Board analysis

RADEON 9800 top

Bottom of the RADEON 9800

Physically, the RADEON 9800 looks virtually identical to the RADEON 9800 PRO. As you can see in the images, the red PCB ATI cards have become known for is present. In fact, the RADEON 9800 also borrows the RADEON 9800 PRO’s heatsink/fan unit. This heatsink has longer fins in comparison to the 9700 PRO’s heatsink for increased surface area. The fins are also more numerous than they were on the 9700 PRO’s cooler. This helps the core operate at higher clock speeds than the 9700 PRO without overheating.

New heatsink design

Passive cooling on the VRM

Another heatsink on the VRM

To help keep the temperature of the board itself in check, ATI integrates heatsinks on the voltage regulator modules. If you recall the RADEON 9700 PRO board design, ATI relied on a metal plate to accomplish this task. Even at stock clock speeds, the plate would get incredibly hot to the touch, causing the entire board to get hot. As a result, adequate case ventilation was a necessity. The heatsinks employed on the RADEON 9800 are a much better solution, even after extended operation they barely get warm. When combined with the improved cooler on the graphics core, this combination does a much more effective job of combating heat, despite the higher clock speed of the board’s components.

A conventional Molex power connector keeps the card fed with juice. The RADEON 9500 and 9700 families utilized a floppy power connector for this purpose. The floppy connector was more prone to being damaged, so this is definitely another good move by ATI.

3.0ns RAM from Infineo

Infineon RAM

Other than the core itself, the other key ingredient to the RADEON 9800 is its memory. In the past RADEON 9800 cards have shipped with 2.8ns, 3.0ns, and 3.3ns memory from manufacturers Samsung and Infineon. In fact, early RADEON 9800 cards shipped with the same 2.8ns Samsung memory modules as RADEON 9800 PRO cards! This is important for overclocking, as the 2.8ns modules are rated for operation at up to 350MHz, 60MHz over the RADEON 9800’s stock memory clock frequency. Unfortunately supply of these cards has dried up, as most users are reporting that their cards were furnished with 3.0ns or 3.3ns memory modules.

Our card shipped with 3.0ns modules manufactured by Infineon. This means that they’re good for 333MHz on paper, so we should have a little bit of room to overclock with. End user reports suggest that Samsung’s modules are best at this task however.
Other than the card itself, the rest of the RADEON 9800 packaging is pretty spartan. You’ve got the obligatory DVI-to-VGA adapter, S-Video and Composite cables, an S-Video-to-Composite adapter, and power adapter. That’s it. You won’t find a game bundle or even a demo CD here.