Is it worth upgrading from my 9600 to a 9800 ?

Sniper

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Yo Guys, I have had my 9600SE 128mb for quite a while now and needless to say it has been fine for me, i now feel like upgrading and im not too sure wether it is worth upgrading from my 9600 to a 9800 256mb, i have had a lot of mixed opinions and now im asking you lot...

Also i would like to know if possible what my average FPS would be in games such as HL2 and CSS, atm on my 9600se it varys between 20 - 30 and slows down badly when there is a lot of action or in open areas.

So, is it worth upgrading ?
 
The 9600SE 128mb is the bottom of the 9600 chain. If you were going to upgrade and wanted it to be worth it, I would say either go for the 9800 Pro 128mb or 256mb with 256bit. You don't want a 9800 Pro with 128bit. To my understanding the 9800 Pros are quite cheap now, so it shouldn't make quite a dent in your wallet.

I own a 9800 Pro 128mb 256bit card myself. In Half-Life 2/CS:S I average around 80-90 FPS on all high detail with no AA or AF on. During major battles my FPS can drop to 50-70. Overall my FPS stays within the 70-90 range, so I can a smooth enjoyable playing experience with no lag.

As for saving up for an X800 or a 6800, I would say go for it if your system won't bottle neck the cards. I would suggest getting the 6800 GT if you have $300-$350 to spend. If you are satisfied with a 9800 Pro, one will run you for about $150-$200.

Hope this helps you make your decision.

EDIT: I just noticed you're from the UK so here are the price conversions, considering the prices are the same for the UK.

$150 - $200 = £78 - £104
$300 - $350 = £157 - £183
 
i recommend 6600 GT AGP , better then 9800 pro....
and you can find it even cheaper then 9800 pro
what are other spec of your rig ?
 
I would wait a little longer before upgrading. I've got no idea how the 9600SE runs games like HL2 but I've heard it's a bit crappy. :/ If you really want to upgrade though, ebuyer.com usually sell them quite cheaply.

128MB:http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=47511

256MB:http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=56696

I've got a 9700Pro which I've had for over 2 years now. It can run HL2/CSS with maximum detail @ 1024x768, no AA AF. I get a FPS of about 20-90 although is does drop to like 15 on that one bit with the water on Chateau near Bomb site A. I'll probably upgrade it when I get a game it can run very well.
 
My computer specs currently are :

Intel Celeron 2.5ghz Processor
768MB DDR RAM
9600SE 128mb

Out of curiosity could i run the 6600 if so i will get it, but only if someone can guarentee it will work lol
 
wasn't there a softmod for an ATI SE chip???

EDIT: yes, but for 9800SE -> 9800 Pro w/R350 Core

You just bought at the wrong time...
 
@Sniper - the 6600GT will work in any computer with an AGP slot (if you have a 9600 i'm 99% sure you must have one), you'll have to make sure you remove all the ATI graphics drivers though, they can interfere with the nVidia ones.

@Sanada - what are your other specs, i always though the 9700 was faster than my 9600, but i get 50-60fps average going up to about 110fps in some places, it never drops below 25-30 cause thats when i start to notice it - thats with the same settings as you but with 2xAA and 2xAF:)
 
Sniper said:
Yo Guys, I have had my 9600SE 128mb for quite a while now and needless to say it has been fine for me, i now feel like upgrading and im not too sure wether it is worth upgrading from my 9600 to a 9800 256mb, i have had a lot of mixed opinions and now im asking you lot...

Also i would like to know if possible what my average FPS would be in games such as HL2 and CSS, atm on my 9600se it varys between 20 - 30 and slows down badly when there is a lot of action or in open areas.

So, is it worth upgrading ?

I've got a 9800SE, to be personally honest you should aim higher. You would regret getting a 9800 card as there are random crashes, heat spikes (although not saying that you'll have a 1 in 1 chance of this happening in 5 hours worth of gameplay). I didn't listen to retail when they said that radeon systems are unstable, I listened to people on the forums :angry: . I suggest getting at least a Nvidia 6600GT for three reasons.

1) I've had an Nvidia before and they are very stable
2) 6600GT are mid range at least
3) They are under £100
 
DEATH eVADER said:
I've got a 9800SE, to be personally honest you should aim higher. You would regret getting a 9800 card as there are random crashes, heat spikes (although not saying that you'll have a 1 in 1 chance of this happening in 5 hours worth of gameplay). I didn't listen to retail when they said that radeon systems are unstable, I listened to people on the forums :angry: . I suggest getting at least a Nvidia 6600GT for three reasons.

1) I've had an Nvidia before and they are very stable
2) 6600GT are mid range at least
3) They are under £100
I've had my 9800 for almost a year now without any problems, ever. You're the first person I've heard to say Radeon systems are unstable.

If you're gonna upgrade, go all out. Not worth spending money on a 9800 when you can get an x800 for like $150 more.
You might want to look in to upgrading that processor, too
 
I would recommend getting an AGP version of the 6600GT, its priced almost the same as teh 9800pro and is alot better. Sadly, the 9800pro is beginning to show its age in modern games, but still runs when pretty good, just not as good as the 6600gt.
 
Well, that's too bad your 9800SE is a little crappy. Instead of calling SE Special Edition they should call it the Shit Edition.

I own a 9800 Pro and I've never had a "random crash" and I've owned the card for two years and I play often. I've never had heating issues either.

However, if you want to generalize a company like this I can tell you about the Nvidia I owned before the Radeon. I would be so lucky to play a game for 20 minutes before it crashed or froze up. It was a most unenjoyable experience. But hey, I'm smart enough not to generalize a company off of an experience with one bad card.

They're BOTH good companies. Don't listen to fan boys ranting about how one totally sucks and the other is great. Compare cards and prices and see which you'll get the most bang for your buck. ATi and Nvidia are both great companies (as long as it's not the Nvidia FX line ewwww) and you'll enjoy whichever card you buy.
 
holydeadpenguins said:
Upgrade cpu first. Celeron will definitely hold you back more than ur 9600.

I second that. A midrange Athlon 64 would be better to get, then you can upgrade your gfx card. This will be more worth while.
 
I just got an X800XL and I'm very impressed. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Spend the extra bucks, it's worth it. DON'T get an 850 though. The 10-15% boost over the 800 isn't worth the very hefty price tag
 
Is there anything i need to know or match up before buying a new CPU, if not i'll go out and get an AMD which i've wanted for some time now ??
 
Why would i need a new motherboard ?? Surely all i have to do is match the socket type right ?
 
9600SE is the best video card I was able to put in my PC (during the time I bought it). I have a mini-tower so regular video cards won't fit.

Are there any other low-profile video cards out there that may be better than the 9600SE?
 
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