what card should i buy?

S

[*****]sc4rf4c3

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 11, 2002
Messages
187
Okay so with Doom3, CS:S,HL2 and WoW approaching I think its time for a new video card. I bought my system less than a year ago now so everything is fairly up-to-date but I know once I play these games I'll want to see some impovment in my fps. I dont really know much about video cards and thats why Im asking here. Which card should I buy? I've read about certain cards working better for certain games? I'm alot more excited about HL2 and CS:S then doom3....I *might* buy doom3 if the demo impresses me. Anyway the card I own right now is a MSI fx5600 128mb 8x agp. Im guessing this card would run those games at low-mid range? My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA8IPE1000-l socket 4(i really have no clue what this means) Is this a mb good enough to use the new x800 and 6800s I've been reading about? Although I think these cards are out of my price range...so to get to the point: Which card should I buy?(with HL2 in mind) that prices around 450 CDN(about 340USD)

also i was just wondering about some prices of cards at newegg.com
Gainward nVIDIA GeForce 6800 & CHAINTECH nVIDIA GeForce 6800 for $325
Q: are these cards cheaper because the manufactorer isnt as good as other ones?
Prolink GeForce FX6800 Ultra & eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra for around $600
Q: what makes these cards "ultra" and how much better are they then the first two?

sorry if these are dumb questions i just dont know the differences between manufactures quality and chipsets anyway thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Gainward nVIDIA GeForce 6800 & CHAINTECH nVIDIA GeForce 6800 for $325
Q: are these cards cheaper because the manufactorer isnt as good as other ones?
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gainward is one of the most respected graphics card manufacturers. The reason that they are cheaper than the ultra and gt is that they only have 12 pipelines. (GT and ultra have 16). If you are going the 6800 route, i reccomend the EVGA version, it includes a free copy of farcry and the option to upgrade to ultra and gt if you are not satesfied with the performance thru there Step up program.

Prolink GeForce FX6800 Ultra & eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra for around $600
Q: what makes these cards "ultra" and how much better are they then the first two?
Click to expand...

Clockspeeds and the full 16 pipelines. I would reccomend buying the 6800GT, it has the full 16 pipelines and differs only from the ultra in clockspeeds. It costs $400 from here and also includes a free copy of farcry.
 
I've been wondering the same thing regarding the various manufacturers. It seems there are plenty of comparisons between ATi and nVidia. However, trying to find tests that compare an eVGA vs. a ChainTech, etc. are pretty tough to come by.

So! How does one know which one to get? I "guess" I'm leaning towards the BFG cards only because the general consensus is that they're the "BMW" or video cards. Or is this complete cowpie material? :confused:
 
performance should be identical, unless you get BFG OC versions(factory overclocking protected by warrenty), better performance in comparison to other manufacturers of the same card type.

BFG has BY FAR the best customer service and warrenty. They offer a true lifetime warrenty, unlike PNY. If you can, go for BFG. eVga, however, does offer a superior game bundle (free farcry on some products).
 
thanks Schadenfroh...but ive got another question..the evga card says its the recommended card to run doom3...is ati then the best card to support HL2?
 
[*****]sc4rf4c3 said:
thanks Schadenfroh...but ive got another question..the evga card says its the recommended card to run doom3...is ati then the best card to support HL2?
Click to expand...

this is what valve claims, but no one knows for sure what the benchmark numbers look like in a recent build.
 
Momental said:
I've been wondering the same thing regarding the various manufacturers. It seems there are plenty of comparisons between ATi and nVidia. However, trying to find tests that compare an eVGA vs. a ChainTech, etc. are pretty tough to come by.

So! How does one know which one to get? I "guess" I'm leaning towards the BFG cards only because the general consensus is that they're the "BMW" or video cards. Or is this complete cowpie material? :confused:
Click to expand...

lol well their cards are good, and have an excellent warrentee.

Gt is definitly best for the money for a 16 pipeline card.
 
doh-nut said:
this is what valve claims, but no one knows for sure what the benchmark numbers look like in a recent build.
Click to expand...
from the beta, nvidia is better for hl2. gabe is just bloated with misinformation about release dates and such, dont believe him.

Text
 
okay so which card do you think would run HL2 better :

the evga nvidia 6800 - $384cdn
or
the ati radeon 9800pro - $338cdn

prices both inclue tax and were converted from usd from newegg.com
 
6800 no question...unless it was broken/damaged :p

the new generation of cards are a VERY big leap forwards I believe.
 
6800 has 12 pipelines and full DX9C, 9800 pro has just 8 pipelines and support only for DX9B.
 
Schadenfroh said:
from the beta, nvidia is better for hl2. gabe is just bloated with misinformation about release dates and such, dont believe him.

Text
Click to expand...

like i said no one has benchmark information from a recent build. the 'beta' is an old leak, and its not to be trusted as a basis for a buying decision.
 
does anyone know where i can buy a 6800 in canada..ive search quite a few online stores and this is all ive found:

ASUS Nvidia Geforce 6800 V9999 ULTRA /2DT/256MB Deluxe RETAIL
(NOT AVAILABLE YET) $1,800.00 :eek: :eek:

i dont have enough money to afford ultra or gt i just want the regular 128mb one!!!!!
 
doh-nut said:
like i said no one has benchmark information from a recent build. the 'beta' is an old leak, and its not to be trusted as a basis for a buying decision.
Click to expand...

i agree, was just saying anything could go, never buy a card based on a game that has not come out yet. nVidia or ATI could have a upper hand in HL2. look at all the people last year who bought cards thinking that HL2 was coming out last september
 
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