Crap, I forgot to attach the user comments from Newegg:
toadman,9/29/2003 7:25:47 AM
This is the best deal going. $306 for a radeon 9800 pro 128mb! Its much
better to save $50 and buy this instead of one with dumb extra features and
software. Worked like a charm for me. 17k in 3dmark '01 5.5k in '03. Runs a
bit hot.
sirra462,9/27/2003 1:32:19 PM
I was a little worried that this was a bad deal, due to the black pcb and
the issues with BIOS, but I can vouch for this card. I received it, and
plugged it in and there were no problems. So don't be scared to order this,
it is a great deal.
N/A,9/26/2003 6:55:09 AM
Like the reviewer before me, I was hesitant about this card due to the black
PCB and heatsink, which is reminiscent of the 9700 Ulitmate edition.
However, upon installing the card, running 3dmark03 and mafia at
full-details, 4xAA, 16XAF, this card rocks! The clock speeds are correct for
a 9800pro and the memory is rated for 350MHz (700DDR), which exceeds
specifications.
N/A,9/25/2003 10:39:32 AM
Received this card last night, so I haven't had much time to tweak it, but
here's what I can tell ya: It looks exactly like the pic, funky cooler and
all (cooler is a bit lacking I think). It is a 9800 Pro though, full 8
pipes, etc. Memory is Samsung K4D263238E-GC2A (2.86ns). Hitting 3Dmark03
score of 5489 at stock speed (which is 378-core/337.5-mem according to
RivaTuner) on my Barton 2500 XP O/C-200fsb x 11 system with all settings at
default. Came without a product box, wrapped in bubble wrap in the shipping
box... but nothing was damaged. Overall, it appears to be a good card, and I
think it's an excellent value at $306. Hope this helps someone out there
N/A,9/25/2003 5:09:58 AM
This card would not even make it though 3dmark2003 baseline benchmark
without locking up. Poor cooling.
N/A,9/19/2003 10:29:06 PM
Since I placed my order with Newegg I started to raise a lot of questions
about the black pcb 9800 pro from Sapphire. After reading tons of stories
about black pcb 9700 pro cards that had bios problems I was sure mine would
also be messed up. I plugged the card right in and did a clean install of
windows. No problems at all! I'm running the latest omega drivers. This card
is a legit 9800 pro. Don't spend the extra money on the 256 meg cards
because they run hotter and its just for bragging rights if you feel you
need it.
Played one game and ran 3dmark.
Unreal Tourny, 32bit @ 1600 x 1200 with constant 100fps.... bit of overkill.
I'm going to install the rest of my games tonight and download 3dmark 2k3.
Neweggs service was amazing. They shipped my card 2 hours after recieving
the invoice. Recieved the card in three days from order time.
I'll post another response if this card has any troubles.
N/A,9/19/2003 7:32:12 PM
Simply the best deal you can get for a 9800 pro as we speak. No reason to
spend almost a 100 more for a Hercules 9800 pro which is pretty much
identical minus the fancy lighting. Definitely get it now before Ati prices
go somewhat up since they're pretty much destroying nvidia with all the
controversy as of now. Just in time for HL2
As you can tell, I'm being very careful. $300-$350 is a nice chunk of
change, and I just want to do it right.
Regards,
Manoj
