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Turias · Jun 28, 2004, 03:19 PM

I'm going to be dropping a lot for a new computer, and I was wondering what you guys think about the differences between the 128MB and the 256MB versions of the ATI Radeon 9800 XT. Is the 256MB card really worth an extra $250? Or would it be smarter to go with the 128 and then upgrade the card in a couple years when it becomes more of an issue with the newer games?

I'm looking forward to playing some hardcore FPSes and World of Warcraft on this baby.

gbafan · Jun 28, 2004, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by Turias:
I'm going to be dropping a lot for a new computer, and I was wondering what you guys think about the differences between the 128MB and the 256MB versions of the ATI Radeon 9800 XT. Is the 256MB card really worth an extra $250? Or would it be smarter to go with the 128 and then upgrade the card in a couple years when it becomes more of an issue with the newer games?

I'm looking forward to playing some hardcore FPSes and World of Warcraft on this baby.

What about the new nVidia Geforce 6800? Want the best? $599 please... I'll send some linen to help cover the costs.

http://www.apple.com/displays/digital.html

Turias · Jun 28, 2004, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by gbafan:
What about the new nVidia Geforce 6800? Want the best? $599 please... I'll send some linen to help cover the costs.

http://www.apple.com/displays/digital.html

Yeah, I saw that. I don't think I'm willing to drop that much on a graphics card quite yet...

Originally posted by gbafan:
I'll send some linen to help cover the costs.

Turias · Jun 28, 2004, 03:28 PM

Well, I guess it is only $120 more than the 256MB option, so I guess it's a possibility.

Damn it... what do I do?

I need some specs and comparisons when running WoW!

mac freak · Jun 28, 2004, 03:40 PM

The 6800 is A LOT faster than the 9800 XT. It's worth $120!

Etc.

whole review here: http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=2023&p=1

Of course, one must also consider the ATI X800, but that's available for Mac yet!

videian28 · Jun 28, 2004, 03:43 PM

I have a dual 2.5 on order with the 9600xt, I am debating canceling that order and going with the nvidia card....but I think the wife woudl kill me a bit...over and over

/e thinks of a way to get away with this

$3100 VS 2700.....hmmmm

Turias · Jun 28, 2004, 03:48 PM

Hmmm, those graphs are interesting, but it doesn't seem to tell us if the 9800 XT is a 128MB card or if it's the 256MB version...

videian28 · Jun 28, 2004, 03:54 PM

changing the order from 2.5 cto with bluetooth and 9600xt to the same with the nvidia card takes my ship date to "august" from 7/30

what to do

a2daj · Jun 28, 2004, 03:55 PM

You're getting a PC I assume (since the Mac 9800 XT only comes in 256 MB)? Some sites have done 128 MB vs 256 MB tests with the 9800 Pro. Barely any difference with today's games at reasonable settings. Supposedly, Call of Duty can take advantage of 256 MB by using higher quality textures.

mac freak · Jun 28, 2004, 03:55 PM

There is no real difference between the 128MB and 256MB versions of the 9800XT in today's games. Do I need to post more graphs or will you just believe me?

videian28 · Jun 28, 2004, 03:56 PM

I have read the same, not much difference between the 128 and 256 versions

videian28 · Jun 28, 2004, 04:00 PM

would be cool to play WoW full screen on my 20" with all the bells and whistles turned on, wonder if the 9600xt can do that?

Peter · Jun 28, 2004, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by videian28:
would be cool to play WoW full screen on my 20" with all the bells and whistles turned on, wonder if the 9600xt can do that?

yes, yes it will.
The 9600xt is no slouch at all.

gbafan · Jun 28, 2004, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by videian28:
would be cool to play WoW full screen on my 20" with all the bells and whistles turned on, wonder if the 9600xt can do that?

