ATi numbering system?...quick question

[SL]

Hello folks,

I, like many others have often wondered why the numbering of the video cards
does not go in a neat order. I am an (still crying) old 3DFX user. I went
with user opinion and gamers reviews of nvidia and ati. I chose ati and
have been happy for the most part. But I have yet to understand the pecking
order of their cards to some fine degree.

With the 3dfx series, It was pretty straight forward. A Monster 3D Voodoo1
was not as good as a V2, V3 etc... It seemed pretty scalable. But there
is variation in the ati line it seems that can make a lower number (ex 9500)
be better than a (ex 9600).? I happen to have a 9500 pro 128meg and bought
it at a good price for the time. I am quite happy with it. Prior to that
was a Radeon VE 32meg. Again, happy.

Are there any sites that describe this pecking order precisely? I would be
curious to see a timeline on their series.

Thanks all,

SL

 

[Ville Viking]

Older and never series that partially overlap each other performance vice
is confusing for sure. This should be quite close as far as the Radeon 9xxx
is concerned (slower to faster):

Radeon 9200 SE
Radeon 9000
Radeon 9200
Radeon 9000 Pro
Radeon 9200 Pro
Radeon 9100
Radeon 9500
Radeon 9600 SE
Radeon 9600
Radeon 9600 Pro
Radeon 9800 SE
Radeon 9500 Pro
Radeon 9600 XT
Radeon 9800
Radeon 9700
Radeon 9700 Pro
Radeon 9800 Pro
Radeon 9800 XT

They are not making it easy for us consumers.

/Ville

 

[TMack]

Older and never series that partially overlap each other performance vice
is confusing for sure. This should be quite close as far as the Radeon 9xxx
is concerned (slower to faster):

Radeon 9200 SE
Radeon 9000
Radeon 9200
Radeon 9000 Pro
Radeon 9200 Pro
Radeon 9100
Radeon 9500
Radeon 9600 SE
Radeon 9600
Radeon 9600 Pro
Radeon 9800 SE
Radeon 9500 Pro
Radeon 9600 XT
Radeon 9800
Radeon 9700
Radeon 9700 Pro
Radeon 9800 Pro
Radeon 9800 XT

They are not making it easy for us consumers.

Probably a fair summary with one MAJOR error - the 9600SE is a cut-down,
crippled piece of crap that will not come close to a 9500 non-pro. It only
has a 64 bit memory bus so it simply cannot compete. It is also worth
commenting that the difference between a 9600 non-pro and a 9500 non-pro
depends very much on which game is being played and at what settings - 9600
is better in some, 9500 is better in others.
Although the commentary is in German it is worth looking at this article
which compares 9500/9600/9700/9800
http://www.3dcenter.de/artikel/r9500+9700+9800_vs_gffx5200+5600+5800/
Unfortunately it doesn't include the SE series but it provides a VERY
comprehensive set of comparative benchmarks for the 9500/9600/9700/9800
series.

Tony

Tony

 

[Ville Viking]

Well, not easy as stated.

Another one that is tricky to place correctly in that list is 9800SE that
exists with both 128 and 256 bit memory bus. And there are even some LE and
LELE flawored 9200, 9700 and 9800 thant could be included.

Some mess they have created for us.

/Ville

 

[SL]

Thanks all,

Thats just the info I was looking for. It is quite an overlapping list it
seems. I like my 9500 pro. I dont have the one Ive read about with the L
shaped memory that can be overclocked. My cpu is a 2000+ and I just dont
think I would benefit too much from overclocking the card versus wear/tear.
That is at least until I get another card like the 9800 series with some tv
capture ability.

thanks again,
SL

 

[Skid]

Actually, you CAN overclock your 9500 Pro, and you can squeeze out a decent
performance increase. All you need to do is flash the bios and use a free OC
utility. Search the tweaking forum at www.rage3d.com for "overclock 9500
pro" for details.