ATI 9600 XT

Hello Could anyone tell me what the difference is between a sapphire 9600 XT and a 9600 XT that is non sapphire ? And which is a better one to have ? Thanks in advance for your time
Bouface

Heya Bouface!

Sapphire is only the name of a company who manufacture graphics cards. They are one of many eg Gigabyte, Powercolor, Club3D, Hercules etc. These guys only make the cards, the original design belongs to ATi.

Sapphire tend to produce ATi cards for a relatively low price, but they have a good reputation for quality. Some people say they have had problems with sapphire cards, but I can say that mine runs fine so I would recommend them. Other manufacturers (ie non-sapphire) sometimes modify the cards and sell them for more, which can also be good. But its the same card whether its made by sapphire or some other company.

So basically 'sapphire' is not an extra feature of the card or anything, just the company that made the card. Hope this helps! :thumbup:

Originally posted by Choupolo@Jan 25 2005, 10:18 PM
Heya Bouface!

Sapphire is only the name of a company who manufacture graphics cards. They are one of many eg Gigabyte, Powercolor, Club3D, Hercules etc. These guys only make the cards, the original design belongs to ATi.

Sapphire tend to produce ATi cards for a relatively low price, but they have a good reputation for quality. Some people say they have had problems with sapphire cards, but I can say that mine runs fine so I would recommend them. Other manufacturers (ie non-sapphire) sometimes modify the cards and sell them for more, which can also be good. But its the same card whether its made by sapphire or some other company.

So basically 'sapphire' is not an extra feature of the card or anything, just the company that made the card. Hope this helps! :thumbup:

what he said.

Yes, however, the main difference between cards manufactures is the way their coolers are design. Some companies may over clock their cards by a small percent and sell them at a greater cost.
Don't let that disturb you because the card is still the same card. (Maybe with or without other features such as V-out and others)
If you want to over clock it, you may need a good cooler, stock coolers are mainly not the best of choices but if you chose to buy from a company that already has a dissent cooler on their cards, you will only be more satisfied...with a bit less cash in your pocket. ;)