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Thread: Graphics Card options w/ shader?

  1. #1
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    Graphics Card options w/ shader?

    I'm looking to buy a graphics card so I can play my pre-ordered account on The Matrix Online. My current system doesn't have a programmable shader, which is a system requirement for the game. The manufacturer website I got my system from has these three options for graphics cards. Do either of them have a programmable shader, and which one?
    I tried looking through everything the website had to offer about the information on the cards and performed a search, though the keyword combinations ["ATI Radeon" "Shader"] ["Geforce" "Shader"] and ["nVidia" "Shader"] came up with information, but not the info I was looking for.
    The aforementioned options are listed blow:

    128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE
    256MB PCI Express™ x16 Nvidia® GeForce 6800 GTO Graphics Card
    256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
    TinFoilHat Linux O.o who needs more?

  2. #2
    In And Above Man Black Cluster's Avatar
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    For gaming, I always use nVidia GeForce {VGA}.... But make sure that your motherboard will match the capabilities of your GeForce....
    \"The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and even then I have my doubts\".....Spaf
    Everytime I learn a new thing, I discover how ignorant I am.- ... Black Cluster

  3. #3
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    Woot! After spending another thirty minutes and reading artcile after article. I think
    256MB PCI Express™ x16 Nvidia® GeForce 6800 GTO Graphics Card
    256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
    Have programmable shaders.
    TinFoilHat Linux O.o who needs more?

  4. #4
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    What you listed is a very specific set of cards. Lets look at what you have here.

    128/256MB (this is the amount of RAM on the board. 128 is a good amount. If you want a card that will last a while 256 is better. I would go with the 256 cards if money wasn't holding me back.

    PCI Express: This is the slot that the card has to plug into. The three available at this time are PCI, AGP, and PCI Express. PCI Express is brand new so make sure your motherboard has a PCI-E slot before buying a card that has it.

    (DVI/VGA/TV-Out): This portion just tells you what type of additional connectors are on the card. DVI is for LCD screens, and TV-out for.. TV's. VGA is standard on all cards.

    Next you have the actual chipset that the card runs on:
    ATI Radeon™ X300 SE - ATI's newest chipset and will have a pixel shader
    GeForce 6800 - this is nVidia's newest chipset and has three variations, regular, GT, and Ultra. all three have pixel shaders.

    The moral of this mostly is to make sure your MB has a PCI-E slot before buying one of these cards, or look for one that is AGP with the rest of the specs the same. These cards can be made by various manufacturers of which quality varies, so a cheaper card isn't necessarily better.

  5. #5
    AO French Antique News Whore
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    Wow!

    ATI Radeon™ X300 SE - ATI's newest chipset and will have a pixel shader
    GeForce 6800 - this is nVidia's newest chipset and has three variations, regular, GT, and Ultra. all three have pixel shaders.
    NOT True! X300 is a damm old chipset! It the low end for ATI. It worth less that 100 CDN$ The 6800 is the newest chipset from Nvidia! But it cost around 500$ CDN! To have US Dollar, multiple by 0.80

    vampelle : Please give me your computer specification and your budget. I'll suggest something that will
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    2) Stay in your budjet.
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  6. #6
    AFLAAACKKK!!
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    I just hope for your sake that you don't have a PCIE mobo, because that would mean you wasted a ton of money...

    I know this because most games are still made to run on 4x and 8x, not 16x! Not to mention, tomshardware.com did a test and the results were not much better then AGP, AGP cards even beat out PCIE cards in some tests... bah, I can't find the link to the test...

    Basically I just don't think the world is ready for 16x yet, certainly not the game developers...
    I am the uber duck!!1
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  7. #7
    AO French Antique News Whore
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    PCIE doesn't cost more that AGP.
    -Simon \"SDK\"

  8. #8
    AFLAAACKKK!!
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    Hmmm...

    http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...&ie=UTF-8&sa=N

    Looking at that link, where do you see a PCIE mobo that's under 100 bucks?? And then you combine the 2 PCIE graphics cards... it's alot more $$$

    The system that I will soon be building will have a 70 dollar mobo with a AGP nvidia 6800 gt which is under 200 bucks, that will play doom 3 just fine...
    I am the uber duck!!1
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  9. #9
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    Yeah, you're right duck, but if he gets a agp card and mobo now, and 2 years from now he wants to upgrade, what is he? He is ****ed. Why? No new cards will be offered as AGP. Why? Because Asus and Abit and nVidia and Ati are very poor, and want everyone to upgarde so they can have money.

    Well that was fun. Basically in non sarcastic terms I'm saying you're better off to buy a halfway decent PCIx mobo and card now if you are in the market for a pretty much new setup. If you are just looking for a vid card with shaders, go with something dirt cheap and save for that whole new setup. You can grab a Ati 9800 pro or Xt for under 200 on newegg/tiger direct/etc, you just have to look. And I guarantee they all have shaders because I have both.
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  10. #10
    AO French Antique News Whore
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    It was talking about the Graphic Card itself. The Mobo cost more the PCIE is not the only reason why a PCIE mobo cost more. There is more new technology in there like SATA 2, better Audio, etc that raise the cost of new Mobo versus old one!
    -Simon \"SDK\"

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