Which Video Card, advice please?

[schizoid77]

Hey,
I am planning on upgrading to a BFG Tech GeForce FX 5900. My question is this; is the 5900 Ultra 256mb RAM worth the extra $200 price tag or would I be fine with just 128MB?
I plan on playing all the newest games and at full detail level, and at least 1280x1024, etc....will the extra RAM even be used on these new releases..such as Doom III, HL2, Max Payne 2.....and whatever else is on the horizon

I plan on getting something today after work...I'm in an upgrade mood and SOMEHOW, I have the cash to spend!....so any advice would be greatly appreciated....
Thanx

 

[vassil3427]

Well from what I've readf the getting the 256mb will help you in future games...but if I was buying the card, i'd stick with the 128mb version...$200 isnt worth it to me...

 

[PreservedSwine]

200 is laughable for extra memory. Save your money, and get only 128...however, you might want to read this before you plunk down a few hundred on that card...

 

[schizoid77]

I can't help but think that the review is slightly biased towards ATI....I mean, honestly how can the 9800 Pro benchmark TWICE as fast as the 5900 Ultra? Does Nvidia truly suck in comparison....I've never had a problem.....upgraded from MX420 to a Ti4200 and now kickin with a 5600FX 256MB.....I've never seen any real impact on actual gameply other than just being "able" to play at 1600 x 1200 more comfortably....I dunno. Perhaps I will wait till Doom III comes out before considering a 4-5 hundred dollar upgrade?

 

[lzrdlps]

Here's a thought, go for the 128mb card save the $200 and in another year you will be able to buy the 256mb card for the $200. Prices are falling as fast as the new products are coming out, look at what Intel has done to their prices for processors.

 

[SNGX1275]

buy the cheaper card and send me $50 of the $200 you saved.

 

[novicegamer]

My advise is to wait another month or so till new cards start comming out and save some money or get alot better card for what you are going to spend now,IMHO if I have any honor

 

[PreservedSwine]

Originally posted by schizoid77
I can't help but think that the review is slightly biased towards ATI....I mean, honestly how can the 9800 Pro benchmark TWICE as fast as the 5900 Ultra? Does Nvidia truly suck in comparison....I've never had a problem.....upgraded from MX420 to a Ti4200 and now kickin with a 5600FX 256MB.....I've never seen any real impact on actual gameply other than just being "able" to play at 1600 x 1200 more comfortably....I dunno. Perhaps I will wait till Doom III comes out before considering a 4-5 hundred dollar upgrade?

Unofrtunatley for Nvidia, Beyond3D is one of the most technical, least biased sites out there. This is the 1st real game to make heavy use of DX9 operations, especially shaders. You may have noticed that in *every single* past review to run PS2.0 benches on the new FX hardware, it's shaders have been slow to say the least. This latest game result is simply what everyone expected. The FX is blazing fast in todays games, but beware any new DX9 titles.....the writing is on the wall.......Wait for the NV40 if your'e a die-hard nVidia fan, the FX5900 will soon go the way of the FX5800.....

 

[consie89]

Is the FX 5200ultra that much better than the normal one? is it worth spending the extra cash to buy the beefed up version of the 5200?

 

[PreservedSwine]

Originally posted by consie89
Is the FX 5200ultra that much better than the normal one? is it worth spending the extra cash to buy the beefed up version of the 5200?

Well, the FXUltra is a pretty decent little card, far better than a vanilla FX5200. Just be sure you geta good price, less than $120......you might also want to consider a Ti4200 or Ti4600, better gaming cards in DX8, and will work just fine as DX9 using DX8 extensions.....The FX5200U isn't a powerfull enough card to run DX9 games using DX9 codepaths, it too will revert to DX8 in many situations...

 

[consie89]

well ive been checking up on the prices and i think its worth the extra 30 to 40 quid to get a 5600 or 9600

 

[PreservedSwine]

Originally posted by consie89
well ive been checking up on the prices and i think its worth the extra 30 to 40 quid to get a 5600 or 9600

:grinthumb

 

[consie89]

what would be the best name to get? my 5200 is by xfx, which name gives you the best bundle and the best looking card.

 

[Dantrag]

get the 9600 pro or 9500np (if you can find 1 ) 5600 isnt as fast or just get a ti 4600,4200 4800novatech great prices for the ukgo for the 4800 or 4600 if you've got the money...

and dont go for the 5900 256 mb go for the cheaper 9800 pro 128mb its great

 

[consie89]

i dont have money to throw at my pc since im 14, ill be looking at a 5600ultra or 9600pro if i do eventualy get an upgrade, whitch 3rd party group provides the best bundle wit your g/c?

