nvidea recommendations

Randy P · Jan 29, 2005, 04:06 AM

I have a fx 5600 and I am thinking about upgrading. SHould I upgrade? Is the 5600 (256 mb) any good compared to other vid cards?

If you guys think I should upgrade can I have some recommendations?

pr0digal jenius · Jan 29, 2005, 05:30 AM

what games do you currently play/plan on playing in the near? If it's quake 3 engine stuff, don't bother. If it's Source engine or doom 3 engine or maybe even UT2 engine, I'd look at a 6800GT

MiDKnYtE · Jan 29, 2005, 06:02 AM

what's your budget?

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jan 29, 2005, 08:01 AM

my god 5200 and 5600 are terrable cards where obsolete/underpowerd
before they hit the shelf! in somecases acting like it only has 2 pixel pipes etc...
(Unless you don't play games, I'd pick up something else 5700 or higher)

anything would be a good step up...Whats your buget?
Also I'll sell what you have to get money twards your upgrade!

mike2h · Jan 29, 2005, 08:31 AM

as above. until we know budget it is impossible to make a realistic rec.

nice offer neon!

Randy P · Jan 29, 2005, 03:24 PM

Cool, I have a budget of probably 250 - 300 bucks. The games I am currently playing are vampire bloodlines, sims 2, and I'll be getting stalker when it comes out in a couple of months. Thanks guys - much appreciated.

BurL · Jan 29, 2005, 03:43 PM

I have a 9800pro and It's a very good card for around $200.00, and it'll be a nice upgrade to your current card imo.

Randy P · Jan 29, 2005, 03:57 PM

ATI 9800? SO what's the deal with ATI versus nVidea? Which is better, generally of course?

So you think the 9800 is a good buy?

any other suggestions?

germanjulian · Jan 29, 2005, 04:05 PM

well if you want to not go overboard with price the 9800Pro is the best card performance wise! its really good.

nvidia and ati, not much difference two good companies making cards, some are better some are worse!

for a $200 budget nothing beats the 9800Pro i think.
get an artic cooler heatsink on it as well and you can o/c it a bit too.

stalker will run good on the card

Randy P · Jan 29, 2005, 05:27 PM

SO there is no nvidea equivalent for the price?

And I will see a noticeable difference in the 9800 from my fx 5600?

I'm just curious about the MB in a vid. card - is 128 mb fine for a vid card? I mean my fx 5600 is 256 mb....does this really mean a whole lot considering most games only require, at most, 64 mb of vid memory??

mike2h · Jan 29, 2005, 05:32 PM

your $250 -$300 budget kinda puts you right in the middle of card prices. if you can come up with another $50-$65 i would cause the n you are in x800pro256 & 6800 gt range. both very good cards. with the nod going to the nv card.
at your current price you are looking at the 9800 pro256 & 128 mb vers of 6800 or 256 vers of 6600(if you can find agp vers). at this price i would probably go with the ati.
anyway, take a look at pricewatch. that will give you all the $$ info you need.

pr0digal jenius · Jan 29, 2005, 06:18 PM

wait for the x800XL, or look for a 6800GTo perhaps

mike2h · Jan 29, 2005, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy P

SO there is no nvidea equivalent for the price?

And I will see a noticeable difference in the 9800 from my fx 5600?

I'm just curious about the MB in a vid. card - is 128 mb fine for a vid card? I mean my fx 5600 is 256 mb....does this really mean a whole lot considering most games only require, at most, 64 mb of vid memory??

you will defintely see a difference.
what res & refresh are you playing at? these 2 factors(along with some others i know jack about) are a big part of mem usage.
some games require more mem usage at equivalent res/ref than others due to th amount of graphics involved. 128 is ok now(depending on above), 256 is the ticket for now & the next year or 2, 512 is going to be needed in 2-3 yrs. hell, i can remenber when 2mb on your video card was 'plenty'

pr0digal jenius · Jan 29, 2005, 06:34 PM

i remember when my 8mb card was overkill

...so yes...god only knows what 3 years from now holds.

