Nvidia or ATI

[Tx Redneck]

I am looking to get a PCI Express vid card and need some suggestions.

Should I wait till the DirectX 10 come out so the current stuff will be less expensive?

Which is better? ATI or Nvidia?
........ :confused:

[usmcluke]

I like nVidia but either are good it just depends on the model of card you get and what you plan to do with it. Either way run Omega Drivers instead of the OEM crap.

[Tx Redneck]

My 3d Mark 05 scores are what prompted this. I didn't realize this expensive ass puter had on board video. It said it has a GeForce 6100 128meg and shares up to 128meg.

I play a few games, but not a whole lot. Mainly F.E.A.R and Unreal.

My puter does have 2 PCI Express slots. SLI maybe in the future?

[Hunt4m3x]

I have owned both. I favor ATI more. I belive the highest score on mark3d is ran by two ati crossfired.

Really depends on your $$$ level.

[franks]

nvidia all the way but dont use BFG as a manuf.

i have had ati but didnt like it as much. the adjustability wasnt as good

[Lason]

Always went with Nvidia and on this pc I went with PCI-E ATI Radeon X800 and im not happy with it. I especially dont like the sofware its bundled with. Going back to Nvidia as soon as I get some extra dough to drop.

[Ferendon]

nVidia is my heavy favorite. I've built 45-50 computers in the last couple years, and I've also done ALOT of upgrading, and I've dealt with 5 or so different ATI cards, a couple of them more than once, based on a customer's preference/price point, but always ended up back with an nVidia, except in 1 case. We found a Radeon 9200 PCI on sale for $39, and he needed the computer to act as a server, but it had no onboard video, so it was perfect, but every other time I've tried ATI it's either sucked, or gone back to the store. Omega drivers are nice, very nice as a matter of fact, but not as up to date as the OEM stuff, but that's fairly irrelevant unless you're in need of a fix provided with a new OEM driver, which is usually available in an application-specific patch. As far as ATI posting the best 3DMark scores, that also depends on the supporting hardware, which HAD to be different, because there are no MoBos (to my knowledge) that support both Crossfire and SLi. ATI and nVidia have gone back and forth as the fastest/best card on the market, and nVidia has held the crown for some time now. Pushing 2 years if I recall correctly. Even since the introduction of the FX 7xxx series, they've pretty well dominated. nVidia software is undeniably better. Looks better, works better, interfaces better, and the ATI stuff is a clusterfuck. But that's all MY experience and opinions, but you play a whole different hand. It's all up to you. Just find a card you like. If your board is not Crossfire-compatible, go with nVidia, cause you won't be able to do Crossfire, but you WILL be able to do SLi.

[DLinkOZ]

[QUOTE=Tx Redneck]My 3d Mark 05 scores are what prompted this. I didn't realize this expensive ass puter had on board video. It said it has a GeForce 6100 128meg and shares up to 128meg.

I play a few games, but not a whole lot. Mainly F.E.A.R and Unreal.

My puter does have 2 PCI Express slots. SLI maybe in the future?[/QUOTE]

6100 and 6150 (I believe) are Nvidia's two main line of mid-grade onboard. Friend of mine just put in a pair of 8800s, got 10713 on 3dmark06.

[32VfromHell]

i cant even imagine what a second 8800GTX would do to my system! two must be god damn nuts.

[Tx Redneck]

<----- is workin on no budget w/ a newborn in the house. $520 a month daycare sucks ass! :eek:

Thanks every one for all yalls help.

Do yall think I should wait till the newer cards come out to get what I want a little bit cheaper?

[DLinkOZ]

[QUOTE=32VfromHell]i cant even imagine what a second 8800GTX would do to my system! two must be god damn nuts.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, he's been bragging quite extensively about it! Although he said it's pumping out some serious heat.

[Craizie]

[QUOTE=Tx Redneck]My 3d Mark 05 scores are what prompted this. I didn't realize this expensive ass puter had on board video. It said it has a GeForce 6100 128meg and shares up to 128meg.

