9800SE 128bit -> 256bit?

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xram

Gawd
Joined
Dec 10, 2000
Messages
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I just bought a Sapphire Radeon 9800SE that NewEgg had listed as 128mb, 128 bit. I installed the Omega drivers and when I checked ATItool, all 8 pipes were working - and the memory bandwidth was 256 bits. Does ATITool misreport this on some cards, or did I luck out and pick up a 256bit card for the price of the 128? I've already got all 8 pipes, and oc'd it to Pro clock and memory speeds... All for $130 :D


Somewhere between last night and this morning, they took it off their site, cause the product ID on my order no longer shows anything... N82E16814102303 if anybody wants to try it out...
 
why did you get the se version
second edtions are cut down versions of pro
I never had the Displeasure of having the se.
 
BEST JD TCR said:
why did you get the se version
second edtions are cut down versions of pro
I never had the Displeasure of having the se.
Click to expand...

Umm that's kinda the reason: it's much cheaper than the pro, but still gets the same performance. Maybe you should take a look around at any one of the se->pro conversion guides - it should explain a little on this.

But back to my original question: does anyone know if atitool misreports the bus width, or did I luck out and pick up a cheap 256 bit?
 
BEST JD TCR said:
it does not get the same performance then the pro!
Click to expand...

again, you might want to look at any number of sites about converting an se to a pro. at least, you would if you're concerned with making intelligent, semi-rational comments.

and once again, i'll pose the question (and hopefully get a useful response): does anyone know if there's any reason why atitool would misreport, or did i luck out?

thanks in advance for any useful responses
 
well, run 3dmark then compare it to someone else with a 9800 pro or se and see what you get.
 
From what I understand the powercolor cards are the only SE's with 256bit memory. Both the the saphire and the powercolor 128bit and 256bit cards however can be softmodded to 8 pipes. Check your stock memory speeds. If they are 680mhz or above then you have a 256bit card because 128bit memory can't reach those speeds(from my limited understanding). Another way to check is the memory arrangement. The 256bit Cards were built on 9700 pro pcb's and have the memory aligned in an "L" Shape above and to the right of the GPU. The 128bit cards were built on the 9500 pcb's and have the memory arranged in an "I" above the gpu. I believe the only way to achive 9800 pro speeds is with 256bit memory although even the 128bit cards can be softmodded as stated above. Hope this helps. Anyone please correct me if i made any mistakes.
 
It's possible, although unlikely, that it is being misrepresented. Check another program like RivaTuner and see what it says. If you do indeed have 256-bit memory and the softmod went fine with the pipelines, congratulations on a cheap 9800 Pro. :)

Ultimately you will be able to tell "manually" from the performance returns.
 
5847 at all default 3dmark settings... athlon barton at 2.0 ghz, 9800se at 390/360 w/ all 8 pipes. not too shabby :D rivatuner also says 256bit, so all in all, a pretty nice score. it's a shame newegg took it down...
 
Not bad at all.

My 3dmark03 score hits ~6,500 with my 9800 Pro & P4 3.0GHz E

[edit] Here's my last test:

3dmark033.jpg

Running the free version, so the settings and such are locked at the defaults.
 
Newegg has the Power Color version for $148 with free shipping. I just bought one for my other comp. :)
 
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