You all worry me with the need to buy a new computer just to turn up the settings on our great game that is in beta... /eek

You'll be disappointed by the speed "improvements" during the beta phase... Wait until next year (Jan. 05) when the game is getting ready for retail and Apple rolls out the new Power Mac G5 line.

gbafan · Jun 28, 2004, 05:09 PM

Originally posted by mac freak:
The 6800 is A LOT faster than the 9800 XT. It's worth $120!

Now that's what I call a graphics card! Holy smokes!

The countdown for SF MacWorld '05 begins! (Yes, I'm basically saying that I hope there will be new gfx cards released in new G5's... but aren't you too?)

Turias · Jun 28, 2004, 05:10 PM

One interesting thing I noticed:

From Apple.com

The performance gains and features supported by Core Image ultimately depend on the graphics card. Graphics cards capable of pixel-level programming deliver the best performance. But Core Image automatically scales as appropriate for systems with older graphics cards, for compatibility with any Tiger-compatible Mac.
Supported graphics cards:

The performance gains and features supported by Core Image ultimately depend on the graphics card. Graphics cards capable of pixel-level programming deliver the best performance. But Core Image automatically scales as appropriate for systems with older graphics cards, for compatibility with any Tiger-compatible Mac.
Supported graphics cards:

* ATI Radeon 9800 XT
* ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
* ATI Radeon 9700 Pro
* ATI Radeon 9600 XT
* ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
* ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
* ATI Mobility Radeon 9600
* NVIDIA GeForceFX Go 5200
* NVIDIA GeForceFX 5200 Ultra

These cards are available in today�s PowerBooks, Power Mac G5s and both the 17-inch and 20-inch iMac.

No mention of the Geforce 6800. I can't imagine that it wouldn't support Core Image, though.

gbafan · Jun 28, 2004, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by Turias:
No mention of the Geforce 6800. I can't imagine that it wouldn't support Core Image, though.

Well, there is an image of it on the page

I love seeing my trusty ol' nVidia Go5200fx in there! Yippie! Why no ones likes those cards on the Mac I will never know... Plays WoW especially well, just need to get the 10.3.4 driver bugs worked out.

videian28 · Jun 28, 2004, 06:56 PM

it will eh? hmm, guess I will hold off then

yes some of us want the fastest, not for everyday work but to run games, all that extra speed works out well on daily tasks as well

Maharaja · Jun 29, 2004, 08:50 PM

I'm thinking of upgrading my OEM 9600 in my dual G5 aswell...but i still cant decide either to get 9800 128/256. I do believe that 9800XT is BTO only. Should i even wait for X800????

mac freak · Jun 30, 2004, 01:10 AM

9600 --> 9800 = not worth the money

gbafan · Jun 30, 2004, 12:54 PM

Originally posted by Maharaja:
I'm thinking of upgrading my OEM 9600 in my dual G5 aswell...but i still cant decide either to get 9800 128/256. I do believe that 9800XT is BTO only. Should i even wait for X800????

I'd wait or just buy the nVidia 6800 if you've got money to burn

a2daj · Jun 30, 2004, 04:42 PM

Originally posted by mac freak:
9600 --> 9800 = not worth the money

If you ebay the 9600 and count that money toward a 9800 Pro purchse, I'd say it's worth it. With a 9800 Pro and up, the GPU won't be the bottleneck in most games.

mac freak · Jun 30, 2004, 06:56 PM

I still wouldn't buy a 9800 right now, with GF 6800s available and X800's soon, both of which are twice as fast as the 9800 Pro...

Maharaja · Jul 1, 2004, 03:14 AM

$599 for nVid6800...hmmm...thats $200 more than 9800 Pro SE 256. Aint it kinda too much? How much would X800 costs? maybe i'll save up till then.

I nearly ordered 9800 Pro SE 256 but i refrained...

DamnDJ · Jul 1, 2004, 05:28 AM

I just bought a 9800 Pro w/128 MB ram to replace the OEM 9000 card in my machine.

