Well I went did some more reading about the whole FX vs 9700 Pro and what you have stated so far seems to be correct so I have a few questions for you. Maybe I'll give ATI a shot...........First off, here's my specs:XP2100768mb PC2700 DDRGF3 TI500Soyo Dragon Ultra mobo KT333Audigy Gamer30gb Maxtor 7200 rpm HD400W PSUCable internet connectionWindows 2000 Professional SP3Ok, these are the questions I have:1. With my current system, in your opinion, would I really benefit from the added power of a 9700 Pro?2. Is all that crap about having to reformat really true (I know some people had to but on the whole what do you think)?3. How does ATI differ now then from, say, a year ago?4. DO the Catalyst series of drivers compare in stability to Nvidia series drivers?5. What are the Cons of the 9700 Pro (besides cost, which is a moot issue anyways)?After reading some newer articles on the Radeon series (I hadn't read them yet) I find myself possibly interested in purchasing one of these cards. So if you have the time I'd really appreciate it if you could answer my questions above!!Thanks!:)Shane

Shane; your best bet would be to go over to the www.rage3d.com 9500/9700 technical forums and do a search on your motherboard and various other components. I've noticed a lot of new folks popping in over there asking questions about their new cards and getting answers. About every question concerning the 9x00 series has been asked and answered over there. Also, many reports of initial stability problems solved. You've got a pretty nice system there. As far as a reformat, that'd be a an absolute last choice if you run into any problems.

Shane,Having run your mobo with my 9700Pro make sure you are using the latest Bios. If you dont you'll learn the hard way like I did. Also, make sure you are using the Hyperion 4.45 Drivers as they make the card really scream.Bobby

Thanks for the link Bigshot and thanks for the heads up Bobby.:)ShaneP.S. Sorry for being kind of an asshat before Bigshot. I'm always skeptical about making drastic changes in hardware manufaturers....following the age old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I tend to be overbearing in my opinions at times so my apologies for that.Thanks again!

One more quick question guys.Is it worth it for me to build a P4 and get rid of this AMD business?I'm an AMD fan but to be honest I do seem to have more issues with it then people seem to have with their P4s.I just figured if I'm thinkin about dropping $400 on a vid card I might as well explore toehr options as well.Thanks!Shane

Shane,I'm a recent user of P4, I recently changed over to AMD for a change, I have had no problems whatsoever.Why not try upgrading your motherboard to a nForce 2 chipset? They're an excellent chipset, don't have any associated problems that VIA did.I'd suggest an EPoX 8RDA+ (Make sure it's Revision 1.2) Abit NS-7 (Make sure its Rev 1.2) or Asus A7N8X they're both very good boards.

Thanks John!The Asus A7N8X doesn't use the VIA chipset drivers??I SWEAR that VIA drivers are a major contribution to most peoples problems. lolShane

Nope. The boards I listed use Nvidia's nForce 2 Chipset. Good riddance to VIA ;) :-hahUndoubtly the best chipset for AMD boards!They also feature dual DDR if you have matching dimms :)

Thank God John!VIA was never to popular with me. Although I haven't had an inordinant amount of problems with VIA drivers I have had enough to know when "it's time to change the diaper".And VIA stinks! :-lolShane

i have the Asus A7N8X deluxe board with a XP2600+ and the Radeon 9700pro.All i can say, it works like a charm. And i never had any problems so far with this combo. I can highly recommend it!Cheers,Michael

Is there a problem between VIA and the 9700?Robb

HI John,If you don't mind me asking can you tell me what the difference is between the Epox 8RDA+ Version 1.1 and 1.2. I am wondering if I have been unlucky enough to have recently acquired a Version 1.1 board.ThanksTom

Another option: Save some money and go for the Radeon 9700 non-pro. Last I looked newegg.com was selling them for $248.00.

Hi Shane, Sorry to take so long getting back on line, but my Radeon 9700 Pro blew up... :-) Kidding aside for the moment, I was in a rather foul mood yesterday during that post and blasted forth a bit harshly, for which I apologize. Now, I have not checked the reply posts yet, so your Q's might be answered, but here goes anyway. 1) What you will gain is the ability to 4X or 6X anti-alias and full AF with little to no performance loss. Clear, straight lines, no jaggies, smooth & fast display.2) I have never in my life had to reformat to install a video card. I am sure some folks with a really cluttered OS MIGHT have an issue, but that is not likely the Radeon's fault.3) By virtue of 1) having a great product and by 2) supporting it with very frequent driver updates. And those drivers do actually benefit most users! 4) The current Catalyst drivers are rock solid. 5) Cons...OK lets see. 1) When running FS, if you wish to change your AA or AF settings (in the ATI Control Panel) you have to exit FS totally. Minimizing FS and then resetting causes a crash. 2) The Game Gamma control seems ineffective. I use Power Strip to lighten up the sky when flying at night. 3) Can't think of anything else at the moment. That is how I see it. Hope it's all clear. And might I add, I have no loyalty to any one graphics maker. Next week I could be shouting NVIDIA in the streets. :-beerchugregards,Greg

>HI John, >>If you don't mind me asking can you tell me what the >difference is between the Epox 8RDA+ Version 1.1 and 1.2. I >am wondering if I have been unlucky enough to have recently >acquired a Version 1.1 board. >Thanks >>Tom Tom,I actually meant to say Rev 1.1 :-hahI have no idea what I was thinking when I typed it :-lol