[LilBuddy]

can some of yall please help me find a new video card. i just bought unreal tournament 2004 and i think the graphics could be better with a new card. i have used my onboard gf4 mx440 on my epox 8rga+ and my radeon 7500 on the game, and i think the radeon runs it better.

what cards do yall think would run this game good and also future games comin out before too long? i don't mind overclocking much, as long as it isn't too difficult and can be done modestly.

thanks

[russm]

how much do you want to spend? right now radeon 9800 pros you can get for a really good price and there pretty much the best thing you can get. for around $210 you can get one shipped.
even look for some refurbished ones for around $150, other then that the 9700 pro is still good, and the 5900 is very good aswell, almost as much as the 9800, but a little cheaper, probly around $170. for cheaper cards, maybe a nvidia 5600, or a 9600 pro... they will get you for around $100. but seeing as how everyones making the switch to direct x 9, these direct x 8 cards arent gonna get you very far. so make the jump and get high nvidia fx series, or a ati 9700 or better. the 9700, 9800 are gonna handle direct x 9 much better then the nvidias, but it will cost you a slight bit more.

[Mr.Radar]

Get the Sapphire 9800 Pro for $210 at Newegg.com Absolute best value out there!

[LilBuddy]

what marks should i expect with the sapphire 9800 pro, and what should i expect from the powercolor 9800SE for $156.

are the nvidias even worth considering compared to the 9800's?

any 9600s around $200 any good?

[HiProfile]

I've been looking around at different ATI options myself, and from what I can see, the 9700 pro & 9800 non-pro give the best fps performance per dollar. The only problem is finding them - newegg's only 9700 pro is powercolor, but reviewers seem to have probs with those 9700 pro's; likewise, the only 9800np at newegg is a powercolor too...

To make things worse, people are saying new boards with BOTH agp and a 16x pci express slots will perform worse than those w/o agp...and I'm in desperate need to upgrade my video card (gf2 ti...grr, stop laughing!).

I want good performance (reason for avoiding 9600pro), reliability (not wanting used/refurb or powercolor), but don't want to spend TOO much if I only use this card for 12-18 months (lol, I've had this gh2 ti since the gf4's were announced...)

I'll probably settle for a 9800 pro tho...



edit: btw, I'm using the USA dollar for reference...I'd say a 9600SE for anything more than half the price of a 9800 pro is a rip-off...although ANY SE model is a rip-off (9600SE is half the nominal frames per second as a 9600 pro).

[rabdatrox]

Originally posted by LilBuddy
what marks should i expect with the sapphire 9800 pro, and what should i expect from the powercolor 9800SE for $156.

are the nvidias even worth considering compared to the 9800's?

any 9600s around $200 any good?

Absolutely don't get a 9800se unless it's a rare 256bit version and any 9600 over 165 is overpriced.

Your options from ATI are some form of a 9800/9700(non se) or possibly a well priced 9600xt.

Nvidia only look at the 5900xt/se or a 5900(non-ultra)

[LilBuddy]

which one out of these?

5900 SE: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...130-179&depa=0

9800 SE: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-236&depa=0


9800 pro: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...102-268&depa=0

the SE and the 5900SE are really more in my price range. would the 9800 SE turn into a pro pretty easily? that seems like it would be the most economical

[Sentential]

from what ive heard that SE will mod into a 98pro. Besides just look at the reviews. If I were gonna buy something it would be the SE.

[skitlets]

dangerious taking chances with softmod. odds are, the 9800se wont work. 5900 non-pro non-xt or se is a good bet. the xt is just a slightly underclocked version of the card, still good performers. about as good or a little better than the 9700pros. id say 9800 non-pros or the 5900's are good bang for your buck, and if u have a little more, go for the 9800 pro.

edit - 5900se better than 9800se. 9800se actually performs worse than 9600xt's in most situations.

[LilBuddy]

how much better will one of these cards do than my radeon 7500? will the difference in the games be huge?

[Goateh]

hell yes

You would notice alot smoother gameplay and soooo many more fps. Not to mention the Image quality will be alot sharper and clearer in most cases. Definately worth the upgrade

[ocicide]

Just a little FYI on newegg refurbs. My AIW9700p died and i needed a replacement immediatly, just happened to find a refurbed AIW 9800p on newegg for $220. Wasnt sure i wanted to roll the dice and go w/ a refurbed card, but needed one asap. Went with it and couldnt be happier, card came in perfect brand new condition, for that price you cant go wrong.