Newegg has the red PCB 9500 back in stock for $162

friendofphobos · 03-11-2003, 04:59 PM

Red PCB Radeon 9500 this is the one that is supposed to be mod-able to a 9700 by opening up 4 extra pipes. Proceed with caution.

friendofphobos · 03-15-2003, 10:33 PM

I took the chance and ordered one. I am still playing with it but right now this one seems golden. Out of the bag, I reflashed it to warp11's 95np128 bios, then used w1zzard's catalyst 3.2 and patched driver file to softmod it to a 9700. Overclocking is amazing but memory is still a speedbump. Currently at 350core/300memory using rivatuner but the core seems to have a lot of room left in it. I'm cutting some new ramsinks and swapping out the stock cooler tomorrow. Default 9500nonpro 3DMark2001 was 11340, now with the reflash, softmod, and OC I am at 15300! Worth every penny of that $160.

uk_blaster · 03-16-2003, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by friendofphobos
Default 9500nonpro 3DMark2001 was 11340, now with the reflash, softmod, and OC I am at 15300! Worth every penny of that $160.

that's cool, man. an amazing jump in performance. i'm temped to try that but i would prolly mess it up.

MarkH · 03-16-2003, 05:09 AM

How likely is it that the softmodd will work on these Sapphire boards?

Whats the RMA stuff like at newegg?

I live in Australia and there are none here, let alone Red PCB

If i bought one, what woulkd i have to do to RMA it? How much time do they give you?

friendofphobos · 03-16-2003, 12:13 PM

uk_blaster: this really is an easy mod if you get a card capable of the mod. it is a gamble though.

MarkH: I'd say you're looking at a fifty-fifty shot. I've order two one a few months back and the one that came in last week. The first one took the mod but had some minor artifacts that were fixed by disabling ZMask. The one that came in most recently is a far better card.

Bottom line is it's a risk but whether you wind up with a 9500nonpro or a 9700/9800 this is a great card. the Sapphire version don't seem to have the huge gap between the gpu and the heatsink that the built by ATI cards have. Newegg has great customer service but you'd really have to talk to them from the get go about returning a "defective" card. I'm not sure they take a card back based on the fact that it wouldn't take the mod.

MarkH · 03-16-2003, 12:27 PM

What about the fact that im in Australia?

Coz i actually wanna buy a 9700 Pro (coz they are cheaper over there) but am worried about warranty

friendofphobos · 03-16-2003, 05:26 PM

For a sure thing, wait for the 9700 to come down over the month or so. I have no idea what newegg's policy is on shipping abroad. Reflashing the BIOS of the card and applying the softmod would definitely void any waranty that came with the card.

gigalife · 03-16-2003, 05:33 PM

got one from allstarshop i get slight artifact but i can live with it.

03-11-2003, 04:59 PM	#1
friendofphobos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 174	Newegg has the red PCB 9500 back in stock for $162 Red PCB Radeon 9500 this is the one that is supposed to be mod-able to a 9700 by opening up 4 extra pipes. Proceed with caution.
(Offline)

03-15-2003, 10:33 PM	#2
friendofphobos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 174	Yeah! I took the chance and ordered one. I am still playing with it but right now this one seems golden. Out of the bag, I reflashed it to warp11's 95np128 bios, then used w1zzard's catalyst 3.2 and patched driver file to softmod it to a 9700. Overclocking is amazing but memory is still a speedbump. Currently at 350core/300memory using rivatuner but the core seems to have a lot of room left in it. I'm cutting some new ramsinks and swapping out the stock cooler tomorrow. Default 9500nonpro 3DMark2001 was 11340, now with the reflash, softmod, and OC I am at 15300! Worth every penny of that $160.
(Offline)

03-16-2003, 05:09 AM	#4
MarkH Asusboard's ONLY Expert Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 531	How likely is it that the softmodd will work on these Sapphire boards? Whats the RMA stuff like at newegg? I live in Australia and there are none here, let alone Red PCB If i bought one, what woulkd i have to do to RMA it? How much time do they give you? __________________ -Asus P4PE Revision 1.02, Stock Bios -Pentium IV 2.4B@ 2750mhz@1.6v-100% stable -512mb Corsair 3200@2.7v@DDR 408 -Seagate Barracuda IV 80gig -Sapphire Radeon 9700 Pro@stock (For now) -Antec 1080AMG Case -Lite-on 52x24x52 Burner -Lite-on 16x DVD -Hooked up to my sound system with that nifty little cord from Dick Smith
(Offline)

03-16-2003, 12:13 PM	#5
friendofphobos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 174	uk_blaster: this really is an easy mod if you get a card capable of the mod. it is a gamble though. MarkH: I'd say you're looking at a fifty-fifty shot. I've order two one a few months back and the one that came in last week. The first one took the mod but had some minor artifacts that were fixed by disabling ZMask. The one that came in most recently is a far better card. Bottom line is it's a risk but whether you wind up with a 9500nonpro or a 9700/9800 this is a great card. the Sapphire version don't seem to have the huge gap between the gpu and the heatsink that the built by ATI cards have. Newegg has great customer service but you'd really have to talk to them from the get go about returning a "defective" card. I'm not sure they take a card back based on the fact that it wouldn't take the mod.
(Offline)

03-16-2003, 12:27 PM	#6
MarkH Asusboard's ONLY Expert Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 531	What about the fact that im in Australia? Coz i actually wanna buy a 9700 Pro (coz they are cheaper over there) but am worried about warranty __________________ -Asus P4PE Revision 1.02, Stock Bios -Pentium IV 2.4B@ 2750mhz@1.6v-100% stable -512mb Corsair 3200@2.7v@DDR 408 -Seagate Barracuda IV 80gig -Sapphire Radeon 9700 Pro@stock (For now) -Antec 1080AMG Case -Lite-on 52x24x52 Burner -Lite-on 16x DVD -Hooked up to my sound system with that nifty little cord from Dick Smith
(Offline)

03-16-2003, 05:26 PM	#7
friendofphobos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 174	For a sure thing, wait for the 9700 to come down over the month or so. I have no idea what newegg's policy is on shipping abroad. Reflashing the BIOS of the card and applying the softmod would definitely void any waranty that came with the card.
(Offline)

03-16-2003, 05:33 PM	#8
gigalife Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 180	got one from allstarshop i get slight artifact but i can live with it. __________________ Aopen AX4C Max P4 2.4B C1@3.053@1.60Volts TwinX512-3200LLPT@2.5,3,3,6@420 WD 80Gb SE Saphire 9500 modded to 9700 Stock intel cooler Dell P1110 21 inch
(Offline)

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