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Neither card wins every game. Period reviews found the Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB and GeForce FX 5900 Ultra close in some tests, but their results reversed by game and settings: the FX gained ground with 4× anti-aliasing in one synthetic test, while the Radeon led in Unreal Tournament 2003 and the FX led in Gun Metal. For a broad period DirectX 9 AGP build, the Radeon is the safer general choice; the FX makes sense when your specific games favor it or the particular card is in better condition.
How the cards compare on paper
The Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB arrived earlier, on March 1, 2003, while Technical City lists the FX 5900 Ultra’s release date as October 23, 2003. Both are DirectX 9-class graphics cards, but their listed memory configurations and the Radeon’s published interface details differ.
| Specification | ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB | GeForce FX 5900 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Core clock | 380MHz (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) | not stated (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) |
| Memory | 256MB DDR2 at 350MHz DDR, or 700MHz effective (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) | 256MB DDR at 850MHz effective (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) |
| Memory interface | 256-bit DDR (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) | not stated (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) |
| Rendering pipelines | Eight parallel pipelines (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) | not stated (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) |
| Bus interface | AGP 8X (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) | not stated (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) |
| DirectX and shaders | Hardware DirectX 9 programmable pixel and vertex shader support (HotHardware, May 23, 2003) | DirectX 9-class hardware (Technical City) |
These specifications do not settle which card is faster. Memory capacity alone is not a useful winner-picking rule here: the reviews show performance shifting with the game, graphics workload, resolution, and image-quality settings.
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The period tests disagree in useful ways. HotHardware’s 3DMark 2001 SE results put the cards close at standard settings, with a more significant Radeon lead in the default benchmark. With 4× anti-aliasing enabled, the FX 5900 Ultra moved ahead; HotHardware suggested its higher overall memory bandwidth as a plausible reason. That is one synthetic test, not a guarantee of an FX advantage in games.
#1 Best Overall
In its September 3, 2003 game testing, Bjorn3D found the Radeon ahead in Unreal Tournament 2003, but the FX ahead in Gun Metal:
| Game and settings | Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB | BFG FX5900 Ultra | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unreal Tournament 2003, 1280×960, 4×AA/8×AF | 41.8 FPS | 38.0 FPS | Radeon lead (Bjorn3D, September 3, 2003) |
| Unreal Tournament 2003, 1600×1200, 4×AA/8×AF | 30.3 FPS | 26.3 FPS | Radeon lead (Bjorn3D, September 3, 2003) |
| Gun Metal benchmark, 1024×768, 4×AA | 25.9 FPS | 30.6 FPS | FX lead; Bjorn3D said its run appeared smoother (September 3, 2003) |
HotHardware cautioned that synthetic scores “only correlate loosely with respect to real world gaming performance.” The game results illustrate why: performance depends on the title and its engine, API and shader demands, the chosen resolution, anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering, and driver behavior. A result from one benchmark cannot establish a universal ranking.
Rank #2
- Chipset: AMD RX 7600
- Memory: 8GB GDDR6
- XFX SWFT Dual Fan Cooling Solution
- Boost Clock: Up to 2655 MHz
Which card should you choose for a retro PC?
Choose the Radeon for a broad DirectX 9 AGP build
The Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB is the more defensible all-round recommendation when you want a period DirectX 9 card and do not have a single title dictating the choice. It led in Bjorn3D’s two Unreal Tournament 2003 settings, and HotHardware’s specifications document its hardware DirectX 9 programmable shader support. Those points make it a reasonable broad pick, not a claim that it wins every game or setting.
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The FX 5900 Ultra remains a valid alternative if a game you intend to play performs better on it, as Gun Metal did in Bjorn3D’s test, or if the available FX card is in materially better condition. The same logic applies if its cooling and power arrangement suits your particular build better; the period benchmark results alone cannot determine that fit.
Rank #3
- 105 Million transistors on 90nm fabrication process
- Four pixel shader processors
- Two vertex shader processors
- 128-bit 4-channel DDR/DDR2/GDDR3 memory interface
- 32-bit/1-channel, 64-bit/2-channel, and 128-bit/4-channel Configurations
What to check before buying either card
These are old physical cards, so the condition and compatibility of the actual board can outweigh small differences in historical benchmark results. Before committing, check:
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Blistering 3D graphics with full screen anti-aliasing, high dynamic range lighting, and stunning shader performance
- Windows Vista compatible
- Watch stunning, high-definition video on your PC
- Cool running technology ensures whisper-quiet operation
- Displays in excess of a billion more colors than competing graphics cards
Rank #4
- UPC: 727419314855
- Weight: 2.100 lbs
- AGP compatibility: verify that the card’s interface suits the motherboard and build. The Radeon specification cited by HotHardware is AGP 8X.
- Board condition: inspect the card and its capacitors rather than relying on the model name alone.
- Cooling: confirm that the cooler operates and consider fan noise and the card’s cooling arrangement.
- Power and accessories: check that the board’s power arrangement suits the system and that any required cables or adapters are included.
- Game-specific fit: if one or two titles matter most, compare results for those games at the resolution and image-quality settings you plan to use. Do not treat a synthetic score as a substitute for that comparison.
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