Video Cards?

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I'm in the market for a new computer system and I was just wondering what everyone's opinions are. Right now I'm trying to decide between nVidia's GeForce2 gts and ATI's Radeon 64 Mb DDR. Is there anyone who has any comments on these two cards, or any alternatives?

 

I have the ATI card and I am quite happy with it actually, but to prefer that over another I really wouldn't know....


Hmmmm... this was probably not very helpful



[This message has been edited by DragonSlayer21 (edited June 22, 2001).]

 

Try asking at a forum for hardware like: http://forums.anandtech.com/

 

This site has a lot of useful information about all sorts of hardware, including articles, benchmarks and forums. There's a lot their though so it can take a bit of hunting:
http://www.tomshardware.com/

This site records users benchmark scores for different PC systems. This means you can look at the performance of various graphic cards with people who have similar PC specs (main processor and memory) to your system. This helps to determine which will offer the best value for money based on the rest of your PC:
http://gamershq.madonion.com/products/orb/

The following link is to a Games mag that did a recent round up of 3D cards. Unfortunatley, you'll need to register then look in the 'Features' section for an article called 'House of 3d Cards'
http://www.pczone.co.uk/index.html

[This message has been edited by Darien Noella (edited July 07, 2001).]

 

So guys, what's up with these cards? What's the difference between whatever generic card I have in my PC and one of these good ones? Better picture, faster frame rate, sharper picture, anti-aliasing? (I still don't know what that is?) I don't want an education, just wondering what it looks like, because games on my "system" look pretty good, but I'm improving things right now.

Whats the difference b/t a GeForce and a Riva TNT for example?

[This message has been edited by Orkrist the Cleaver (edited June 23, 2001).]

 

Cripes! I decided on the ATI card, but I had to go ahead and buy a whole new system. After today I am officially cutting up my credit card. I ended up buying components and am now trying to build the damn thing. Everything seems to work, just formatting the HD. I'll let you know how things turn out.

Orkist - I read your other thread, and I must say that increasing your RAM is one of the best things you can do for system performance, to a point. An extra 128 Meg should work nice for you, and your friends are correct.. just pop it in and the system should recognize it. I hope that your system isn't so old that it uses SIMM's because the slots wouldn't be compatible with the DIMM you purchased.

As for the video cards mentioned, well they basically support AGP 2/4, they have quite speedy core speeds, their memory speed is very fast (both use DDR memory) and their chips sets have advanced instruction sets. The GeForce represents the next step up the evolutionaary ladder from a TNT2 - faster core, faster memory means faster performance, better picture quality and higher frame rates. It's always a good idea to update your drivers to the latest version as well. nVidia has a reputation for releasing incredible driver improvements.

 

If you want to run win2k, don't touch the ATi card yet. Their win2k drivers are simply terrible.

The GF2 MX cards have actually been split into two different models, MX200 and MX400. Don't bother deciding which to buy, they all perform the same. The 400 has 64 meg of RAM on it though.

You could spend the cache on an Nvidia card, I've seen GF2 pros and GF2 Utlras for 140 and 244, relatively.

An option you should be aware of is the Prophet 4500. Its based on a radically different video chip that uses Tile Based Rendering. For sake of simplicity, it simply draws you can see and nothing else.

The 4500 is based off the Kyro2 chip, comes with 64 meg of RAM, and outperforms the GF2MX in every single test. It keeps up with the GTS nicely, and can outdo the GF2 Ultra and GF3 in a few benches and games. Its suggested retail price is $150, but many vendors are selling it for around 100.

 

GeForce 2 DDR

 

Sorry to disappoint, but I went with the ATI product, and I'm happy with my choice. I did a few banch marks on it after I installed some beta drivers and it definately holds its own. The machine just rocks, althought the fast processor might have something to do with it as well. I am having some stability problems however, but the BIOS is telling me that the +5V system is a bit flaky. I think it is either the power supply or the voltage regulators on the mother board. Go figure, I just picked up ToB today and now I have to take my new system in to get the power supply checked.