[millerrj]

I am using the Radeon 7200 with TheaterTek player on my Sony 11-HT, with, IMO, very favourable PQ.


That said, ATI has released a number of new cards since I purchased my 7200.


I am interested in hearing from any former 7200 owners.

What did you upgrade to and why?

What is the biggest difference you notice?

Any reference to specific scenes in movies would be very helpful.


Thanks in advance.


________

Rick

 

[Salvador]

i upgraded froma 7200 to a 8500LE mainly because i wanted better gaming performance and i got a deal on it.


PQ wise, didn't really notice anything different. DVD playback i also didn't notice anything radically different.


gaming performance was roughly double of what it was with the 7200. sweet improvement for the money that i shelled out.

 

[starscomeout]

Hi Rick,

I upgraded from a 7200 to a 9500 and had the Mike Parker modification done. There was a little improvement from the 7200 to the 9500, but after having the mod done the improvement was like night and day. This has made the biggest improvement in pq I have seen to date from one upgrade.


Don

 

[tschimi]

Hi,


I changed from a 7000 to a 9000 and this at least made a big difference in picture quality ))


So long, Torsten

 

[millerrj]

Thanks all for your feedback.


I have my eyes on the Radeon 9600 when it becomes available later this month.


___________

Rick

 

[hardwired]

Rick,

Any idea what the performance and price diff is between the 9500 and 9600? Are these Pro or non-Pro?

 

[millerrj]

hardwired,


The ATI web site has all the specs for both. As I remember, the major differences are the 9600 series is built on the new RV350 chipset and has a faster clock. The 9600 Pro is a faster version of the 9600.


I don't know about the price difference as I am waiting for my retailer to get some 9600 cards in stock. I am hoping to see the 9600 at retail for less than Cdn $200.


Hope this helps...


________

Rick

 

[AlvinKlein]

Here's a Sapphire 9600pro with a Zalman style fanless heatpipe heatsink, looks pretty sweet:

http://www.ixbt.com/news/hard/index.shtml?90627#90627

 

[Mad Chemist]

I went from a 7200 to a 9500 pro and saw a much smoother picture.

 

[DaGamePimp]

went from a 7200 to a MP-1 7200 to a 9500 Pro and soon to a MP-1 9500 Pro . The 9500 is superior to the 7200 on all counts .

-- Jason Berg

 

[mdv]

Quote:

Originally posted by DaGamePimp went from a 7200 to a MP-1 7200 to a 9500 Pro and soon to a MP-1 9500 Pro . The 9500 is superior to the 7200 on all counts . -- Jason Berg

Except that there is no way to get an interlaced overlay with the 9500.


Mark

 

[stjr]

So the question is - "how does the interlaced overlay of the 7200 compare with the non-interlaced overlay of the 9500?"

 

[Karnis]

You can get interlaced overlay with the 9500. You need an HDTV adapter, and DVDIdle or some other Macrovision-defeating SW.


I use Powerstrip to correct for horizontal overscan and Theatertek takes care of the vertical overscan. I'm playing DVDs now at 1920x1080i with ffdshow enabled (unsharp=18) and it looks great! If you check my last post in the guide I go into more detail, and I've added adapter-specific T & Rs to the guide as well.

 

[stjr]

Karnis,


Thanks for the update. I’ve been transcoding both my desktop at native 540p and the DVD overlay at 540p/1080i from the output of my HDTV turner card, using the loopback cable with a Radeon 32 DDR. It’s quite convenient, although it is certainly a compromise. The dongle will have to provide a clear improvement in DVD overlay quality to make it worth running a desktop/overlay separate from the loopback cable.


I might be able to justify the video card upgrade if I can get new capabilities. Can the ATI dongle provide a usable 1080i display with the Fusion software and/or DVHSTool?

 

[richardg]

from my other post a link to reviews of both 9600 pro and 9600 (fanless):
9600 reviews (both pro and reg.)


I will be getting the fanless Sapphire 9600. Doesn't perform as well as the 9500, but it is silent and they estimate about $129. I am mainly interested in the silence and I didn't want the heatpipe on the 9500/9700. This will be perfect for my new build.

 

[Karnis]

stjr:

I would guess and say yes. I can play .tp files and .wmv files in 1080i, in a window and fullscreen no problem.

 

[stjr]

Quote:

Originally posted by Karnis I would guess and say yes. I can play .tp files and .wmv files in 1080i, in a window and fullscreen no problem.

That's encouraging. Software playback of 1080i native resolution HDTV files at 1080i resolution will become increasingly important to HTPC hobbyists as time passes. Upscaled DVD's are OK, but they don't compare to most HDTV recordings, IMO.