do they make 256bit 9600pro/xt cards? I can only seem to find 128bit versions.?

as the thread implies, i was wondering if there are 256bit 9600pro/xt's out there, if so, can i please have a link? thanx

Yes they do, and they sell them as 9800 Pros.

Not quite, there are no 256bit 9600s, period. The 9600 has 4 pipelines and 128bit memory bus.
The only 256bit version of it would be a Radeon 9700/9800(non SE)/some specific 9500np (with L type memory positioning, which stands for 256bit).

My bad. I thought the 9600 Pro had 8 rendering pipelines. But you are correct, they only have 4.

georgelogy said:

My bad. I thought the 9600 Pro had 8 rendering pipelines. But you are correct, they only have 4.

Click to expand...

Doesn't change the fact that they sell some 9800 Pros or 9800 SE's with only 4 pipelines enabled, effectively making them a 9600 with a 256 bit bus.

I've even seen 9800 SE's with 4 pipes and a 128 bit bus, effectively making them a helluva lot slower than a 9600...but the 9800 makes dumb people think it's good.

http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/product.asp?pid=8509&sid=8LWHJLL9GQT09P2RRR5DP3MG85UL8B5E

??

Is 256 really that much better when it come to FPS in games?

Sure it is, having a 256bit bus doubles the memory bandwidth (compared to a 128bit bus). It's like going from SDRAM to DDR, it doubles the theoretical bandwidth. Of course that doesn't equate to double the FPS but it does mean more FPS. Memory bandwidth is especially important when you use AA, it will lessen the performance penalty. How much improvement you will see depends on the game, a game that is heavy on drawing ops (ie Doom 3) will benefit more from a faster core then more memory bandwidth but it will still help a bit.

What about WoW, EQ2, and Half life 2? Are they along the same lines of doom 3?

theres a 9800se thats alot like a 256 bit 9600xt but its listed as a 9800 in drivers. however why not just get a real 9700pro for just over $100

DenniSTi said:

What about WoW, EQ2, and Half life 2? Are they along the same lines of doom 3?

Click to expand...

Not really, there is a fair amount of pixel shading in EQ2 and HL2 so you would want a high end card (ie. XT or Ultra), not one of the cut down cards with a reduced number of piplines (SE etc). Don't get me wrong Doom 3 will see higher FPS with double the RAM bandwidth it's just more dependant on core speed. I don't know much about WoW's engine... I played Warcraft 3 but WoW is a whole other ballgame.

Anyways any game will benefit quite a bit from a 256bit bus compared to a 128. Usually 256bit cards aren't all that much more then their 128bit counterparts, you just have to be an educated buyer and not think that because the box says 9800 it is a (subjectively) high end card. You need to verify the core/mem clocks and width of the bus before you decide to get "that" 9800 because it's $20 cheaper then the other one.