how much of an improvement?

[C14RKEY]

hi all,
i currently wanting to get a new graphics card.
and was wondering how much of a improvement a 9700pro would be over my fx5200?

any other recomendations on graphics cards less the £100 would be welcome

cheers, lee

[LWA]

That would be a massive increase. I have been using my 9700 pro for about a year and a half now and it still cuts the mustard. Definatley recommend this card if you can get it for about £70-£80.

Leon

Edit: Check out this thread in the bargain hunt forum. It has some very decent priced cards.

[C14RKEY]

cheers for that big leon

i will be deffinatly looking at that card then

i dont like the idea of buying refurbished cards

[LWA]

Nope you don't have to get it from there, just a suggestion. I have heard good things about that place, and Daveham (a hexus bargain hunting dude) says it is a family run company so problems get sorted out quickly.

Leon

[ed^chigliak]

3dmark03
1550 fx5200
5300 9700pro

More than 3x faster

I got one from overclockers for under £100. I don't know if this company are as bad as some people make out since I never needed to RMA anything. Stuff I've ordered always turns up quickly so sales side is efficient. Not my first choice of retailer but they had stock of what I wanted which is preferable to waiting.

[Mblaster]

3dmark03
1550 fx5200
5300 9700pro

More than 3x faster

Where did you get those numbers from? 3D Mark IMO is not a good measure of performance between different platforms/generations. If you want benchmarks look for the ones that use games, such as UT2004, Doom 3, HL2 etc.

[daniel_owen_uk]

Would be a very good upgrade.

[C14RKEY]

thanks for all your advise guys

i will be denninatly looking at getting one of these cards then, but at a good price

[ed^chigliak]

Increase from 19fps-70fps @1024res in doom3 4xAA
VGA charts tomsharware

I was just putting some numbers to 'massive' improvement without going into any great depth. Probably the best sub £100 card and a strong performer despite it's age.

[iranu]

Just my 2p's worth. I bought an ATI 9700 pro from Retek Oct 2003 for £160 it is still going strong (with a small overclock at 360/330.)

For £70.50 now you won't find anything better unless you pay a bit more for 9800 pro around £120.

You WILL see a huge improvement over FX5200 as said above. Check here for comparisons

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/gra...004/index.html

[Gipo]

How about trying to get a 2nd hand 9800pro instead? i see some floating around from time to time for around 90 notes

[Rcb]

Very big improvement, go for it.

[exAndrzej]

I think that there are a few things that you should consider when making this kind of decision

Probably the first one is value

Value is a very subjective thing

However, you can introduce some science into the choice

This can be as simple as taking the price (inc VAT & delivery) and then dividing it by the FPS you will get in the games that you play most often

This 'cost per fps' is a rough and ready reckoner, but at least it does introduce some science to the choice

Next you get the 'Wow Factor' from opening the box

Some AIBs will supply you a box with a card in it - which can be ideal for the very experienced user

Other AIBs include everything - I am specifically thinking of a certain vendor that has a tendancy to ship cards with around 17 games (you know who you are !)

For a beginner/casual gamer - this can be a fantastic proposition because they will be buying an 'instant entertainment library'

In terms of display - you need to be clear about what screen you will be using

If you have a 15"/17" TFT that can only display 1024x768 - then consider the card's performance at that resolution

Lastly, you need to have a very fixed budget in mind

When making a PC-related purchase, it is all too easy to think 'Around a hundred quid' and then - 30 days later - see £189.95 on your Visa statement

We have all done it

If you can spend more - then be honest with yourself before you start looking

Once you have set a budget - do not go over it !!!

[iranu]

Quality post Andrzej

[C14RKEY]

hi guys,
ive found a new 9700pro OEM for £96.99 inc VAT+DEL

any of u know if there is any going cheaper

and is this a good price?

cheers
lee

[Richard Towler]

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=35623

that might help...