New Drivers Give NVIDIA Considerable Performance Boost. Links inside.

[oozish]

the step to SM 3.0 is a small one, just one of better performance and easier programming for developers

exactly...that's why I'm probably going to get the GT. Why is this hard to understand? Same or very similar (or slightly superior) performance with XT and Ultra/overclocked GT (I'm betting it overclocks pretty good, the GT that is)...WITH features in HARDWARE that ATI lacks (PS 3.0 and the stencil shadow superiority which is rarely talked about until DOOM3 comes out that is...then nvidia should have another feather in it's cap)...equals the better buy.

These arguments have gone round and round so much I'm bored by them. BTW, this is definately an ATI based forum. Nvidia users have been bashed around here for the last couple years and for good reason in some cases. However, it's simply pathetic to see so much rationalizing away the better feature set of Nvidia cards (given similar performance and IQ as we have just seen with the release of these latest drivers even in games like Far Cry).

My choice is 95% made.....on the 6800 GT. And if the points above haven't convinced you, when we get DOOM benches, my bet is alot of people will agree with me.

 

[creedAMD]

exactly...that's why I'm probably going to get the GT. Why is this hard to understand? Same or very similar (or slightly superior) performance with XT and Ultra/overclocked GT (I'm betting it overclocks pretty good, the GT that is)...WITH features in HARDWARE that ATI lacks (PS 3.0 and the stencil shadow superiority which is rarely talked about until DOOM3 comes out that is...then nvidia should have another feather in it's cap)...equals the better buy.

These arguments have gone round and round so much I'm bored by them. BTW, this is definately an ATI based forum. Nvidia users have been bashed around here for the last couple years and for good reason in some cases. However, it's simply pathetic to see so much rationalizing away the better feature set of Nvidia cards (given similar performance and IQ as we have just seen with the release of these latest drivers even in games like Far Cry).

My choice is 95% made.....on the 6800 GT. And if the points above haven't convinced you, when we get DOOM benches, my bet is alot of people will agree with me.

Both sides are great cards. No one is telling you that the 6800gt is a bad purchase. No one can tell you that any of the new cards are bad purchases. But on the other hand, no one can say they are better purchases, because the strengths and weaknesses in future games are yet to be known.

 

[Bad_Boy]

It good to see people speak their TRUE mind here, but i bet about 10 people will dissagree with your post oozish.

im just gonna say they are both great cards and the benchmarks/drivers in the future should help prove the victorious one i really dont think we have even scratched the surface of both cards yet.

 

[Cybercat]

right, and see how that's a great thing for them now...so in 2 years time, people will be sitting around with their Geforce 6800s playing pixel shader 3 games at playable framerates thinking "man I remember when I bought this card all those guys said PS3.0 was going to be a useless feature"...and he'll be laughing...at everyone that wasted thier money on an X800...

-eMpTy

Wasted their money? Any game that's playable on a 6800 is playable on an X800. Anyone who thinks they wasted their money on a X800 because the 6800 supports SM3.0 is an idiot. There will never be a time when people will have to replace a X800 with a 6800. If they bought a X800 they can be just as happy.

 

[ehZn]

You've got a GeForce 2 MX don't you?

Actually I have a very oc'ed 5900xt which runs everything I want just fine. Before that I had a "top of the line" Ti4600. I simply choose not to spend ridiculous sums of money when I know I can save a few hundred just by waiting a while.

I will refrain from making any comments about you, however, and reiterate that gameplay trumps game visuals every time.

 

[texuspete00]

I gotta say that comment sounded funny to me too. We are talking about video cards so it doesnt seem like you are saying much of anything at all. Gameplay? Uh... gameplay is nice but has NOTHING to do with video cards. How is it relevant? Thats rhetorical by the way, it's not relevant.

Do we know what gameplay means? If you thought farcry looked purty but sucked as a game it has bad gameplay. We're talking about video cards though I mean sheesh.... purty with speed is the ONLY thing that matters in this subject! People even bench that POS game Tomb Raider because it has good amounts of pixel shader 2.0 in it. It is valid because it provides insight. It doesn't even matter that you'd probably rather poke your eyes out than play it!

Your statements have nothing to do with picking a video card and indeed seem like if anything, people who think like you should be happy with an old-ass card so long as you can turn it down and it's still fun.

