Video cards, help me out here.

**DonVitoJr** · 12-09-09, 11:56 AM

Thanks for the information guys, but that didn't quiet answer my question. I meant to ask was what in the Spec's of the video card, ignoring the chipset, do i look for so i know that i am getting the best for my buck? It isn't that much of a shocker that nVidia is improving old technology and giving it a new name. I've noticed it my self, but nVidia seems to give me more luck than ATI even thought ATI is cheaper and apparently faster. But i cant tell how much faster it is with reviews. I want to know how much faster it is my looking at the spec's of the card. So what do i look for in a video cards spec's?

**HeavyG** · 12-09-09, 12:00 PM

Sapphire makes a great card too... don't count them out of the fight. I am on my 3rd Sapphire card (although 2 of them are currently being used in CrossfireX.

**Cybs** · 12-09-09, 12:10 PM

Check out the video in this thread, it's very informative. Even though the video is specific to consoles, a GPU is a GPU. Like Mury said, they all move 1s and 0s.

http://www.texasteamplayers.com/index.php?topic=75931.0

**WileECyte** · 12-09-09, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by DonVitoJr

Thanks for the information guys, but that didn't quiet answer my question. I meant to ask was what in the Spec's of the video card, ignoring the chipset, do i look for so i know that i am getting the best for my buck? It isn't that much of a shocker that nVidia is improving old technology and giving it a new name. I've noticed it my self, but nVidia seems to give me more luck than ATI even thought ATI is cheaper and apparently faster. But i cant tell how much faster it is with reviews. I want to know how much faster it is my looking at the spec's of the card. So what do i look for in a video cards spec's?

You want to look at real world benchmarks to make your decision. Synthetic benchmarks like 3dMark 06 and Vantage are an OK indicator of 'generic' performance, but you really want to see benchmarks in the games you play or plan on playing. Depending on which game you currently play... there may not be benchmarks for newer cards for older games, but you can draw some inferences from them. For example... You can take a game like L4D which uses the source engine and extrapolate that if Card A performs better than Card B, that Card A will likely outperform Card B in TF2 or any other source-engine based game.

The pricing guide that Mury linked to takes pricing and performance into account when making their decisions.

**vectus** · 12-09-09, 12:13 PM

You can't really ignore the chipset when comparing two different cards. If we were to do and we assumed that all of the chips were the same, then the higher clock would be the only limiting factor.

You really want to look at real gaming performance. It doesn't matter if one card has been overclocked by the manufacturer because it is as easy as pie to overclock a card using the right tools. Generally, a higher clock speed will result in more performance. When it comes to memory, you wouldn't really need anything more than 512MB on board unless you are running 1920x1200 or higher. This has been tested again and again.

Out of the two cards you have listed, I would recommend the 9800 GTX+ because of the significant performance gain over the 9500GT.

The 9800 GTX+ has 128 stream processors where as the 9500 GT only sports 32. The core clock is also lower in the 9500 GT. That's not a very good comparison though as these cards are too far apart. As far as brand is concerned, I tend to go for ASUS because of the quality of the parts that they use. I have had many ASUS products that have last me a long time. In this case, however, I would have to recommend EVGA over ASUS because EVGA tends to have a better track record with NVIDIA chipsets.

Might I recommend the 260 GTX?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-398-_-Product

This is an excellent card for a little bit more coin. It performs better than (2x) 9800GTX+ SLI in some cases. I would also recommend XFX in this case because of their lifetime warranty.

When it comes to refresh rate, I have yet to notice any tearing with LCD monitors. Screen tearing is usually prevented by the GPU, the display, the software, or a combination of those three. LCDs are not governed by the same refresh rate that CRTs were because of the backlit display. They do have a refresh rate that is governed by the GPU though.

Originally Posted by DonVitoJr

I still don't understand how ATI is cheaper, has faster speed and cant maintain FPS at a stable rate when nVidia has lower speed and is able to maintain FPS at a stable rate. So what do i specifically look for in a video card, when chipset is not a factor, that makes or breaks my money?

I have never heard of anything like this. I went from a 260 GTX to an ATI 5870 and saw huge performance gains across the board. This could be due to a possible driver issue in the past. I know that ATI had an issue with drivers a while back, but it has been great for a good while now.

**Mcstrange** · 12-09-09, 12:13 PM

The thing is Don, you really cant tell jsut looking at specs what card is fast than another without a good understand of what those specs mean. One card might have higher clock speeds but have very little memory and be slower, and Nvidia and ATI specs are different enough due to their technologies that you cannot compare them without your brain hurting.

If your an nvidia man, and theres nothing wrong with that, search for a Nvidia 260. They are excellent cards and with rebates shouldnt be far out of your prices range.

**Viktor_Olin** · 12-09-09, 08:29 PM

A word of caution regarding the EVGA lifetime warranty that Mury mentioned: you MUST register the card within 30 days of purchase. All of the EVGA cards come with a one year warranty which is extended if registered during that 30 day period (extended to 2 year, 3 year, or lifetime, depending on the card).

Don't ask me how I know this. :5

**Raptor** · 12-10-09, 01:18 AM

Myself I'd be going for the ATi 5750 or 5770 right now, Nvidia is nice don't get me wrong but atm the 260's and co. are on their way out next year and you might as well get the next generation if the prices are near the same. Everything I have read has had the 5700's and co taking the current gen Nvida's and throwing them around like rag dolls. The big question is how will the new cards Nvidia should have next year will preform compared to the ATi 5xxx series. Hopefully will be out and I can make a good choice on my next GPU and will hope it servers me as well as my 8800 GTX still is.

P.S. Thanks for the help back in 07 Murry. The comp is still pretty good after 3 years but I think its high time I get my hands on a quad core(intel E6600 Oc'd to 3.4 is nice but I think its about time to get with the modern era since I wasn't paying $1000 for a quad back then). Which is a gut and build so I'm selling this guy to a friend and then using the money to buy myself a new system in the spring. :9