9800, 9800XT, or 9800 Pro?

[Deja Q]

ATi now writes drivers for Linux :party: , so I'm switching back. The Radeon top model seems to be $250 lower than Nvidia's 5900FX, and I've got $300 in best Buy vouchers to spend, and can afford to spend extra if needed.

Thanks!

[CrownPrinceBandar]

1. I was always tempted to buy a Radeon...

but unfortuntely the chipset on my motherboard, SIS 648, tends to not get along very well with ATI cards. So when I was in the market for a new VC, I bought the eVGA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra with 8X AGP, 128 MB DDR2. I really like it and it was a good mid-range card.

Good luck with the Radeon.

edit: I've heard REALLY good things about the 9800 Pro.

edit2: PC Gamer recommends the All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro. I was reading the most recent newstand issue and they put it their "dream system." But $450... Sheesh, too pricey for my blood. Hope this helps.

[tridim]

3. eVGA is a good, inexpensive brand

I recommend them as well.

[Kellanved]

2. Pro

The XT only offers a few percent more speed (5% or so)- not worth the money.
However both (XT and Pro) need 50W power - make sure you have a kick-ass PSU and good cooling. Passive cooling is out, what would mean no-go for me.

[tekriter]

4. Ohhhhh, I remember the good old days...

when my new Apple 8*24 GC video card (2 megs ram, 256 colors on a 17-inch monitor) cost about a thousand dollars - and it was the LOW_COST alternative.