If you want to start a thread on what's more important... graphics or gameplay... I say gameplay... but that belongs in the gaming section. Seems out of place here. I like purple people pumpkin eaters.

 

[cuber]

nv40 + far cry + sm3 + hdr
?

 

[M4d-K10wN]

I agree with everything that everyone here posted. Yes, even with statements that are self-contradictory.

 

[Brent_Justice]

because the strengths and weaknesses in future games are yet to be known.

and this is my main pet peeve

people keep thinking they can predict performance and iq in games that aren't released yet

the fact is you can't, until the game is out on the shelves

it is anyones guess how performane and iq will be on these games

i deal in facts, not assumptions

 

[M4d-K10wN]

Unfortunately, I'll have to disagree. You can invent the time machine, and go back in time, to invent the time machine before anyone else can invent the time machine!!

 

[creedAMD]

and this is my main pet peeve

people keep thinking they can predict performance and iq in games that aren't released yet

the fact is you can't, until the game is out on the shelves

it is anyones guess how performane and iq will be on these games

i deal in facts, not assumptions

Brent, what's the deal on the HDR?

 

[Brent_Justice]

Unfortunately, I'll have to disagree. You can invent the time machine, and go back in time, to invent the time machine before anyone else can invent the time machine!!

this morning, over my sink, i fell and hit my head, and had this crazy idea, i made a drawing of it, i think i'm gonna call it a flux capacitor, only problem is that it is gonna take 1.6 jiggawatts of power

 

[creedAMD]

Unfortunately, I'll have to disagree. You can invent the time machine, and go back in time, to invent the time machine before anyone else can invent the time machine!!

I just wanted to let you know that some peoples names don't match thier personality. Yours does.

 

[Brent_Justice]

Brent, what's the deal on the HDR?

i dunno

the person claims he has an early version of patch 1.3, heh, i don't know if i believe it though

patch 1.2 aint even out yet, its been delayed, i find it hard to believe they have gotten that far on the next patch

or maybe this could be the extra content addon i've been hearing about

i honestly don't have any info on it

 

[seto]

I guess I was a bit harsh in my AGP -> PCI-E reply.

The point was with all of the back and forth about "future" support, I was bringing up that the entire current line as obsolete.

Not only were they going to be first generation PCI-E (which entails a move to a new bus, with zero gains), the idea of holding the current cards is moot (AGP vs PCI-E).

We aren't going to see games with support for S 3.0 features until Win XP 64 (longhorn) is released. That means new motherboard, new cpu, new video, SATA drives, etc.

Its the equivalent to PCI video cards that are DX 9.0 compliant. Who cares? (Well, I am sure someone does, just not me)

I for one don't feel like being a buying fool to get a first generation everything and then complain about compatablity issues.

Reminder: VIA KT133 chipsets and funky AGP 2.0 implentation? I do, thats my current machine (Not fully voltage compliant). The board does not make happy with ATI 9800 series cards.

I want to see second generation PCI-E motherboards. By that time any hardware compatability issue should be known. It will also give the Video companies enough time to exploit PCI-E instead of just porting to it. (As well as having someone make shielded SATA cables, SATA lightscribe DVD burners, dual core opterons, etc)

 

[eMpTy]

What makes the 6800 a better bet for future performance? I just don't see how one may have an edge over the other. It's a 50/50 gamble at this point.

For crying out loud...it's a better bet because it has a dozen more features than the X800...so if you had to bet which one would become obsolete the fastest it would be the X800...and that's all I have to say about that

-eMpTy

 

[eMpTy]

are you speaking of displacement mapping? You do know that the x800 can do that, right?

And if he meant alot of games may support SM3.0 then I would have maybe considered it.

But so far we know this. Nvidia tooted the horn on how easy it was to code FarCry for SM3.0, they said it took what, 3 weeks? That was 2 months ago that it was finished according to them, yet we have no proof that SM3.0 gives anything more to the 6800u than the x800pro.

Because we're waiting for dx9.0c...you're quite the ati fanboy aren't you?

-eMpTy

 

[creedAMD]

For crying out loud...it's a better bet because it has a dozen more features than the X800...so if you had to bet which one would become obsolete the fastest it would be the X800...and that's all I have to say about that

-eMpTy

12 more features that the x800pro cannot do at all? Name them and prove that the x800pro cannot do them.

 

[eMpTy]

Why would I need to downplay SM3.0 when carmack and Epic already have? It'll be implemented in Unreal3, ETA 2006? Even I will probably have upgraded to teh XI-800 or whatever by then...and I'm a slow adopter...

