Assuming nVidia Doesnt release new cards.....

B

Brashen

Gawd
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
695
.....by Christmas. I need to upgrade my 8800GTX as I just got the NEC 3090. I'm doing a complete system overhaul in Christmas with and i7 at it's base. Now I am a sort of an nVidia boy when it comes to my GPUs. But was wondering if upgrading to the 280 would be a waste of money. But then if I upgrade to the 4870 X2 I'll be investing in bad driver support.( if anyone says otherwise I'll be happy)

My main uses for the PC are:

Photoshop (Digital Painter)
Zbrush
3dsmax ( For basic meshes)
Google sketch up.
Gaming ( Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Empire Total War.....)

I'm planning to either go Sli or Crossfire when both companies come out with new toys. For now a single GPU will do.

Thanks guys!!

EDIT:

I'm sorry I should have added I was selling my pc to a freind that's why I'm getting something new.
And I will be using CS4 once they fix the laginess.
 
Brashen said:
My main uses for the PC are:

Photoshop (Digital Painter)
Zbrush
3dsmax ( For basic meshes)
Google sketch up.
Gaming ( Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Empire Total War.....)

I'm planning to either go Sli or Crossfire when both companies come out with new toys. For now a single GPU will do.
Click to expand...
Then just stick with what you've got? The 8800GTX should be more than capable for all those games at 2560... no point buying another flagship card right now and then two more immediately when new ones come out, unless you've got money to burn? It just seems like kind of a waste of money when you already have a nice video card.
 
just get the 280 there is nothing wrong with them. I have two evga ftw's sli'd and it runs perfect. It's not like the next gen gpu is around the corner. The only thing on the way is a die shrink. You're right about the amd video drivers - sucky.
 
The newest version of Photoshop now supports Nvidia gpu's so GTX280 it is!
 
Brashen said:
.....by Christmas. I need to upgrade my 8800GTX as I just got the NEC 3090. I'm doing a complete system overhaul in Christmas with and i7 at it's base. Now I am a sort of an nVidia boy when it comes to my GPUs. But was wondering if upgrading to the 280 would be a waste of money. But then if I upgrade to the 4870 X2 I'll be investing in bad driver support.( if anyone says otherwise I'll be happy)

My main uses for the PC are:

Photoshop (Digital Painter)
Zbrush
3dsmax ( For basic meshes)
Google sketch up.
Gaming ( Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Empire Total War.....)

I'm planning to either go Sli or Crossfire when both companies come out with new toys. For now a single GPU will do.

Thanks guys!!
Click to expand...

Before anyone tell you that ATi driver sucks when compared to nVidia, you should check this out first because nVidia doesn't have any driver issue, nothing at all. Not even the framerate dips issue. :rolleyes:

Btw my HD 4870 X2 has been running great without any major issues so far.
 
Thank you guys for the replies:

@Zinn: Sorry I missed a part in my info. I'll be selling my pc so that's why I need a new card.

@Mega666: I know there is nothing wring with them, but I am using 2560X1600 and all the reviews poit it to be the better card at that res. If the ATI drivers really suck that badly then I'll guess I'll take the nVidia rout.

@kuyaglen: It also supports the ATI cards as well :}

@alg7_munif: Thank you for the links. How do you like it so far have you seen any complications with it....bad drivers and such?
 
TBH Brashen, I haven't heard too much bad stuff about ATI's recent drivers. I had a bad experience with a 3870X2, but apparently they've improved a lot since then. There are a couple of games that don't get accelerated yet, but even then you have the power of a 1gb 4870 which is no slouch. If you want the fastest card available, go with the X2. My GTX 280 is great at 1920x1200, but I'm not sure how good it would be at higher resolution.

Also, keep in mind that if you aren't going the X58 route on your new PC, you would have to buy a shitty Nvidia chipset motherboard to use multi-GPU with the GT200-series cards, whereas you can use Crossfire on any Intel chipset boards. That was one of the toughest decisions I ultimately had to make for my new PC (in sig). I originally had a 750i FTW board in this thing, but it burned out the week after I bought it (the same as my two other 680i boards did eventually a year back). Bleh whatever. You get my point.
 
The ATI 'bad drivers' is from pre-9700 Pro days.

Since then, ATI/Nvidia have the 'same quality' of drivers. Unless you listen to Microsoft themselves, who says ATI's drivers are better.

When will this stupid myth fucking die?
 
It will die when fanboyism dies.

Hell, nvidia have got a reputation for great drivers, it is perpuated on all forums and people believe.