 

[consie89]

decided to go with the 9600pro, after a bit of reasearch i found the 9600pro was the way, im looking at getting saphires version of it. But before i do id like to know which company make the best looking card with best bundle, weather it be msi, gigacube,saphire,ati or whoever.

 

[novicegamer]

At 14 I know it will be hard to wait but if you can it will be worth your while to wait another month or so.You will get alot better card for the money you want to spend right now.But as far as video card go I have both types of cards and like both just about the same.

 

[XtR-X]

Stick with getting the FX 5900 Ultra. Since you are playing at that kind of high resolution, you should get that card. That way in the future, the future games will run well should you decide to use higher resolutions or get a super high quality game to run at 1280x1024.

RAM size (i.e. 128, 256) usually just matters for screen resolution.

 

[angryweasel]

Id go with the 128mb 5900 is cheaper than the 9800pro and by the benchmarks i have been seeing looks alot faster in almost all categories

 

[DEATHWALKER]

I HAVE NOTICED NOT ONE OF YOU GUYS THAT CLAIM GEFORCE OUT PERFORMS ATI HAVE POSTED A LINK TO THE BENCHMARKS OR SITE TO BACK UP YOUR CLAIM. THERE ARE LINKS TO PROVE THE ATI HAS BETTER PERFORMANCE. I HAVE SEEN A FEW BENCHMARKS WHERE GEFORCE HAS EQUALLED ATI IN THE DIRECTX7 GAMES , BUT WHEN IT COMES TO EYE CANDY AND DX9 I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A QUALITY REVIEW THAT PUTS THE GEFORCE ON TOP , THIS INCLUDES THE THE NEW GEFORCE 5950 [ AS TO DATE 12-25-2003 ] WHICH IS STILL LACKING IN PERFORMANCE TO THE ATI PRODUCTS FROM ANY MANUFACTURER.

SO LETS SEE SOME PROOF TO BACK UP THE BOASTING OF NVIDIA, IF IT IS INFACT A REALITY , AND NOT JUST BULL S_ _ _ !!!

ATI OUTPERFORMS NVIDIA, FACE IT GEFORCE LOVERS

 

[BrownPaper]

reading the reviews from anandtech, thg, and other tech sites, the geforce fx and the radeons are about equal in dx8 and lower games. radeons wins some benchmarks by a lot or by barely. the geforce fx beats the radeon by a little or a lot on some benchmarks. however when dx9 benchies are introduced, every result i see is that the 9800s beat the fx5900s. the 9800s beat the fx5900s by a big margin. the fx5700s and the 9600s are closer in dx9 performance but the 9600s still win by a little bit.

i'd say to read a bunch of reviews and pick the card that fits your budget and your needs. blind consumer loyalty just makes it easier for the companies to make money.

DEATHWALKER, a mod may say this but anyway, try not to use all CAPS when you post. it is unpleasant on the eyes and may get some forum members slightly annoyed. it is probably forgiveable since this is your first post. thank you.

 

[vassil3427]

Originally posted by DEATHWALKER
I HAVE NOTICED NOT ONE OF YOU GUYS THAT CLAIM GEFORCE OUT PERFORMS ATI HAVE POSTED A LINK TO THE BENCHMARKS OR SITE TO BACK UP YOUR CLAIM. THERE ARE LINKS TO PROVE THE ATI HAS BETTER PERFORMANCE. I HAVE SEEN A FEW BENCHMARKS WHERE GEFORCE HAS EQUALLED ATI IN THE DIRECTX7 GAMES , BUT WHEN IT COMES TO EYE CANDY AND DX9 I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A QUALITY REVIEW THAT PUTS THE GEFORCE ON TOP , THIS INCLUDES THE THE NEW GEFORCE 5950 [ AS TO DATE 12-25-2003 ] WHICH IS STILL LACKING IN PERFORMANCE TO THE ATI PRODUCTS FROM ANY MANUFACTURER.

SO LETS SEE SOME PROOF TO BACK UP THE BOASTING OF NVIDIA, IF IT IS INFACT A REALITY , AND NOT JUST BULL S_ _ _ !!!

ATI OUTPERFORMS NVIDIA, FACE IT GEFORCE LOVERS

PLEASE turn your caps lock off...that gave me a headache while I was reading it......