Which is the better Video card to buy?

[The_Wickerman]

I was looking at some video cards on www.zipzoomfly.com and i am considering buying one of these cards-

Chaintech SA5700 FX5700 AGP 8X 256MB DDR w/DVI = $139.us with Free 2nd Day shipping


Chaintech A-GX82 gf4 Ti4800SE AGP 8X 128MB DDR Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI  = $144.us with  Free 2nd Day shipping


Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9600 Pro AGP 8X 128MB DDR Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI = $135.us with  Free 2nd Day shipping


PowerColor Radeon 9600 PRO EZ Version AGP 8X 128MB DDR Video Card w/TV-Out, DVI & CRT = $145.us   Free 2nd Day shipping




i was considering the fx5700 but is the 4800 better?                    

[Anonymous]

i not sure
not up to date with all the cards
but looks like the saphire mite be the best                    

[coldstorm]

4800 is basically a 4400 at 8x agp
http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031...1023/index.html
that has reviews of the reference 5700 from nvidia compared with other video card                    

[TrinireturnofGamez]

depends on what you want to play :
if you want to play HL2 fast, the 9600 pros
if you want to play D3 fast , the 5700
if you want to play all games fairly fast the geforce 4 TI                    

[SUPR3M3]

I would have to say the Sapphire ATi 9600Pro or XT, it performed better in most of the benchmarks compared to the 5700. Honestly I'm not too much a fan of the FX line. The only cards out of that camp that actually impresses me is the 5900 and 5950, and still the ATi9800XT beats those cards, but they're all very expensive.                    

[Meamyam]

yep read some comparative reviews and then make your choice. You probably wont go wrong with either a 9600 or 5700 series card but i would avoid the 4800 as its in the same price range as the other two but much weaker.

As for TrinithereturnofGamez's advice - the games quoted have not even been released yet so he's just speculating - as for thinking a GF4 is a better allround choice than the other two :shock: - that's just ridiculous.                    

[SPK]

lol...

Personally, in terms of general performance, I think you're best off sticking with the 9600 Pro/XT cards, they perform really well, especially if you're thinking about DX9-level gaming, you can't go wrong with it                    

[Czar]

As for TrinithereturnofGamez's advice - the games quoted have not even been released yet so he's just speculating - as for thinking a GF4 is a better allround choice than the other two :shock: - that's just ridiculous.

Was wondering if I was the only one who was thinking the same...

SPK is spot on, the 9600 Pro is your best bet. If you have an extra US$40 to spend tho, you can get a 9700 Pro ...just a thought. Both of those 9600's are fine, tho I'm a bit more partial to the Sapphire than the PowerColor.

Ultimately, you should do some research, look at the reviews and check up the benchmarks to help make a more informed decision. The worst thing to do is just to go on someone else's advice. Don't get me wrong, asking for advice is good, but you also need to do your own research to make sure that they're not just mouthing off...I'd hate to think that you went and bought a Ti4800 when you had the option to buy a 9600 Pro at around the same price                    

[TrinireturnofGamez]

yep read some comparative reviews and then make your choice. You probably wont go wrong with either a 9600 or 5700 series card but i would avoid the 4800 as its in the same price range as the other two but much weaker.

As for TrinithereturnofGamez's advice - the games quoted have not even been released yet so he's just speculating - as for thinking a GF4 is a better allround choice than the other two :shock: - that's just ridiculous.

 your forgetting...

 i have Doom III beta  , i know many people who have both DIII beta and HL2 beta .
 the Geforce 4 TI runs both games in DX8 mode because it only supports DX8, and since it DEFAULTS in DX8 mode it is faster than the 5700 for Half life 2 , and it is just as fast as the 9600 XT/pro for doom 3 .
  Even the 5700 in DX8 mode is a little slower  than the ti 4800. But the thing about the TI 4800, it is just a TI 4600 with a big heatsink and a higher clock .
  The 9700 pro for around 160 USD is still the best deal, its faster than all the others mentioned in any mode and any game .                    

[TriniXaeno]

you're all wrong.

