9800 Pro vs. anything Nvidia

TKS · Jul 7, 2003

I haven't had the time nor the fundage to get a 9800 Pro yet...but I've been seeing a few posts such as <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=356899#356899" target="_new"> here</A> that are trying to tell me that nvidia is kickin the crap outta the 9800 Pro. I heard that the image quality of the Nvidia cards is not as good as the ATI ones especially at higher resolutions...can anyone post links to reviews and/or arguements for/against?

Insert_ending_here,
TKS

daddywags214 · Jul 7, 2003

Well, my good man, I'd say that those saying that the 5900 is "kickin the crap outta the 9800" are full of that crap which the 5900 dubiously kicks. You see, after the clouds of controversy cleared, we are left without a clear winner, when it comes to performance. Most of the benchmarks with the 5900 destroying the 9800 were pre-controversy (read: they didn't know the 5900 was cheating). However, look at any newer review/bench suite, like <A HREF="http://extremetech.com" target="_new"> like the one on ExtremeTech </A> and you will see performance neck and neck. Your best choice at this point is the 9800 Pro 128, offering about as much bang as either $500 card for about $350.

As for IQ, I definitely feel ATi has the upper hand. ESPECIALLY with antialiasing.

Tit for tat, butter for fat, ATi's dog kicks nVidia's cat

(Maximum PC)

coolsquirtle · Jul 7, 2003

just to let u know daddywags is a fanATIcs

Proud Owner the Block Heater
120% nVidia Fanboy
I'd get a nVidia GeForce FX 5900Ultra... if i had the money and if THEY WOULD CHANGE THAT #()#@ HSF

AMD_Man · Jul 7, 2003

And you being a 120% nVidia Fanboy doesn't help your case etiher.

Intelligence is not merely the wealth of knowledge but the sum of perception, wisdom, and knowledge.

coolsquirtle · Jul 7, 2003

hey i wasn't suggesting him which card to buy LOL

Proud Owner the Block Heater
120% nVidia Fanboy
I'd get a nVidia GeForce FX 5900Ultra... if i had the money and if THEY WOULD CHANGE THAT #()#@ HSF

simwiz2 · Jul 7, 2003

The 5900 is still slightly faster in most reviews, and it has better AF, though it is impossible to tell any difference in most games. The ATi cards have noticably better AA, especially at 4X and higher.

addiarmadar · Jul 8, 2003

In raw power, NVIDIA does beat ATI but not by much. You plug in the 9800 pro and the 5900 and you will not notice any difference in gameplay till you start tweaking the games detail and filterings. Thats is when ATI will BLOW AWAY NVIDIA. The reason for this is that NVIDIA makes killer cards but the drivers really suck while ATI really must have done their background checks when it came to hiring the crew that makes their Catalyst drivers and firmware. Another Issue that is to be mentioned is that the 5800 and 5900 burn really hot so they need HUGE cooling methods. These 2 cards are simply too noisy and litterally overpower the noise my case fans make. Really dude its annoying unless you have the game volume up really high or have headsets on. The Radeon 9800 is really quiet and offers superior filtering capabilities and is CHEAPER. How can you go wrong?

TheGreatGrapeApe · Jul 8, 2003

Back it up. Again. Back it up with the RECENT reviews that put the FX5900 that far ahead to justify the increased price over the R9800Pro-128.

I think they are both good cards, but there isn't a CLEAR winner.

I'll suggest you buy whichever you see for the best price, as the 1-2 FPS difference from game to game (favouring one then the other) will not be noticeable. Go with A) Who you know, and B) The best price you find.

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! <A HREF="http://www.redgreen.com" target="_new">RED GREEN</A> GA to SK :evil:

sargeduck · Jul 8, 2003

I posted this video card review in on another thread, but here is the link. I'll let you draw your own conclusions. The reviewers didn't use standard benchmarks, but they used actual games.

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=3x5900u&page=1&cookie_test=1

TheGreatGrapeApe · Jul 8, 2003

<A HREF="http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=3x5900u&page=1&cookie_test=1" target="_new">Your 'link' made Clickable </A>

And then there's a Review at <A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NDg5" target="_new">[H]ard|OCP</A> which trades blows between the FX5900U and the R9800Pro-128:

<A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NDg5" target="_new">http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NDg5</A>

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! <A HREF="http://www.redgreen.com" target="_new">RED GREEN</A> GA to SK :evil:

jiffy · Jul 8, 2003

One review is going to tell you one thing, while another is going to be different. I still haven’t decided what card I want to get, I almost change my mind daily, mean while I keep saving my pennies. I think the performance is very close all the way up to 4X/8X AA, after that I believe ATi takes it. I’ll give ATi better IQ, but also think there cards can be a pain in the butt. Nv has been great, but I’m not as confidence as I once was with the FX and new games that will come out. I think the 9700P had a rough start, but had a very long staying time, and I don’t see that being the case with the two top end cards. I might favor ATi, because they seem to do wonders with threw drivers. Today alone I went from ATi to Nv, back to Ati, lol. I just hope if I get one it treats me good. I also think 128mb isn’t enough for some of today’s games, and if I spend $500 bucks, just to have the card blown away in six months I’ll be pisssed.

