Graphics card choice ?

[fo3]

when choosing, which graphics card to buy, should i pick a card with higher clock speed or more memory ?

for example, should i go for :

- Power Color ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB DDR (128bit)400/600MHz
or
- Power Color ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 256MB DDR (128bit) 400/400MHz

or maybe this?
- Power Color ATI RADEON 9800 SE 128MB DDR (256bit) 380/680MHz


i would appreciate any tips on how to choose a graphics card, since i ain't really familiar with this subject and i dont want to go asking help from some salesman..

 

[gossspel]

they all suck, especially the 2 9600pro ez version, you should get a gigabyte 9600xt from newegg.com, or 9800 pro 256bit around 204bucks, don't buy cripple 9800pro 128bit!! That is my advice

 

[uther100]

if i had to pick i'd take the 9800 and overclock the core a tad. The card i just got was an fx5700 for 125$ from newegg I'm pretty happy with the price/performance ratio at the stock speed I'm playing with o/c it some now

 

[Woodman]

I would go for the first one, the 9600PRO /w 128MB.

The second one is useless, more than 128MB of memory has been shown to boost one's ego more than the actual performance of games and applications. Don't give in to the dark side!

The last one might be good, since it's 256bit, there's a chance it could be softmodded into a full 9800PRO, which'll be a hit with the chicks man . But then again, it could be turn out to be a turkey.


Now, if I were in your shoes however, I'd go around and look for a 9800PRO, or at least a regular 9800 (non-pro) as one of the above posters said. At the price they're going for, and the performance it delivers, man, it just makes me all fuzzy inside.

-----
Wanted: Wet Nurse needed for 25 yr old male. Will not mind if taken advantage of.

 

[HardWareBoss]

Power Color stink. Do you have a price limit? Or are you stuck with those options?

 

[fo3]

there is a sort of a price limit, but not too strict.
and i ain't stuck with these, i just gave some examples. if someone can suggest anything else, i'm open to suggestions..

 

[fo3]

-Chaintech VGA 128MB DDR 128bit 425/500 nVidia GeForce FX 5700 SA5700 8xAGP DX9 TV-out/DVI WinDVD

-Chaintech VGA 128MB DDR- 128bit 350/700MHz nVidia GeForce FX 5600-Ultra FX70 8xAGP DX9 TV-out/DVI WinDVD

-Abit Siluro 128MB DDR 3,6ns 128bit 425/500MHz nVidia GeForce FX 5700-E 8xAGP DX9 TV-out/DVI WinDVD


but what about these ? or should i go for ati radeon cards ?

 

[Vapor]

<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-268&depa=0" target="_new">Suggestion</A>

Maxtor disgraces the six letters that make Matrox.

 

[entium]

If ya can wait till the low end cards of the next gen cards are out they will 100-150 bucks but their performance will be equal to that of the best cards today.

 

[fo3]

a week or two ?

 

[Vapor]

No they won't...early RV380s (ATi's next-gen mid-range card) were tested to be slightly slower than the 9600XT. Not that we will even see them this quarter.

Maxtor disgraces the six letters that make Matrox.

 

[entium]

Well 150 buck Nvidia ones are. ATI I'm sure will up thier specs.
They won't be out anytime soon.

 

[pauldh]

If ya can wait till the low end cards of the next gen cards are out they will 100-150 bucks but their performance will be equal to that of the best cards today.

I'd have to disagree also. It will be quite a while before a new $100-$150 card comes out that can perform like a $200 R9800pro. That sure would be nice though wouldn't it.





ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[entium]

well this is speculation and from Nvidia's pr guys so I have my doubts but hey ya never know, the 5700 was as good as the gf4 ti
and it was 150-170

 

[Mitch007]

Hell, I'd go 5700 Ultra or 5900XT, co contest and tad over $100/£100 now, so bang for buck a good buy. Although ATI prove better at Bench, Nvidia in the man come out on top in game play, so it depends on what you doing.

If you want something to tide you over go on ebay, set a budget and bid for the best ther is within that budget.

I did this and got a XFX ti4200 Turbo for $50, 3.3ns RAMDAC's, nice little number, i't will see me right for a year or so!

MIS645Ultra/2.4G A-Pent/2*Corsair 256MBit CL2-2-2-7XMSLLPT PC3200 DDR RAM/450W Enermax PSU/1*40Gig 7200rpm Wes-Dig/1*20Gig 7200 Hitachi Disk/GeF3 Ti200 LeadTek G-Card running 520/230 Ram/Core MHz.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

The question will be what memory they plop on those suckers. The R9600 series has always been memory bandwidth starved, either higher clocked GDDR3 or 256bit DDR memory would improve their fortunes substantially. I wouldn't be surprised if ATI simply showed their non-pro or SE version simply to be cagey like they were with the X800 series.

The interesting thing is what is this new 0.11 part that's supposed to ship shortly (the RV370?) and how will it fit in the performance sector (?>R9550>?).

There could be movement all over the place. I'd still keep and eye on the X800SE, but those X6xxs (the RV380) may offer some interesting combinations. I'm also interested in seeing tnV's next gen mid-range, as it looks like they've hooked their wagon to the FX5700 w/ GDDR3 for the short term, so nothing new there.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[entium]

Bang for the buck can't beat the 5700 or 5900xt. These are really good transition cards till ya get into Unreal 3 type games

 

[entium]

even a used 9700 is good aswell if ya can't find a new one

 

[cleeve]

Best buy right now is the 9800 PRO, bar none.

If you can't afford the ~190 for a new one, you should be able to score a used 9800 or 9700 PRO on ebay for $110 - $160, which would be almost as good.

If you're buiing used, get a BUILT BY ATI card... the warranty on a built by Ati card basically lasts forever, and you don't need a reciept.

________________
<b>Radeon <font color=red>9700 PRO</b></font color=red> <i>(o/c 333/343)</i>
<b>AthlonXP <font color=red>~2600+</b></font color=red> <i>(2400+ @ 2145 Mhz)</i>
<b>3dMark03: <font color=red>4,876</b>

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

.. Nvidia in the man come out on top in game play,..

Actually Game play shows the exact opposite. For some quick examples, take a look at these two reviews by [H], which focus on playability.

<A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NTk5" target="_new">[H]Review 1</A>
<A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NjA0" target="_new">[H]Review 2</A>

The FX5900XT still has more power, but for that premium, you might as well get an R9800(Not an SE!).

so it depends on what you doing.

Definitely. For Q3 and a few OGL situations the NVs will usually outperform the ATIs, and for D3D shader heavy games ATI will usually outperform NV. The FX5700 series though is not up to the tasks it need to perform to compete in the current market, even the GDDR3 hasn't helped that.

3.3ns RAMDAC's,

That's the RAM spec, not the RAMDAC Speed. Two different things.

The RAMDACs are probably running at 350mhz, typical for the GF4 series.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK