ATI TECH RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB AGP ( 100-435105 )

Rating:
Summary: You know you want it...
Review: ... but did you also know you need it? Why? Because on a top end machine the following games have settings that go way past the limitations of even this card - Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, Doom 3, FarCry and the soon to be released Half-Life 2. These are all new engines that will drive the games of tomorrow, meaning that I will probably be trading this one in for Xmas 2005 when the 512 line should make its mark. Anyway how does this card pan out?

First of all it is a nightmare if you setup your card on a television and then forget to change it back for use with a monitor. So learn a lesson well about these monitor/television compatible cards. Make sure to change the Display Properties to whichever type you are using next because if you don't then you will not see anything and thus can not change it back. Next you need to know that these cards are top of line and make quite a great deal of noise. We are talking about listening to something like a 50cfm fan in your box doing the rounds. You are probably going to want to run your box cooler with these types of high-end chipsets running to get the most out of them so go searching on the net for a good environmental setup.

All these new series of graphics card come with DirectX 9.0c or higher but the real key to unlock this God is with the new ATI range of drivers that enhance and accelerate the visual experience - CATALYST™ (Basically complete Real-time 3D immersive game play*). The four games for this card I have already mentioned (Playing it with Counter-Strike: Source is extremely good although I believe maybe a 128mb would give virtually the same playability for now). So if you want those games then consider this card.

FarCry has an exceptional environment with something like X100 zoom on your binoculars. The enemy AI is unreal but in terms of graphics it is a real ride with this card. I believe you need this card for the full FarCry experience; however I do not believe that it pushes this card to its limit.

MS Flight Simulator 2004 does push this card past it limits. Put everything up full in the details panel and look out the window over populated areas. You will see a delay and suddenly several sectors start to pop up. A 512mb card will make that game real-time.

Doom3 has the ability to actually configure to a 512mb card if one existed now. Doom3 is an experience and a half, not 100% but unlike anything you have seen before and pretty scary to say the least. Anyway with this card the demon disintegration graphics are akin to watching someone getting beamed up in front of you. The lighting dynamics are also crucial to the game play. Get Doom 3 and this card and you will be stunned by something that looks like an XBOX 2 or PS3.

Half-Life 2 is not yet released (Nov. 16th 2004 release date) but if you buy the new Bronze edition from Steam you can DL the encrypted HL2 files onto your HD along with CS: Source and Play Source right away which is a big improvement on any version of CS you have seen. Anyway it looks top spec on this card but I believe a 128mb card can play Source at it highest settings. Anyway the point is to look for the HL2 video and know that in reality HL2 is going to cost you $300 if you want the full experience.

It's a tough cookie but let's face it. You have no choice. Now go work or Beg for it. We all did it!

*As for using unsupported ATI drivers for this card. Well even Catalyst is unsupported (Use at your own risk from ATI sort of thing) so hammering around with this card is probably not a bad idea however it is always useful to do that after the card has passed its warranty but the choice is there is you want it. Personally I would stick to the ATI releases and get some good tutorials on your computer environment

5 Stars but an XBOX is almost the same price.

Rating:
Summary: The best card for your money
Review: Due to the recently released Doom 3 and the upcoming Everquest 2, I bought this card for my latest computer build.

Backed with 1GB PC3200 RAM and an Athlon 64 3200+ processor, this card rips though Doom 3 with all the effects on at 1024x768.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THE BUYER NEEDS TO KNOW is that you should download and use the OMEGA DRIVERS in place of the Catalyst drivers that ATI gives you with the card (you'll need to search for them on Google, as I don't believe Amazon will allow me to post a direct link). It will save you a LOT of trouble, especially if you're planning on playing games.

The Omega Drivers also add a bunch of useful tweaks that can enhance your video card. For example, RadLinker, which you can access by right clicking your desktop, going to properties > settings > advanced > RadLinker, allows you to overclock your card with a simple slide bar. However, this card is functioning too well at it's current speed for me to risk anything/void the warranty, so I've left mine the way it is.

Rating:
Summary: pricey, but worth every penny
Review: having gone through a nightmare with an aiw 9800 pro (read my review on it, and you'll understand), i decided to take my refund and get a radeon 9800 pro 256mb for two reasons. one, i couldn't find any retailers with the x800 in stock, and two, brand loyalty. anyway, you can turn up the graphics on any of the recent 3d games and not have graphics-related issues. it's not as fast as the newest cards on the market nor is it as functional as the aiw 9800, and it's definitely not cheap. but if you can afford it, it's definitely worth it.