9700 Pro or 9800 Pro?

[floppybootstomp]

I took a computer I had to sell and a few other bits & bobs to our local computer exchange shop. They offer more for part exchange than cash.

They have a used 9700 Pro 128Mb in stock.

In short, without going into details, I now have two choices.

a. Part exchange my stuff for the 9700, and still have some cash (well, a credit note to spend in the shop).

b. Take cash, then add some cash and buy a Crucial 9800 Pro 128Mb online.

What to do?

Will the 9700 Pro cut the mustard? Is it DX9 compliant? Can I mod it to run at better spec? And if so, how?

TIA

[BUFF]

Why pay Crucial £223?
£181 http://komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?actio...GrpID=&cks=SER

The 9700 Pro shouldn't be that far behind a 9800 Pro, is DX9 compliant & may well overclock (as ever depends on your luck but check which RAM it has).
Better cooling is the usual mod.

[CrapshoT]

you can use the omega software softmod to change the 9700 pro into a 9800 pro
it really depends on what memory the 9700 pro has as to whether you can o/c it to 9800 pro speeds ive went from a 9700 np to a 9800 pro and tho i get around 700-1000
more marks in 3d 2001 it isnt really all that noticeable in games tho

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for replies. I just took a look over at Tom's hardware and see it was the first DX9 compatible card.

It's actually an ATI-made card, I didn't check what RAM it had on it. I'm leaning towards the 9700 atm.

And Buff, that Powercolour 9800 Pro at Komplett isn't in stock until 7th February, if ever it gets to be in stock at all. It was meant to be in stock today, as I remember, but didn't turn up. There's an interesting article in January's PC Zone mag about Komplett But anyway, apreciate the pointer

[Ango]

I currently use a 9700 pro, it is a great graphics card. I personally doubt you would notice much difference.

[shamus21]

floppybootstomp
can you do a quick quot on the pczone mag details about komplett please.

[floppybootstomp]

Shamus21:

Briefly, Komplett offered a 9800XT when it first came out for around £130.00 when it was retailing at around £400.00. Not surprisingly, they received several hundred orders for the card, all of which received confirmation of order e-mails.

Then Komplett claimed it was a typo and cancleed all confirmed orders. But to add insult to injury they publicly thanked their 'loyal customers' who they claimed e-mailed them pointing out the error.

I mean, would people really do that? Now, I've dealt with Komplett, haven't had any problems with them yet, to be fair, but I haven't had to RMA anything with them yet.

But incidents such as the above and now offering a 9800 Pro at around £180.00 that hasn't yet materialised, makes me just a little wary.

[SilentDeath]

floppybootstomp how much is the 9700pro?
i think komplett price is correct, ppl have got it efore. also ocuk have them on this week only for £170 iirc.
the 9700 is a very good card. the 9800pro is almost exactly the same - the core has a slightly higher voltage so it can be clocked higher at stock.. and different ram chips.. thats about it. any 9700pro should overclock far past the 9800pro stock with adequate cooling

[floppybootstomp]

SD, the whole deal's a little complicated. I have a tower system, black case, based around an Albatron Board, XP1800 & 512Mb Twinmos. I put it up for sale here for £250.00 after asking for a price check. No takers. So I reduced it to £200.00. Still no takers. So I figure I'm lumbered with it.

The shop offered me £160.00 cash or £200.00 part exchange for it. Plus I sold them a sound card, an old ATI 7200 vid card and a Logi cordless mouse. Whole deal's worth £245.00 to me part exchange or £190.00 cash.

They're selling the 9700 Pro for £215.00.

Yes, I know they're taking the piss, but 9700's are quite hard to get hold of, and if I go part exchange, I can have this card now. Also, if it's faulty, no RMA to worry about, I can take it back to the shop.

Plus I have a £30.00 credit note and they sell lots of 2nd hand games and stuff.

Obviously I'd prefer a 9800 Pro, and with the cash deal from the shop it looks like I could afford one, but getting the 9700 Pro from the shop is immediate and convenient.