BurL · Jan 29, 2005, 07:16 PM

I was checking out newegg.com and the 6600gt would also be a big jump up and it is about $200-$230.

MiDKnYtE · Jan 29, 2005, 09:34 PM

for around $250, go for the 6600GT. I've seen it on sale at Compusa for as low as $200 after rebates.

Randy P · Jan 29, 2005, 10:28 PM

If I can afford it do you guys think an nvidea 6800 gt - 256 mb is the way to go?

mike2h · Jan 29, 2005, 10:35 PM

absolutley.

Asmoday · Jan 29, 2005, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy P

If I can afford it do you guys think an nvidea 6800 gt - 256 mb is the way to go?

Yup, plus most 6800GT's can be overclocked to/beyond Ultra speeds..

Randy P · Jan 29, 2005, 10:44 PM

The whole overclocking thing I know absolutely nothing about... I just looked and the 6800 is $500 bucks!!!!

Just curious where could I sell a fx 5600???

MiDKnYtE · Jan 29, 2005, 11:25 PM

$500 for a 6800? oh, you're in Canada. Sorry, I was going by USD.

Randy P · Jan 30, 2005, 12:25 AM

well the 6800 may be out of the question so for 250 - 350 $(CAN) the ATI 9800 pro is the best deal? do you guys agree on that?

Blackboost · Jan 30, 2005, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy P

well the 6800 may be out of the question so for 250 - 350 $(CAN) the ATI 9800 pro is the best deal? do you guys agree on that?

If this is your final choice (thnking in the budget right now) then it's a good choice indeed. What you can do after you have installed it (and the latest drivers of course) is to download ATi Tool and check if you can overclock it to XT or XT speeds. If the card checks out ok, you can then flash an XT BIOS to it! That way you end up with the best card of the 9800 series without spending that much.

And just to clarify some things, I do love both worlds: Nvidia and ATi. So don't flame me talking about the 9800 here. My "other PC" has a 6800 series card and I love it too!

Randy P · Jan 30, 2005, 12:53 AM

cool, this may be my last question: what's the deal with all the other 'manufacturers' putting their names at the beginning of the vid cards. For example, gigabyte GE FOrce, Saphire Radeon, BGS or something GE FOrce...are all of these legitimate ATI and nvidea cards? Are there any I should be on the look out for?
Take a look at thyis link and see what I mean:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...minorcatid=108

One final question is the "All In WOnder" the 9800 ATI card or are they two seperate cards?

Thanks guys.

technonerd · Jan 30, 2005, 12:54 AM

ATI 9800pro, I still have it from year ago. Still a great card for HL2 and Doom3.

AIW and 9800 is one card, they're expensive than 9800pro. AIW have Tv tuner. good for media editor, and having tv cable connect to watch tv on your computer etc.

9800se
9800pro
9800XT
9800pro AIW

I would choose Saphire or HIS for Radeons.

Some manufactor have better performance, etc.

pr0digal jenius · Jan 30, 2005, 02:05 AM

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...4&newdeptid=18

you may enjoy that, although 128MB of RAM might be a drawback...I'm not sure what you try and game at

Randy P · Jan 30, 2005, 03:11 PM

ok take a look at this tigerdirect link:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...e=8&CatId=1087

what is the difference between :

XFX GeForce 6800 GT Video Card
eVGA GeForce 6800 GT
PNY GeForce 6800 GT Video Card
Leadtek GeForce 6800 GT Video Card

Are these all the same card? Is one better than the other?

jasonbourne · Jan 30, 2005, 04:20 PM

i have a evga 6800gt and im very happy with it,it has dd3 memory on it im not sure if the others ones does.

mike2h · Jan 30, 2005, 06:30 PM

even though i had an unpleasant experience with leadtek, that is the way i would go.
to awnser your ?, yes they are all basically the same. there can be a difference between quality of parts & cooler design but mostly they tend to follow spec.
just make sure that they say 350/1000 speed & 16 pielines. that ensures everything else is kosher.
bty those prices are all to high. head over to pricewatch.

