I wanted to buy a video card that could handle cames such as Call of Duty and NFSU2 easily with a bit to spare. I didn't want to break the bank, and although I was tempted by the 9800 series I opted to go for a sapphire 9600 pro(256mb). I must emphasize the importance of purchasing a pro model as opposed to a standard 9600. Although the pro is not as good as the xt, the price increase from the standard 9600 was minimal(a mere 2 pounds in my case!), so the performance upgrade was well worth the bit extra. I was constrained by the fact that I didn't have a pci express port only an agp, but I have been assured that I do not lose out by buying agp compatable technology at this stage. It is recommended to use this card with an 8x agp slot but using a 4x is fine.
The all important core clock speed of the 9600 pro is 400mhz, compared to 325mhz of the 9600 or 500 mhz for the xt. I find that the card has more kick that most of those cheap ones placed in ready made machines or onboards(motherboard).
The card has the following interfaces: 1 x DVI-I - 29 pin combined DVI 1 x VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) 1 x composite video output - RCA
The card is sold in a lite retail pack and so comes with ATI HydraVision software and Catalyst Control centre from which you can manage your graphics and video cards settings.
It was easy to install, simply slot it into you agp slot and away you go. There are many guides on the internet so just search one out if you need advice for fitting.
I would recommend this card to those of you that want the next best thing after standard video cards that come with pre-builds as it is relatively in-expensive (68pounds in nov 04) handles most games on the second to highest settings.
More details
Ease of use
Easy
Instruction manual
Satisfactory
Memory / capacity
Good
Manufacturer Support
Good
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