The card to get is the ATI Radeon 9800 SE.

It has similar price tag to those listed and it offers performance on par with the 9600 XT but with the caveat of being a 9800!!

Guy asks you "aye, what video card you have??"
You coyly answer...."an ATI Radeon 9800"
Guy..."Whoa..."

Priceless.

As an added bonus, you could ask our very own OC specialist...Synth to software mod your new card to full bore 9800 Pro performance level.                    

[TrinireturnofGamez]

you're all wrong.

The card to get is the ATI Radeon 9800 SE.  

It has similar price tag to those listed and it offers performance on par with the 9600 XT but with the caveat of being a 9800!!

Guy asks you \"aye, what video card you have??\"
You coyly answer....\"an ATI Radeon 9800\"
Guy...\"Whoa...\"

Priceless.

As an added bonus, you could ask our very own OC specialist...Synth to software mod your new card to full bore 9800 Pro performance level.

Radeon Omega drivers come with the soft mod for the 9800SE... but it is dangerous in that you can screw up your vid cards bios totally .
 new vid cards coming out in april will drive the prices down low, and you should wait until Doom III and HL2 come out before getting a vid card for them, the beta versions are usually alot slower than the game itself.                    

[TriniXaeno]

We talkin about today, not speculation...as of today, the 9800SE is the ticket to ride.

The performance of the card is excellent even without overclocking it but it is an option if you're greedy for more and want an fps boost.

Still making this the best card to purchase at the moment iymc.                    

[androsovic]

answering the man's question...the best one there is the last radeon u called.the PowerColor 9600PRO EZ                    

[Czar]

The card to get is the ATI Radeon 9800 SE.

And I quote:

One final word of advice: do not purchase 9800SE video cards. They perform on par or, in most cases, slower than a 9600 Pro in 3D games and cost closer to a 9700 Pro. Do not be fooled - a 9800SE performs nothing like a full-blown 8 pipe 256 bit (memory interface) 9800 Pro.

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.ht...html?i=2005&p=4

My advice still stands at the Sapphire 9600 Pro.                    

[SUPR3M3]

I hate the SE line it's a waste of time and money. Just spend about $200-$400 more and get a Pro or XT, preferably XT.                    

[TriniXaeno]

You have some old information there Czar.

The 9800SE costs MUCH less than a 9700 Pro. That statement would only be true if the card was as expensive as that.....luckily it is CHEAPER than the 9600XT and hence why it is now a "Best Buy".

Price boy  SUPR3M3, that is what we sensitive to here in this thread. Price.

This card goes for cheap, US$130-145 not $US400+ like those you mentioned.                    

[TrinireturnofGamez]

people .... if you did some research you would know...

 the  only differences between the 9800 pro and the 9800 XT are the ram speed , the bios ,and the die size, the chips are identical, and the performance is almost the same .

The only difference between the 9700 pro and the 9800 pro is the chip size and bios, the 9800 pro has 24X colour and texture compression Vs the 8x of the 9700 .

the 5950 and 5900 are the same story.

you have to realize how LAZY and cheap tech companies are, they just reuse the same design over and over with just a few tweaks to get it faster , what is exciting about the new cards coming out soon are that the radeons are on a NEW chip design that is faster and cooler.                    

[Anonymous]

buy ati , it rules                    

[Anonymous]

people .... if you did some research you would know...

 the  only differences between the 9800 pro and the 9800 XT are the ram speed , the bios ,and the die size, the chips are identical, and the performance is almost the same .

The only difference between the 9700 pro and the 9800 pro is the chip size and bios, the 9800 pro has 24X colour and texture compression Vs the 8x of the 9700 .  

the 5950 and 5900 are the same story.  

you have to realize how LAZY and cheap tech companies are, they just reuse the same design over and over with just a few tweaks to get it faster , what is exciting about the new cards coming out soon are that the radeons are on a NEW chip design that is faster and cooler.

*being sarcastic* .. yuh ever check de clock speed difference by chance .....................................................................                    

[TrinireturnofGamez]

larger die size = cooler chip = more clock ....