Randy P · Jan 30, 2005, 07:14 PM

yeah they're all canadian....bla

Jan 29, 2005, 04:06 AM	#1
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	nvidea recommendations I have a fx 5600 and I am thinking about upgrading. SHould I upgrade? Is the 5600 (256 mb) any good compared to other vid cards? If you guys think I should upgrade can I have some recommendations?

Jan 29, 2005, 08:01 AM	#4
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	my god 5200 and 5600 are terrable cards where obsolete/underpowerd before they hit the shelf! in somecases acting like it only has 2 pixel pipes etc... (Unless you don't play games, I'd pick up something else 5700 or higher) anything would be a good step up...Whats your buget? Also I'll sell what you have to get money twards your upgrade! __________________

Jan 29, 2005, 08:31 AM	#5
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	as above. until we know budget it is impossible to make a realistic rec. nice offer neon! __________________

Jan 29, 2005, 03:43 PM	#7
BurL Liver SUCKS!!!! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 228 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I have a 9800pro and It's a very good card for around $200.00, and it'll be a nice upgrade to your current card imo. __________________ If I had a bean burrito I would smash it all over my chest.

Jan 29, 2005, 04:05 PM	#9
germanjulian Back in London Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: London Posts: 1,797 Rep Power: 0	well if you want to not go overboard with price the 9800Pro is the best card performance wise! its really good. nvidia and ati, not much difference two good companies making cards, some are better some are worse! for a $200 budget nothing beats the 9800Pro i think. get an artic cooler heatsink on it as well and you can o/c it a bit too. stalker will run good on the card __________________ /\|\ Asus P5W DH Deluxe, Intel C2D E6600, 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C4 DDR2, E-VGA GeForce 7800 GT, Creative X-Fi Extreme Music, 500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA, Lian Li PC-V1100 Aluminum Case Black, etc. http://germanjulian.com /\|\

Jan 29, 2005, 05:30 AM	#2
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	what games do you currently play/plan on playing in the near? If it's quake 3 engine stuff, don't bother. If it's Source engine or doom 3 engine or maybe even UT2 engine, I'd look at a 6800GT

Jan 29, 2005, 06:02 AM	#3
MiDKnYtE Caffeine Machine Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hell is empty. All the devils are here. Posts: 670 Rep Power: 0	what's your budget?

Jan 29, 2005, 03:24 PM	Thread Starter #6
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	Cool, I have a budget of probably 250 - 300 bucks. The games I am currently playing are vampire bloodlines, sims 2, and I'll be getting stalker when it comes out in a couple of months. Thanks guys - much appreciated.

Jan 29, 2005, 03:57 PM	Thread Starter #8
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	ATI 9800? SO what's the deal with ATI versus nVidea? Which is better, generally of course? So you think the 9800 is a good buy? any other suggestions?

Jan 29, 2005, 05:27 PM	Thread Starter #10
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	SO there is no nvidea equivalent for the price? And I will see a noticeable difference in the 9800 from my fx 5600? I'm just curious about the MB in a vid. card - is 128 mb fine for a vid card? I mean my fx 5600 is 256 mb....does this really mean a whole lot considering most games only require, at most, 64 mb of vid memory??

Jan 29, 2005, 05:32 PM	#11
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	your $250 -$300 budget kinda puts you right in the middle of card prices. if you can come up with another $50-$65 i would cause the n you are in x800pro256 & 6800 gt range. both very good cards. with the nod going to the nv card. at your current price you are looking at the 9800 pro256 & 128 mb vers of 6800 or 256 vers of 6600(if you can find agp vers). at this price i would probably go with the ati. anyway, take a look at pricewatch. that will give you all the $$ info you need. __________________

Jan 29, 2005, 06:18 PM	#12
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	wait for the x800XL, or look for a 6800GTo perhaps

Jan 29, 2005, 06:34 PM	#14
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	i remember when my 8mb card was overkill ...so yes...god only knows what 3 years from now holds.

