A Survey on Nvidia and ATI Graphics Cards

[Phynaz]

1. Either.
2. Performance - but I don't consider performance to be just speed of operation.
3. Yes
4. Yes

 

[Will Robinson]

1.Generally ATI/AMD cards.
2.Performance.
3.No,but I usually upgrade every second generation of late.
4.AT,[H],TechReport will give you a pretty good idea of a card's relative and actual performance without marketing spin.

AlienbabyTech?
Umm no....Apoppin just picks whichever manufacturer is on top at the moment,raves and glorifies them, then promptly disses the other one to sound like "he's always known the REAL truth".Come the next gen he becomes a fervent fanboy of whichever the mainstream sites have endorsed.
A junk site,unworthy of serious consideration apart from the very good image quality analysis from their other writer BK/Bf? who contributes to the forums here from time to time.


I am going to cite a previously published mod-comment regarding this very topic of making needlessly personal negative characterizations of a fellow forum member who also happens to be a reviewer and publisher.

I want you guys to be cognizant of the fact that apoppin is a fellow forum colleague here at AT's VC&G and your dialogue here regarding apoppin is not kosher within the framework of civility and respect that is captured in the forum guidelines.

It is OK to name names when discussing article authors, author credibility is a relevant factor in determining article credibility, but we seem to be detracting from the spirit of acceptable personal assessment for the purposes of associating article credibility and are heading into something that could rather easily be interpreted as catty and pithy.

I want us to avoid being catty and pithy. This level of character analysis really doesn't belong in a technical forum. It is inflammatory and disrespectful. Furthermore it is a thread-derail and is not acceptable here.

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[Mistwalker]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

No preference.

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

Historically performance, more recently balance between the two is king for me.

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

Indeed it is.

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

I don't consider them so much as obsess over them. If this is meant as a yes/no question, then yes.

 

[Vette73]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

I prefer ATI but will buy which ever one fits my needs the best.

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

Both. I have a set price point I will spend and find what gets me the best bang for the buck.

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

A little, but not enough unless its something I know I will really use.

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

Yep. I look at anandtech first and then check out others as well if its close.

 

[Zap]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

1) Either.

2) Both. Sometimes I lean towards one more than the other depending on where it is going (for instance my main rig gets the pricier upgrades, my HTPC gets decidedly more bang-for-buck stuff) and my financial situation at the time.

3) No. It just has to play my games reasonably well. "Latest tech" eventually trickles down anyway.

4) Of course. My site of choice is AnandTech. I love perusing the comparison Bench feature.

 

[Avalon]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

Either one, really just depends on how much money I have and what the best card at that price point is.

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

To a certain degree, both. I have a limit at $200. However, if a $150 card is only 10% slower than a $200 card, I'm going to go with the $150 card assuming it meets my minimum performance requirements at my current resolution, and that would typically be to be noticeably faster than the card it is replacing. I usually like a 30-50% bump up.

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

Yes, I enjoy playing around with the newest hardware when I can afford to.

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

Definitely. I love to read Anand's reviews on most PC hardware I'm going to purchase, but I will check other places as well, such as Xbit and ABT.

 

[jiffylube1024]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

1. Either brand.
2. It's a combination of price, performance, noise and power consumption for me. Those are the 4 pillars. It has to be quiet, consume < 200W or so of power at load (and sip power at idle), be less than $250, and hit a certain baseline of performance at 1920x1200.
3. The latest tech is somewhat important to me, mainly because the latest technology is often made on a new manufacturing node, meaning midrange new cards often consume much less power and are less noisy than high end cards from the previous generation.
4. Yes, I absolutely consider reviews! Anandtech, Dailytech, and several others are my favourites.

 

[Soleron]

1. AMD due to their Linux support
2. Performance within a set price range, last time £80-£100
3. No
4. Anandtech and Tech Report

 

[amenx]

1- Nvidia (may consider ATI if I move to a 2560x1600 monitor).

2- Performance, features, drivers.

3- Not really, even though I buy a new card every 12-18 months.

4- Techreport, Techpowerup, Anandtech, Guru3d.

