro all updates.[/COLOR] [COLOR=blue]Asus Crosshair, Amd 64 X2 6000. 4 GB Cosair Dominator,2 MSI 7900gs 512 mg, 2 raptor 150 gig in raid 0. 22inch View Sonic LCD, 2 HP 16x dvd burners, and some other crap. HE HE HE. [/COLOR]

Dec 11, 2003, 09:39 PM	#15
toddsmack2k It Never..... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,173 Rep Power: 0	NP jjmd, the 320 64 bit chip runs standard memory. Go for at least 400 Mhz or higher. __________________ [color=blue]*Bleeding From the Inside Pouring Out, The* *DriverHeaven* Spiral, We Shall Never Let Go Of.[/color]

Dec 11, 2003, 09:43 PM	Thread Starter #16
jjmd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In Your Mothers Closet... Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	will do buddy, is AMD releasing any faster 64's any time soon. Just wondering. __________________ [COLOR=blue]Win XP Pro all updates.[/COLOR] [COLOR=blue]Asus Crosshair, Amd 64 X2 6000. 4 GB Cosair Dominator,2 MSI 7900gs 512 mg, 2 raptor 150 gig in raid 0. 22inch View Sonic LCD, 2 HP 16x dvd burners, and some other crap. HE HE HE. [/COLOR]

Dec 11, 2003, 09:44 PM	#17
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	The memory upgrade is 100.00 less too... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Dec 11, 2003, 09:45 PM	#18
toddsmack2k It Never..... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,173 Rep Power: 0	Yes is really all I can say. i dont know of an exact time line but it will be soon i bet __________________ [color=blue]*Bleeding From the Inside Pouring Out, The* *DriverHeaven* Spiral, We Shall Never Let Go Of.[/color]

Dec 11, 2003, 10:46 PM	Thread Starter #19
jjmd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In Your Mothers Closet... Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	Who makes the best MOB for the AMD 64. I like these, any good. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1 I think the NVDIA nForce 3 pro150 will be better than VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237 What do you think. __________________ [COLOR=blue]Win XP Pro all updates.[/COLOR] [COLOR=blue]Asus Crosshair, Amd 64 X2 6000. 4 GB Cosair Dominator,2 MSI 7900gs 512 mg, 2 raptor 150 gig in raid 0. 22inch View Sonic LCD, 2 HP 16x dvd burners, and some other crap. HE HE HE. [/COLOR]

Dec 12, 2003, 02:25 PM	#20
toddsmack2k It Never..... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,173 Rep Power: 0	ATM the Via chipsets have less problems. I think the Nforce will end up being faster but as of now they are about dead even speed wise. I would go with the Via for stability. __________________ [color=blue]*Bleeding From the Inside Pouring Out, The* *DriverHeaven* Spiral, We Shall Never Let Go Of.[/color]