I got a Radeon VE knock-off!

[Leviathan_25]

Arggg!!! I ordered a Radeon VE (32 MB) from Half.com thinking I got a good deal on a card. When I got it in, I immediately started having problems with it and things went from bad to worse. The DVD program did not work _and_ locked my computer; the Software drivers had bugs in it. If something could have been wrong, you name it.

I spent almost a whole month now trying to figure out what was wrong with my card and getting ****ed off. There was no tech support on ATI.com. The drivers weren't working. NOTHING was working!

After a month of reading, I finally found out that I got a "Powered by ATI" card, which means it's a card that uses a Radeon chip but it's not made by ATI, and they _won't_ offer any support for the card. Instead, you have to try to find support through the manufacturer of your card.

But in my case, my card is a _complete_ KNOCK-OFF! There is no manufacturer name anywhere on the box or the card, so I can't get any help with drivers or the buggy software or the DVD program that crashes when I try to use it. I'm stuck with a bad card, and I spent $55 on this crap.

ARGGGG!!!! If anybody is out there, beware of buying your cards. Make sure it is a name-brand.

Leviathan

 

[shauns]

im not trying to be rude..but the old saying is "you get what you pay for"
but i am sorry bout the problems you are getting

 

[Leviathan_25]

Blah.

I know the old saying, but these are no ordinary problems. I don't know where this card came from, but it's been the biggest headach I've ever had as far as computer equipment goes. I'm in the process of trying to return it.

Leviathan

 

[CraxySerge]

Thats why brand name components which cost a bit more prove themselves in the end. Not all the time but alot of the time.

 

[Tracert]

I too have a "knock off" VE that I received in a white box with no name on it. After some carefull study of all the OEM manufactures and researching what they look like I was able to determin that mine was made by www.joytech.com (AKA Apollo).

They provide no support or drivers and all they do is have a link to ATI's website for their "Standard drivers" or what ever they are called.

Do not use those drivers. They are terrible and will cause you all sorts of problems. Get the newest beta drivers from places like madonion.com or other's that post the newest ones. I think the newest for Win2K is 6043. They work much better then the ones that come with this card or even the ones offered for download off ATI's site.

Also pull the newest software package from ATI's website for the DVD playback and the extra goodies like that. You will have better performance with those then the older ones that were imprinted on the CD that came with your product.

That card OverClocks pretty good too. Not great but enough to notice a difference in games.

If you continue to have problems with the card or if the card seems to work fine but you are dissapointed with the performance of the card, then I would try to either RMA it (if it is malfunctioning) or return it (if it is not fast enough for you).

Another sugestion for you is to buy your products from newegg.com. They have at least as good pricing and are a much more trustworthy site.

If you try to return it and are unable to let me know. I will buy it from you (at a discounted price) and place it in one of my office machines . Good luck with what ever you decide.

 

[Leviathan_25]

Returning it.

After sending a few e-mails back and forth to the seller, I decided to send the card back and buy a new card. We never did get the DVD software working.

Right now, I am being wishy-washy about whether to get an Xtasy GeForce2 Ti or an ATI Radeon 8500. Both seem like good cards, but the Radeon costs about $30 more than the Xtasy. The reason I'm leaning towards the Radeon is because it has a built-in DVD decoder and comes with DVD software, which is the reason I was looking for a new card to begin with. Well, any adivce is appreciated.

Leviathan

 

[funnyperson1]

the geforce2 Ti is not even in the same league as the Radeon8500...it would be like comparing a Mustang to a Ferrari.....the Ati will have better 2D and better DVD quality and will be 2-3 times as fast....

 

[Tracert]

the geforce2 Ti is not even in the same league as the Radeon8500...it would be like comparing a Mustang to a Ferrari.....the Ati will have better 2D and better DVD quality and will be 2-3 times as fast....

Yup, what he said.

 

[Leviathan_25]

Why the cost difference then?

How about this then:

The VisionTek GeForce3 Ti 200 is $150. The Radeon 8500 is $155. The prices are relatively similar here.

I'd still like to know if the GeForce cards come with any DVD software. This is a main selling point for me.

Leviathan

 

[Oni]

Re: Why the cost difference then?

How about this then:

The VisionTek GeForce3 Ti 200 is $150. The Radeon 8500 is $155. The prices are relatively similar here.

I'd still like to know if the GeForce cards come with any DVD software. This is a main selling point for me.

Leviathan

Spend the extra $5 and get the Radeon8500. You'll be glad you did. It has better image quality, and industry best DVD playback.

 

[Overclocker550]

you should of gone nvidia. ati's drivers will never hold a candle to nvidia!!!!!!!!!

 

[Leviathan_25]

DVD answer.

I'm pretty sure the GeForce cards come with WinDVD.

I've seen a few reviews so far that place the Radeon 8500 far ahead of the GeForce3 Ti200, and even ahead of the Ti500. Considering that the Ti500 is $270 (!), I'd say the Radeon is a steal.

 

[Angry]

you should of gone nvidia. ati's drivers will never hold a candle to nvidia!!!!!!!!!

You would be surprised to learn that thier driver support is alot better than before....even Most nvidia guys admit it.
But ATi does have the best DVD playback.....

 

[Tracert]

you should of gone nvidia. ati's drivers will never hold a candle to nvidia!!!!!!!!!

Your living in the past... step into the light my friend, take a deep breath of fresh air and enjoy the newfound joys of new options!

 

[Kingslayer]

I would have called half.com and told them to take care of the problem. If not I would have done everything in my power to turn them into...oh..say....one-eigth.com

 

[ThePunkGeek]

what do you mean a knock off? wouldnt it be a radeon or something else?

 

[Leviathan_25]

It's a knock-off.

Knock-off is the best word I can think of to describe it. It says in plain engish on the front "Radeon VE" and it has a symbol on the front saying "C-NET Editors choice", but to me this is blatant false advertizsing. CNet didn't give _them_ (they didn't even bother to label their name on the package) the editors choice. CNet gave ATI the editors choice, ATI and whatever software that came with it. This card is a totally different version than ATI's. It has difference connectors in the back, different software, etc... the only thing it has in common is the supposed features and the name, of which those supposed features do not work (very well).

In my opinion, a company that puts "Cnet Editor's Choice" on the box of a product that was never reviewed by CNet should be grounds to sue said company. But maybe I'm mad because the card didn't work.

 

[Tracert]

I would agree with that. In order to be more accurate they could have said

"based off the same technology as the "C-NET Editors choice" Radeon VE"

Or something to that fact. Because you are right. It is not the same card.

 

[funnyperson1]

i would get the 8500...DVD playback has always been Ati's game....though Nvidia is catching up...