All these online special offers on 9800 Pro's look dodgy to me, especially the Komplett one, and they're all made by low spec manufacturers like Sapphire or PowerColour.

I dunno, it just seems a helluva lot easier to go for the shop deal, ya know?

Selling stuff is sometimes awkward, and takes time. The deal I have planned is an easy way out, although it's not a particularly good deal, it suits me.

[BUFF]

, and they're all made by low spec manufacturers like Sapphire or PowerColour.

Sapphire is 1 of the most respected - they make most of ATI's own branded cards

[SilentDeath]

AFAIK all ati GPU's are made at TSCM factory, all ati based cards, including built by ati cards, are made and assembled by sapphire. there are two expections, being Asus and powercolor. both stil use cores made at TSCM but they make there own pcb's with there own components. powercolor dont make anyhting though, its another company powercolor just rebadge it.

if you split your system, i think you could get £160 for the main bits, ram, mobo, cpu etc.. while the case woulnt sell easly atall.

dont spend mroe than £150 on a 9700pro. the online deals are not dodgy! but if youve not bought online before i know they look slightly dodgy. i remember when i first saw OCUK's site i thought everything was second hand overclocked stuff! aviod powercolor imo, some of there cards are ok but there reputation isnt good enuf to risk getting a dead card.
if the shop can sell a 9700 for what there asking, then they will probably try to sell your machine for about £400!
ebay is proably the most dodgy place you could ever buy something which is why ive never used it, but they do have 9700 pro and 9800 pros quite cheap (i looked earlyer) and there are a lot of people using ebay, so it cant be THAT bad.

have you thought about a 9600XT card, they are about £100 now and are alsmot as good as 9700's. they can be clocked very far aswell. the performance difference between the two is not nearly worth £115 imo!

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for opinions, apreciated.

I've been buying stuff online for about 6 or 7 years now.

I've had dealings with just about every supplier out there and could comment on each. The only sure fire opinions I've formed is that E-Buyer should be collectively shot, and that Kustom PC's are very decent, shame they're a bit dearer than most.

I've seen a lot of bad stuff around the net about Sapphire cards, I had a Sapphire 9200 that was DOA, took out my Abit KR7A-R motherboard, sound card and NIC Card. Tekheads rma'd it within a week, it's run OK for four months or so, it's in the computer I'm now selling.

I know the shop deals are a rip-off, like I said, but overall, ease of gaining a new card, getting rid of the computer I was trying to sell, it all adds up for me. I realise the shop will sell that system for far more than they paid me, but that's business.

Nobody here wanted to buy the machine I was selling, and everybody I phoned either didn't want to buy a machine or had a better specced one. A shame, as it really was an excellent little computer. Very fast and fluid for an XP1800 based system.

I've been on E-Bay for about three years, have only ever bought about four things, all deals went fine. In fact, through a member on this Forum, I recently sourced a Pentium 4 motherboard cooler retaining bracket from a guy in Wales. I couldn't find that bracket anywhere else. The seller actually phoned me up on Saturday and said he'd throw in an extra one for free. Should arrive tomorrow.

If it does arrive, it will confirm my faith that most people out there are actually fairly decent geezers

I was on the verge of buying an Asus 9600XT, which has VIVO and a good software package, HL2 as well, but at the last moment decided not to.

Anyway, thanks again for all your views and comments, I do read them and consider them, and I'm often influenced by people's advice. It's good to get different points of view.

Thanks

[BEANFro Elite]

my friend (Frosty) was gonna get a 9700pro but crap happens and is now going to get a powercolour 9800pro from komplett.

even tho it is only a mere powercolour, how can you refuse £200 for a 9800pro, frankly you'd be a fool.

i'd get one but i have a mobo a case and a laptop to get....

[BEANFro Elite]

also, a 9800pro is probs more futureproof than a 9800pro.

but then again... if you don't have a psu above 450w then you'll have to spend around £40 on a decent psu