Indeed, it is funny that people still believe that it was a service pack for vista that has improved things, nothing to do with nvidia's drivers at all for the crashing that many people blamed on microsoft.

See, you will never see that sort of thing brought up when people mention drivers but it is true is it not.

Damn this sounds like a flame bait post, not meant as such.
 
I have been happy with ATI drivers since the X800XTPE no crashing no random BS issues.
It may make me sound like an asshole but most issues I see people running into I have to wonder if they themselves are the problem and not the drivers.
 
Well having used nVidia and ATi cards in the past I can easily say that I like them both just about equally. I have had my issues with nVidia drivers as well as ATi drivers. I will tell you though that the only issues that I had with 4870 is that the fan would not ramp up with the stock bios, but now that I have the Asus TOP bios on there everything is working perfect.
 
Both Nvidia and ATI have their share of driver problems, anyone telling you different is likely hasn't experienced them or is a fanboi. As to what you want to do for a single card the 4870X2 is top dog. If your wiling to go big then you can SLI a pair of GTX280 which is probably the single most powerful solution you can get right now. I would not hold too much to the die shrink from Nvidia, not likely to change the way the cards are laid out.
 
Zinn said:
Then just stick with what you've got? The 8800GTX should be more than capable for all those games at 2560... no point buying another flagship card right now and then two more immediately when new ones come out, unless you've got money to burn? It just seems like kind of a waste of money when you already have a nice video card.
Click to expand...

This man spoke pure truth, Listen to him please, he will save you alot of money!
 
I'd look at a GTX 280, overclocking a GTX 260, or GTX 260 SLi if you are going X58 or have an nVidia motherboard.

2 regular 260s can be had for 200usd each with rebate @ Newegg or 240usd a pop if you don't bother with it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127361

Two of those cards manually overclocked to 660-700 on the core should be very good at 2560x.

It is true a single GTX 280 will handle many games at that res and there are a few where SLi would be useful @ your res, particularly if you use AA.

Test the games you play with the 8800GTX on your monitor first before you upgrade. If the FPS is playable in your opinion, don't upgrade.

If you need a new PSU for SLi and have limited space in your case, try the below one-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256043&Tpk=silvertone OP1000

It's single rail with a good deal of push. It's not any larger than the 650 watt PSU I replaced. I love mine. Review of it-

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=625&type=expert
 
CS4 takes advantage of ATI GPUs as well. I have it and all performance options are enabled. Runs smooth too, and I only have an HD4670.
 
Brashen said:
Thank you guys for the replies:

@Zinn: Sorry I missed a part in my info. I'll be selling my pc so that's why I need a new card.

@Mega666: I know there is nothing wring with them, but I am using 2560X1600 and all the reviews poit it to be the better card at that res. If the ATI drivers really suck that badly then I'll guess I'll take the nVidia rout.

@kuyaglen: It also supports the ATI cards as well :}

@alg7_munif: Thank you for the links. How do you like it so far have you seen any complications with it....bad drivers and such?
Click to expand...
No complication so far except for a little stuttering in GRID with the latest hotfix driver (not an official WHQL driver). The stuttering wasn't there with any other drivers so it might be a bug with the specific driver.

The good part is ATi always have a new official WHQL driver every month. People alway suggest to use the driver cleaner when updating driver but I've never used it and I don't have any problem at all. I just uninstall the old driver, reboot, install the new driver and reboot again.

If you are coming from an nVidia card, I would suggest you to do a fresh install first or at least use the driver cleaner. Most people got problems when they change their card from nVidia to ATi. I went from HD 3870 to HD 4870 X2 without any problem by just uninstalling the driver and install the newer one.
 
Thank you guys,

@Zinn: Thank you for your honesty Zinn, I do believe that the X2 would be a wiser choice and yes I'll be using the X58 boards...perhaps the Rampage II.

@himmy: Sorry if I've perpetuated this with my post I did not meant to. But with all due respect I'm paying a good deal of money and do not wish to be cheated out of it. So if repeating queries set straight before to take all precautions necessary to avoid heart ache then I will keep repeating it.

@{NG}Fidel: Thank you fro your input.

@trudude: Thanks dude. I'm getting the feeling that a lot of FUD gets mixed in with the good and reliable info which makes it harder for people to separate the sound from the cack.

@Valset: Yup I understand that. As I will not be building until Christmas I'll just have to wait and see. Who knows nVidia might surprise us yet.

