128MB 9600 XT AIW vs. 128MB 9800 Pro (256-bit)

[Randskey]

Got a GF3 Ti 200 that's been running well since a few Black Fridays ago. It has served me well and will likely be in the son's PC fairly soon. Anywho - got a deal on both cards recently. I currently also have a Hauppage TV card as I do want to have tv-viewing/recording capability to complement my PC gaming. I play all sorts - from twitch to RPG's to RTS's.

I've read the articles in THG, AT as well as HardOCP and am aware of the FPS and benchmark scores. I'd like to ask the AT video hardware community (the geekly cognoscenti?) anyway as to which card would you choose if you were to pick one? FPS should not be the sole basis for your recommendation - subjective reasons are also welcomed.

THANKS!!:beer:

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Keep your discrete tuner and get the 9800Pro.

- M4H

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Keep your discrete tuner and get the 9800Pro.

- M4H

 

[OnEMoReTrY]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Keep your discrete tuner and get the 9800Pro.

- M4H

 

[dguy6789]

IMO, it is better to have a tv tuner seperate from the card. If you get an aiw, then the card goes out of date, there goes your tv tuner.

 

[iversonyin]

Integrated computer parts/electronics never work as good as they are when separated


sole mp3 player>a mp3/cellphone, a mp3/camera, mp3/sunglasses etc...

 

[Bartokomus]

ditto to what they said. love my Hauppage and my 9800Pro

9600=sold

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: iversonyin
Integrated computer parts/electronics never work as good as they are when separated


sole mp3 player>a mp3/cellphone, a mp3/camera, mp3/sunglasses etc...

Although I agree with gist of the rest of the thread posters, I disagree with your analogy. The AIW isn't to TV Tuners as MP3/cameras are to Ipod (or whatever) the AIW cards are a mature product and have advanced features like 12bit ADC, AGP bus capture, S/pdif output, hardware filtering, adaptive de-interlacing, ect that are superior to the vast majority of standalone analog PCI tuner cards. Even the good hauppage cards like PVR 150/250/350 are inferior to AIW unless you get decent software like SageTV, BTV or MCE.

 

[Randskey]

Thanks for the input, guys - the comments were very helpful . It is clear that the pros outweigh the cons on having separate components.

Time to return the AIW . . . . .