i understand that this topic has been beaten around quite a bit, but in all my searching i cannot find the simple answer.right now i'm running on a nVidia ti4200 128mb card. its ok, but i know there are better. while searching, i've read alot of opinions about the ATI9800 series.....usually very good one's.so....it's come to this.....right now, i can get a Radeon 9800 card for $139...but it also lists a Radeon 9800PRO card for $212. whats the difference? ...cuz thats a big chunk of change difference! i also see a 9700 series that runs between $185-196 depending on whether its PRO or not.i'm going to continue my searching of the forums here, but there's an awful lot to go. if anyone can provide some quick info on this, its much appreciated.chris

Sorry Chris, I can't answer your question but when I ordered my new Dell computer I didn't specify the 9800 Pro option so I got the non pro version. Then I installed the 3.9 (I think) drivers and now "my computer" says I have a 9800 Pro. ???? I didn't notice any different versions of the drivers on ATI's web site. Also, my graphics did not seem to improve after installation, maybe a little worse. The lanes on four lane divided highways seem to blurr together now.I used the driver destroyer and followed all the directions for installation of the new drivers.

It goes like this. 9700NP (the least powerful)9800NP9700Pro9800Pro9800XT (the most powerful)All are 256bit cards with 8 pipelines.So, the 9800NP is just a tiny bit behind the 9700Pro in performance. Not enough to even really notice. Maybe 2 percent. Just a couple frames at most. I own both a 9700Pro and a 9800NP. There's about a 10 percent difference between the 9700Pro and the 9800Pro and about the same between the 9800Pro and the 9800XT. So, go for the best deal.

thanks, Bigshot. i noticed alot of your replies when searching the other video card threads. thanks for stoppin in, i appreciate it!looks like going from a GF4 ti4200 to a 9800NP is worth it.Owen -- are you happy with your 9800? and thanks for the heads up on the drivers...chris

ChrisYou better take a closer look at that $139 9800. There's a new version called the 9800SE that has only 4 pipelines (compared to 8 for all the other 9800 cards). This could mean a Major performance drop. Just a heads up.David

i just checked, and your right! that $139 card IS an SE. thanks for the heads up. i'll do some more homework on this.chris

Good point. You don't want an SE. Also, forgot to mention above; you need a good processor to run FS9 and to feed a good video card.

Just get the Pro - you won't regret it, it's an amazing card. The SE is junk though, stay away from that...

Chris,No, I can't say I'm really satisfied, but I juat can't stop flying long enough to try all the tweaks.

As has been said, the 9800 SE is the thorn amongst the roses when it comes to the 9700/9800 family - it is not in the same league of performance as its bretherin.When it comes to FS9 in particular, there is negligible difference between non-Pro and Pro (see my sig - I have experienced both levels of performance), so get whatever is best value. I only overclock mine because I can. :-hah

i'm currently running FS9 on a P4 2.4, 512 RAM (with another 512 on the way), and a GF4 ti4200 card. it runs ok. the only complaints i have are that sometimes aircraft textures are slow to load, and sometimes my ground blurries become too much. i have a buddy who just got a new system real similar to mine...the only differece is that he has a 9800PRO card. when he's at a major airport...filled with AI...his frame hit is MINIMUM, and his textures look gorgeous. thus why i'm considering a move up on the card.thanks for all the input everyone!chris

I currently have a *32mb* Matrox G550 video card, and am considering upgrading it to a Radeon.What kind of performance improvement would you expect to see between:32mb -> 128mb Radeon nonproand32mb -> 256mb Radeon nonproI have a 800-something mhz processor, and only 384mb RAM. I'd upgrade everything if I could afford it, but I have minimal money to spend on computer upgrades. Do you think a 32mb -> 128mb upgrade would be really noticeable? Since my processor and memory are not that great, I'm not sure I could make much use of a 256mb, even if I could afford it.Any suggestions?

No, you need a new machine. Give that one to the kids.

To complicate matters a bit further, see:http://flightsimmer.com/forums/showthread....75586#post75586Frank's screenies do look extra sharp!Best,sg

Wow! Frank got an ATI card. Never thought I see the day.