@wildkatz84: I know he does and I applaud him for his sound reasoning and would follow his advice but the fact of the matter remains that I will be selling my PC to a friend GPU and all. Thank you tho.

@Blacklash: Thanks mate for your input but as I don't reside in the US of A I wont be able to make use of your excellent advice.

@x3sphere: Yup I had replied stating that allreadu in a previous post but thank you for the input!!
 
{NG}Fidel said:
I have been happy with ATI drivers since the X800XTPE no crashing no random BS issues.
It may make me sound like an asshole but most issues I see people running into I have to wonder if they themselves are the problem and not the drivers.
Click to expand...

Shh.... don't tell them that.

I've owned both brands (back and forth) over the years. Install them correctly and keep a clean PC - almost never have issues and if I do its with a random game (and I don't expect every driver to be perfectly optimized for every game ever made).
 
alg7_munif said:
Before anyone tell you that ATi driver sucks when compared to nVidia, you should check this out first because nVidia doesn't have any driver issue, nothing at all. Not even the framerate dips issue. :rolleyes:

Btw my HD 4870 X2 has been running great without any major issues so far.
Click to expand...

Do you take a huge fanboy dump in every thread with an nVidia card and an issue and automatically assume its drivers? Did you even read what was going on in those threads or did you just automatically fling your poo like a monkey? Two of the threads ended with cards being sent back in for RMA, and one was with a buggy game.

alg7_munif said:
As long as people still spamming with "ATi driver sucks" crap. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Many people have issues with ATI drivers, not many have issues with nVidia. Its pretty well known ATI drivers are shit, but do seem to be getting better. Just because you dont have an issue, doesnt mean no one does. Do us a favor and stop spamming every nVidia thread with your crap.
 
ATI's drivers have not sucked for a long time. I had issues when I first got my 9800pro but that was years ago. They were fixed and my x800xt I bought next was badass.

I will say though, there are noticably more ATI fanbois than Nvidia. They were coming out of the woodwork when the 4870x2 was released. It was really sickening.
 
nissanztt90 said:
Do you take a huge fanboy dump in every thread with an nVidia card and an issue and automatically assume its drivers? Did you even read what was going on in those threads or did you just automatically fling your poo like a monkey? Two of the threads ended with cards being sent back in for RMA, and one was with a buggy game.



Many people have issues with ATI drivers, not many have issues with nVidia. Its pretty well known ATI drivers are shit, but do seem to be getting better. Just because you dont have an issue, doesnt mean no one does. Do us a favor and stop spamming every nVidia thread with your crap.
Click to expand...

I didn't say it was the driver, nVidia driver is perfect ;)

Just because you dont have an issue, doesnt mean no one does. Like I said in the other thread, both companies have their own driver problems, there is no such thing as ATi driver sucks compared to nVidia driver.
 
alg7_munif said:
Before anyone tell you that ATi driver sucks when compared to nVidia, you should check this out first because nVidia doesn't have any driver issue, nothing at all. Not even the framerate dips issue. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Wow, in just how many threads are you going to post this same sentence? Seems to be everywhere I look. You're very dedicated to getting the word out apparently.



With regard to the OP,I own a Diamond 4870X2OC. I like it. It's fast. It lets me play at 2560X1600 with plenty of eye candy and high framerates. That said, in MY experience, the drivers for ATI do not seem as stable as the drivers for the 8800 Ultra I upgraded from. With my former card, I installed new drivers once in a blue moon, forgot about them, and everything was always peachy keen. With this ATI card, I get random graphical glitches every now and then, weird issues with AA in Catalyst Control, and occasionally very inconsistent framerates (a symptom of crossfire more than anything). These things happen every once in a while and usually only with certain games. Additionally most of these issues are resolved when I do a simple reboot. Are they deal breakers? Of course not, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really looking forward to Cat 8.11 release. So basically, in MY humble experience, I did have a much easier time working with Nvidia drivers than with it's ATI brethren. I would still recommend a 4870X2 however I would caution anyone buying it not to be shocked if it's not completely hassle free. My 2 cents.
 
alg7_munif said:
I didn't say it was the driver, nVidia driver is perfect ;)

Just because you dont have an issue, doesnt mean no one does. Like I said in the other thread, both companies have their own driver problems, there is no such thing as ATi driver sucks compared to nVidia driver.
Click to expand...

Id point out this thread, but your already spewing shit all over it.

Why arent you pooing on this thread?

Or this one?

ATI cards dont have driver issues!

