Sapphire 9600 Pro Ultimate

[JC]

I'm getting ready to build a silent PC that I'll be using for some 3d gaming in addition to normal 2d office applications. Right now I'm considering the Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Ultimate which uses passive cooling.

The reviews I've read on this card so far were all positive. Has anyone on the forums here had any experience with this card?

Any problems?

How about 2d performance? My main computer has a Matrox G550 with excellent 2d. How does the Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Ultimate compare to something like that in 2d.

Anyone tried using the Sapphire in a dual monitor setup (since the card comes with a DVI connector and VGA adaptor in addition to the VGA connector, this should be possible if the software drivers support it)?

Is the heat buildup on this card in any way excessive (I'm not planning on overclocking)?

I've found the card on New Egg (retail version) for $168. Is this a decent price?

On a somewhat separate note, I noticed on Sapphire's web site that they have a Radeon 9600 XT Ultimate but I haven't been able to find any for sale in the US. Anyone know of a US distributor handling the XT Ultimate?

Thanks

JC

[Ana]

How about 2d performance? My main computer has a Matrox G550 with excellent 2d. How does the Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Ultimate compare to something like that in 2d.

Anyone tried using the Sapphire in a dual monitor setup (since the card comes with a DVI connector and VGA adaptor in addition to the VGA connector, this should be possible if the software drivers support it)?

Is the heat buildup on this card in any way excessive (I'm not planning on overclocking)?

I'm using the same 9600 pro with a dual-TFT setup, and it handles
them both just fine. The other one is a LG 1707S on analog RGB and the
other one is an Acer 1531m or something, plugged to the DV-I. The
Hydravision drivers work OK, though I'd like to see a bit more options on
handling the windows.

I really don't game that much, but I find the card to be sufficient
in 3D-performance, it handles Max Payne 2 with 1280x1024 quite well.
Some games seem laggy, though, but I suppose that's just bad codework.
Just make sure you have good case ventilation if you purchase that card,
the heatpipes do not dissipate heat that well just by their own. I wouldn't
buy this for a SFF PC.

[Ralf Hutter]

I'm getting ready to build a silent PC that I'll be using for some 3d gaming in addition to normal 2d office applications. Right now I'm considering the Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Ultimate which uses passive cooling.

The reviews I've read on this card so far were all positive. Has anyone on the forums here had any experience with this card?

Any problems?

I've been using one in my gaming rig ("system 2" in my sig) for the past 6+ months. It works fine, I've had no problems whatsoever, and it's definitely better than the Radeon 8500 that it replaced.

How about 2d performance? My main computer has a Matrox G550 with excellent 2d. How does the Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Ultimate compare to something like that in 2d.

I can't compare it to a Matrox card because I don't have one, but the 2D is excellent (I'm using DVI into a Samsung 191T with Cleartype enabled), at least as good as any of the other ATi cards that I've been using over the past few years.

Is the heat buildup on this card in any way excessive (I'm not planning on overclocking)?

Contrary to what Ana experienced, it doesn't heat up my case at all, compared to the ATi 8500 that it replaced. Apparently the 9600's run pretty darn cool.

I've found the card on New Egg (retail version) for $168. Is this a decent price?

Yeah, I suppose that's good. I paid $185 from Newegg when I bought mine back in August.

On a somewhat separate note, I noticed on Sapphire's web site that they have a Radeon 9600 XT Ultimate but I haven't been able to find any for sale in the US. Anyone know of a US distributor handling the XT Ultimate?

Thanks

JC

Newegg was carrying this when it was first released. It's the current version so it should be available fairly easily.

[JC]

Thanks for the feedback. I highly value the opinions of users on this forum.

BTW, I found an answer to part of my own question:

On a somewhat separate note, I noticed on Sapphire's web site that they have a Radeon 9600 XT Ultimate but I haven't been able to find any for sale in the US. Anyone know of a US distributor handling the XT Ultimate?

I did some more digging yesterday evening and found one US distributor, allstarshop.com, who handles both the 9600 Pro Ultimate($169) and the 9600 XT Ultimate($225). Both have free shipping (as newegg does on the 9600 Pro Ultimate), so the pricing is right on the money with what newegg is offering.

I can't vouch for this company since I've never done business with them but here are the links:

http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/product ... SMMQ12AW5D

http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/product ... SMMQ12AW5D

Last October Tom's Hardware put out an article about the Radeon 9600 XT, comparing it to the Pro and some other cards:

http://www4.tomshardware.com/graphic/20 ... index.html

Based on this and other similar feedback I've heard on gaming boards, I'd find it hard to justify the additional $57 for the XT. It seems like waiting a while and getting a 9800 level card would be a better move if the performance of the 9600 Pro isn't adequate. Additionally, I'm pretty sure that the 9600 XT Ultimate will generate more heat than the 9600 Pro Ultimate.

Thanks again.
JC

[CrazyP]

not necessarily. I have a 9600xt ultimate. I bought it from newegg when it first came out for 199, I guess its gone up in price.

mine is in a SFF shuttle, the sn45G to be exact, and it doesnt overheat o heatup my case at all. I believe they cut down the heat produced by the 9600 pro further by using a new process in the fabrication of the card. something called LOW-K, which allegedely cuts down heat. this is the first ATI card to have been made using this process. This is also how, IMO, they were able to up the speeds to their current levels, and still keep the same heat output of the 9600 pro.

I am very happy with my card. I downgraded from a 970 pro simply because I couldnt stand the fan whine anymore. its has given me almost the same performance. The loudest thing in my system now are my 2 80MM fans running at 1600rpm, I love how quiet his card is

[PretzelB]

In spite of CrazyP's good experience I always shy away from the "ultimate" versions of cards. When the card line reaches it's end they always seem to find a way to squeak one more version out. Seems like the bang for the buck is never enough plus you probably are going to generate a lot of extra heat. But that's just IMHO.

The 9600xt is at NewEgg with several flavors. Should be easy to find.

I bought from AllStar in the past. No problems with my purchases. If I remember right their website is a bit cheesy and didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy, but it all worked out.