Saphire do make good cards but here is something to think about. Recently, ATI has equipped all their 9800 pro with the 360 core chip instead of the 350 which was the earlier version. The 360 was designed for the 9800 XT so its frequency can go as high as 500 MHz versus the 350 which is maxed at 400. If you can get a 9800 PRO with the 360 chip go for it. It's written on the chip itself so your dealer might not let you open up the box.
here is a link (in french) http://www.clubic.com/n/n11935.html
Thank goodness I took 2 years of French in high school.
But now I am confused. If the ATI 9800 Pro has the better chipset, what good does that do? (Since I have already been told that the Sapphire is better for overclocking.)
You may visit www.tomshardware.com or www.anandtech.com and check their reviews on both products. Saphire is better for oc simply because of better cooling since their cards are built on the ATI specs.
My 9800 pro is currently o/c at 414 MHz core and 347 memory with stock cooling and I never had any problems. The trick with o/c a video card is to take it slowly.
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