ATI drivers SUCK

Those are just from the ATI front page.

On the nVidia page theres the one you posted, and 1 more, which is a temp issue, not even a gaming problem issue. Would you please shut up now?
 
Nvidia has better drivers than ATI because of the hardware.

The 200 series is more robust than the 4800 series. Which means you don't have to wait for ATI to tune it's driver to the latest game that just came out and then go download a driver every time you install a new game. Especially true with the 4870x2.

Same amount of money on nvidia hardware will give you a higher minimum frame rate than an ATI solution. They will average around the same. ATI will have a higher high frame rate. Frankly speaking, the minimum frame rate is what matters.

If your wanting something to "get you through" grab one of those 260s for around 200-230AR. It'll get you through just fine.
 
I would go with the 280 from BFG, then you have 100 days to upgrade to whatever their next card will be. Me personally, I am hoping that a 55nm GTX 280/290 will be released by the end of this year, so I can use my trade-up.
 
nissanztt90 said:
Id point out this thread, but your already spewing shit all over it.

Why arent you pooing on this thread?

Or this one?

ATI cards dont have driver issues!

ATI drivers SUCK

Those are just from the ATI front page.

On the nVidia page theres the one you posted, and 1 more, which is a temp issue, not even a gaming problem issue. Would you please shut up now?
Click to expand...

Well you found some people having problems with their driver and I found some, does that change the fact that both companies have their own driver problems?

Did you even read what was going on in those threads or did you just automatically fling your poo like a monkey? Like I also said in the other thread, most of the problems are actually user oriented and in some of the links that you posted, they actually managed to find a solution for the problems.

You said that the game is buggy in one of my links, how about the game in your links? The game is not buggy when people are experiencing crashes all the time? Would you please shut up now?
 
alg7_munif said:
Well you found some people having problems with their driver and I found some, does that change the fact that both companies have their own driver problems?

Did you even read what was going on in those threads or did you just automatically fling your poo like a monkey? Like I also said in the other thread, most of the problems are actually user oriented and in some of the links that you posted, they actually managed to find a solution for the problems.

You said that the game is buggy in one of my links, how about the game in your links? The game is not buggy when people are experiencing crashes all the time? Would you please shut up now?
Click to expand...

No, you found 1, I found 5. Yeah, sure, if it makes you feel better, you can say both have issues. Except, ATI has n times as many as nVidia.

No, i wouldnt say its buggy, because i dont have any of those issues at all, and alot of people dont. If i dont have the issues as well, and many others dont, mind telling me how it could possibly be the game?:rolleyes: Stalker is buggy as hell for almost everyone, both sides included. Youve got ATIfanboi smeared all over your forehead.
 
nissanztt90 said:
No, you found 1, I found 5. Yeah, sure, if it makes you feel better, you can say both have issues. Except, ATI has n times as many as nVidia.

No, i wouldnt say its buggy, because i dont have any of those issues at all, and alot of people dont. If i dont have the issues as well, and many others dont, mind telling me how it could possibly be the game?:rolleyes: Youve got ATIfanboi smeared all over your forehead.
Click to expand...

Can you please read this thread and tell me how many people are having problems with the driver? I guess none :rolleyes:

Regarding Far Cry 2:

nissanztt90 said:
Just because you dont have an issue, doesnt mean no one does.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm certainly an ATi fanboy because I said that both companies have their own problems with the driver. You are clearly not biased at all since you are telling the "truth" that ATi has n times as many issues as nVidia. :eek:
 
Wow, from the tone in here you'd think we're arguing over something really important. Some sort of life or death kind of thing. But no, it's video card drivers. I propose we all step back for a sec and appreciate how good we must have it if this is what we spend our time worrying about.
 
alg7_munif said:
Can you please read this thread and tell me how many people are having problems with the driver? I guess none :rolleyes:

Regarding Far Cry 2:



Yeah I'm certainly an ATi fanboy because I said that both companies have their own problems with the driver. You are clearly not biased at all since you are telling the "truth" that ATi has n times as many issues as nVidia. :eek:
Click to expand...

Look, you are an ATI fanboy. That is clear. You should at least admit it.

The simple fact your trying to argue that ATI isn't any worse than Nvidia makes it clear that even a fanboy can't say ATI has better drivers than Nvidia which in turn means ATI drivers must really be bad.

Like I said before, it's not the drivers them selves but it's the hardware architecture that requires ATIs drivers to be tuned specifically for every game. Frankly, I don't find me having to go download drivers and hotfixes for every game that comes out as acceptable. Because of this, I've stuck with Nvidia.

