As luck would have gotten it, I won a store cash draw worth about $300. Of course, keeping it is an option, but I am possibly considering upgrading my GeForce4 MX 440. So far, I have looked at the ATI Radeon 9700 (non-pro), GeForce FX 5800 (non-ultra), and GeForce 4 Ti4800 (8x).
What I want to know is where the Geforce Ti 4800 stands in terms of performance. I've got a good handle on how the other two cards compare, but I have been unable to find similar documentation and benchmarks for the third. Most importantly, I'm wondering if this card is actually faster than the original GeForce 4 Ti4600, and the Radeon 9500PRO.
Ideas? Thanks.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
The 4800 is a regular 4600 with an 8x AGP interface. Its core or memory aren't clocked higher, so don't expect a massive leap in performance over the 4600.
The bottleneck here (as with all current graphics boards) is memory bandwith, which becomes a problem long before the AGP bus itself is stressed to the point where performance is hindered. IOW: it's a marketing ploy.
Also, the NV28 (GF4) chipset isn't DirectX 9 compliant, whereas the NV30 (FX) and R300 (9700) are, so I'd grab the Radeon.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Is there a benchmark for comparing the 4800 to other cards? I'd like a reference to use.
So far, after surfing through many sites, I've picked out the following prices (in Canadian Dollars, of course):
Sapphire Radeon 9700: $295 Asus Geforce4 Ti4800: $237 Asus GeForce FX 5800: $400 Asus GeForce4 Ti4200-8X: $295 (this is strange, and it is slower too)
The GeForce FX 5800 may soon be out of the question. Unlike the Ultra version, the 5800's benchmarks are comparable to a Radeon 9700PRO, and it is also expensive (the 5800 Ultra does better, but not by much).
Even though the 4800 may be of the DX8.1 generation, its performance is what I was interested in. When I bought my GeForce 4 MX440, I didn't do my research and found out that for a mere $15, I could have had 33% better performance with a GeForce 3 Ti200. Though I do see why I should consider a Radeon 9700.
[ July 11, 2003, 09:35 AM: Message edited by: Saltah'na ]
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
There aren't many, and the ones I've seen are often biased or otherwise unreliable (NVidia's driver cheats for 3D Mark come to mind), but the few neutral benchmarks that do circulate show no noticeable increase i/r/t the Ti4600 (never more than five percent, even under ideal testing conditions - which you definitely won't achieve while playing Doom III or whatever).
Side note: if you do go down GF lane, don't take the 4800 SE, as that card is a souped up 4400 in disguise:
Remember to subtract about 25% from the 4800's score... this BM was done before NVidia's cheats were discovered.
[ July 11, 2003, 12:35 PM: Message edited by: Cartmaniac ]
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Back when I bought my GeForce 2, the world was simple. There was Nvidia.. and not much else.
I would go for a Radeon nowadays. If only because their product names are a bit clearer.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I've been considering investing in a 3D acceperator myself, although I have to say that you all may have just scared me off.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Radeon it is. Thanks, Cartmaniac.
But it may look like that I may not want to get the card yet. Damn Credit Card Bill. Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Related question:
Can a Radeon 9700 work on Windows 98 SE?
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
Product information does not indicate that the Radeon 9700 supports Windows 98 SE. I've heard that the newer cards are eliminating support for Windows 98 SE.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
The Catalyst driver suite includes support for '98. That's all the product information you need.
Besides, Windows 98 is still the most popular gaming OS, so it won't be phased out anytime soon (because gamers are ATI & NVidia's largest customer base and can therefore wield TEH SACERD POWAR OF TEH DOLLAR).
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Also a point to bear in mind is that the top of the range GeForce FX (and the one below it) have Really Massive Fans. Huge. Mighty. Giant. And very noisy. You might not think it's a problem, but you should be in a room with one. It's like a small aircraft hanger is living inside your PC.
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