Jan 29, 2005, 07:16 PM	#15
BurL Liver SUCKS!!!! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 228 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I was checking out newegg.com and the 6600gt would also be a big jump up and it is about $200-$230. __________________ If I had a bean burrito I would smash it all over my chest.

Jan 29, 2005, 09:34 PM	#16
MiDKnYtE Caffeine Machine Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hell is empty. All the devils are here. Posts: 670 Rep Power: 0	for around $250, go for the 6600GT. I've seen it on sale at Compusa for as low as $200 after rebates.

Jan 29, 2005, 10:28 PM	Thread Starter #17
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	If I can afford it do you guys think an nvidea 6800 gt - 256 mb is the way to go?

Jan 29, 2005, 10:35 PM	#18
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	absolutley. __________________

Jan 29, 2005, 10:44 PM	Thread Starter #20
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	The whole overclocking thing I know absolutely nothing about... I just looked and the 6800 is $500 bucks!!!! Just curious where could I sell a fx 5600???

Jan 29, 2005, 11:25 PM	#21
MiDKnYtE Caffeine Machine Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hell is empty. All the devils are here. Posts: 670 Rep Power: 0	$500 for a 6800? oh, you're in Canada. Sorry, I was going by USD.

Jan 30, 2005, 12:25 AM	Thread Starter #22
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	well the 6800 may be out of the question so for 250 - 350 $(CAN) the ATI 9800 pro is the best deal? do you guys agree on that?

Jan 30, 2005, 12:53 AM	Thread Starter #24
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	cool, this may be my last question: what's the deal with all the other 'manufacturers' putting their names at the beginning of the vid cards. For example, gigabyte GE FOrce, Saphire Radeon, BGS or something GE FOrce...are all of these legitimate ATI and nvidea cards? Are there any I should be on the look out for? Take a look at thyis link and see what I mean: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...minorcatid=108 One final question is the "All In WOnder" the 9800 ATI card or are they two seperate cards? Thanks guys.

Jan 30, 2005, 12:54 AM	#25
technonerd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 594 Rep Power: 0	ATI 9800pro, I still have it from year ago. Still a great card for HL2 and Doom3. AIW and 9800 is one card, they're expensive than 9800pro. AIW have Tv tuner. good for media editor, and having tv cable connect to watch tv on your computer etc. 9800se 9800pro 9800XT 9800pro AIW I would choose Saphire or HIS for Radeons. Some manufactor have better performance, etc. Last edited by technonerd; Jan 30, 2005 at 01:02 AM.

Jan 30, 2005, 02:05 AM	#26
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...4&newdeptid=18 you may enjoy that, although 128MB of RAM might be a drawback...I'm not sure what you try and game at

Jan 30, 2005, 03:11 PM	Thread Starter #27
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	ok take a look at this tigerdirect link: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...e=8&CatId=1087 what is the difference between : XFX GeForce 6800 GT Video Card eVGA GeForce 6800 GT PNY GeForce 6800 GT Video Card Leadtek GeForce 6800 GT Video Card Are these all the same card? Is one better than the other?

Jan 30, 2005, 04:20 PM	#28
jasonbourne DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: great yarmouth uk Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	i have a evga 6800gt and im very happy with it,it has dd3 memory on it im not sure if the others ones does. __________________ http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...asonBourne.jpg

Jan 30, 2005, 06:30 PM	#29
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	even though i had an unpleasant experience with leadtek, that is the way i would go. to awnser your ?, yes they are all basically the same. there can be a difference between quality of parts & cooler design but mostly they tend to follow spec. just make sure that they say 350/1000 speed & 16 pielines. that ensures everything else is kosher. bty those prices are all to high. head over to pricewatch. __________________ Last edited by mike2h; Jan 30, 2005 at 06:37 PM.

Jan 30, 2005, 07:14 PM	Thread Starter #30
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 489 Rep Power: 49 System Specs	yeah they're all canadian....bla