ATI 9800 Pro 128MB vs Nvidia FX 5900 128MB

SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
edited August 2003 in Hardware
I'm trying to decide what GPU to get, I've decided the Ultra versions of Nvidia's FX 5900's are a bit out of my reach, the same with the 256MB versions of the 9800 Pro. So...

I need to decide, which of the following do I get, ATI's 9800 Pro 128MB or Nvidia's FX 5900 128MB?

I'm a big Nvidia fan, but I'm trying to remain objective. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    Since the 5900 Ultra isn't on your list, 9800 Pro 128, hands down.
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited August 2003
    I agree with Thrax. I think the 5900 has to be an Ultra for it to truly shine.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited August 2003
    Radeon 9800 Pro
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited August 2003
    Spinner, you'll be more than satisfied with ATI's Radeon 9800 Pro, which does best the FX 5900 (Non-Ultra).

    With superior image quality, driver support and ATI's warranty, you can look no further than the Canadian leader in graphics technology. :)
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    That's pretty much what I thought you would all say. I mean, in the reviews I've been reading, the ATI 9800 Pro 128MB gives even the 5900 Ultra a run for its money. I just wanted to make sure that was the general opinion.

    Thanks.
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    Okay then, I've narrowed it down to two specific 9800 Pro 128MB's.

    Either the <a target="_blank" href="http://europe.hercules.com/showpage.php?p=71&b=0&f=1">Hercules<a&gt; or the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sapphiretech.com/VGA/9800proatl.asp">Sapphire<a>. Opinions? They both seem to perform the same in all the reviews I have read.
  • NecropolisNecropolis Hawarden, Wales Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    Spinner,

    I have the Sapphire version and let me tell you, the thing can do no wrong :thumbsup:

    Not had even the slightest little glitch of a problem with it. Also overclocks well with the standard heatsink, I can get almost an extra 100mhz out of the GPU :D

    All in all Sapphire 9800 = :kneel:
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    Just to chime in here. I bought a 9800 pro (made by ATI) yesterday. Had a 9700 pro in THE FRANKENBOX which is now in my daughter's machine. I know new cards in a couple a months and I already had a 9700 pro, but I blew up my wife's motherboard and video card when putting my daughters Radeon 8500/128 in her machine and needed a new one. My daughter does a lot more gaming so I decided to give her my wife's Ti4600 and put the Radeon 8500/128 in my wifes machine. If you ever get a chance to accidentally touch a live 5 v. power wire to the back of a video card while the machine's running, DON't. I tried it and you won't dig it!!!! Was the loose wire left by the cooler on the Ti4600, thought I had it out of the way. In my haste I did everything I always warn others not to do and did I ever pay. Anyway Shut off the Frankenbox swapped cards and the Cats politely installed the 9800 correctly and I was good to go. Didn't even have to reinstall the drivers, which is a testament to the progress ATI has made in that area. There is actually a bigger difference between the two than I thought. Needless to say I'm happy with it. As soon as I get the ramsinks on it (picking up from CrazyPC later today) should have no problem breaking 6000 in 3DMark 2003 if anybody cares anymore.
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    hercules is a VERY good/reliablle company...i would definatly reccommend their version of the 9800 pro..plus it has petty blue leds
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    IMHO, between the two Hercules has been around a lot longer, but as you say everything I've read indicates they're about the same and about the same as the made by ATI cards for that matter. It would seem whichever one you can get the best deal on overall would be the one to go with.
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    Thanks guys. What to do, what to do! I too, have always found Hercules to be great, and I do love that L.E.D fan, but the Sapphire is also well regarded and is £15 cheaper.

    I guess I'll just in the end have to pick one. The Sapphire is the better deal, but I like the look of the Hercules more.
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    You can't really go wrong either way and I will agree that I would never even consider a non ultra GFFX. I thought about a 128 meg 5900 ultra and may have even bought one if I could've found one locally for the same price as the 9800 pro. Then again I don't care what kinda nifty cooling they use, I can always do better myself and Radeons are generally easier to mod these days.
    Whichever one you choose, you'll be back in here telling us how kick@ss it is!
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
  • OuttherOutther Alabamee where family trees dont fork
    edited August 2003
    Just to add

    In all receint reviews of the 5900 and ultra I saw the same style of explaination: Loud,Large & Lackluster.

    ATI has finally made it to the top. Now if I only could afford to leap from my 9000 PRO 128MB to the 9800 :respect:
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited August 2003
    Outther said
    Just to add...

    ...ATI has finally made it to the top. Now if I only could afford to leap from my 9000 PRO 128MB to the 9800 :respect:

    If I connect the red wire to the blue wire... and the green one to the memory... nah won't work :)

    A video guy can dream, can't he? :D

    Although NVidia may have the "benchmarking" performance crown, users are slowly wanting more featuers and options than "faster and faster framerates."

    Anti-Aliasing, Anisotropic Filtering, TV-In, TV-Out, VIVO & dual DVI-ports on the back of a card with the ability to output to TV at a nice, clear, crisp resolution are becoming integral features that customers look at before they purchase a product.

    When it comes down to it, sensible customers (IE, not fanboys) will put their hard earned money down on a product that performs, has a solid company behind it and provides the best mixture of features for the price.

