Sapphire Radeon 9800 PRO or Gainward FX 5900

[Nutty Buddy]

Hi All! I'm in the process of upgrading and would like help in choosing one of these two cards I see at Newegg:

GAINWARD GeForce FX 5900 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "FX Ultra/1200 XP" $219

OR

SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP $227

The choice will be on an MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R with an Athlon 64 3000+ processor.

Both cards are retail versions and seem to be very good prices. Both also have very good reviews online. I am concerned about Radeon and VIA compatability issues from past experience, but maybe this is not an issue with my mobo setup. My budget was originally around $150 (for a 9600 XT class), but at these prices I'm willing to stretch.

The Gainwald looks splashier and a better mod. Both are supposedly good overclockers. The 9800 PROs seem a bit faster with the benchmark tests I've seen, but I haven't found a comparison for the specific models.

Which should be my choice for gaming? Is there a better choice for the price?

Thanks!

Buddy

[F_A_L_C_O_N]

R9800PRO

should be faster and definitely has better IQ and TV-out quality (if thats important to you of course)

as far as drivers go 3.10 is what I use and had no problems so far, dont know if there are any VIA chipset related issues , havent heard about anything on the subject yet

[Todd a]

Definately the Radeon 9800 Pro.

[Kruz]

You can Bios Flash the fx5900 to a fx 5950 Ultra... Very easy to do. and it works too. (I've done it)

[Nutty Buddy]

Thanks folks!

You can Bios Flash the fx5900 to a fx 5950 Ultra

Kruz, your stirring the pot! That's what I was wondering. Does Gainward's FX 5900 have the ability to OC beyond the Sapphire's 9800 Pro's ability in a normal case environment? Which is more reliable? I have had a problems with ATI's products, especially driver issues, but I have had a 128MB ATI Radeon 8500 which has performed flawlessly with my past MSI KT3 Ultra / VIA mobo, so much is forgiven.

Bottom line, which will run more reliably at peak performance settings (I don't want to have to switch the Radeon to 4x AGP to make it work with some games)...or is reliability a non-issue. If not, will there be a noticeable performance advantage of either when opimized under normal air cooling environments. I'm not venturing into water cooling and refrigeration at this juncture.

I have yet to owned a GeForce. I have gained a feeling from what I have read on the web that the Radeons have gained the upper hand in video gaming technology recently.

I'll consider Kruz's a vote for the PX 5900 based on overclockability...or is that flashability?

Radeon is ahead 2 recommendations to 1. My tendency is to lean to the Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro if there are no quality/reliability issues. ..but I really like the look of that Gainward.

Buddy

[d94]

this is true, howeever dont forget you can flash a 9800 pro to a 9800xt

[F_A_L_C_O_N]

Originally posted by d94
this is true, howeever dont forget you can flash a 9800 pro to a 9800xt

I dont think there is any benefit doing PRO->XT mod, judging by the forum talk, more trouble and IQ decrease then anything else

as for FX there should be 10-15% increase, without probs

[Nutty Buddy]

Hi Falcon,

Earlier you recommended the 9800PRO, so I assume that is still better than the FX5900 with the 10-15% increase you just posted?

Here is a review of the Sapphire Radeon 9800 PRO. Namely the overclocking page:
Hardware Virtual Zone
They were able to get a stable 15% improvement in the 3DMarks score overclocking from 378/338mhz to 472/370mhz.

[F_A_L_C_O_N]

Yup sy about that I think it is better, thats why I own one anyway

I was just pointing out what I learned here and on Rage3d forum about 9800PRO->XT BIOS not being any improvement whatsoever

you can always try to OC PRO to XT

must say with the speed I get from this card right now I see no point in running it out of specs though