Just received my Hercules 9800SE AIW card and soft modded it to a 9800PRO AIW......All for £155....how happy am i
Doesn't artifact in any 3D Mark tests at all or Aquamark....
I get 5983 with it clocked to 410 core 350 mem in 3D Mark 03.
Go for it anyone that's hesitating.....it's only £155 and a bloody good card if it doesn't anyway.


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Of course the 256bitDDR 9800SE should use 380/340 (not 380/360), I got the stock 9800PRO clocks (380/340) wrong, ooops! Are you sure the 9800PRO_AIW come in at only 325/310 as those are the exact clocks of a 9800 (hence 9800_AIW) not the 9800PRO, you'd be virtually identical to a 9700PRO_AIW (325/310). To attempt to enable the 8 pipes on a 9800SE (ie softmod) all you do is patch the drivers (via RivaTuner) and then install those patched drivers. Unless you want to try hardmodding that's all there is to it. Apparently chances of success are as high as 50% with 9800SE_AIW although I'd be more skeptical myself.
Well it certainly states 325/310 which definitely doesn't warrant the naming of 9800PRO_AIW as you are exactly the speed of a 9800 or 9700PRO. Not that that's a bad thing but certainly not a 9800PRO. Since Sapphire are regarded as one of the very best manu's I'd have to imagine that is a normal clock for a 9800PRO_AIW and would therefore mean the 9800SE_AIW (all 256bitDDR & 380/340?) successfully softmodded is superior and a true 9800PRO_AIW. Buy two and chances should be good that one will mod meaning you can sell the other 2nd hand?
With particular reference to the 9800XT (and even 9600XT) I'm very disappointed in ATI's efforts, they have had a huge break to trounce nVidia much of which they've wasted ... in fact that applies to almost everything they've done since the 9500PRO release just after the 9700 series ... it's been one disappointing launch after another. 9600 was inferior to the 9500, their top end card is still only marginally faster than their 9700PRO and only 5% faster than most 9700/9700PRO could achieve when o/c'ed. They should be on 0.13mu with all 8 pipes for their flagship by now but instead they're content to release cards virtually identical to their predecessors and give nVidia the breating space they need. Go ATI ... who knows you can be the next Matrox if you keep it up!
Anyway factor in price...
The 9800SE_AIW should use 380/340 clocks with 256bitDDR making it a tad faster than the 9600PRO_AIW. The 9600PRO_AIW should o/c well unlike the 9800SE so should retake the lead BUT the 9800SE stands a chance (10%?, 50%?) of becoming a 100% true blue 9800PRO_AIW (or superior if the 9800PRO_AIW = 325/310). The 9800PRO_AIW is really the 'best' card but it costs twice the price of the 9800SE! Bottom line at stock the 9800SE_AIW should be better than the 9600PRO_AIW (which still costs more) and you stand some chance of getting a true 9800PRO/XT_AIW out of it.