    IMHO, that's ATI for the time being. NVidia has had troubles in the past with their NV30 and are attempting to rectify that with the NV35. Unfortunately for them, NVidia managed to drive nails into both feet before even launching the NV35, with all of the driver "performance enhancements" that led to the 3DMark fiasco. I won't even mention the incredibly BAD PR that NVidia got for releasing the over-hyped, over-priced, under-powered, ear-cracking, window-shattering, 2-slot taking, eye-glass breaking NV30.

    Until NVidia comes out with something truely revolutionary that pushes the graphics envelope as they have managed to do since the creation of the NV5, ATI is going to stay in the spotlight. Maybe the NV40 can do it for NVidia, maybe it will take the NV45.

    One thing is for certain though: NVidia brought us pixel shaders. They brought us vertex shaders. They brought us programmable pixel & vertex shaders. They kinda bought.... brought us FSAA (RIP 3Dfx). They brought us the worlds first Graphical Processing Unit (GPU). They brought us the first video card with the ability to process the Transform & Lighting (T&L) 3D rendering functions WITHOUT the aide of the system CPU. NVidia has been a pioneer in 3D graphics technology and will continue to do so.

    However, until that pioneering spirit of NVidia results in the creation of something that will push graphics to the next level, ATI has the drivers seat.
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    Okay guys, you can stop with the 'ATI is best speaches', I already said I'm gonna get one. What do you want me to do, buy two?;)

    I think I'm gonna go with the Hercules, even though the Sapphire is actually the better deal, simply because of the blue L.E.D fan. I'm going for that kind of internal colour scheme in the new rig.

    Thanks for all your advice. Consider my right foot firmly in ATI's camp for now. However I doubt I'll ever leave Nvidia behind, as remember, I still have that 'Ti4400'.:D

    Cheers

    SPINNER
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    Check THIS fine exposition on how the two perform in the first truly DX9 compliant game!!! Also HERE is a shot of my new toy in all her modded glory.
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:thumbsup:
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    Holy s***! talk about not being satisfied with the stock cooling. What does that like take up, two PCI slots? That's just nuts, how the hell did you get it stay on there? I guess we all know where the centre of gravity is on that card.
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    yeah...what did u use...artic silver epoxy??? cuz i would LOVE to put my extra stock cooler on the radeon 9700 pro
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    I used zip ties, springs and homemade cardboard washers. If you want when I get home today I'll get a shot of the other side so you can see. I also yanked that useless shim off the GPU. A drill press and dremel were used to mod the heatsink so it coud be mounted using the stock holes thus allowing me to use AS3 as the TIM. She'll loop 3DMark all day @ 450:respect:
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    Okay the first person to mount a SLK-900 onto their GPU gets a cigar.;D
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    I used zip ties, springs and homemade cardboard washers. If you want when I get home today I'll get a shot of the other side so you can see. I also yanked that useless shim off the GPU. A drill press and dremel were used to mod the heatsink so it coud be mounted using the stock holes thus allowing me to use AS3 as the TIM. She'll loop 3DMark all day @ 450:respect: Haven't tried higher, but suspect there's more. The SLK 900 could be done, but I'd be a little concerned about the mechanical stresses involved with all that weight. If I hadn't sold my SK7 that was going on there.:rolleyes:
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
  • OuttherOutther Alabamee where family trees dont fork
    edited August 2003
    Thats one way to recycle the old stock HSF. :p nice job. I definattly want to see the mounting on that.

    Yes it probabbly does slip into the first PCI slot but you would not use that slot anywhey if you are using the AGP. That is why N Vidia made there duel slot hogging card. :lol:
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    It does take up 2 slots actually, but I only use 4 and 6 anyway. Zip ties make splendid mounting mechanisms. Used em many times.
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    HERE is the promised shot of the back of the card. The heatsink on the back of core really helps too.
    >>>--Tiribulus--> :D
    Also for anyone interested I wrote THIS over @ Rage3d going on a year ago after some extensive testing on video cooling.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited August 2003
    I glued a copper rackmount hsf to my 8500... it works very well- 275MHz stock --> 325MHz overclocked. It does ~13k in 2001se in a 2.37GHz 2500+ system...

    The Zalman ZM80A-HP on my 9700 Pro is OK, but I haven't been terribly impressed. I may glue my old Globalwin CAK-38 onto it...
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited August 2003
    Very good man, that design is ingenious, you should expand your post over at Rage3D and write us an article over here at Short-Media. Seriously, you should, it sounds like you have a lot of experience and knowledge to share on this subject.
  • TiribulusTiribulus HOCKEYTOWN USA
    edited August 2003
    @ Geeky1:
    I thought the 8500 was a highly underrated card. I loved the 128 I had in my daughters machine until I blew it up. I had a 64 meg version which I sold to get money toward the 128 meg version. The one drawback was the damn things had no holes:mad2: which forced the use of adhesive. Adhesive isn't terrible, but doesn't conduct heat as well as quality paste.

    @ Spinner:
    If there's enough interest I may do something like that, though time is a lot tighter than it was when I wrote that post. Thanks for the accolades too. Always feels good to have someone like your work.
    >>>--Tiribulus-->:D
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