9600 SE or Pro for moderate gamer?

OK, I just posted "9200 and DX9" asking if the 9200 is really not DX9
compatable...and I since found out that was true.
So, since I have $100 to spend on a card I was really considering the
GeForce5200FX because of it's DX9 compat...and found out it's a REALLY slow
card. So, now I'm considering the 9600SE.
I can find that at the very edge of my price range, (but the 9600PRO is out
of it).
Worth it? I think the clock speeds are OK enough for me, and the shader
features are nice....but that 64bit memory bandwidth really worries me.
Anyone have a 9600SE that's also a moderate, not extreme gamer, that can
give me any feedback?
Thanks!
Liam

9600SE is pretty much as crippled as 5200FX, so I'd get atleast a regular
9600.

I myself have 9700 Pro on my primary PC, and 9600SE on my secondary
"barebone" system. And having tested a few games on 9600SE I'd say it
performs fairly enough. For example Need for Speed Underground is playable
at 1024x768, 2xAA with most graphic options enabled (nothing compared to
9700, though). Synthetic benchmark-wise the 9600SE scores about 1600 at
3DM03.

"LRW" wrote in message
news:nXzLb.7421$xy6.19213@attbi_s02...
OK, I just posted "9200 and DX9" asking if the 9200 is really not DX9
compatable...and I since found out that was true.
So, since I have $100 to spend on a card I was really considering the
GeForce5200FX because of it's DX9 compat...and found out it's a REALLY
slow
card. So, now I'm considering the 9600SE.
I can find that at the very edge of my price range, (but the 9600PRO is
out
of it).
Worth it? I think the clock speeds are OK enough for me, and the shader
features are nice....but that 64bit memory bandwidth really worries me.
Anyone have a 9600SE that's also a moderate, not extreme gamer, that can
give me any feedback?
Thanks!
Liam

"LRW" wrote in message
news:nXzLb.7421$xy6.19213@attbi_s02...
OK, I just posted "9200 and DX9" asking if the 9200 is really not DX9
compatable...and I since found out that was true.
So, since I have $100 to spend on a card I was really considering the
GeForce5200FX because of it's DX9 compat...and found out it's a REALLY
slow
card. So, now I'm considering the 9600SE.
I can find that at the very edge of my price range, (but the 9600PRO is
out
of it).
Worth it? I think the clock speeds are OK enough for me, and the shader
features are nice....but that 64bit memory bandwidth really worries me.
Anyone have a 9600SE that's also a moderate, not extreme gamer, that can
give me any feedback?
Thanks!
Liam



Have a look on ebay and get a 9600 Pro for a lot less than retail.

Anything less will dissappoint you.

"LRW" wrote in message
news:nXzLb.7421$xy6.19213@attbi_s02...
OK, I just posted "9200 and DX9" asking if the 9200 is really not DX9
compatable...and I since found out that was true.
So, since I have $100 to spend on a card I was really considering the
GeForce5200FX because of it's DX9 compat...and found out it's a REALLY
slow
card. So, now I'm considering the 9600SE.
I can find that at the very edge of my price range, (but the 9600PRO is
out
of it).
Worth it? I think the clock speeds are OK enough for me, and the shader
features are nice....but that 64bit memory bandwidth really worries me.
Anyone have a 9600SE that's also a moderate, not extreme gamer, that can
give me any feedback?
Thanks!
Liam




http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=40 158

This guys is selling his for $110 shipping $15

......that's also a moderate, not extreme gamer,

My sons have the 8500LE's and can play every single modern game just fine.
The only reason to go higher than 8500/9000/9100/9200 is if you want FSAA at
1600x1200 or want to play the games new games two years in future. By then a
9800 will be dirt cheap.

-Kent

I find that all current/imminent games are playable on most hardware up to a
couple of years old (games need to be able to do this for max buying
audience), its just a question of how much detail you are prepared to lose.

My advise would be to save your money, because prices of current hardware
will have come down by the summer (new product lines push current prices
down, plus the emerging consumer debt issues in the US/Europe will probably
cause problems to all retail prices, esp. in things like electronics)... and
that 9600 pro will have become affordable.

Slum it with 800x600 or 1024x768 until then (and you might not even have
to - my 9500 pro works well with current games: Halo, Forgotten Battles,
lock-on and Chrome all directX 9 and playable at 1200x1024, which is about
the biggest rez I need for my 19'' screen), and the only thing I have done
to it by way of 'upgrades' to give it a bit of an edge once it started
showing slight signs of lagging is to add a Artic cooler ($25.00) and
unlocked the Bios for OC and use of the extra pipelines (free, but the
pipeline BIOS mod isn't available on the 9600).

Oh, the other thing is that you shouldn't be really considering upgrading
until you actually *run* an application/game that looks like it needs it,
rather than believing the vapourware and marketing hype of
ATI/nVidia/softCos!

Hope that helps

S

I thought 9500 Pros had all the pipelines unlocked? Do you mean the memory bus
can be unlocked to 256-bit from 128-bit?

Slum it with 800x600 or 1024x768 until then (and you might not even have
to - my 9500 pro works well with current games: Halo, Forgotten Battles,
lock-on and Chrome all directX 9 and playable at 1200x1024, which is about
the biggest rez I need for my 19'' screen), and the only thing I have done
to it by way of 'upgrades' to give it a bit of an edge once it started
showing slight signs of lagging is to add a Artic cooler ($25.00) and
unlocked the Bios for OC and use of the extra pipelines (free, but the
pipeline BIOS mod isn't available on the 9600).


-Bill (remove "botizer" to reply via email)

Wblane wrote:
I thought 9500 Pros had all the pipelines unlocked? Do you mean the
memory bus can be unlocked to 256-bit from 128-bit?

You were correct, and no, no 256 bit mem on the pro

Thomas.

"Sham B" wrote in message news:3ffef922$0$21067 Oh,
the other thing is that you shouldn't be really considering upgrading
until you actually *run* an application/game that looks like it needs it,
rather than believing the vapourware and marketing hype of
ATI/nVidia/softCos!

Good advice! Isn't "Call of Duty" DX9? I tried running it on an
All-In-Wonder VE (7500) and it barely crawled at 800x600 with ALL features
turned off.

Well, I just went to Circuit City to check things out, and they had a 9600
XT 128MB for $190. Outside my budget, but my wife said "Merry X-mas" and we
got it. (I know, could have gotten it cheaper online, but it's a "Built By"
and after shipping, and taking in the benefit of having a local retail store
in case something goes wrong...)
THEN, got it to the counter and discovered it has TWO $20 rebates (mail-in.)
So for $150+tax I got the best card of the 9600 line! I'm impressed. =)
So, thanks everyone for your feedback...and if you want to get a Built-By
Radeon 9600XT for $150 find a Circuit City!
(Rebates are already in the mail *g*)

Call of Duty sucked on my FX5600-256...wait until you can afford a good
card. I got rid of my FX and replaced it with a 9600 XT. Was a little
nervous...have been Nvidia sice the old TNT2 came out...have had 5 of
them..from the TNT2 right up to a Ti4200. I am not disappointed..wait till
you have money for the Pro or XT...you will not be disappointed