Should I upgrade my AiW7500?

[ernest]

Hey guys,

I have had my AiW7500 for 3+ years and am pretty happy about it esp.
the cool TV features (guide+, transparency). Now I see some really
good deals on both the 9600XT AiW (CAN$150) and the 9800PRO AiW
(CAN$200) so I'm pondering if I should upgrade.

I don't think I'll be going to the PCI-Express route because I have my
SMP 2xMP2400 which uses old mobo only has AGP and I think the CPU will
be sufficient for next few years. My requirements are:

- RTS like WC3 and RP like WoW
- occasional video editing (SMP pretty good)
- TV viewing

One major thing is that my 7500 does not have the latest in ATI TV
features, and WC3 and WoW seems ok but I could use higher res

Comments/suggestions? So it's not like there's overwhelming reasons
but the deals are really good

Ernest

 

[Riccardo Cretti]

I have had my AiW7500 for 3+ years and am pretty happy about it esp.
the cool TV features (guide+, transparency). Now I see some really
good deals on both the 9600XT AiW (CAN$150) and the 9800PRO AiW
(CAN$200) so I'm pondering if I should upgrade.

I don't think I'll be going to the PCI-Express route because I have my
SMP 2xMP2400 which uses old mobo only has AGP and I think the CPU will
be sufficient for next few years. My requirements are:

- RTS like WC3 and RP like WoW
- occasional video editing (SMP pretty good)
- TV viewing

One major thing is that my 7500 does not have the latest in ATI TV
features, and WC3 and WoW seems ok but I could use higher res

Comments/suggestions? So it's not like there's overwhelming reasons
but the deals are really good

You will get a good graphic card (much better than the actual graphic
card), some more TV features and a good price.
If you can afford it, why not?
Go for it!

 

[ernest]

Hmm I just went thru some of the user reviews on both cards and A LOT
of them said the software/driver stability is a big problem for both.
Is it just as 'problematic' as the older one like the one with 7500?
On CNet the users are pretty much split for the people who got it
working (score 7+) and the people who don't (score 1 or 2). Sounds
risky?

If they really work, I think I'll prefer 9600XT as it has independent
dual VGA / VGA+TV feature...

Ernest

 

[Riccardo Cretti]

Hmm I just went thru some of the user reviews on both cards and A LOT
of them said the software/driver stability is a big problem for both.
Is it just as 'problematic' as the older one like the one with 7500?
On CNet the users are pretty much split for the people who got it
working (score 7+) and the people who don't (score 1 or 2). Sounds
risky?

If they really work, I think I'll prefer 9600XT as it has independent
dual VGA / VGA+TV feature...

If you really want to make sure of what kind of problems you could get
with the newest AIW cards you could go in google groups and search in
this newsgroup.

 

[Greg]

I have both 7500 AIW and 9800pro AIW (in two computers of course). The 7500
uses Cat 4.1 drivers and the 9800 has used up to the new 5.8 but I like the
5.6 driver. The 9800 uses MMC 9.08 and the 7500 MMC is 8.5. No driver
problems with either machine. The 9800 is in a faster machine 2400 AMD vs.
800 P3 both have 512mb ram. The 9800 is a faster video card regardless of
machine and captures video at better resolution and frame rate, however that
is a lot due to faster processor. I like both cards and both do what they
need to do. If you are wanting better game performance and have some extra
cash by all means upgrade. There will probably be a noticeable difference in
games.
If you want to get rid of your old card cheap please let me know.

 

[ernest]

Have you thought about 9600XT because of dual VGA/TV vs 9800PRO? I
would love to watch TV on my 2nd LCD screen while playing WoW on the
primary one at the same time. It's do-able on the 9600XT right?

Also I found that 9600XT and 9800PRO are about 4 times and 6 times
faster than my 7500. Would either of them last another 3-4 years if
I'm not a FPS-freak (but I do WoW and WC stuff)?

Cheers,
Ernest

 

[Gordon Scott]

Hmm I just went thru some of the user reviews on both cards and A LOT
of them said the software/driver stability is a big problem for both.
Is it just as 'problematic' as the older one like the one with 7500?
On CNet the users are pretty much split for the people who got it
working (score 7+) and the people who don't (score 1 or 2). Sounds
risky?

If they really work, I think I'll prefer 9600XT as it has independent
dual VGA / VGA+TV feature...

Ernest

I'm similar to Greg in experience 8500dv and AIW 9800 pro.
I use cat 4.6 or something on the 8500dvwith MMC9.02, and Omegas 5.6 and
mmc9.03 I think on the 9800.

Hey the 9800 pro is an awesome card, the 9600 cant do 1/2 what a 9800 pro
can.
You get VGA-DVI and TV output with the AIW. The AIW model is/can be just
as oclockable, especially if your centering the box on gaming.

Problematic drivers is nothing new to ATI and its endusers. You prolly
know the drill.
Find a good driver set and stick to it, upgrading for the sake of
upgrading can waste days of your time if something fubars.

I like the idea of the AIW cards cause they are BBATI and have long
warrantys.
$200CDN is a common lower end price right now if you know where to shop,
tho I have seen barebones for $125.
The remote wonder retails for $75 alone.
Of course ebay has all this and more for a song, if you are confident and
comfortable with the medium.

Gordon

 

[ernest]

Thanks for all the advice. I know 9800PRO is much better in terms of
3D but I really wanted that dual-VGA/TV in which I can watch TV on one
screen while I play a game full-screen on another. Very few AiW has
that including 9800PRO. So I purchased the $150 AiW 9600XT online just
now. Good price, decent 3D (4x my 7500) - XT clocks much higher than
the original 9600. They're going fast at the online FS... Over the
years I observed $200 is a sweet spot for AiW but $150 is hard to come
by. You've seen $125? Even for the ebay stuff I checked they're much
higher.

For drivers/software, if it is the same-old story like AiW7500, yeah, I
can deal with it. Probably requires a few days and trying various
software/driver combinations. Like you said, once set-up and running
fine, don't poke the tiger.

Ernest