Im looking to buy a new video card and i cannot decide whether to buy from Nvidia or Radeon. Both companies seem well accomplished and i cannot decide between the GeForce 6800 Ultra SLI and the x850 XT Platinum.
Any suggestions?
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Im looking to buy a new video card and i cannot decide whether to buy from Nvidia or Radeon. Both companies seem well accomplished and i cannot decide between the GeForce 6800 Ultra SLI and the x850 XT Platinum.
Any suggestions?
From my experience...Nvidia drivers are more stable than ATI.
Although I havent had to install\use an ATI driver in a while...because I have requested Nvidia over ATI...things may have changed???
IMHO...as always
MLF
Nvidia....just my personal favorite. I bought an ATI TV card and had problems installing it.
There is no major difference in them now-a-days, IMHO it is a matter of personal choice and budget.
As a kind of rule of thumb if a MoBo I install has a Nvidia Chipset i tend to get a Nvidia card. Wether or not this makes a difference I dont know but it cant do any harm so thats what i do.
Although you are right to be getting PCI -E as again IMHO i feel AGP is in the first steps of being phased out.
Both the graphics cards you suggested or fairly similar (although I would give the x850 XT Platinum the edge) and both support SLI which is the latest thing in graphics - so depends on which one you get the cheapest i would say!
Maybe a very silly question and dont think I am implying anything but have you checked your MoBo supports PCI Express, I only ask because yesterday one of my friends asked me to install a PCI -E G/C for him only for me to have to tell him he had an AGP MoBo.
// O yeah, welcome to AO - not a bad subject for a first post!
If money is no object and you want it right now, pickup a 7800gt or gtx. they're the top cards on the market and in sli they smoke everything out there. in the benches ive seen one of these will beat 2 6800's in sli. only downside is you need a pci-e motherboard for that.
I never noticed a problem with ati's drivers, but right now nvidia has the top spot in the gamer card market.
Hi Maxipoo12345 , and welcome to AO.
You say a "new video card" which implies that you have an existing system. Please could you tell us what your other hardware is, your existing card and your operating system.
Why do you want to replace your card? what do you mostly use your PC for?
The reason I as is that a guy asked a similar question a couple of weeks ago, and it turned out that his existing card was way overspecified for the rest of his kit ;) If he had bought what he was thinking on it would have been a waste of money.
The secret is balance, so I am a little reluctant to recommend a particular component without knowing what it is going to be used with and for :)
I've had ATI cards for the last 3 years with no problems... Don't know if I'm just good, or if they changed it lately.Quote:
Originally posted here by morganlefay
From my experience...Nvidia drivers are more stable than ATI.
Although I havent had to install\use an ATI driver in a while...because I have requested Nvidia over ATI...things may have changed???
IMHO...as always
MLF
Mostly I am going from AutoCad\Solid Edge hardware recommendations...and a couple of years ago...there was not one ATI card listed
But then again, maybe you are just good!!! ;)
MLF
Bah, is it just me or is anyone else sick of these threads?? Seriously, if he searched google for nvidia vs ATI a million sites would pop up saying the same thing, Nvidia's drivers are more stable... Hell, AO just in itself has had a ton of threads asking which is better... And surprisingly enough, the same answers are given... I'm not flaming morganlefay, what he said is correct... I don't know how he has the patience to keep repeating himself but seriously folks, try using the search...
Maybe I'm just having a bad day :)
The Duck
I actually don't think that searching will help. You will get conflicting information depending on who you ask, that, after all is why both companies are rivals?Quote:
but seriously folks, try using the search...
The issue falls into two preliminary categories:
1. Is this an upgrade?...........if so what is being upgraded, and I mean the whole system.
2. Is it a new build?
With a new build, there is lots of advice around, particularly on specialist sites for gaming, graphics etc. The answer will generally depend on budget and intended use.
With an upgrade, the question is valid. You can search as much as you like, but the chances of finding someone attempting something similar are quite small.
It is a fact that video card upgrades generally produce very little comparative benefit per dollar, compared to other options. The reason for that is that the latest video cards are intended to be teamed up with the latest MoBos, RAM, HDDs and operating systems.
I go back to my original question...............what is the rest of the system?
:)
I agree with you 100% nihil...
And that is a very good question to ask him, but he did not say... I got this mobo with this processor and this fsb and this amount of ram, etc etc... He asked, well it seems to me anyway, the classic question... Nvidia vs ATI... That's just like the other classic question, who would win in a fight, boxer or wrestler?? :D...Quote:
I go back to my original question...............what is the rest of the system?
