whats the deal with 9800SE ? is it worse than the 9800NP ?

[ZL1]

Hi

guys Im looking at buying a new card for about $150, checked newegg out and saw a Saphire 9800SE for about 150
but Im wondering whats the deal with SE, is it worse than 9800NP ? alot ?

please advise


Thank you
Dan

P.S. how about TI4600s ? MSI 4600 is about the same price and I kinda like MSI cards

[Sweeper]

The "SE" is the stripped down version of the 9800 or any other series. Usually the core/mem are clocked a bit slower and the ram chips on the card are pretty slow. Generaly I stay away from "SE" cards. It's a "BUDGET" card from the original. Also, I have seen alot of the "SE" cards don't come with the "DVI" out, "S-VIDEO" out either.

[Xtreeme]

SE has only 4 rendering pipes. 4x1
Real non pro 9800 has 8 rendering pipes 8x1

Its EXACTLY half the card-with = spec'd ram and gpu mhz. When the mhz are lower its way way cut back (which is the avg. case)

BUT-keep in mind. radeon 9600 is 4x1. And it doesnt have some of the more advanced dx9 features the 9800 core has. SO the se does have a place. Me. If it were reg. or pro 9600 vs. 9800se. Id take the SE any day.

[buder]

deffo go for the 9800se,I got 1 an believe me they can be softmodded & OC'd.They got the full 256bit mem bus as well!must B samsung ram though.Mine is Hercules AIW

[Mykex]

SE = S*cky Edition

[Jeordiewhite]

Well the SE cards aren't all that great, but if you don't need all those extra features and want it for the price, it wouldn't be a bad card.
http://www.omegacorner.com/index_ati.html
Try their drivers if you want to make it better with the softmod drivers.

[Mykex]

You cant softmod an SE, it doesnt have the pipes to open.

[RamonGTP]

Anyone considering a 9800SE over a 9600 Pro should read this article...

http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/r..._9800SE_1.html

Seeing that the SE is more expensive and performs considerably WORSE than even a 9600 Pro, let alone a 9600 XT, my money will go towards the 9600.

[Xtreeme]

Didnt know se was that much $. LOL I just went non pro 9800 full stop. hehe.

BUT, dont make it sound SLOW unless you call a 9600pro slow really. Most game in 1024 right. Also most BUDGET gamers arent gonna go full AA and AF 1600 res are they. So looking at that and your link....


x2 the threat bench
Se 65.1
9600pro 71.3

Talking 6.2fps here. THat could be even erate muchless significant.

The 9600pro is only 7.7fps faster at 1600 res even! Its so easy to just bump the 9800se a few mhz and wham thats gonna be neck and neck. Wont need but a modest bump to get there.

Now 4x AA No AF
SE gets 49.3
9600pro gets 56.4
7.1fps diff. not astonishing and easily gotten back by 10mhz bump on Se again.

No AA/8x AF
SE 57.9
9600pro 66.9
9 fps. Took 8x! to show a even negligable diff (that you would see)
At 1600 the Se is 6.4fps slower. LOL so at higher res the 9800's gpu features kick in a smidge.

Kick up details

4x AA and 8x AF
1024 res
9800Se 45.4
9600pro 53.7
8.3fps diff.
A 6.7fps diff at high res 1600!
Again easily countered by a novice oclock of 10mhz on any SE. THe 9800gpu is strong even when crippled. Dont make it out to be some MX junk like nvidia cranks out. Its got a place. And it serves its purose well. Prcing will shift Im sure. But which is called PRO here and which is Second Edition . Seeing how the Pro isnt slaughtering it it says somthing. ATI isnt losing $ now too by useing gpu's that had some problems with other 4 pipes. Its a good thing. And some do get full 9800's out of theirs. Im no fan of the 9800Se myself but its not really a dog either. Id take it over any MX card and most Fx's in mid range. Originaly 9800SE was supposed to be sold over seas only but ventured into the U.S. segment somehow. Things happen and markets shift. Tis how it is.

[jandereks]

9800SE vs 9600 PRO pleas red this article

http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews...mlld19JRD02NTU

It's Hercules choice to use the 256-bit memory interface version of 9800SE, sold to them by ATI, that gives rise to their curious All-In-Wonder. With the same memory clock as a full 9800 Pro and the aforementioned memory interface, the 3D Prophet All-In-Wonder 9800SE is able to offer a monstrous memory bandwidth advantage compared to 9600 Pro and 9600XT, while still being a mid-range product.