vid card

[Danadcorps]

hey guys i need a new vid card for about $250. my old one (Chaintech Geforce 4 ti 4600) got really messed up (somthing about hte RamDac got screwed). anyway, it will be used for watching anime (primary), watching music vids (secondary), and gaming (tertiary). hoping u guys can help me out! well thanks anyway

 

[VIAN]

Geforce FX 5900 or Radeon 9700 Pro, choose which ever brand you like. Usually 5900 better for OpenGL apps and 9700 better in DX apps.

 

[SneakyStuff]

For UNDER $250, this should suit you nicely

HERE

 

[SilverBack]

And this one would be even better.......

 

[SneakyStuff]

all a matter of preference, both are superb cards.

 

[SilverBack]

True

 

[Danadcorps]

what is an Open GL app and waht is an DX application? and what would be the difference between these two video cards?

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Danadcorps
what is an Open GL app and waht is an DX application? and what would be the difference between these two video cards?

some games are OpenGL and some are DX (8 or 9)

nvidia has been traditionally stronger in OpenGl and Ati is stronger in DX9

 

[SilverBack]

opengl is a graphic API that's supported by several operating systems.
DirectX graphics or Direct3D (same thing) is a Microsoft only API.

Of the above two cards the GeForce FX 5900 or the ATI 9800 Pro the ATI card is faster in both API's.

 

[SneakyStuff]

I'm an nVidia fan but i'm gonna have to go with silverback on this one, the best buy here is the Sapphire 9800 Pro, all around.

 

[SneakyStuff]

haha cool case silverback, looks so rustic, yet functional!

 

[SilverBack]

LOL Thanks

 

[Pete]

First choice $230 9800 Pro, second choice $165 5900. If gaming is a tertiary use, then the 5900 may just be a smarter buy.

 

[VIAN]

I think the 5900 is a better buy.

 

[SilverBack]

If that was an ultra I would tend to agree, but it isn't and it's performance can't touch the 9800 Pro.
Hopefully when both the new GPU's come out in May nVidia will have got over thier slump so I can move back to them. I really prefer thier drivers over ATI's.

 

[Danadcorps]

i heard that nvidia's drivers are a lot better than ATI's and by the way, all of the things i was gonna do (watch and game) are pretty much all i use my computer for. papers and stuff take up maybe 1% of the time hehe. so u guys say the ATI is better? ok then thats the one i'll get adn thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Danadcorps]

how much is an ultra, btw? if its not that much more i'll get that unless u guys think that it would be too much $ for too little increase in hardware. tell me what u guys think

 

[modedepe]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
haha cool case silverback, looks so rustic, yet functional!

LOL, very nice!

As for the video card, I'd probably pick up a $165 5900, since it sounds like you're not a real hardcore gamer.

 

[ErikS]

If gaming is the primary choice then the 9800, about equal in DX8 & FAR better in DX9 (though this is of little use at the moment).

Under $250 - 9800 all the way.
Under $200 - the 5900, tough to beat.

If you want to spend sometime & really get to know the cards work then hop on over to Beyond3D

Edit:

Also, factor in the rest of the system. Would the money saved buying a 5900 be useful in upgrading other components?

 

[SilverBack]

ErikS
Good point.
The extra could get him more ram, hard drive etc.

 

[Danadcorps]

just to let u know about my sys, one of my roomates came back drunk and fell on top of my case, screwing up a lotta stuff. but hes paying for the sh*t he broke and i'm payin for the vid card cause it was messed up before he fell on it. And btw, i wouldn't say i'm a hardcore gamer, but i'm a pretty decent gamer. in a normal day, i spend about 2-3 hrs gaming...typically somedays a lot more, somedays not much at all...just depends on my moods.

btw, i was wondering where u guys get those 3dMarks and aquamark stuff? also, how would i boost the performance of the 9800 (hehehe i decided on this one)?

i am running a AMD XP 2800+ barton on an ASUS A7N8X with 512mb ram(getting more). have a 120gig (not being recognized by BIOS though and i need the bios values for the hd to enter them in manually) and a new 160gig. wiht a 48x cd burner and a 2x dvd burner and a 21 inch CRT monitor. all i need after the vid card is a decent sound card and speakers.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: VIAN
I think the 5900 is a better buy.

of course you would VIAN. hell, you would rather have a geforce2 over a 9800pro because you're such a dolt.

 

[SneakyStuff]

haha i'm gonna start being nicks little lackey and just quote what he says now

of course you would VIAN. hell, you would rather have a geforce2 over a 9800pro because you're such a dolt.

 

[howdyduty]

Recommend the 5900. Upgrade from a Ti4600 will be painless; uninstall driver, put in new card, reinstall driver.

 

[Pete]

Yeah, uh, that's pretty much how it works with ATi, too.