Re: Getting a new video card
 

Alright, I want the bottom-line.WHICH ONE SHOULD I GET?!?

Re: Getting a new video card
 

Read the thread! Make a decision!

If you've got the money get one of the high end cards, if you don't have the cash get a lower or mid range one!

It's not my money on the line, it's yours! So you have to make the final decision on what you're gonna get.

Re: Getting a new video card
 

Froggin~ Radeon 9800SE or Radeon 9600XT. Flip a coin. Or just listen to Blistex.

Move~ You're not listening.
1) nVidia has been optimising their drivers in order to pull down higher scores under 3DMark03. That is, they have been writing their drivers specifically to perform well in the tests that 3DMark03 uses, ostensibly to proclaim that they have better benchmarks than ATI.
2) Gainward builds spiffy cards, they always have. I don't think anyone has denied this, but just because the card has watercooling doesn't mean it's a good performer; it means that it puts out a lot of heat.
3) I don't know where you're getting your information, but ATI's 9800 line uses 2.0 pixel and vertex shaders. Does this give them an advantage? Sure! Do nVidia cards perform any better right now, on the promise that "next year's batch of $500 gfx cards will be better?" No, but that's exactly the strategy that nVidia has been relying on since ATI released the 9700 Pro.

Allow me to reiterate the key point in the "Which card is best for me?" debate: The raw technical specs of a graphics card as the sole means with which to "test" it are only useful if you're a bench racer. If you actually play games, then in-game performance trumps all. When nVidia starts producing cards that run fast and look good all at once (like ATI does), then they'll have a leg to stand on. As it stands now, all they're doing is playing a halfassed game of catchup.

Re: Getting a new video card
 

I give you a general advise, not a specific card, but a general advise.

Always by the flagship of the previous generation, when the successors are released.

When the FX series came I waited 2 or 3 more months for the MSI Ti4600-VT2D8X (best GF4) to drop below 250 € (actually it costed 190 € when I grabbed it). Wait for the "king to be dethroned" and then get him cheap and wait for the next generation to get obsolete.

With the flag ship of every generation you can still play all upcoming games very well until you can buy the next good card for cheap.

And you are not reading.

2) Gainwards 1800 Gold edition is test winner. And at many tests It surpasses even the ATI cards in performance. Check the mags.

3) Yes, both GF FX and ATI 9500 and higher use pixel shader 2.0, but the Halflife2 benchmark ran with pixel shader 1.4, which is ATI only. That´s why Nvidia ran like crap on it. And ATI does not have a clean shirt either. They are also faking and manipulating very much. Also remember a benchmark is worth nothing. It does not actually tell how good a game will run. You will only know how good a game runs on your system, when you test it yourself.

Re: Getting a new video card
 

sorry, double post

Re: Getting a new video card
 

I used to be a big Nvidia fan back during the days of GF 1 and 2, but after what they did to 3DFx I decided that they didn't deserve my money! (they waited until 3DFX was playing catch-up and then started a lot of rumours of benchmark cheating, then launched a bogus lawsuit claiming that 3DFx was stealing their technology, essentially 3DFx couldn't afford to fight Nvidia in court and they went under).

Nvidia has made a science of starting rumours, slinging mud, and making huge claims. If they just made cards and forgot about the smear campaign like ATI and Matrox then maybe they would get some of my hard earned cash!

As it stands, they make decent cards that are a little overpriced in some respects, but instead of closing the gap with better hardware or software they instead try and discredit ATI with lies.

Re: Getting a new video card
 

You have a point there and a really good one. I also liked 3DFX (My Elsa III was best). I even kept her over a RAGE TNT or GF1.
Anyway, ATI started the war now along with Valve, being pushed by ATI with at least 10 million dollars.
I liked ATI for coop with Nintendo (the gamecube has an ATI/Nintendo grafx chip called "Flipper"), and I was going to purchase one of there cards, but not anymore.
First I also thought they would be right, but do to the facts that their cards sucks at HDR, are in reality not as advanced as ATI (not compatible with 32-bit shading), and still needed to be patched in games often (Enclave looked like crap at a system a friend of me has) I do not intend to buy anything.
They should have brought their stuff witout falling into the same niveau, as Nvidia had in 3DFX times.

Re: Getting a new video card
 

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...460&pfp=SEARCH eh?eh? *Satisfied look on face.Then head explodes for no reason*

Re: Getting a new video card
 

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...102-286&depa=1

only a bit more than $200 now

Re: Getting a new video card
 

Col. Weissman Froggin has stated that his budget is $100-$150

For that price I still feel the 9800 SE is the best buy. But it has to be the 256 bit datapath version.

This is the card Im getting.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-236&depa=1

Man that Toms Hardware GFX card comparison is getting around lol