New PC "free" purchasing advice please :)

  • Thread starter Thread starter pjp
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pjp

Time to get new pc, starting preliminary spec'ing etc. Basically something
about 3Gz, 1 gig of ram, good video card and basic surround sound is the
general sense of what I'm looking for..

Excuse my ignorance but is there now a new video card standard, e.g.
PCI-Express?

I'm under the assumption there is and that there's an ATI X800 (or something
like that) on the market.

Again, assuming so, should I be looking at this "advance" over getting a
9800 Pro?

P.S. Also, seems to be some flavours in the 9800Pro series. Can anyone
educate me a little about what's acceptable versus what to avoid?
 
pjp said:
Time to get new pc, starting preliminary spec'ing etc. Basically something
about 3Gz, 1 gig of ram, good video card and basic surround sound is the
general sense of what I'm looking for..

Excuse my ignorance but is there now a new video card standard, e.g.
PCI-Express?

I'm under the assumption there is and that there's an ATI X800 (or something
like that) on the market.

Again, assuming so, should I be looking at this "advance" over getting a
9800 Pro?

P.S. Also, seems to be some flavours in the 9800Pro series. Can anyone
educate me a little about what's acceptable versus what to avoid?
Click to expand...

I wouldnt hold your breath for pci-express, pc sales have bottomed out,
recent new machines will carry even enthusiast consumers for years, and
since little development of all the pixel pipelines (16) is advancing in
vid cards, it could be years before we see the full blown efforts of
pci-express. Your choice of a 9800 pro will serve you and your budget
well.
PCI-express is in its infancy, and its going to be a slow growing up
process. The benefits at this juncture aren't realistic in my mind.

Gordon
 
P.S. Also, seems to be some flavours in the 9800Pro series. Can anyone
educate me a little about what's acceptable versus what to avoid?
Click to expand...


You need to watch out for the SE (Special Edition) 9800 cards. They feature
a 128bit memory interface as opposed to the, I presume standard, 256bit
version. Maybe I'm wrong with the 'memory interface' bit, but I know that it
halfs something important. Check either way before purchasing.
 
The said:
P.S. Also, seems to be some flavours in the 9800Pro series. Can anyone

You need to watch out for the SE (Special Edition) 9800 cards. They feature
a 128bit memory interface as opposed to the, I presume standard, 256bit
version. Maybe I'm wrong with the 'memory interface' bit, but I know that it
halfs something important. Check either way before purchasing.
Click to expand...

SE = suckers edition
 
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