Radeon8500LE on newegg..

[destinier99]

I was planning to get a Parhelia but seems this card has room for improvement and drivers are not mature yet, so I am thinking of buying an ATi Radeon8500LE from newegg as a temporary solution and wait to see if Parhelia's have better support both from Matrox( drivers wise) and game developers, maybe newer Parhelia's do better. RV250/R300/NV30 are also coming so I'd better wait and get now a cheap 8500LE.
My question is which model? I am a little confused!
Look these 5:
1) ATI RADEON 8500LE 64MB DDR CRT/DVI/TV ,Dual Monitor support DVIS+CRT only, BULKPowered by the revolutionary RADEON™ 8500 world’s fastest and most advanced graphics processing unit (GPU)
Specifications:
Memory 64MB of double data rate memory
Resolutions: 640-480 to 2048x1536 at 85Hz
playback w/tv cable only - DVI to VGA Adapter will not work Model#: Radeon 8500LE 64M250 -OEM Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping

2)ATI RADEON 8500 LE 64MB DDR - OEM/White Box Powered by the revolutionary RADEON™ 8500 world’s fastest and most advanced graphics processing unit (GPU) Features ATI's TRUFORM. SMARTSHADER SMOOTHVISION™, and HYPER Z II technologies The only GPU to support DirectX® 8.1 Supports OpenGL® 1.3 features 64MB of (DDR) memory Dual monitor and Video output support Industry-leading DVD video playback w/tv cable only - 230/230Mhz, NO DVI to VGA Adaptor! Model#: RADEON 8500 LE -OEM

3)ATI OEM RADEON 8500 LE 128MB DDR DVI/CRT/TV Features TRUFORM technology to make characters more life-like- High-resolution 32-bit 3D gaming up to 2048x1536- HYPER Z II technology conserves memory bandwidth for improved performance in demanding applications - SMOOTHVISION, ATI's most advanced anti-aliasing feature to date, eliminates distracting visual artifacts for smoother-looking images- AGP 2x Compliant BUS - AGP 2X/4X based systems Powered by ATI OEM,250MHz Model#: RADEON 8500 LE 128M -OEM Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping

4)Special Value! Hercules 3D Prophet FDX 8500 LE 64mb DDR with TV-Out & DVI - OEM High quality TV encoder on NTSC & Pal TV sets supporting resolutions of up to 1024x768. SMOOTHVISION creates highly efficient anti-aliasing (true multi-sampling anti-aliasing), SMARTSHADER technology: new programmable Vertex Shaders & Pixel Shaders (PIXEL TAPESTRYII) engines which offers more complex rendering and lighting effects and supports the latest version of DirectX 8.1 pixel shaders (1.4) for ultra-high multi-texturing and blending levels: up to 6 textures in a single pass. 250/250 Core/memory, This video card can do one CRT+one flat panel digital monitor but cannot do CRT+CRT. Model#:

5)GIGABYTE RADEON 8500LE PRO 64MB of double data rate memory(DDR) Powered by the revolutionary RADEON 8500LE Features ATI's TRUFORM, SMARTSHADER SMOOTHVISION, and HYPER Z II technologies Latest 3D games support the advanced features of AP64D Dual monitor and Video output support Industry-leading DVD video playback Digital Flat Panel (DVI-I) support ,Supports 3D resolutions (32-bit color) up to 2048x1536 AGP 2.0 Compliant BUS - AGP 2X (3.3V), AGP 4X (1.5V), or AGP2X/4X based systems Support V-Tuner Tweaker ,Huge FanSink with double side, Games and Software Bundle250MHz Model#: AP64D FedEx Saver Shipping $10.00


So, which of them do you suggest?
1)What's the difference between the first 2 and which of them is the infamous 250/275 which we are talking about?
2)If I buy that hercules can I use ATi's Catalyst drivers?
3)Which of them o/c the best and gives 2 dvi monitor support?

I'd be glad to hear some answers as my GF2 GTS cannot do much nowadays and I really want a better card. Also can I use my Crystal Orb with these Radeons?

Thanx in advance

[tYteaZzAzN]

well, the second one is clocked at 230/230. i think you should get the gigabyte one cuz imo it looks pretty good at cooling. but if you happen to get one of the ati oem 8500s, you can definately put a corb on in. i remember mysti did and friggin jacked up the core. lol

[destinier99]

Originally posted by tYteaZzAzN
well, the second one is clocked at 230/230. i think you should get the gigabyte one cuz imo it looks pretty good at cooling. but if you happen to get one of the ati oem 8500s, you can definately put a corb on in. i remember mysti did and friggin jacked up the core. lol

Which one has 250/275 clocks? First one?
Also, if I buy that gigabyte or hercules can I use ATi's official drivers?

[marv]

I purchased the 230/230 white box from newegg back in January. It has the 3.3 or 3.6ns RAM, forgot which. Anyway, I flashed the BIOS to the retail and with powerstrip it will OC to 297/306. The card runs full time at 280/280 with no modifications, other than the BIOS flash. If there is anyway of confirming the RAM speed is the same as it was back in January, this is a "Best Buy". 10,400 ain't bad for a "old" and "cheap" card in 3DMarks.

http://service.madonion.com/compare?2k1=3775808

[Farmer_BOB]

If you flash the bios of the hercules, you should be able to use the retail drivers. If you're not into that stuff, I've heard that ATI is implementing their catalyst suite into 3rd party drivers too. I think the Hercules drivers at their site may already be the new catalyst edition. In other words, since I'm not sure about the clock speeds of the other cards. You should get the Hercules card, 250/240 for $99. Here's a review from sharky http://sharkyextreme.com/hardware/vi...le.php/1004241 it's a pretty sweet card.

[clh61]

Originally posted by marv
I purchased the 230/230 white box from newegg back in January. It has the 3.3 or 3.6ns RAM, forgot which. Anyway, I flashed the BIOS to the retail and with powerstrip it will OC to 297/306. The card runs full time at 280/280 with no modifications, other than the BIOS flash. If there is anyway of confirming the RAM speed is the same as it was back in January, this is a "Best Buy". 10,400 ain't bad for a "old" and "cheap" card in 3DMarks.

http://service.madonion.com/compare?2k1=3775808

Where do you find the bios flash? Could not find at rage3d

[PinchyCM]

the one at newegg for 99 dollars is clocked at 250/275 i believe. i just got one myself. dandy little card, that sucker is.