2006 it when their next title is coming out. So it's not like they are releasing a bunch of games between now and then and saying to hell with PS3.0. They're just saying that thier next title will have it. Nice try, but your attempt to spin that one is way off.

-eMpTy

 

[creedAMD]

Because we're waiting for dx9.0c...you're quite the ati fanboy aren't you?

-eMpTy

Crytek has 9.0c.

No, actually I am undecided. I have had Nvidia cards up until the ti4400 then went the the radeon.

I am actually leaning towards the Nvidia line this time if the prices are right. And they get the farcry issues taken care of.

 

[Brent_Justice]

Because we're waiting for dx9.0c...you're quite the ati fanboy aren't you?

-eMpTy

why is it that when someone doesnt agree with someones views they are considered a fanboi

IMO the fanboi term is being shouted way to much

 

[eMpTy]

Thanks.

I wanna quote myself here, cuz basically nothing has changed in the thread, besides empty throwing down like 15 posts right after each other

SM 3.0 can suck my balls. Gameplay > eye candy every day of the week.

If you don't care about eye candy then the X800XT PE is your card. I'm a hardcore early adopter of new features...

Here comes another 6 or 7 posts...I know I know...I need to learn to pace myself...

-eMpTy

 

[Bad_Boy]

are you speaking of displacement mapping? You do know that the x800 can do that, right?

i thought the x800 can only do virtual displacement mapping and not true displacement mapping. correct me if im wrong on this.

 

[creedAMD]

If you don't care about eye candy then the X800XT PE is your card. I'm a hardcore early adopter of new features...

Here comes another 6 or 7 posts...I know I know...I need to learn to pace myself...

-eMpTy

You call me a fanboy then make a statement like that? Ha, I done with you. Argue with someone who will believe you. I was actually enjoying the conversation until now.

 

[Brent_Justice]

If you don't care about eye candy then the X800XT PE is your card.
-eMpTy

now that is just a downright false post

 

[eMpTy]

Both sides are great cards. No one is telling you that the 6800gt is a bad purchase. No one can tell you that any of the new cards are bad purchases. But on the other hand, no one can say they are better purchases, because the strengths and weaknesses in future games are yet to be known.

I get the impression you're the kind of person that gets hit by cars a lot. Like you go to cross the road, and you know cars drive on the road, and you can even here some coming, but you don't look because in your universe the car doesn't exits until it hits you in the face.

-eMpTy

 

[Brent_Justice]

i thought the x800 can only do virtual displacement mapping and not true displacement mapping. correct me if im wrong on this.

yes, you are wrong

Displacement Mapping is not inherient to any SM version, it is simply a feature in DX9. The Radeon 9700pro and up can do Displacement Mapping using N-Pathces.

All cards from Pixel Shader 1.1 and up can do Parrallax/Offset Mapping.

 

[FrgMstr]

I get the impression you're the kind of person that gets hit by cars a lot. Like you go to cross the road, and you know cars drive on the road, and you can even here some coming, but you don't look because in your universe the car doesn't exits until it hits you in the face.

-eMpTy

I get the feeling you need to stay on topic and not be a jackass. Are you getting the same feeling now?

 

[eMpTy]

You call me a fanboy then make a statement like that? Ha, I done with you. Argue with someone who will believe you. I was actually enjoying the conversation until now.

I didn't call you a fanboy, it was a more of a question. Nice try looking for a biased statement to throw the fanboy comment back in my face...but poorly executed...in fact I'm clearly stating in the above post that the XTPE provides the best gameplay...that's a compliment...

-eMpTy

 

[eMpTy]

why is it that when someone doesnt agree with someones views they are considered a fanboi

IMO the fanboi term is being shouted way to much

Well I've been posting back and forth with him, and he's being so stubborn about it no matter how much I try to reach a middle ground that I must assume that he is simply biased. That's fine, we all have our favorites, I'm not holding it against him...I'm just saying he's stubbornly supporting ATI.

-eMpTy

 

[Brent_Justice]

I'm clearly stating in the above post that the XTPE provides the best gameplay...that's a compliment...

-eMpTy

you just said

If you don't care about eye candy then the X800XT PE is your card.

so now you are contridicting yourself

 

[FrgMstr]

If you are going to act like children, this discussion is over.