Is Radeon 9800 XT the same as Radeon 9800 Pro SE?

[MacTruck]

I was thinking about taking advantage of the now cheap dual 2ghz G5s but the video card really sucks. I was going to pick up the Radeon 9800 Pro SE with 256mb vram for $300 but noticed that on apples website it says that core image is only compatible with the 9800 xt. Are these the same cards? atitech.com only show the 9800 se and makes no mention of the 9800 xt. Confused...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

We tangled with this issue earlier today in this thread. essentially they are the same; one is clocked higher, that's all.

 

[MacTruck]

Thanks for that link but I am still wondering if the 9800 Pro SE supports Core image. Is there a more complete list of core image compatible video cards floating around somewhere? Apples website shows only these cards as supported but I find it hard to believe that core image only works on cards that apple sells... oh wait, I can believe it.



Core Image-capable graphics cards include:

- ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
- ATI Radeon 9600 XT, 9800 XT, X800 XT
- nVidia GeForce FX Go 5200
- nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
- nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL, 6800 GT DDL

 

[Eric5h5]

Thanks for that link but I am still wondering if the 9800 Pro SE supports Core image. Is there a more complete list of core image compatible video cards floating around somewhere? Apples website shows only these cards as supported but I find it hard to believe that core image only works on cards that apple sells... oh wait, I can believe it.

No, people should really really not get so hung up on that list. Apple doesn't need to list every little minor revision of every card out there. (Eh...well, maybe they do apparently....) Every 9600 is supported, every 9800 is supported, etc. XT, SE, Pro, and so on are just variations in clock speed and memory, nothing whatsoever to do with the fundamental way the cards work. Which is what matters.

--Eric

 

[Tilmitt]

I would strongely recommend you do not buy a 9800 SE, it is a crippled version of the 9800 pro. The 9800XT will completely own it.

 

[keysersoze]

I would strongely recommend you do not buy a 9800 SE, it is a crippled version of the 9800 pro. The 9800XT will completely own it.

In the PC world that would be true... se's suck for PC's. But the Mac Special Edition card is essentially the same thing as the XT. A bit slower, but you can overclock it to the same speeds as the XT using ATicellerator.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

In the PC world that would be true... se's suck for PC's. But the Mac Special Edition card is essentially the same thing as the XT. A bit slower, but you can overclock it to the same speeds as the XT using ATicellerator.

Yeah, PC nomenclature doesn't hold water on the Mac side.

BTW, there is a Core Image FAQ thread that got stickied somewhere in the forums - I suggest everybody read it, it has a lot of information that should answer most questions.