First, no flaming me please, this is just what information i have gathered, and i am in the market for a new card and was going to get a Geforce2 untill the suprise early release of RADEON. After reading every review i can find and talking to many people that have tested the RADEON, it would appear that it is indeed the better card to get.
ATI set out to improve 32-bit High Resoluton, High Quality, and High Detail perfomance and that's exactly what they did.
Some will say even though the RADEON clearly beats the Geforce2 in 32-bit performance that the GeForce2 is still faster in 16-bit. Yes, it is....and THAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BY RADEON.
16-bit performance has been OVERKILL for some time now. Almost any current generation card can give good enough 16-bit performance.
ATI decided to not waste resources improving 16-bit when it doesn't need it, and put their focus on 32-bit.
The higher the resolution goes in 32-bit, the farther the RADEON pulls ahead of GeForce2. In fact the guys at Gamers Alliance had to change the whole way they test cards. They never expected to test in 32-bit at ultra high resolutions because no card could handle it..........UNTILL NOW!!!
Go check out the review at Gamers Alliance (ga-hardware.com) and make sure to READ THE LAST SET OF BENCHMARKS AND FINAL COMMENTS. The review takes a interesting turn at the end when they realize what is going on and decide to try some new benchmarks.
Also, check out the review at Gamers Depot (gamersdepot.com) Duane, the reviewer and main guy at the site said after testing the RADEON he would be getting rid of his GeForce2 and running the RADEON in his system from now on. Pretty good compliment. He is a very well respected hardware reviewer.
Even Tom (tomshardwae.com) gives the RADEON the thumbs up.
The RADEON has solved the memory bandwith issue with the "Hyper Z" technology, and also uses faster memory to begin with (5.5ns vs 6ns)
The RADEON also has 3 texture units vs 2 for the GeForce2. This will really come into play with upcoming games like HALO supporting it. And with the many features for DirectX-8 that only the RADEON has, performance will only get better when X-8 comes out.
Plus, considering the card is brand new, with the very first drivers, the performance is amazing. As good as it is now, just think about when more mature drivers come out, and DirectX-8 hits. WOW!!
Like i said, i am ready to buy a new card, and with all this great stuff from RADEON, and just about every expert agreeing it is "The" card for High-Performance 32-bit gaming now and in the future, the choice seem pretty clear.
I have only stated facts given by testers and reviewers so Nvidia fans, please don't flame me. I am a Nvidia fan too. But more importantly, i am a game fan, and want the best possible card.
Please give feedback, and read those other reviews, and lets discuss this before i spend my money. Maybe someone knows something i don't. At this point, i am definately leaning towards the RADEON, but i want some more views on the subject from my fellow Anandtechies.
Thanks
ATI set out to improve 32-bit High Resoluton, High Quality, and High Detail perfomance and that's exactly what they did.
Some will say even though the RADEON clearly beats the Geforce2 in 32-bit performance that the GeForce2 is still faster in 16-bit. Yes, it is....and THAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BY RADEON.
16-bit performance has been OVERKILL for some time now. Almost any current generation card can give good enough 16-bit performance.
ATI decided to not waste resources improving 16-bit when it doesn't need it, and put their focus on 32-bit.
The higher the resolution goes in 32-bit, the farther the RADEON pulls ahead of GeForce2. In fact the guys at Gamers Alliance had to change the whole way they test cards. They never expected to test in 32-bit at ultra high resolutions because no card could handle it..........UNTILL NOW!!!
Go check out the review at Gamers Alliance (ga-hardware.com) and make sure to READ THE LAST SET OF BENCHMARKS AND FINAL COMMENTS. The review takes a interesting turn at the end when they realize what is going on and decide to try some new benchmarks.
Also, check out the review at Gamers Depot (gamersdepot.com) Duane, the reviewer and main guy at the site said after testing the RADEON he would be getting rid of his GeForce2 and running the RADEON in his system from now on. Pretty good compliment. He is a very well respected hardware reviewer.
Even Tom (tomshardwae.com) gives the RADEON the thumbs up.
The RADEON has solved the memory bandwith issue with the "Hyper Z" technology, and also uses faster memory to begin with (5.5ns vs 6ns)
The RADEON also has 3 texture units vs 2 for the GeForce2. This will really come into play with upcoming games like HALO supporting it. And with the many features for DirectX-8 that only the RADEON has, performance will only get better when X-8 comes out.
Plus, considering the card is brand new, with the very first drivers, the performance is amazing. As good as it is now, just think about when more mature drivers come out, and DirectX-8 hits. WOW!!
Like i said, i am ready to buy a new card, and with all this great stuff from RADEON, and just about every expert agreeing it is "The" card for High-Performance 32-bit gaming now and in the future, the choice seem pretty clear.
I have only stated facts given by testers and reviewers so Nvidia fans, please don't flame me. I am a Nvidia fan too. But more importantly, i am a game fan, and want the best possible card.
Please give feedback, and read those other reviews, and lets discuss this before i spend my money. Maybe someone knows something i don't. At this point, i am definately leaning towards the RADEON, but i want some more views on the subject from my fellow Anandtechies.
Thanks