posted
At one point I thought I could understand the PC videocard market. That moment has evidently passed.
I was at Fry's the other day browsing their ample video card section when I actually began to swoon at the sheer variety. I reached out my hand to steady myself and found I was leaning on a huge stack of what appeared to be perfectly good (and cheap) Asylum 256MB FX5200s that all had been returned for reasons completely beyond my ken.
Apparently I can't tell what's important anymore. It used to just be more memory==better card. I could do that. But now you've got your FX XT Pro Ultra MagDOS GDDR3 BFG OC 8:4 pipeline w/ DVI busta chops, and one of these is weak-tea while the other is a Vinnie Jones proportioned soccer hooligan on steroids even though they have the same friggin' number. I'm confused and bewildered again by the spectacle of the PC market and so again I seek your wise counsel.
Basically I need a new video card to play some newer games. (X2, Unreal Tournament 2004, HL2, whatever) I won't be spending more than US$200 and would prefer to spend around US$150. I think I want an NVidia card as those seem to play nicely with my stereo goggles (for maximal ultra-dorky 3D gaming). But maybe NVidia is deader than the Dewey decimal system these days. I am too old or too stupid. I can't keep up. You all were so helpful with the the processor question.
Registered: Sep 2000
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
I don't know anything about computers. I'm afraid I cannot help you.
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
If you're looking for an older card, I really recommend taking at a look at the comprehensive VGA charts at TomsHardware. They do a big swath of cards, not just the newest ones so you completely sidetrack the big irrelevant debates between the high-end cards.
In short, it looks like a FX 5200 is roughly equivalent to a ATI 9600 so if you found on for $150, that seems like a pretty good deal. The 9600 is at the high end of your price range anyways.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
(Or, if you search right, a Radeon 9800 Pro, which is the only card you should really consider because it has the best price/performance ratio of any GPU on the market today, could be yours for just under $200.)
Registered: Nov 1999
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Charles Capps
We appreciate your concern. It is noted and stupid.
Member # 9
posted
I picked up a 9800 Pro, despite family loyalty to nVidia, for $200 at Fry's the other week.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: If you're looking for an older card, I really recommend taking at a look at the comprehensive VGA charts at TomsHardware. They do a big swath of cards, not just the newest ones so you completely sidetrack the big irrelevant debates between the high-end cards.
In short, it looks like a FX 5200 is roughly equivalent to a ATI 9600 so if you found on for $150, that seems like a pretty good deal. The 9600 is at the high end of your price range anyways.
More like the FX 5200 Ultra is more like the 9600 SE. The 9600XT is a pretty decent card, but hey, listen to CC and Cartman, the 9800 Pro 128 MB is your best deal right now.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Indeed. I bought a 9800 Pro myself since it was one sale at Best Buy for about $300 CDN more than 5 months ago. A pretty good deal, but act fast because they're getting phased out.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Charles Capps: I picked up a 9800 Pro, despite family loyalty to nVidia, for $200 at Fry's the other week.
Family loyalty to a graphics card manufacturer?
Suddenly Jeff doesn't seem quite so sad.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Cartman: I don't know anything about computers. I'm afraid I cannot help you.
You, sir, are a filthy fucking liar.
Wow. Thanks for the link, Mucus. I just looked up some stuff. My humble 32MB Viper V770 (w/ TNT2 Ultra) isn't on that list. I did mention I needed a new video card, didn't I?
This Radeon 9800 Pro is looking good. I guess I still don't understand about the pipelines (I mean aside from more generally being better).
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
That's pretty much all you need to know, really.
If we're doing an nVidia graphic card timeline, it would go roughly (from most recent to oldest):
GeForce Super Amazing I can't actually remember the name of the newest one sorry. GeForce FX GeForce 4 GeForce 3 GeForce 2 GeForce TNT 2 TNT
So yeah, you really were quite far behind. Still, at least nVidia have dropped that silly let's-try-and-con-people MX stuff, eh?
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
"6". They are all numbered 6800, and some have "GT" or "Ultra" or "Ultra Deluxe" or "Ultra Powerpack Ultra" tacked on to inform you how much your manhood will inflate and your budget will deflate when you buy and mount one of them inside your computer.
But I know nothing.
Registered: Nov 1999
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Charles Capps
We appreciate your concern. It is noted and stupid.
Member # 9
posted
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: Family loyalty to a graphics card manufacturer?
Suddenly Jeff doesn't seem quite so sad. [/QB]
My sister's husband's father is on their board of directors.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Unless he can get you cheap cards, I say screw him.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Pipelining isn't actually all that complicated. The standard analogy in class was laundry. When doing laundry with multiple loads, you don't wash one load then dry that same load. Then wash the second load and dry it. What you normally do is wash one load, then while you're drying it, you wash another load, so the second load is ready to be dried when the first finishes.
In short, by splitting up a task into smaller pieces, we can do more "stuff" at the same time, speeding things up.
In any case, the more important problem at hand is; if your computer is using a TNT2...upgrading to a new video card might not be the only thing you need to do in order to play the games on your list. What CPU did you have paired with a TNT2?
Registered: Mar 1999
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