Radeon 9800 Pro -- the right one?
 

So Best Buy has the 9800 pro on sale this week for (after a mail-in) $180. Not bad, plus I'd get 5% with that foolish rewards zone card. My question is, is this the right card? Because I remember people saying that there are two versions, and one has some crappy chipset or something like that.

Link

Saphire has a 9800 Pro with a 128 bit bus. That card is crippled. A normal 9800 Pro is 256 Bit. Hope that helps.

From the link :
"256-bit memory interface provides the bandwidth needed for real-time 3D graphics and performance free of bottlenecks"

That is the REAL Radeon 9800. Built by ATI, 256 bit, 128MB. A very solid card, and that is a pretty good price as well. I picked mine up for $200 and couldn't be more happy.

Thanks. That's what I couldn't remember. But I'm excited about the price because even without the mail-in, it's comparable to a newegg purchase w/shipping.

Yay.

The Sapphire 9800 Pro 256-bit version is just as damn good, and you can pick it up for a sweet $198 from Newegg. I'd almost be tempted to just pick this one up over the one at Best Buy. By the time you got the rebate back for that card from Best Buy, you'd have that Sapphire in your machine for at least 6 weeks. Unless you absolutely have to have a Built By ATI card in your machine absolutely right now, then go with the Sapphire 9800 Pro. I promise you will not be disappointed.

That card I was discussing is THE best damn deal you can get on a video card right now. It's fucking highway robbery.

Just repeating. Everyone goes crazy about the sapphire brand.

What can I say, Sapphire simply makes a better PCB than ATI. It's a hot opinion.

yep

Now, I don't suppose that the ATI version would come with the power splitter/power cable, would it?

I think all the cards, even OEM come with the splitter. But you need to do some research before you buy.

Are there going to be any price drops on cards in the next month or so?

Yep, that's the good one. I'd get it ASAP!!

-Lasereth

I'd highly doubt there's going to be anything significant. I mean, these prices are already ridiculously good, get the good shit whilst you can!

Ditto on the Sapphire. Great cards, very good at overclocking. The one downside is the cooler, though - it's too loud for my tastes. I replaced it with an Arctic VGA silencer.

And Sapphire makes two versions, the 128-bit version and the 256. The 128 would not be designated as a 9800 pro, if I recall correctly.

There is actually a 128-bit Radeon 9800 Pro. I wouldn't pay more than $150 for it. It's basically a Radeon 9600 XT with a different name!

-Lasereth

Yeah, but IIRC, Sapphire had changed the name of those 128-bits to remove any confusion.

This is what I have on order from Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...127-127&depa=0

MSI 9800 Pro. According to reviews it shows up in XP as a 9800 XT. Just has 128MB instead of 256MB. Has a large heatsink that covers memory chips. Price is $199 shipped. Im currently "borrowing" an ATI 9800 Pro from compUSA. Sure is a nice upgrade from my 9500 Pro. And yes, the ATI 9800 Pro came with power cables.

Re: Radeon 9800 Pro -- the right one?
 

Is the deal over? Cause I went to the site, and its listed as $250...

I went down to Best Buy and bought the 9800 Pro for $179.99 after rebates. I gave it to my brother (I owed him money). What a deal!

-Lasereth

Re: Re: Radeon 9800 Pro -- the right one?
 

Yeah, it ended Saturday. I went to BB and they were out. Meh. So I'll just have to get off my lazy ass (figuratively) and order a Sapphire.