I play a few games, but not a whole lot. Mainly F.E.A.R and Unreal.

My puter does have 2 PCI Express slots. SLI maybe in the future?[/QUOTE]


Personally I wouldnt go the SLI route, espcially if you dont play that many games. You wont be able to tell any noticeble differances I dont remember the exact FPS but i'm pretty sure your eyes cant see past 40fps...

[Hunt4m3x]

[QUOTE=Craizie]Personally I wouldnt go the SLI route, espcially if you dont play that many games. You wont be able to tell any noticeble differances I dont remember the exact FPS but i'm pretty sure your eyes cant see past 40fps...[/QUOTE]


Isn't sli like a 10 to 15% increase? Plus I know some games dont support it, like dual core.

[Craizie]

[QUOTE=Hunt4m3x]Isn't sli like a 10 to 15% increase? Plus I know some games dont support it, like dual core.[/QUOTE]


maybe im not sure. I just dont see a point when the 8800 will run any game at full blast best quality with 60+ fps. why spend however much more to get 65fps's when you cant even see past 40, know what i mean?

[Roliath]

[QUOTE=Hunt4m3x]Isn't sli like a 10 to 15% increase? Plus I know some games dont support it, like dual core.[/QUOTE]
Most new games will take advantage of SLI, its just the mode and settings you gotta play with.
I got two 8800GTX's right now (testing a new board/card for a buddy) and its god damn amazing..
16xTSAA 16xAF HQ 1920x1080 Oblivion completely maxxed out is down right godly...
Very minimal drops in frame rate.
Its a pricey setup but "well worth it" if its your thing (which it is mine)..

[Ex President]

I have a "new in box" PCI Express 7900GS that i'll sell you if you're interested.

I accidently ordered PCI Express when i needed AGP.

If i don't sell it, it's going back to NewEgg and i'll get charged my $30 restocking fee. :mad:

[Xtremews602]

[QUOTE=Tx Redneck]<----- is workin on no budget w/ a newborn in the house. $520 a month daycare sucks ass! :eek:

Thanks every one for all yalls help.

Do yall think I should wait till the newer cards come out to get what I want a little bit cheaper?[/QUOTE]
Same Here, new born in the house, I use family for day care though. :D Im using Nvidia on my setup currently. Building a newer setup In a few months just need motherboard and of course a Video card. http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2826995 this is what im going to use for my setup, but im not paying that price. Getting it for 100.00 or 150.00 either way better then paying 200.00. if i get it for a 100 i will buy two and if you want it i will gladly offer it to you for the same 100.00.

[Mustangman_2000]

i haven't had any problems with nvidia.

had several compatibility problems with ati, especially when windows xp was first released.

[elzoro]

always buy the xt model of a lower card before buying a "lite" version of a better core. other than that, brand shouldnt matter because theyre both good companies. i run a pci express x800xl

[bullitt54]

I've always had nvidia cards and have been happy with them. That being said, if you buy the crap cheap version of their cards you will probably have issues. I usually stick with PNY or MSI versions of their cards.

[ceyko]

This is like Intel vs AMD. One week Nvidia is better, the next ATI. Last I checked at this point in time Nvidia is the better card, but that could quickly change at anytime. Frankly, if I were buying a graphics card today I'd buy Nvidia. A year ago I would've bought ATI.

I am not brand biased at all and I have owned both. All-in-all I've had less problems with Nvidia cards, but have not really had any major problems with ATI cards. That is all relative though, since there are a slew of other factors that have an impact on the video card.

As of today I'd buy intel/Nvidia combos.

[32VfromHell]

the human eye can see 60 FPS, which is often the target point of game developers to achieve.



Speaking of game development, i just saw ANOTHER awesome video of crysis. Jeebus H Christo.....

[big_tiger]

Whatever your pricerange is, this (http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/01/05/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/) will tell you what is best buy for your money. I used it, and bought a ATI X1650 (AGP :( )