Hi The Duck
The reason I am coming from where I am is because I have done a lot of upgrading. Mostly I have to look at the system myself, as the owner would not be able to answer my questions.
On several occasions I have advised against a new video card in favour of a new monitor and/or more RAM. Obviously, if you are replacing onboard video with a dedicated card, it is a bit different as you are freeing up shared RAM at the same time :)
It is all a question of balancing components to get the best performance for money.
I agree with your comment on the "classic question" regarding major components, and would add that it is probably the wrong question. It should be "what is best for ME given these circumstances"
:D
I know the reason your are coming from where you are and have already agreed with you 100% :p. (did that make sense to anyone?? lol)Quote:
The reason I am coming from where I am is because I have done a lot of upgrading. Mostly I have to look at the system myself, as the owner would not be able to answer my questions.
On several occasions I have advised against a new video card in favour of a new monitor and/or more RAM. Obviously, if you are replacing onboard video with a dedicated card, it is a bit different as you are freeing up shared RAM at the same time
Amen :D. I couldn't have said it better myself.Quote:
It should be "what is best for ME given these circumstances"
Though in general I do favor nvidia over ATI :).
Well, to answer the question about the system, it is going to be new as well. The system will be a Dell Dimension XPS Gen 5 with x850 XT Platinum, or an Alienware Aurora 5500 (Motherboard based on VIA K8T800 Pro chipset, with Athlon 3500+ HT.)
Would you not consider building the rest of the system yourself.
I've nothing against Dell or Alienware systems I just think they seem quite expensive.
You could get yourself a similarly specced system for a bit less money and because you are using 'off the shelf' parts the upgrade path is much easier.
Self build isn't economical on budget machines but there is usually a saving on performance kit.
US prices are different of course but you should price the parts to get a comparison.
As for GFX chips I've not used anything other than NVidia since the days of 3Dfx Voodoo 1. I've never had any stability problems or failures of gfx hardware.
THENQuote:
Im looking to buy a new video card and i cannot decide whether to buy from Nvidia or Radeon
You are looking to spend $4000 or so on a new computer NOT a video card! :DQuote:
Well, to answer the question about the system, it is going to be new as well. The system will be a Dell Dimension XPS Gen 5 with x850 XT Platinum, or an Alienware Aurora 5500
This is the high end of the market, so there are no corners cut. It is highly competitive so the manufacturer's standard offering (the one they send out for reviews) is their carefully balanced product.
Both systems ship with the ATI Radeon card as standard. Or, at least, that is what the ones I have seen reviewed had in them, so that is what the manufacturers were happy to have their product judged by?
I hope that answers your question :)
When you are looking at buying a piece of hardware and you can't decide what to get. one thing you can do to help with your decision is think about the qualities your looking for, like price, amount of memory, performance.... If you list these out and place a weight on them depending on there importance to you, you can then score each of your options 1-10. When you finish scoring each of you item on the list multiply each score by the weight then add 'em up. It can make the decision a lot easier. The first thing to look at though is if there is a specific app. you want it for is it supported.
EX.________Card 1________Card 2
L1 W10_____5(50)________7(70)
L2 W5______9(45)________4(20)
L3 W20_____7(140)_______6(120)
Total_________235________210
Card 1 wins
L1 first item on your list.
W10 a weight of ten. multiply the score by 10.
You can do this many different ways but thats the general idea.
Ofcourse you could always throw a dart
Good luck
Well like I said in an earlier post, check your Mo Bo has support for the two graphics cards you mention.Quote:
Originally posted here by Maxipoo12345
Well, to answer the question about the system, it is going to be new as well. The system will be a Dell Dimension XPS Gen 5 with x850 XT Platinum, or an Alienware Aurora 5500 (Motherboard based on VIA K8T800 Pro chipset, with Athlon 3500+ HT.)
If you had done this you would have found the VIA K8T800 Pro Chipset does not support PCI Express it supports AGP x8, so you would have to buy an AGP graphics card. Maybe you should look into it a little bit more and then post asking between a slection of graphic cardsthat you want instead of just Nvidia Vs ATI.