But seriously, your not a fanboy but you've posted the same post in like 20 different threads now? Get a life man...

And I won't be replying to anything you say. Doing so would just be feeding a troll.
 
Its normal enthusiast talk on the internets, I don't perceive this thread as hostile at all. Bunch of typed text. . Its just like the nfl message boards. The ones that come up with the most creative reach arguments are the best ones like 'robust' rofl. ..Carry on guys.

Everyone here is a fanboy I can admit it boo hoo. just have fun with it. Please mods don't close this thread, (need something to read while I toggle minimize and shuffle papers pretending to be busy)
 
The R700 has 800 "shader processors". While the GT200 has 240 SP. It however however only has 1/2 the ROPs and texture units the 280 has. What this amounts to is the 4870 series can be very fast if the driver is well tuned to the game. Just like super computers are very VERY good at some tasks but would never be able to play crysis.

That's why ATI comes out with a new driver that gives zomg 40% or 50% better preformance for a game right after it comes out. Just look at the previes and then the reviews. Nearly every review starts out with "we've added the ATI hotfix XXXXX and the latest driver released just for this game version XXX.XX"
 
vengence said:
Look, you are an ATI fanboy. That is clear. You should at least admit it.

The simple fact your trying to argue that ATI isn't any worse than Nvidia makes it clear that even a fanboy can't say ATI has better drivers than Nvidia which in turn means ATI drivers must really be bad.

Like I said before, it's not the drivers them selves but it's the hardware architecture that requires ATIs drivers to be tuned specifically for every game. Frankly, I don't find me having to go download drivers and hotfixes for every game that comes out as acceptable. Because of this, I've stuck with Nvidia.

But seriously, your not a fanboy but you've posted the same post in like 20 different threads now? Get a life man...

And I won't be replying to anything you say. Doing so would just be feeding a troll.
Click to expand...

Its like talking to a wall...hes crapped in so many threads with the same exact line, just let him be a fanboy.
 
Ermmmm WOW thank you guys for high jacking my thread to start this/ I'm glad I witnessed this idiotic display of immaturity and whatever disparaging comments you throw at each other. Thank you/

As for the rest of you who typed in useful info I really appreciate it thank you very much.
 
vengence said:
Look, you are an ATI fanboy. That is clear. You should at least admit it.
Click to expand...
Didn't I just admit it in the post you quoted? :eek:
Brashen said:
Ermmmm WOW thank you guys for high jacking my thread to start this/ I'm glad I witnessed this idiotic display of immaturity and whatever disparaging comments you throw at each other. Thank you/

As for the rest of you who typed in useful info I really appreciate it thank you very much.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry if I was hijacking your thread but you asked about bad driver support in the OP. I hope at least you will know that neither driver from ATi nor from nVidia is perfect. Just keep that in mind when making your decision.
 
Guys, guys...I'll settle this and keep it simple then I'll leave it to my [H] colleagues to further add their insight and rich experience.
Driver problems = for both camps ATI/NVIDIA, Drivers not working at all = User ineptitude
 
vengence said:
Nvidia has better drivers than ATI because of the hardware.

The 200 series is more robust than the 4800 series. Which means you don't have to wait for ATI to tune it's driver to the latest game that just came out and then go download a driver every time you install a new game. Especially true with the 4870x2.

Same amount of money on nvidia hardware will give you a higher minimum frame rate than an ATI solution. They will average around the same. ATI will have a higher high frame rate. Frankly speaking, the minimum frame rate is what matters.

If your wanting something to "get you through" grab one of those 260s for around 200-230AR. It'll get you through just fine.
Click to expand...

If by more robust you mean a larger die, than you are correct. But remember that the 4870x2 is coupled with a much more "efficient" (size-wise) core, and along with GDDR5 has 2.4 teraflops of computing power, versus about 1 teraflop (or less) with the GTX 280.

You are generally correct about the frame rate situation, but it depends on the reviews you read. I've seen many reviews where ATI's equivalently priced cards win in most tested games, but it truly depends on the games you test, nowadays.

I wholeheartedly agree with you on the recommendation. I snagged the GTX 260 Maxcore when BFG had their little 6th anniversary sale. $260 after a $20 rebate with Farcry, 3DMark, and a flashlight to boot. The thing is pretty much cherry-picked from either the best of the best 260's with some extra cores enabled, or a GTX 280 with less memory and some cores shut off. It's amazing how far this thing overclocks and the performance it gives. I still haven't reached max OC on it yet (not enough time...) and my 3DMark06 score is in the mid 18,000's.

