Which Video Card!?

[Ommid]

Hi all, well you know how at one stage whenever you asked what video card shall I get and people said 8800GT G92 512MB ??

What is the ruler now? Regardless of budget, what card has the best value for money? Is it the 4850, 4870, 9800gtx+?

I got rid of my 8800GT in April/May and have been using a Geforce 6200 256mb Turbocache since!!

[kalniel]

More choice now - best value for money is also dependant on your resolution and what kind of games you play.

For resolutions up to 1680x1050 then it's a tie between the 9800GTX (regular) and 4850, with nvidia doing better in their traditional games (openGL, texture heavy etc.) and ATI doing better in theirs (directX, shader heavy). Overall the ATI card has the slight edge IMHO - they would be more evenly matched if you could buy a 9800GTX+ for the same price as a 4850, but you can't.

At resolutions above that then the 4870 is currently best value for money, unless you are running a resolution/game that is so extreme that you need a better performing single card (for whatever reason) in which case you have to go with the GTX 280.

[Zhaoman]

I would think that the ATi cards are more futureproof (800 stream processors) and since all viable nVidia cards are roughly based on 8800 technology. The 9800 is essentially a 8800 after all, and the GTX series are bigger 8800s. So its between 4850 - £120, 9800+ - £140 and 4870 - £180 depending on your budget.

[kalniel]

and the GTX series are bigger 8800s.

What do you mean by 'bigger 8800s'? They're a completely different architecture and memory bus.

[Zhaoman]

Yeah that's what CPC described it as, but Hexus seems to think otherwise:

"Going from the top, GeForce GTX 280's setup is practically identical to G80's."

I don't really know GPU architectures well enough to comment but I trust Hexus enough to take their word for it.

[cobhc]

Well if you look at OcUK you can get a Leadtek 9800gtx+ for £129 and it's only £18 less than that for their cheapest 4850 at £111, so there isn't much to choose between them. Again the cheapest GTX260 goes for £193, and the 4870 £175, exactly the same price margin. And as far as I'm aware, doesn't the 9800gtx+ equal the 4850, and the GTX260 equal the 4870? If so, it's just a matter of what brand you want to plump for.

[Zhaoman]

the 4850 equals 9800GTX on average,
the 9800GTX+ sits snugly between,
the 4870 equals the GTX260 on average.

[SiM]

To get comfortable temps with a 4850 you need to buy an 3rd party cooler... the 9800gtx/+ comes with a good cooler already... imo the £130 9800gtx+ is a better deal than a £110 4850 + £20 cooler... and you get physx too

[Zhaoman]

The 4 series has a very decent cooler, ATi have just set it at 15% that's all, setting it up to 30% does wonders for the temp (apparently); but I agree, the 9800GTX+ seems like quite a bargain at those prices. Still not sure about the future proofing though :S

[SiM]

The 4 series has a very decent cooler, ATi have just set it at 15% that's all, setting it up to 30% does wonders for the temp (apparently); but I agree, the 9800GTX+ seems like quite a bargain at those prices. Still not sure about the future proofing though :S

Well it gets noisy if you up the rpm... and it doesn't blow hot air outside the case like the 9800gtx+ does...

[kalniel]

To get comfortable temps with a 4850 you need to buy an 3rd party cooler...

No you don't.

AMD sell the cards with a perfectly adequate cooler that keeps the card well within tolerance - just because nVidia chips have defective packaging that breaks under temperature it doesn't mean that AMD can't produce a strong chip

[SiM]

No you don't.

AMD sell the cards with a perfectly adequate cooler that keeps the card well within tolerance - just because nVidia chips have defective packaging that breaks under temperature it doesn't mean that AMD can't produce a strong chip

If you are happy with high case temps that is fine... I'm not... But that stab at nvidia is uncalled for, it hurt...

Edit: Well to be completely unbiased both the 9800gtx and the 4850 are a great deal... they differ slightly in some games, size and cooling... its best to get the one that does best in what you think is the most important... If you can afford the extra, the 9800gtx+ is better than both

[Ommid]

Yes but isnt the 4870 better than the 9800gtx +. Is a GTX 260 better for 190? I dont know, this game has become confusing!!

I am running at 1680x1050 and definitely want a cool and quiet pc.

If i can get the GTX 260 OC BFG for 190 is that good?

[SiM]

At that resolution any of the cards will work. The 9800gtx+ is the coolest though, but its not available yet afaik

[Zhaoman]

If you want cool then 9800GTX+ is your best choice. When you get it, underclock it to the speeds of a normal 9800GTX. Should be very cool and quiet, and play all your games no problem!

[Fraz]

If i can get the GTX 260 OC BFG for 190 is that good?

Yes, but is that the one on Overclockers?

I'm about to buy a GTX260 over a ATI4870. I would have gone for the 4870, but the much lower idle power usage of the Nvidia card wins it for me. I don't play games all that much, and often have my computer on all day.

I would think that the ATi cards are more futureproof (800 stream processors)

You can't compare the number of stream processors in an ATI card and an Nvidia card and then say "800 is greater than 192/240, therefore ATI = better". Very roughly speaking the nvidia stream processors - due to their greater complexity in logic - have about 4-5 times the processing power of an equivalent stream processor in an ATI card.