 

[exar333]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

1. Either (although I will never touch another NV cpu chipset again)
2. Performance with a 'good' price; the best performer <$300 is usually my choice.
3. No, but being able to play the newest games with good details on my native resolution are important to me.
4. Definitely. AT and Guru3D (sometimes Tom's too) definitely influences my buying decision.

One bit of advice is to buy new GPUs immediately when they come out, or prepare to wait 4-6 months for the price to come down and good deals to pop-up. Recently, there has been a trend to increase prices soon after release and if you don't buy early you either pay more or start to get cards that offer less (disabled BIOS switches, etc).

 

[ZipSpeed]

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of "Nvidia versus ATI" threads, and this isn't meant to be just another one of those. I am working on an English final assignment that I decided was going to be an analytical report comparing Nvidia and ATI. I figure one of the best ways to gather data on this is by going to the gaming and PC communities that care about this topic.

I put together a few brief questions below. I am posting this to several gaming and PC community sites. Your participation by answering these questions would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to take up too much of your time, so simple answers (ex. yes or no) is all that I need. But if you wish to expand and discuss your opinion more, you're certainly welcomed to. Please keep it civil.

Thank you for your time.


1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

1. Either

2. Performance

3. No

4. Yes but strictly to a few sites I trust.

 

[tijag]

1. Either
2. I favor a good price/performance ratio. Performance is important, but must be in line with pricing.
3. I buy a new card when I can't play the games I want at the settings I like. Therefore, no, cutting edge is not important because I'm often happy playing WoW on my 5850, and don't need a 580 to feel content just because its cutting edge.
4. I always look at reviews for websites before I form my opinion. Preferably I read all of them and decide which points of view make sense. To be honest, all review sites have bias built in, but that doesn't make their reviews inaccurate or unreliable.

 

[Cybercoco]

Thanks for the excellent feedback! It's a great help and very appreciated. You guys are awesome!

 

[mrblotto]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

1. Nvidia
2. Performance
3. No. I usually buy at least 6 months after release.
4. Yes

 

[Dark Shroud]

1. Which graphics chipset brand do you prefer: Nvidia, ATI, or would you use either one?

AMD (ATI), I used to buy both but now I stick with AMD.

2. Which factor do you lean more towards when buying a new graphics card, price or performance?

Price is first then performance with power usage in mind. I try to get the best bang for your buck. Normally I get midrange cards no more than $150. Currently I had some extra cash and wanted to splurge so I went with the HD 6970.

3. Is buying the latest graphics technology important to you?

To a certain point yes, I do buy cards to keep up with DirectX and lower power usage.

4. Do you consider tests and reviews from computer news publications or websites (ex. PCWorld Magazine or Tom's Hardware) when choosing a new graphics card?

Yes.

 

[Mopetar]

1. Either.
2. I generally target performance/price around a certain price point.
3. Not really, I only upgrade when my current card isn't capable with running a new game I'm interested in, but I do generally attempt to delay purchases for new product launches.
4. Yes. I usually attempt to find reviews that match the types of settings that I plan to use.

 

[Arglebargle]

1. Either one. My dislike of certain bits of Nvidia's corporate behaviors means they have to beat the competition by about 15% on price or performance for me to buy their cards though.

2. Price. I tend to buy on the back end of a series, when the prices get quite reasonable for the actual performance.

3. No. There has to be concrete, large performance gains before I will consider an upgrade. And always at my personal, 'acceptable' price points.

4. I do pay careful attention to a wide range of tests and reviews. Every system setup is different, and what may be great for one would be terrible for another. Some review/tests can be a bit skewed, so it pays to check widely, and find the more reliable sites.

 

[MagickMan]

1. AMD, I won't buy Green again, hate their business practices
2. Price/performance balance
3. No
4. Yes, Anandtech mostly and a few others just to round things out, like Hardware Canucks

 

[Jacky60]

Either
Performance
No
Multiple review sites eg Anand, Hardocp,

 

[snarl]

1. Either based on performance/features, all things equal.. ATI/AMD

2. Performance

3. Yes, or at least as close as I can get

4. Yes