NVidia vs ATI vs Wallet

[ej-icecrown]

I'm running MSI MS7309 w/ nVidia GeForce6100 nForce 405 siphoning 512mb to video. The only gaming I do is World of Warcraft or other medium-powered games, and rarely break 12-15 FPS except in low populated areas or staring at a wall in Stormwind.... I'm currently debating on a video card upgrade on a budget but can't decide which one would get the best bang for my buck. I don't care if I see 60 FPS, I would be fully content with graphic settings on medium/high and 25-30FPS.

I've heard whispers that my Mo-Bo doesn't play nice with non nVidia cards, so I may have to go nVidia but no true personal preference between them.

My options are currently between the HD4670 512mb Sapphire, the GeForce 9500 1gb... or if my computer shop can get it in stock... the MSI nVidia 9500 GT MD512 D3 512mb

*EDIT* I'm looking for less than $150cdn, and my options are limited because the local shop can't get in 'everything' even if they have to order it. Just called them in hopes of the 9500GT 512mb with no luck.

 

[rosenberg1979]

you'll get much more bang for the buck from newegg.ca

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

for $158ca with a 10 dollar rebate


http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127406

$138ca

I'd spend the extra for the 9800gtx for $20 it's worth it.


ps best thread title award!

 

[spathotan]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106792627%201067947628&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=PRICE

4770. 121 CAD, Best bang for the buck period.

 

[rosenberg1979]

I'm kinda pissed at ati right now, cutting support for all their gpu's from the X1XXX category (currently using one, but not much longer, go team green) I thought it was a sleazy move personally, plus their OpenGl support is god awful. But take a look at what games you play.

 

[ej-icecrown]

Newegg has awesome offers on vid cards, but I'm not able to order from them at the moment, hence trying to find an offer locally (not to mention the instant gratification rather than waiting 3-8 weeks for it to arrive).

Re: Gaming, the only game I really play is World of Warcraft, and while it doesn't have heavy requirements, as my OP said I've never been able to boost my FPS above 12-15, even when using an AGP 256mb card (pre-LK expansion).

I have no interest in hitting 100fps, no interest in really hitting 60fps unless we're talking low-traffic zones. I'm only concerned in boosting my fps in high traffic zones/raids to a minimum of 25-30. Using a dual core system with 2g of ram, the video seems to be the only bottleneck vs sys-req's.

Thanks for the suggestions to Newegg, but I'm pretty much stuck between these vid-cards that I listed above. Any thoughts? Personally I'm starting to lean towards a HD4670 - 1G GDDR3 PCIe, only a slight upgrade vs the 512mb I originally posted at a $19 higher price.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

NVidia vs ATI vs Wallet

Wallet always loses...

The 4770 is not much more expensive than the 4670 and the 4770 will be able to play games comfortably for a much longer time than the 4670 saving you money in the long run.

 

[ej-icecrown]

True, but the 4770 isn't available at my local shop, while the 4670 is. I suspect I'll need to upgrade my Mo-bo some point in the next year or so anyway as it only accepts DDR2. I just need the most bang for my buck right now to make sure I last long enough to do a full-blown rebuild.

 

[boudy]

A 4670 should be able to do what you want, but go with the 512mb because the the card wont really use that 1 GB of RAM.

 

[1tym]

Newegg has awesome offers on vid cards, but I'm not able to order from them at the moment, hence trying to find an offer locally (not to mention the instant gratification rather than waiting 3-8 weeks for it to arrive).

where in canada do you live and are you oppose to ordering something online in general or specifically Newegg? You can try NCIX and it won't take 3-8 weeks.

Powercolor Radeon HD 4770
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38175&vpn=GV-R477D5-512H-B&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1005

good luck

 

[ej-icecrown]

I'm only opposed to ordering because I don't want to wait for it. I can get the 4670 Monday afternoon.

I understand that WoW won't be using the full 1gb of video, but why not scoop it up so that in a few months I won't second guess myself to wanting the more powerful one.

 

[Dekasav]

Almost all HD 4670's with 1gb of VRAM have the ram lower clocked. The HD 4670's weakest part is its memory bandwidth (influenced heavily by ram clock). HD 4670's with 512Mb of memory outperform ones with 1Gb of memory in ALL playable situations.

Get the 512Mb one.

 

[ej-icecrown]

Gotcha, 512 it is. nVidia's site has all the stats on both cards but only the GPU speeds seem to be different, and only by a fraction (15% maybe) so not enough that would have mattered. If the ram itself is (silently) down-speeded, then that's something totally different. Thanks for the info all.