Personally I would listen to Nihil about the rest of your system, it sounds like you need a powerfull sytem for CAD work? But that doesnt always mean that you just go out and buy a top end graphics card and your all set. You need to have the resouces available and the hardware available to the Graphics card for it to work at its best. Its a bit like putting a jumbo jet engine into your car.. it dont mean your gonna fly!!
Quote:
When you are looking at buying a piece of hardware such as a video card you need to look at your needs and wants. If you list these out and place a weight on them depending on there importance to you, you can then score each of your options 1-10. When you finish scoring each of you item on the list multiply each score by the weight then add 'em up. It can make the decision a lot easier. The first thing to look at though is if there is a specific app. you want it for is it supported.
EX. Card 1 Card 2
L1 W10 5(50) 7(70)
L2 W5 9(45) 4(20)
L3 W20 7(140) 6(120)
Total 235 210
Card 1 wins
You can do this many different ways but thats the general idea.
Good luck
WTF????? :2pick:
yes, WTF indeed.
Nokia
If that is the case then the decision must be software based as MadBeaver suggested:Quote:
it sounds like you need a powerfull sytem for CAD work?
You go to the application supplier first and look at what they recommend/support. This is because your major investment is in training/learning how to use it. Not to mention the cost of ownership of professional strength CAD applications. I have done this several times in the defence industry, as it is a process you have to go through each time the CAD supplier launches a major upgrade (usually once a year).Quote:
The first thing to look at though is if there is a specific app. you want it for is it supported.
As for MadBeaver's other suggestion. This is something I understand well, it is based on decision matrix theory and is a technique I have used for almost 20 years. I must say that I have never used it for hardware, only for software package shortlisting/selection. You then go to a user acceptance testing phase.
As for Maxipoo12345's dilemma....................now is not a good time to be buying high end equipment for personal use. In a lot of cases your investment will be obsolete well before there is the software to take advantage of it.
Once again, a decision matrix is useful:
1. Hardware Options (64/32bit, AGP/PCI-e, etc)
2. Software requirements
Just populate the marix with 0/1/2 where 0= won't work, 1= will work equally well and 2= will work better. Unless you have good multivariate modelling skills (or have a cheater's package :D ) this may take several iterations.
Just my thoughts..............otherwise get the best Alienware you can afford, they have better bragging rights than Dell :D
If you can install a videocard you can build a whole system with the manuals given bvy each product. One thing is for sure this whole videocard thing is like golf now. Actually it's way past golf, it's like................pro model rocket hobby now! The price to keep up is f-n crazy. But kids will save up two-three months of pay from bagging groceries to buy the stuff.
Dell's gaming systems are the biggest load of **** and rippoff EVER. I could build the same if not better systems for half the cost...and I do build em...I sell BYOPC parts at work. Anywhere from a geforce 400 to an Nvidia 7800GTX.
Lets not even talk about their "tech" support.
Tell me about it......................they take advantage of the naive............no offense to any "SOHO”, "mom and pap", local repair entrepreneur's. But how much will they charge to build a comp from scratch?..........God knows CompUSSR will charge $80 at the least. Plus they will want you to pick from their shitty selection of MOBOS. I can put a new system together in maybe a little under an hour. That's not installing XP.......that takes at least a half hour. But y question to the "SOHO" repair stores. Do you lock down the PC at all? Or just a "fresh" repair or a real fresh install and wait for them to be back in a few weeks with a slow comp? I assume you guys run into some furked up systems, anything from SUE line systems to NT's people using admin as their average account. But after you fix those systems how do you send them off............just "clean up" their system and send them off to get more? Or do you guys actually lock it down and advise running on a limited account and a reinstall?
Just curious, not condemning anyone? Like I said I'm sure you seen some torn up systems.
Just replaced my old S3 with the XP/driver issues with a (well out of date) NVidia GeForce 5200. I'm quite satisfied with it - it's running very nicely on my older box and the sudden restarts have ceased nearly completely (still having sound issues, but that's a different story). Total cost for the board: Less than $50 US at the mom and pop. Cheapest I found online was $76 at pricewatch and this mom and pop computer store didn't require the delay in shipping either :)
Rusty's right though - if you can install any card on your system and get it to run successfully, you can count yourself amongst the many who can build their own systems with little or no trouble. I built my first box 8 years ago with $550. The box I'm currently using cost $500 and was built 2 years ago. Next one I build I think I'll splurge and get top of the line everything - I'm anticipating a max of $1k cost to my budget... Gawd I love toss and replace troubleshooting and plug and play building! :D