If you don't want to spend the extra 60 bux, $200 AR is a great buy on a "normal" 260. They are great cards, run cool and solid.

x3sphere said:
CS4 takes advantage of ATI GPUs as well. I have it and all performance options are enabled. Runs smooth too, and I only have an HD4670.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct. In fact, I read a press release that said that they offer the same amount of hardware acceleration for CS4 that nVidia offers, and that CS3 had even better acceleration with ATI than with nVidia. When asked why AMD didn't advertise this more, like nVidia did, the AMD rep simply said, "I don't know." They probably should.

Anyhoo. DRIVERS SHMIVERS. I just replaced my 4850 with the abovementioned 260 maxcore. Was the 260 bad? No, it was great. I just am selling it to a friend that needs a new video card bad. I'm letting him make payments. (he's replacing two 7600's in SLI!!:eek:) Because of my "magnanimosity" I deserve a little upgrade ... :D

My max OC'd 3DMark06 score on the 4850 with all other specs the same was just over 15,000, but it sure gamed liquid smooth, for the most part. Some of the newer titles are a bit of a stretch with only 512 memory and a 24" monitor at native resolution. The extra memory in the 260 definitely helps, and I appreciate the better cooling as I like to push things hard and OC a lot.

Did I EVER have driver issues with my ATI card? HELL no. Do I have driver issues now with my 260? Also NO NO NO. They are so competitive right now that they are doing a great job, IMHO of releasing drivers and making things work better. Even beta drivers have drastically improved in quality over what they've been in years past.

Stop fighting about who makes the best drivers. Every card is going to at least have some people that get driver issues. If I want to be an ATI fanboy I can go find all the nVidia driver problem threads. There are a LOT. Same thing if I want to be an nVidia fanboy.

I am a best bang for your buck fanboy. The 4850 offers that bang for your buck at its current pricing (send in the MIR!) The GTX 260 offers that at its current pricing (if you get a good deal on it and send in the rebate). If I was going to spend the money on a GTX 280, I'd probably just go with the 4870x2, or the recently released 4850x2. Both of those cards offer superior processing prowess to the GTX 280 at present. Still, I have seen a couple of $350 deals on the GTX 280, and that's really not bad at all!

I've got two systems in my house running on ATI graphics cards, and one running on nVidia, and those change from time to time too depending on what I'm making, buying, tinkering around with, or finding deals on. I rarely rarely rarely have driver issues that are directly related to the graphics cards. Most of my hangups are from overclocking settings, or software-related glitches.

Don't lose sleep worrying about drivers. I deal with dozens of systems with various dedicated graphics cards from ATI and nVidia every day. I put such systems together for people, I fix them, I sell them, whatever. Video card drivers are doing a lot better now than they were a couple of years ago. This is not a guarantee that you won't have problems, but take them with a grain of salt, and remember that you can try different driver revisions to see what gets you the best results.

Let me give you one more example: BIOSes. Some boards of the same make, model and revision work better with different versions of the BIOS. I have a P5Q Pro. With the factory BIOS I was able to OC really well, and temps were reported correctly. Fan control was ... meh... But the system was stable. I tried a modded BIOS from XS forums, a couple of different ones actually. People raved about them. My results were lackluster, to say the least. I tried the latest BIOS from the factory, and it worked ok, but misreported my temps by 9c!!! Thank goodness for CoreTemp and Everest, which I use to verify.

So I tried the second to newest BIOS straight from ASUS. Better stability, overclocking, and temps than before. Better memory OC's too. But it also reported temps as being 9c lower than they really were, which was easy to adjust for since the disparity was linear.

What's weird, is that I just reinstalled Vista, and now AI Suite is reporting temps 9c HIGHER than before. Very crazy, but I've still got my improved temps and OC.

So use the drivers that will perform the best. Unlike BIOSes, it will normally be the newest, as they tweak the drivers for individual games to squeeze out more performance.

If physx is a big deal to you, stick with camp nVidia for now. If multi GPU is your thing, 4850's in CF are a deadly combination, and you have very stable P45, X38/48 chipsets to choose from. I can't wait to see what the 4850x2 does, especially two of them together. (EIGHT dvi outputs????)
 
2nd GPU will gain a lot of performance when compared to only one but more than that, the scaling would not be as good.
 
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