Radeon 9800 Pro cards: whats the difference?

[JoyMonkey]

I'm thinking of picking up a 9800 Pro and it seems like the PowerColor model is the one to go for. But how come NewEgg has three different models of it? Whats the difference between these?

Model R98-PC3G - $197
Model XR98-C3 - $199
Model XF98-C3L - $209

There's not much of a price difference. Are there any physical differences?

[GGKoul]

If I were you, I would get the $209 / Retail model.    Not a big fan of the OEM versions, as you usually have to find your own drivers.

Nice card, I got a 9700 AIW and about a month later the 9800 model came out.... So I was alittle pissed....

-GGKoul

[JoyMonkey]

I thought it was about time I upgraded from my dusty looking GeForce3, seeing as the power-games (Doom3 and HL2) are hitting the shelves soon.

I still don't see the difference in these cards though. I'm inclined to go for the cheapest option, just because of the price and because it comes with Hitman3.

[Floyd10]

Hitman 3 wasnt that good. If it was Hitman two then...

[pointdablame]

Looks like the cables/accessories are the only differences.  I'd go for the retail version for the better warranty.

I have a Sapphire 9800Pro and love it... very good chipset.

[JoyMonkey]

I'd go for the retail version for the better warranty.

I thought that OEM and Retail versions carried the same warranty?

[SinisterWhisper]

 Retail cards have a 3 year warranty where as oem (if you buy a computer from a company you get an oem card) have a one year. Oem cards don't come with any extra software (games that are included in the retail for example) and the box tends to be just a plain white box. They come with a driver cd and any cables that go with the card.

[JoyMonkey]

Retail cards have a 3 year warranty where as oem (if you buy a computer from a company you get an oem card) have a one year. Oem cards don't come with any extra software (games that are included in the retail for example) and the box tends to be just a plain white box. They come with a driver cd and any cables that go with the card.

According to NewEgg, only retail CPUs come with a 3 year MFG warranty, all other retail products come with 1 year MFG warranty. Am I reading this right?

https://secure.newegg.com/app/ExtendedWarrantyForHelp.asp

[pointdablame]

You're reading correctly, but that is newegg's warrantee, not the manufacturer.  NewEgg's extended warranty is tacked on the end of whatever warrantee is given.

In general, you'll always get a longer manufacturer warrantee from a retail buy compared to OEM.  That's why in this case, considering the low price difference, I'd recommend getting the retail version.

[PaulG]

WTF!  The cheapest looks like the best deal because of Hitman 3.  They're all PowerCooler, all have 256-bit memory, and same core/memory clock speeds.  It doesn't look like there's a lick of difference between the 3 cards to me (Assuming NewEgg has mislabeled anything).

ATI's Catalyst drivers work with all ATI cards, so that's not an issue.  The OEM is an issue because, as others have stated, ATI has a really good 3-year warranty program.  OEM's card have also sometimes been clocked at lower speeds than retail cards (But those specs are 9800PRO specs).

Last week, however, Best Buy had the the Pro on sale for 229.99 with 50 MIR (179.99).  And this was the ATI-Branded box:(

Edit:  Reread the thread.  Unless you can verify that PowerColer offers 3 year warranties, I wouldn't assume that's what you're getting with the retail version.  The 3 year warranties from ATI apply to the BUILT by ATI cards.  The Powered by ATI cards are subject to vendor's warranties... I.E. Whatever PowerColor's policy is.

[pointdablame]

PowerColor offers a 2 year warranty.  I still say it's worth it to get the Retail box and buy Hitman if it means that much to me.  Hitman won't do ya much good if your card craps out on ya.

[Lilwolf]

I have a PowerColor (7200) and I'm not impressed.

I felt like I was !@# by their slight mislabeling... (ok, it was probably the company that I bought it from...)

[pointdablame]

I have no firsthand experience with PowerColor.

Honestly, if I were you, I would get either a Sapphire or a Built by ATi card.  That's actually what I did.  I've also had Built by ATi cards in the past.

If I remember correctly, Sapphire builds the cards for ATi's Built by ATi line.  Either way, those are the ATi brands I personally trust.

[JoyMonkey]

I read several 9800 Pro round-up reviews and the PowerColor card came out on top every time, the only negatives people mentioned was that it is more expensive than others and difficult to overclock; neither of which bother me, as the prices are all much the same now and I'm not going to be overclocking it.

Anyways, I've bitten the bullet and ordered the $197 card; thanks for all the comments!