a geforce FX5200 or a Mentor 128MB GeForce4 MX440

[lecram25]

I don't really get why the 9500 Pro is worth as much as a 9700.
A 9500 should be worth as much as a 9700 since that's the card you can turn into a 9700(pro).

Don't get confused. Not all 9500np can be turned into a 9700np/pro. It's only the earlier ones that had the red 9700 PCB as well as having the L-shaped memory. Seeing that the 9500pro and the 9700np are the same price, I'd go for the 9700np; 9700np have 8pipes and a 256bit memory bus whilst the 9500pro have the 8pipes and a 128bit memory bus...but seeing that those prices are pretty high, you can get a 9700pro for ~$250...

[amp_man]

lecram, read my post: I AGREED WITH YOU, except on the "Pro" part of the card. Nvidia's suck, don't become another nVidiot, there are too many in the world already. But, as I stated before, many, about half, of the non-pro radeon 9500s with L shaped ram (the ram makes an upside-down "L" around the GPU, not an "I" above it) can be softmodded. mine's softmod screwed up, but then the whole card started screwing up (randow PC lock-ups, with soft mod uninstalled), so now I'm getting an RMA so I can return it and get another chance. But lecram, how can u reccomend a Pro when the non pro has a chance at becoming something much greater, and at ~half the price?

[lecram25]

I'm not an nVidiot, lol. I'm an XGtremIst
I recommend a pro because the 9500np that can me modded are not available anymore; and it's been that for about 6-8months. All the new 9500np have their memory all in a staright line. And all the new Sapphire ones all have black PCBs now...

[amp_man]

try again: this is my card, it softmodded, but I had to send it back, because it had other problems.

[lecram25]

ok, here's the thing...the 9500np with the 9700 red PCD with the l-shaped memory can softmod into a 9700np/pro (depending if you overclock it). All other 9500nps can be softmodded, but only into 9500pros...also, an issue that can occur with softmodding 9500nps into 9700s is the artifacts issues, i.e. the extra 4 broken pipes...

[qrazi]

so, all 9500 no pros can be softmodded into pros (i.e. their extra pixel pipelines enabled, but with 50% change of it working without artifacts)?

[NitroX infinity]

No.
Softmodding is to turn your 9500 non-pro into a 9700(Pro)

[amp_man]

Originally posted by qrazi

so, all 9500 no pros can be softmodded into pros (i.e. their extra pixel pipelines enabled, but with 50% change of it working without artifacts)?

yes and no. all radeon 9500 non-pros that have the "L" shaped ram(i.e. the little black squares make an upside down "L" on the board) have a really good chance of softmodding to a 9700 or 9700 pro, depending on how lucky you are. most common ones are made by sapphire and powercolor, and the boards are almost always red. I have heard that the black board from sapphire also might softmod, but I wouldn't risk it, as I know the red ones do.

[qrazi]

thats what i thought, but Lecrams remark put me off... ah well, i'm not getting a new card anyway...

to the TS: if you want to spend little, but do want speed, get a ti4200.... its really cheap now, and it will perform ~9600pro level without fsaa and af...

[amp_man]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

don't be an nvidiot! buy ATI! 9500s - $122! Pros - $225! 9600 - $127! Pros - $145! Avoiding nVidiocy - Priceless! All at //www.allstarshop.com! (but look for better prices before you buy)

[qrazi]

then again, without fsaa and af, the ti4200 performs better then the non-pros, and is on par with the 9500/9600pro, and all that for just $77 dollar (got it from pricewatch.com).

btw: i'd go for a 9500/9600pro, but i havent got the money for it yet. perhaps the TS is short on money too, since his original choice was between a gf4mx and a fx5200. both are way below the Pros pricerange....

[sps]

yeah, i aint got that much dough. roughly $120 (£80). all i can afford is a 9600se, and scince some 1 advised me not to get a se card, im going for a 9200 (non-pro)

[NitroX infinity]

Good choice!

ASUS P4S533 | Intel Pentium 4 2,261GHz | 512MB Samsung PC2700 DDR-SDRAM | Voodoo 5 5500 AGP

[qrazi]

i think you should be able to get 9600 non pro for that price...:

http://www.pricewatch.co.uk/results.asp?MinPrice=1&MaxPrice=1000&Category=&Orderby=Price&Keyword=9600+radeon&Brand=

[amp_man]

watch out though, many people have been ripped off by those pricewatch sites. look for one that supplies a working phone number and an address.