9700 Pro ==> 9800 Pro: Worthwhile?

[BRH]

Just Curious as to how much of a performance gain there really is
between a 9700Pro and 9800Pro. My system is an Athlon XP2100 with 640
Megs RAM, running WinXPPro. I play mostly racing sims, which require
maximizing framerates. I also like to bump up the eye candy, where
possible. So, would there be any significant performance increase by
upgrading to the 9800Pro on this system?

Thanks!

 

[John Hall]

The bang is not worth the bucks. A 9800 pro is a refined version of the
9700 pro and is not a next generation upgrade. Wait until the next big card
comes out, and then wait a little more until the price drops, and then go
for it. Check out Toms Hardware. They have an excellent review of all
current video cards including benchmark tests.

JK

 

[NightSky 421]

Just Curious as to how much of a performance gain there really is
between a 9700Pro and 9800Pro. My system is an Athlon XP2100 with 640
Megs RAM, running WinXPPro. I play mostly racing sims, which require
maximizing framerates. I also like to bump up the eye candy, where
possible. So, would there be any significant performance increase by
upgrading to the 9800Pro on this system?

Thanks!

I wouldn't do it, regardless of your processor. I had a 9700 Pro and
the only reason why I have a 9800 Pro now is because I had some problems
with the fan on the 9700 Pro. I had an exchange warranty from the store
I bought the 9700 Pro from and since the 9700 Pro was completely gone
when I made my claim with the store, I got a 9800 Pro from them. In
terms of performance difference, the amount of change between the two
cards was very small and not worthwhile if you plan to fork over money
for the upgrade. I'd strongly suggest you wait for the R420 and NV40 to
come out before deciding on any upgrade. You could even wait for the
product refresh around Christmas time and buy the first-gen NV40 or R420
when it drops down in price like the 9800 Pro is doing now. This might
be what I'll do. You could also consider a CPU upgrade in the fall or
winter as well.

 

[BRH]

OK. Thanks to both of you!

I wouldn't do it, regardless of your processor. I had a 9700 Pro and
the only reason why I have a 9800 Pro now is because I had some problems
with the fan on the 9700 Pro. I had an exchange warranty from the store
I bought the 9700 Pro from and since the 9700 Pro was completely gone
when I made my claim with the store, I got a 9800 Pro from them. In
terms of performance difference, the amount of change between the two
cards was very small and not worthwhile if you plan to fork over money
for the upgrade. I'd strongly suggest you wait for the R420 and NV40 to
come out before deciding on any upgrade. You could even wait for the
product refresh around Christmas time and buy the first-gen NV40 or R420
when it drops down in price like the 9800 Pro is doing now. This might
be what I'll do. You could also consider a CPU upgrade in the fall or
winter as well.

 

[Chalky]

I've had both cards. The difference is significant, but I concur with the
other posts in that it is not worth the money. The difference is in the eye
candy. The 9800 PRO simply has more horsepower to let you crank up the
antialiasing and ansiotropic filtering--but it isn't so much more powerful
that you'll be blown away. I find that with most games I can crank up the
anti-aliasing and ansiotropic filtering but then I'm still limited to
1024x768 resolution--anything higher and things get a little less smooth.
The 9700 PRO is still really solid--I know you can run Unreal 2004 very well
on that card--it will only look a little better on a 9800 PRO. With new
cards on the horizion, I would take whatever money you have and save it
until a next gen card is in your price range. By the time the next round of
games come out--possibly DOOM II, Half-Life 2 and what not, all the 9800 PRO
people are going to start drooling over new cards anyway--and possibly new
computers as well. I'm sure I will be!

Chalky

 

[blah]

Just Curious as to how much of a performance gain there really is
between a 9700Pro and 9800Pro. My system is an Athlon XP2100 with 640
Megs RAM, running WinXPPro. I play mostly racing sims, which require
maximizing framerates. I also like to bump up the eye candy, where
possible. So, would there be any significant performance increase by
upgrading to the 9800Pro on this system?

Thanks!

See here for comparison
http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html

 

[C&M]

Not enough to matter. Wait for next generation of cards due out later this
year.