In the market for a new vid card

My ATI Radeon 7200 is getting on in years (it's three now, half its useful life over). I'm looking at the Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9600 XT. I read online reviews that said it's a good card that matches ATI's version of the same card in performance.

Are Sapphire cards a good buy or just a cheap knockoff?

 

Hi shadowhawk,

My hardware magazine was critical of the Sapphire 9600pro, mentioning the cooling system (heatsink/fan). Review here also mentions heat, but when overclocking:
http://www.overclockers.com/articles960/
They give it a "very good ".

Compare the heatsink/fan to the ASUS card:
http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.../14-121-501-06.JPG&CurImage=14-121-501-04.JPG
The Asus is $35-40US more expensive though. They are at the top end of the market and should at least be very reliable.

For a value card you may wish to consider the Gigabyte:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=14-125-124&DEPA=1
Gigabyte are trying to break into the video market and are apparently offering good value for money. Reviews at Newegg are 5/5 stars, the Sapphire 4/5, which might say something or might not. (Also, it's cheaper than the Sapphire at Newegg). Interested?...try searching for reviews.

This is the one I chose with some good reviews:
http://www.rojakpot.com/default.aspx?location=3&var1=94&var2=0
It is not listed at Newegg. May not be available in the US.

Hope some of this helps
Matt

 

Heh, I just realized the Sapphire isn't a VIVO card. I found an ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128 MB DDR VIVO AGP. That's what I want.