Burned out from mod/RMA chase
- Thread starter DocMaggot
- Start date
Liuke
New member
As you know, OC results will vary from one individual to another. It's tough to know exactly what to expect in trying to squeeze extra performance out of a part. Best advice is to buy a card w/ the minimum acceptable performance you are willing to live with. That way you won't be so irked when you try buying a cheaper part, OC it to get better performance, don't succeed. OC'ing is just one of those things you can't predict, so I would consider whatever OC'ing you get out of a part as a nice little extra boost for the money.
Getting 9700 performance under $200 is possible but very tough. The case of the 9500NP to 9700 mod is definitely luck. Buy stuff like that w/ the reasonable expectation that it has a good chance of not working. As always though, best of luck on your OC'ing endeavors
Getting 9700 performance under $200 is possible but very tough. The case of the 9500NP to 9700 mod is definitely luck. Buy stuff like that w/ the reasonable expectation that it has a good chance of not working. As always though, best of luck on your OC'ing endeavors
Of course , you can always try to buy a used 9700 Pro or non Pro on-line ... Besides , I think that the non Pros are very close to 200 $ or not ??? (I live in GR so I can't be sure for prices in US , but they should be lower than in GR , where right now an OEM non pro 9700 costs about 250 $) ...
Liuke
New member
johna156 said:
I agree that the 9700 non-pro is a very good deal. If you can get one for around $200, that would be a steal as you wouldn't be paying too much more over a 9600 Pro. Plus, you have a much better chance of getting 9700 Pro performance by OC'ing a 9700 NP.
As always though, I have to warn that OC results will vary.
Liuke, I think you may have my number...
"I think Doc's gonna go for the $110 9800 non-pro though aren't ya?"
I've always been a slave to temptations of this sort!
Dell is offering the 9800NP for abt $110 more than bargain cards in their Dimension PC promos this week- but they *do* offer the 9800Pro as well. They want much more for the Pro, like $200.
I think the fact that their NP has a core at some 50 MHz slower than the Pro is a fair trade off to save the $200. Providing, of course, that the core can be tweaked back up to 378 anyway!
So, Liuke, I'm not entirely free of the frenzied quest of optimizations... even if I buy a pre-made box (my first one in 5 years!)
"I think Doc's gonna go for the $110 9800 non-pro though aren't ya?"
I've always been a slave to temptations of this sort!
Dell is offering the 9800NP for abt $110 more than bargain cards in their Dimension PC promos this week- but they *do* offer the 9800Pro as well. They want much more for the Pro, like $200.
I think the fact that their NP has a core at some 50 MHz slower than the Pro is a fair trade off to save the $200. Providing, of course, that the core can be tweaked back up to 378 anyway!
So, Liuke, I'm not entirely free of the frenzied quest of optimizations... even if I buy a pre-made box (my first one in 5 years!)
Liuke
New member
So far it looks like getting the Dell 9800 up to Pro speeds is very much possible as I've had success as well as a tiny few others. As usual, I want to emphasize results do vary though. Either way though, $110 is more than fair for the card even if it doesn't OC up to Pro speeds. It will still be plenty fast 
Ever since I built my first box, I haven't been a fan of pre-made comps from OEM's either. My parents still invest in them heavily though as that is easier for them. It also turns out, believe it or not, that they tend to have really good prices these days as you have noticed. My parents cashed in on a promotion they had some weeks back where you could get an 875 system w/ a 9800 NP for about $750-800. It's a pretty good deal for an 875 system.
I have noticed that it can sometimes be cheaper to buy OEM machines as opposed to building your own, especially if you go Intel. Don't forget you can always cannibalize the parts for your own custom rig too
Ever since I built my first box, I haven't been a fan of pre-made comps from OEM's either. My parents still invest in them heavily though as that is easier for them. It also turns out, believe it or not, that they tend to have really good prices these days as you have noticed. My parents cashed in on a promotion they had some weeks back where you could get an 875 system w/ a 9800 NP for about $750-800. It's a pretty good deal for an 875 system.
I have noticed that it can sometimes be cheaper to buy OEM machines as opposed to building your own, especially if you go Intel. Don't forget you can always cannibalize the parts for your own custom rig too