I think I bought a fake 9800 pro..

[ziralith]

I just posted my problem with my card after a few months of use .. please read that thread below this.

However, searching thru the index here.. I realized that buying it a little cheaper from an ebay powerseller might not of been the best idea. I hopped over to 3dbeyond and ati's own website and realized .. the pictures they have of the 9800 pro doesnt look like the one in my computer. The fan/heatsink where the gpu lies is square/rectangular instead of being a rhomboid.. and the battery coils are placed differently..

My question is - since my computer registers it as a radeon 9800 pro.. can it still be a fake? Also, is it possible for the same models to have different versions of itself? Auuugh.. I got ripped ..

Can anyone recommend any decent cards to replace this one? Id like to stick with the same radeon line.. how bout buying a 9800 128 from a reputable dealer like newegg?

Thanks again for all your help - I feel so stupid :T

 

[Tedster]

could be an international knockoff.

 

[Masque]

Did you purchase it as a "Built By ATI" model? Is there a potential that it's 3rd party?

 

[AMD2800+]

Whats a rhomboid?

 

[ziralith]

Hm I may be mistaken. Rhomboid/rhombus (sp) is kind of a slanted rectangle.

Its weird. When I look at the 9800 radeon pro pictures from the ati website, the layout just looks different than the one I have in my computer..

The flickers I been seeing are the pixels and I think its the memory of the card that is having problems.. either or, unfortunately, I think Im going to have to mail it to ATI for servicing.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

Just because it doesn't look exactly like the reference board doesn't mean it's a fake. They AIB (add in board vendors) can change the design to their own liking, but it costs them money, which means most of them just use the reference with a different cooler.

There is a chance that you've bought a card that isn't a full 9800pro, but rather the regular 9800 which has been overclocked and flashed to a 9800pro. If you contact ATI (or whoever made the card, which should be stated on it) they'll be able to tell you exactly what card you have based on the serial number.

Good luck!

 

[AMD2800+]

Hm I may be mistaken. Rhomboid/rhombus (sp) is kind of a slanted rectangle.

Its all good - just never heard "rhomboid" used before.

 

[YellowC4S]

AFAIK, Ati's video cards are offered by Asus, Gigabyte and a host of others, each with their own little tweaks and whatnot. As long as the GPU is a 9800Pro, you shouldn't have a problem. Try downloading and installing the lastest Catalyst drivers from ATi's website or www.guru3d,com. Hope this helps.