I don't like having my settings turned down so low in WoW, so I decided to upgrade my card. I am assuming this will be a nice bump in performance over my 9000.

Have a dual 1.25 G4.

Turias · Jul 1, 2004, 10:28 AM

Originally posted by Maharaja:
$599 for nVid6800...hmmm...thats $200 more than 9800 Pro SE 256. Aint it kinda too much? How much would X800 costs? maybe i'll save up till then.

I nearly ordered 9800 Pro SE 256 but i refrained...

The X800 and the 6800 are comperable cards, so I assume they will both be similarly priced.

-Q- · Jul 1, 2004, 03:46 PM

256 seems like overkill to me-I doubt many games out now take advantage/require that memory (I dont' count the games like Doom 3 that may or may not be released this year). But I'm also planning on waiting until the X800s come out to upgrade to see how the graphics card market looks.

If you have a 9600 already, I'd wait.

- - e r i k - - · Jul 2, 2004, 05:28 AM

I have the same dilemma really. But I'm also concidering Core Image / Core Video improvement, Motion and FCP, they will surely take advantage of the 256MB right?

P · Jul 5, 2004, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by gbafan:
Well, there is an image of it on the page

I love seeing my trusty ol' nVidia Go5200fx in there! Yippie! Why no ones likes those cards on the Mac I will never know... Plays WoW especially well, just need to get the 10.3.4 driver bugs worked out.

Mainly because a Radeon 9600 are only a little bit more expensive as BTO, and much more powerful.

gbafan · Jul 6, 2004, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by P:
Mainly because a Radeon 9600 are only a little bit more expensive as BTO, and much more powerful.

No such BTO option on a 12" Powerbook

wuzup101 · Jul 9, 2004, 03:24 AM

First of all I'll state that this is all based on my PC knowledge... that being said I've been an avid PC gamer/system builder for a few years now.

I would stick with the 9600XT right now if you're considering this for a G5 that your going to do BTO. After looking into the pricing I personally don't think that the jump in price to the 256mb XT or the 6800 are worth the price. With the awesome power of the G5 you should be able to play any current game on the market using the 9600XT at medium to high graphics provided you are not running at an ultra high resolution. If you are in fact running at some crazy resolution than you may require the extra power, and that's for you to decide.

I can tell you that I bought a 9800pro 128mb for my home built PC gaming desktop last summer when the 9800 came out and that it was a great investment. I can still play all modern games at very very acceptable quality levels and they play smooth as glass. The rest of the system is built on an AMD "barton" processor with 512k of L2 and clocked at 2.3ghz via some overclocking (stock it's a 2500+) and 1gb of pc3200 DDR.

If I were you I would go with the 9600XT right now and then when you "need" to upgrade in a year or so get whatever is new. That way you're not spending all your cash at once and you get more life out of your cards. No one "needs" a 6800 or an X800 right now unless they are running very high resolutions.

As stated above we're not sure if this is for a PC or a Mac. If you are infact buing for your PC the 128mb version of the 9800XT will give you more than satisfactoy graphics. You won't see an appreciable difference in the 256mb version vs it's cheaper counterpart. Save your money or if you want to spend it get an X800 instead of the 256mb 9800Pro.

BTW I appologize if I messed up anything Mac related here. As I stated above I'm new to Macs but certainly not to video cards or gaming.

nforcer · Jul 11, 2004, 08:33 AM

IIRC, I remember reading an article on tomshardware or anandtech or some similar site that compared the Radeon 9800 XT 128 MB and 256 MB versions. In some tests, the 256 MB version was slightly slower (by a couple frames a second or something), and in some tests the 128 MB version was slightly slower. I think it would be safe to attribute that to usual testing errors and slight variations between runs.

So really, I think it's just a matter of if you believe you'll need the extra 128 MB VRAM for something (I think 128 should be fine for most cases), and if you have the money to afford it. And if you are going to go for the 256 version, why not go all out and get the Geforce 6800?