[Will Eatforfood]

9000 pro vs. 8500 LE
Which card do you prefer?I have 9000p, but how is this compared to 8500LE?It seems that the HYNIX 8500LE is better than 9000pro in a chart on one of the posts..........

[scanido]

I like the 9000Pro because it offered me the DVI out for my LCD. I think in gaming they both will work almost the same.

[IR1]

The 8500le is faster than the 9000pro. Unless you get the 8500le clocked at like 200/175 from crucial... bleh. But a 230/230 or 250/250 8500le will easily beat a 9000pro. Not by a giant margin but a medium sized margin.

My bro has a 9000pro and it works fine for him. All he does is play GTA3.

I cant remember the exact difference between the cards... I think the 8500 has more TMU's? or Pipes? Someone else must know.

[Will Eatforfood]

Also, does it matter the MB once you get from 64 to 128?Because I've seen charts that say 128 mb cards might perform lower than 64............

[IR1]

eh the larger memory ones may have slightly slower memory. That can always be fixed with a quick OC. But the 128MB memory can handle higher detailed games because you have more room for textures and other stuff.

[Shade00]

Originally posted by Will Eatforfood
Also, does it matter the MB once you get from 64 to 128?Because I've seen charts that say 128 mb cards might perform lower than 64............

That's likely because many of the LE 128mb cards come clocked lower than the 64mb cards.

Anyway, if you have a 9000 Pro and are considering upgrading to an 8500LE (aka 9100), I would say don't do it. Save up and get a card that you'll actually see a difference with.

Edit: I think you'll see a bigger improvement by upgrading that PIII 450 to a Tualatin Celeron 1.4 w/Upgradeware Slocket. Total cost: ~$80.

[Will Eatforfood]

Does an LE have all the features of a 9000pro?......Also, I read somewhere that spec for spec, the 8500 beats LE.....and if LE is faster than 9000pro, can I conclude that 8500 is best out of all three?with the same amount of features I assume?Lastly......(sorry,but).......Doesn't Splinter Cell require DX9 in order to play?Does a lot of games require DX9 to play?

[Shade00]

The 8500 is better than the 8500LE/9100 and 9000 Pro, but only by a very slim margin. It simply has higher clockspeeds than the 8500LE.

I don't think Splinter Cell would require hardware DX9 support. Any of those video cards will work fine with the latest Catalyst drivers and the DX9 software from Microsoft.

I'll reiterate though: if you are running that 450mhz processor, I would suggest you upgrade that before you try upgrading to an 8500. The processor will hold you back so much that you won't see a difference between a 9000 Pro and an 8500.

[Will Eatforfood]

Thanks......I'll try to upgrade ASAP.......I'm considering P4 instead of Celeron tho......I heard Cel is somewhat weaker or something,but oc's great.....

[Shade00]

Well if you're going to upgrade your entire system and want to spend a bunch of money, then go with P4.

The Celeron I'm talking about fits into a slocket adapter and will work in the system you have currently. It's a very simple upgrade and it performs very well - the Celerons you've heard about are the ones based on the P4 core, a different (and slower) beast altogether.

[JeffnNetti]

Just wanted to confirm that the 8500 and 8500LE are indeed the same card except the clock speeds, though at the end of LE production some manufactuers were making some really sad cards with horridly slow memory so watch out for those.

My 8500LE came stock at 250/250 and my 8500 is 275/275 but for some odd reason the LE will OC to 300/300 and run perfect while the other wont.

[dryars]

Just wanted to confirm that the 8500 and 8500LE are indeed the same card except the clock speeds, though at the end of LE production some manufactuers were making some really sad cards with horridly slow memory so watch out for those.

Yes the clock speeds are the only difference between the cards.

8500 Retail == 275/275
8500LE == 250/250
8500LELE == 230/230.. and worse...