Sapphire 9800PRO - full/lite?

[kookymonster]

I just bought a sapphire 9800pro 128MB and the software bundle I thought it would have, isn't there. It has the red PCB, retail box, s-video/composite cables, cable adapters, but only the driver cd..

The box also doesn't show the various logos the sapphire site shows it to have, i.e. powerdvd etc

Is this the "lite" retail version?

 

[Evnas]

you sure you bought the actual retail box, and not just a boxed OEM?

Where did you get it from?

 

[kookymonster]

Ebuyer, it's UK based

This one here

Seems strange too that it has 25 reviews there and nobody mentions this

 

[kookymonster]

Actually I'll correct myself - one guy says it comes with the software/games bundle...damn what the hell did they send me then?

It's not *too* bad since I already have both those games but I just hope the card is right

 

[Evnas]

I believe what you bought is an OEM, and not retail. Glancing at their site, all the retail products are specifically marked "Retail Box", where as the product in the link isnt

Which would explain why it was just the card and driver disk

 

[wanna_b_rich_13]

Sapphire has two different Retail packaging.

They have Lite Retail and Full Retail.

The Lite Retail will come with basically the same thing as an OEM packaged plus a cool useless box.

The Full Retail comes with everything OEM has plus things like manual, games, etc.

 

[__TRONIK__]

my sapphire lite 9800 pro had black pcb and though the ram was 2.8ns, it was etrontech. Crappy timings, no overclockability

 

[SoulSnatcher]

Sapphire produced a batch of 9800Pro "lite" that NewEgg sold. These are 9800PRO GPUs on a BLACK 9700 PCB. A couple of things to know: 1) They are clocked slightly slower than a "real" 9800PRO 2) The fan heat sink combo from sapphire blows goats. That POS won't keep the GPU cool at stock speeds.

Sapphire never should have out their name on it.

I own one. With some cooling mods it is running now at 9800XT speeds, passing all tests I can throw at it. (EDIT: uh... spoke too soon... crashes like a hooker driving a caddy on crack.)

Sapphire Corp. will say that the "lite" designation means a retail box with less goodies. This of course doesn't explain the hardware I own... (EDIT: Did own... )

 

[parallax]

I got one of these sapphire "lite" versions the core isn't quite overclockable (i suppose because of the heatsink) but the memory is quite decent, 390mhz (780 ddr) without ramsinks. Performance is the same as a built by ati 9800pro I tested some weeks ago tho.

SoulSnatcher: Mine is clocked 377/337 instead of 380/340, is that what you mean by "clocked slightly slower"?

 

[__TRONIK__]

you gor to 390 with the etrontech? Mine wouln't go past 335 or so w/out artifacting. It was a refurb, though, and it did work ok at stock. course, as you said, the stock speeds were lower than normal. I wasn't a fan.

 

[parallax]

the RAM you mean? mine is Samsung 2.8ns, there's no Etrontech printed on anywhere else. maybe you got one from a special batch?

 

[__TRONIK__]

specially crappy batch.

 

[SoulSnatcher]

I got one of these sapphire "lite" versions the core isn't quite overclockable (i suppose because of the heatsink) but the memory is quite decent, 390mhz (780 ddr) without ramsinks. Performance is the same as a built by ati 9800pro I tested some weeks ago tho.

SoulSnatcher: Mine is clocked 377/337 instead of 380/340, is that what you mean by "clocked slightly slower"?

Exact-o-mundo parallax "slightly lower".

But it doesn't matter anymore to me, that bish went back to the egg house. Too many crashes at stock speed. HALO just sucks when it crashes every 5-10 minutes. I wouldn't know how stable it was when overclocked . I replaced it with a sapphire 9800pro 256Mb built on the 9800XT pcb. No crashes now. Cost me $30 more in trade plus shipping... but hey I got an additional 128Mb for "future" gaming needs... The guys at the egg are really decent folks making things right for the customer.

 

[__TRONIK__]

my "stock" speeds were waaaaaaay lower. like 9700 low. like couldn't get to 9800 stock speeds low. avoid etrontech like the plague. Interestingly though, in a stock battle it beat my 9700p w/ sammy. the r350 is one fine gpu.