Which Radeon 9800?

[BenW]

I've been looking at the Radeon 9800 series and would like to know what you recommend for upto £220, i looked at the Asus 9800Pro 256MB which i thought should be a good flash to the XT BIOS but thought that there must be XTs around for about £220

Which Radeon do you recommend for me, i do some gaming and want the card to last a few years, oh and be fairly quiet.

Thanks
Ben

[Stewart]

Sapphire Radeon Atlantis 9800pro 128. £140.

[BenW]

ok, whats the difference between the atlantis and the non atlantis?

Also is it worth getting the 256MB versions of the 9800?

[Aaron]

If you're going to spend £220, then I'd suggesting waiting for a month or so.

The new ATi X800 cards are just being released now and will offer a decent increase in performance over the Radeon 9800 series.

Alternatively, go with Vaul's selection and pick up a 9800 bargain!

[BenW]

thanks, a month seems a long time to wait and a short time for the price to come down that much!

Might get the 9800 Pro 128MB and a new PSU as my current one is 250W and maybe an extra stick or RAM

This is my current PC

Dell Dimension 4500
P4 2.26 533FSB
256MB PC2100
Geforce 4 MX420 64MB
CD/RW DVD Combo
40GB (Don't need anything bigger)
250W PSU
Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Sound Card
Harmon Kardon 395 2.1 Speakers
Dell 17" TFT

[StarkMjolk]

Don't spend £220 on a 9800 series. It's not worth it. I'd go for a cheap but good 9800 pro 128MB. The 256MB versions won't bring you too much extra these days. Or in fact, not much at all. But that can change with new games in 6 months or so perhaps, time will tell.

Your second choise is as aaron said, get a next-gen card. Read around some about them. nVidia 6800 (NV40) or ATI X800 (R420). They are what you are looking for if you want your card to last a longer period of time...

[BenW]

they cost too much though

[Stewart]

So, to sum up:

1) Don't spend £200+ on any current gen cards.

2) Don't worry about 256mb versions.

3) Check out how much the 6800GT's and X800pros cost first.

4) Be aware that prices of current gen cards will drop soon.

5) Buy a Sapphire Atlantis 9800pro 128 from Komplett for £140.

[StarkMjolk]

Wait a month or two, they were just released. And there will be versions under the 6800GT or the x800Pro. And they will still have a really nice performance premium to a 9800XT. The price should be about right on the entry next-gens I recon...

[LayZeh]

The 9800 PRO 256MB use the R360 Core and include a heat sensor, flashing these cards to an XT bios gives you a true Radeon XT 256MB card with OverDrive. There's a guide and suggestions on what card to purchase at Rojapot - google.

Hope this helps, however i would still go for a £133 Pro from scan.co.uk unless the 256's are < £160 these days? Haven't looked can't be bothered but yeah as i said hope this helps.

[BenW]

and thats going to be fine for all current games and some future games

i see that the X800s are about £300 at the moment which is just too much

[LayZeh]

The 256MB cards excel in higher resolutions by roughly 8% when compared to the 128MB cards in the most demanding games, i would imagine you'll see this performance benefit at lower resolutions as the games get more intensive.

[StarkMjolk]

£300 brings you one of the first X800Pros. And X800 pro is the second highest model in the new range. There is still to come atleast one, or two models under the Pro. I would perfer to go with one of these. Otherwise get the 9800pro 128MB, will work great today and for some time ahead, and then you can upgrade to a decent card in a year or so when the 9800 doesn't strech far enought anymore. Ether way.

[BenW]

the 256MB cards are >£200 so i gather its not worth it

I don't think i can wait for the new gen cards to fall in price

[StarkMjolk]

Then go the other way... A 9800Pro 128MB is your way to go I believe then. Check around some for the best deal and go for it I say.

[BenW]

any suggestions of models other than the saphire?

Just want to get the best for the money as you do