The 1st cheap fx 5900 is out on newegg

[TomaHawk47x]

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=14-128-162

seems like a good deal, but how does it stack up against the sapphire 9800np which is $40 cheaper?

[cursor]

This is some weird new definition of cheap that I'm not familiar with... $289..?! :eek:

I paid $267 for my refurb 9800 pro!

[Speed_Mechanic2]

An OEM ATI (BBA) Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB goes for $297 at BuyXG.Com, or $306 at NewEgg. A Retail Gigabyte Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB goes for $330 from NewEgg/AccuPC.

This makes buying a NV35 Non-Ultra quite pointless. Those who spend the extra $50-$80 for a Radeon 9800 Pro are those who are wary of overclocking. Besides this, everyone goes for a Radeon 9800 Non-Pro, or a 9600 Pro for lesser cost.

[saulin]

Buying a 9800 np can make you have 9800 pro speeds but if you buy the 9800 pro you can have speeds way beyond 9800 pro speeds.

so when you do comparisons like that you are forgetting that the higher end card will always beat all the others since it will also overclock a bunch.

for example my FX5900U is probably running as fast or even faster than the next Nvidia card that is not here yet.

same with CPUs.

My 3.0C costs a ton of $$$ less than the 3.2C and it's running faster than the next Intel CPU that is not out yet.


I don't know about you but I love to play my games maxed with the highest FSAA and AF my system can handle.

Just my 2 cents.

[Silversinksam]

Originally posted by Speed_Mechanic2


This makes buying a NV35 Non-Ultra quite pointless. Those who spend the extra $50-$80 for a Radeon 9800 Pro are those who are wary of overclocking. Besides this, everyone goes for a Radeon 9800 Non-Pro, or a 9600 Pro for lesser cost.

What about those that got a 9800 pro for the cost of a non pro or less than what Newegg is charging for this 5900? People like cursor and I definetily are not wary of overclocking, I assure you ;)

I also agree with what Saulin says,
Buying a 9800 np can make you have 9800 pro speeds but if you buy the 9800 pro you can have speeds way beyond 9800 pro speeds."

The reason he's right is although the cards physicly may be identicle, many non pros don't come with the 2.8ns memory, some pros have Hynix 2ns chips (then again Nvidia has some cards with this 2ns chips as well, but they 'ain't' cheap.


To each his own, you just have to decide whats best for you.

Nothing wrong with a 9800 non pro as its a good value, and the 5900's are starting to come down in price as well. Both are good.

[Gautam]

Originally posted by Silversinksam


What about those that got a 9800 pro for the cost of a non pro or less than what Newegg is charging for this 5900? People like cursor and I definetily are not wary of overclocking, I assure you ;)

I also agree with what Saulin says,
Buying a 9800 np can make you have 9800 pro speeds but if you buy the 9800 pro you can have speeds way beyond 9800 pro speeds."

The reason he's right is although the cards physicly may be identicle, many non pros don't come with the 2.8ns memory, some pros have Hynix 2ns chips (then again Nvidia has some cards with this 2ns chips as well, but they 'ain't' cheap.


To each his own, you just have to decide whats best for you.

Nothing wrong with a 9800 non pro as its a good value, and the 5900's are starting to come down in price as well. Both are good.

Not everyone can get that lucky, SSS. ;) The 3.3ns commonly found on 9800np's overclocks just about 10mhz(20mhz DDR) less than the 2.8ns found on the Pro's. The 2ns Hynix chips don't overclock much better than the 2.8ns Samsung ones. I've ran my 9800np at speeds ranging from below stock 9800np to far far above 9800pro speeds, and I couldn't see any difference in any games. Maybe its just me, but once these cards get fast to a point, anything further is just overkill. IMHO, there isn't much point to the 9800pro's/ FX's other than for benchmarking, etc, which I understand can be important for many. The question now is, how well does the 5900 overclock in comparison to an Ultra?

[Speed_Mechanic2]

Where have some gotten Radeon 9800 Pro's with Hynix 2ns memory?

Sapphire Radeon 9800's both use the same Samsung memory. The 2.86ns memory used by the Radeon 9800 Pro has slightly higher timings then the 3.3ns memory used in the Non-Pro. They both come off the same lines, and are rated differantly using the same process as microprocessors. So usually a 2.86ns Radeon 9800 Pro will overclock better then a 3.3ns Non-Pro, of course :)

But just the fact that the similarities between the Radeon 9800 Pro and Non-Pro are so great (the Pro is basically just a hand-picked Non-Pro) purchasing one falls generally to one's personal taste. Those who want the gaurentee go for the Pro, those who go for something more risky/better deal choose the Non-Pro.

[Silversinksam]

Originally posted by Speed_Mechanic2
Where have some gotten Radeon 9800 Pro's with Hynix 2ns memory?

Sapphire Radeon 9800's both use the same Samsung memory. The 2.86ns memory used by the Radeon 9800 Pro has slightly higher timings then the 3.3ns memory used in the Non-Pro. They both come off the same lines, and are rated differantly using the same process as microprocessors. So usually a 2.86ns Radeon 9800 Pro will overclock better then a 3.3ns Non-Pro, of course :)

But just the fact that the similarities between the Radeon 9800 Pro and Non-Pro are so great (the Pro is basically just a hand-picked Non-Pro) purchasing one falls generally to one's personal taste. Those who want the gaurentee go for the Pro, those who go for something more risky/better deal choose the Non-Pro.

Some powercolor cards use the Hynix 2ns memory