ATI vs. NVIDIA

[ct_]

well, time has come for me to get a new card

i have a xabre 400 128mb card and i can't fsking play HALO on it (GD MO.FU. M$!)

problem though is $$

need at least 8x agp and 128mb ram onboard
i want to be able to use my 3d glasses with it
i want to be able to run svideo out to the tv, and a LCD, and the monitor - all at once (yes, most cards are gonna be able to do that already, but i just have to say it anyway)

gotta keep cost under $100, including shipping (in usa)

so the 9500np is supposed to be able to flash to a 9800p, but only with the L-shaped ram
and i can find that, but that L-shaped ram is an option, negating any $ saved by getting it and modding it to a 9800p
besides which, the 9500np starts $30 higher then what i have so that's right out

i'd LIKE to get an AIW - so i can watch tv on the PC monitor (thinking saving power here by running only 1 massive 21" lightbulb instead of a 21 and a 27), but the cost just aint gonna let it happen unless someone finds what i am looking for DIRT CHEAP (see price limit above)

i don't even know if nvidia has that kind of option, though i SHOULD since i'm in the biz, but i'm in the trenches, fixing old crap and doing minor upgrades to crap systems
i rarely ever get to build the new stuff, and when i do, they aren't gamers so they just pick out an el cheapo $60 card and call it done - or the new systems go to businesses who don't give a crap about any of it so long as there's a few icons on the screen
onboard video does fine for them

i /had/ a radeon 7500 w/64mb ddr on it
it was fine
until i got this P.O.S. xabre, took the 7500 to work and put it in there
found out the xabre can't play halo, take 7500 back, find the fan is frozen solid and then i break off a capacitor :grr: :snip: :cry:

i also had a geforce 400-something at one point, not sure where it is now - probably running my fileserver at work
it worked fine too, but there was just something i didn't like about it, so i chucked it in another box and pretty much forgot about it


so, whatcha got for ideas?


:wow:

[Mike2010]

The HIS Excalibur Radeon 9200 VIVO meets all your requirements. It has 128mb of video memory, AGP8X,under $100 US (It's $88), and you can watch tv on it because of the VIVO. Sorry, but there are no All-In-Wonder cards under $100, not even the 9000 Pro.

ATI 9200 VIVO

[ct_]

ok, that's one - ty

about VIVO - that needs either composite or s-vid in, but i'm looking to connect the coax right to the card, otherwise i need a few dozen feet to the dvd/vcr...

anyone else?

[Mista K6]

at that price range, that's the best you're gonna get mate. It's not a bad card at all for $.

[Wiggo]

I'd suggest some that would suit ya but ya budget doesn't come close though the 128MB GF4 Ti4200 VIVO will run rings around the R9200 VIVO (more so if the later has the crippled 64bit memory interface) but neither have DX9 support. :shrug:

[ct_]

ok, well let's hear them anyway cuz they're gonna have to support DX9 for the newest games out

also, since my mobo is a chaintec apogee 7njl1, which uses the nvidia chipset, would there be any advantage of using a geforce over a radeon?

[Mike2010]

Well, if you want DX9 support, then I recommend the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro All-In-Wonder, which is $220 at NewEgg.

[ct_]

the more responses i get, the more i revise what i think i want and the higher the price goes... :rolleyes:

ok, the 4200Ti with dual DVI, and vid in looks good, but no DX9 support

9600PAIW is a great card, no doubt, but then it's more than twice what i wanted to spend

and, what about the mobo chipset i have? would there be any advantage going with an nvidia vid card, since that's the chipset on the mobo, or would it make no difference at all?
i don't see how it would, but things in general made by the same co. seem to work together better


so, here's revised requirements/requests:

128mb ddr min
dual DVI (well, i guess D15 and DVI would be ok, but it's make things a hella lot easier to just have dual DVI to start with)
DX9 support
video IN (coax tv, or at least an adapter from coax to whatever goes in)
s-vid out
fan on the heatsink (yes, i saw plenty w/o one and that makes no sense to me - you might think it's a minor point, but i wanna be sure about cooling)
$???


overclockability isn't an issue, though the choice to do it would be nice




as an off-topic question:
just WHEN the hell are vid card mfrs gonna switch the design layout?
all the heat is on the BOTTOM of the card where the chips are
it'd make a hella lot more sense to put it all on top
yes, there are some mobo that if the hsf was on top, it *might* interfere with the hsf of the chipset or cpu, but boards aren't desgined like that anymore

[Wiggo]

ct_, the nVidia mobo chipset will work very well with ATi cards just as they do with nVidia's.

[ct_]

anyone else have suggestions?

i want to avoid blowing ~$250us on a stupidly high end card when something half that price might do

:shrug:

[Spongebob]

anyone else have suggestions?

i want to avoid blowing ~0us on a stupidly high end card when something half that price might do

:shrug:

I just put Halo, Call Of Duty, and GTA Vice City plus other system hogging games on an old Athlon 2100+ machine with a Geforce Ti4200 and all the above metioned games ran smooth as silk at 1024X768. I almost feel that card runs games smoother at that frame rate than my ATI 9800 and 9500 pro vid card put together, not a hint of even the slightest of slight jerkies.
I'd have to say you can't go wrong with a Ti4200 128MB card at the present time if your on a tight budget. Compatability with both modern and older video gaming software is top notch compared to alot of the cards I've been using lately, and thats a big plus in my book when 90% of my harddrive is dedicated to video games.

[ct_]

...a Geforce Ti4200 and all ...

thanks, but that doesn't appear to let me watch tv on the mnitor too, thoughit does have DX9 support and i COULD put a 2nd LCD with an adapter

:2cents:

[Spongebob]

thanks, but that doesn't appear to let me watch tv on the mnitor too, thoughit does have DX9 support and i COULD put a 2nd LCD with an adapter

:2cents:

No, your probably right, I think you might have to go with the ATI card for that unless you get a Geforce FX ultra card. :confused:

Question for you; I have a spare 15in LCD screen laying around downstairs somewhere, Can I hook that up to one of my ATI cards in conjuction with the original monitor and view more of the battlefield in Halo or some other game using two screens in that manner?

[ct_]

you can hook up to 3 monitors, well 2 and a tv, to a radeon card

i don't know if that will give you more viewing in that game though


looking through things, i find i am not going to get vivo, 8xagp, 256mb AND dual DVI

so

i dunno, i'm a bit lost
there's too many choices!

[want]
dvi, d15, s-vid outs
256mb
8x agp
dx9 support
video IN (coax or adapter from coax)
[/want]



:shrug:

[ct_]

c'mon ppl!:cry:

i need some more ideas!


i just tried playing spyhunter and THAT ******* won't play either!

this xabre is really pissing me off

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :steam: