Another ATI vs Nvidia

[meccaboy858]

I was talking to my friend who just bought a geforce3 ti500, and I thinking of asking him, "Why not just by the Radeon 8500 and save a few bucks..." but he beat me too and said the drivers were too buggy, which justified (to himself at least) himself spending more dough for the geforce3 ti500. Now assuming I've been under a rock all this time, but are the drivers still that much of an issue now a days? Now he bought his for $270 I think, which I know can be found cheaper around SOMEWHERE considering the GeForce4 ti4400 can be found for $250+, but I know the Radeons are running mid-low hundreds right? So are the driver bugs that bad? And are they worth spending the extra 100 bucks for??

Migs

 

[gunf1ghter]

The TI500 is faster than the 8500 in nearly all of the benchies... yes, it is more expensive, but if someone has the money then why try to stop them from buying the fastest video card out there?

Historically ATI's driver support has been lacking... as a matter of fact there were many furious customers who felt that they had been shafted yet again when initial 8500 benchmarks showed the card falling far short of it's potential. The latest drivers for the ATI boards are quite good and if ATI can keep rolling out new versions that continue to enhance performance and stability then they can overcome that old stereotype.

Having said all of that you are never going to convince Nvidia folks that ATI is better... that's because Nvidia is always leading ATI (even if by only a few months) in performance and features. If your argument is that ATI is a better deal for the $$, I would say that it is an argument you might be able to win.

 

[spanky]

ATI drivers are pretty good for me. if he can afford to be raped for the ti500 (esp @ the price he paid)... then more power to him. i myself would rather save the extra money.

 

[meccaboy858]

Thanks. BTW that is a sweet A4

 

[tazdevl]

The 8500 is the first ATI card I have owned. I have had zero problems with it... nada, none, zip zilch. Drivers have been stable since the official 3286 version.

Performance-wise... I suggest you read the Gaiward Ti4600 review on GamePC. It compares the performance of a Gainward Ti4600, VT Ti4600, GF3 Ti500, GF3, GF3 Ti200 and GF$ MX460 with an 8500 tossed in. The 8500 holds its own against the Ti500... which is what it was designed to do.

Most of the issues with ATI drivers these days are the fault of the owner. Folks just can't seem to figure out how to uninstall a driver before they install a new one.

If your friend wants to blow his money... go ahead... but the 8500 is a terrific value propositiion. 8500 retail 64MB cards are going for $160... just be sure he buys the retail version. It's clocked higher 275/550... there are a couple OEM versions out there 230/460 and 250/500. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[gunf1ghter]

Thanks for the car compliment!