***************************************
When I have a problem with ATI's drivers, I assume it's their fault. When I have a problem with nVidia's drivers, I assume it's my fault

TheGreatGrapeApe · Jul 8, 2003

Just thought you all would get a kick out of <A HREF="http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13492" target="_new">THIS</A>.

An (the?) Admin. at NVNews got a Radeon 9800Pro. Who'da thunk it?

Seriously funny, whatever side of the fence you sit on.

It's not April so I doubt it's a gag.

Every Fanboi is represented in the replies. Although they do lean toward the congratulatory, 'cause no one is evah gonna slag an admin of a site (except maybe me; D'Oh!)

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! <A HREF="http://www.redgreen.com" target="_new">RED GREEN</A> GA to SK :evil:

daddywags214 · Jul 8, 2003

Squirt, you're right, I am an ATi fan. Not a fanboy, but definitely a fan. Would you like me to explain why yet AGAIN? The man can buy whatever he wants, I've given him my honest opinion.

Tit for tat, butter for fat, ATi's dog kicks nVidia's cat

(Maximum PC)

jiffy · Jul 8, 2003

That looks good. I really need to settle down and get 256mb out of my head and try to settle for 128mb. :frown:

***************************************
When I have a problem with ATI's drivers, I assume it's their fault. When I have a problem with nVidia's drivers, I assume it's my fault

dhlucke · Jul 8, 2003

The nvidia cards lose every review where they don't cheat.

<A HREF="http://forums.btvillarin.com/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=389&s=1fee5dab901bebe29da7aa1c2658fc6f" target="_new">dhlucke's system</A>

GOD BLESS AMERICA

daddywags214 · Jul 8, 2003

They do lose, but it's often so close (in a standard bench suite) that there really isn't a distinguishable winner. Now when you look at some real world apps (like those in the gamepc test suite) you start to see ATi pull ahead. But I still feel the Radeon 9800Pro 128 is a better buy than the 256. Just depends on how loaded you are.

Tit for tat, butter for fat, ATi's dog kicks nVidia's cat

(Maximum PC)

dhlucke · Jul 8, 2003

Actually, if you factor price and IQ in, there is a clear loser.

<A HREF="http://forums.btvillarin.com/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=389&s=1fee5dab901bebe29da7aa1c2658fc6f" target="_new">dhlucke's system</A>

GOD BLESS AMERICA

TKS · Jul 8, 2003

Dude, I just wanna say I've found most of your posts informative and knowledgable. Not tryin to kiss arse...just stating an observation. Thanks for the help.

Insert_ending_here,
TKS

TKS · Jul 8, 2003

after reading the review you linked to at hardocp, I noticed that it all depends on what game you are playing/benchmarking the cards at. I noticed that the 9800 pulls way ahead in games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein and when 6x/8x and higher resolutions are utilized. Overall though...the 5900 holds the edge...as well it should for friggen 500 bucks. But do I really want two slots taken up in my computer? And damn man, do I want liquid hot magma to pour outta my case every time I play a graphics intense game? I think not...ATI for me...the performance edge of the 5900 isn't enough to change or argue for.

I also noticed that Nvidia really pumps opengl out pretty good. Could this be because they are main supporters of it and worked closely with the opengl project?

Good news on the horizen for ATI though as they got in on opengl finally (better late than never) in <A HREF="http://www.glsetup.com/index.htm" target="_new">2001</A>. ATI would do well to mind that they suffer performance cuts in opengl and try to improve on this in the future.

Another interesting point I found on hardocp is that Nvidia seems to think that only <A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/index.html" target="_new">THEY</A> can optimize their drivers...go down to the article on omega drivers. I wonder why they don't want anyone 'reverse engineering' their drivers...think they might have something to hide? If ATI were making the same stink I wouldn't give two squirts of pizzle about it...but they're not. Makes you wonder eh?

Insert_ending_here,
TKS

TheGreatGrapeApe · Jul 8, 2003

Thanks for the props, I try.

As for Nvidia vs Omegas yeah I mentioned it in my OMEGA drivers thread (before [H]

) I still can't freakin' believe it! Silly company. Hopefully [H] is correct and the folks at Nvidia aren't really that concerned and simply say, oops. But I doubt it. A loss to THEIR customers IMO.

Ati is a little behind in OPEN GL, one of the reasons the Quadro is such a good series. ATI did upgrade their OpenGL support in the Cat 3.5s, but they still have some distance to go.

As for the overall comparison, yeah it's a toss-up depending on what you play, and who's review you look at, and whihc benchmark you still feel you can trust. For the same price most 128vs128 and 256vs256 comparisons should be pretty close.
The main thing is that people DO do their research. Don't just take my word for it, but DO take my word that there is more out there than just product B sux, product C rox. Except the FX5800Ultra Leafblower; and maybe the 'DX9 abilities' of the FX5200.

The main thing is both cards should do well for now and my PCI-EX RV380 or R420; should kick all their asses when it comes out.

Then I will have the big-a-penis (South Park reference).

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! <A HREF="http://www.redgreen.com" target="_new">RED GREEN</A> GA to SK :evil:

9800 Pro vs. anything Nvidia

Distinguished

Distinguished

Distinguished

Splendid

Distinguished

Distinguished

Distinguished

Champion

Distinguished

Champion

Distinguished

Champion

Distinguished

Distinguished

Polypheme

Distinguished

Polypheme

Distinguished

Distinguished

Champion

Share this page