Ati drivers vs Nvidia?

[eryx24]

Hey, gonna buy my new system pretty soon and originally I was gonna buy a GTX 260 216 Core, but then I saw the ATI 4870s and how they have 1GB and ddr5. I'm not good with computers but on paper this seems like the deal to get. Then my friend told me the ATI drivers will give you problems, is this true? What kinda problems would they give because if it's not a really big deal I'd say its worth it. Just FYI I don't play games with crazy graphics like Crisis, I play WoW but I'm buying a good card for anything in the future that I might want to play.


Edit: Thought they were cheaper but the 512MB's are the cheaper ones, anyways it still seems like a better deal.

 

[OCGuy]

Get whatever is cheaper. You will not notice a difference in performance.



I really hope this thread doesnt turn into another driver war.

 

[eryx24]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Get whatever is cheaper. You will not notice a difference in performance.



I really hope this thread doesnt turn into another driver war.

Well I'm just wondering because my friend told me ATI makes you crash and all that.

 

[thilanliyan]

nm

 

[thilanliyan]

Both cards are great and you will run into driver problems with both brands (although rarely).

Originally posted by: eryx24
Well I'm just wondering because my friend told me ATI makes you crash and all that.

Does your friend own an ATI running current drivers? I'm running Windows 7 beta using ATI's beta drivers (which in theory should not be as stable as regular drivers) and haven't had issues in any games I've played or tested such as Farcry 2, The Witcher, and Mirror's Edge. The only advice I can give if you get the ATI card is to not install Catalyst Control Center and instead use ATI tray tools (thanks SSCHevy).

I had a nVidia 8800GT up until recently and even with that I had almost no issues so you can't go wrong either way.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: eryx24

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Get whatever is cheaper. You will not notice a difference in performance.



I really hope this thread doesnt turn into another driver war.

Well I'm just wondering because my friend told me ATI makes you crash and all that.

I've owned cards from both companies and have had very, very little problems with either. I'd get whatever is the best deal (cheapest, better warranty/bundle etc.)

 

[Painman]

ATi's drivers have been pretty decent for many years now. This is a piece of incredibly persistent FUD that just won't quit dogging the company.

Every company has their share of crap driver releases. Try searching the 'Net for info relating to nV's 181.20 WHQLs and Fallout 3, for example.

 

[WelshBloke]

Originally posted by: thilan29
Both cards are great and you will run into driver problems with both brands (although rarely).

Originally posted by: eryx24
Well I'm just wondering because my friend told me ATI makes you crash and all that.

Does your friend own an ATI running current drivers? I'm running Windows 7 beta using ATI's beta drivers (which in theory should not be as stable as regular drivers) and haven't had issues in any games I've played or tested such as Farcry 2, The Witcher, and Mirror's Edge. The only advice I can give if you get the ATI card is to not install Catalyst Control Center and instead use ATI tray tools (thanks SSCHevy).

I had a nVidia 8800GT up until recently and even with that I had almost no issues so you can't go wrong either way.

How is mirror's edge?

 

[sgrinavi]

What resolution are you playing at? You may be able to pick up a HD4850 (or 9800GTX) save a ton of cash.

 

[eryx24]

I'm planning on playing at 1920x1080.

@thilian, what do you mean by use ATI tray tools? (sorry im newby at computers), and no he doesnt have ATI, he runs 3 260's.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: WelshBloke
How is mirror's edge?

It's somewhat fun right now (just the beginning) but I've heard it's short.

Originally posted by: eryx24
@thilian, what do you mean by use ATI tray tools? (sorry im newby at computers), and no he doesnt have ATI, he runs 3 260's.

ATI Tray Tools is a program where you can set overclocks/underclocks, 3D settings, etc and can be used instead of what comes with the ATI drivers (which is Catalyst Control Center) which I recommend you do if you get the ATI card.

If your friend was actually using an ATI card maybe he could proclaim that without any doubt but he can't just generalize and say they crash when there's loads of users just on this forum that would disagree with that.

As others and I have said, you can't really go wrong with either card. Get whichever is cheaper and has better warranty (if that matters to you).

 

[eryx24]

Alright and if I get ATI, which brand should I get, Sapphire?

Anymore opinions will be great also, thanks.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: eryx24
Alright and if I get ATI, which brand should I get, Sapphire?

Anymore opinions will be great also, thanks.

Try to get XFX (best warranty), Visiontek, HIS, or Asus if you can.

 

[eryx24]

Alright, also how much hotter to these ATI's run compared to the 260 216 core because I'm not planning on buying any extra cooling, just whatever that comes with the case (HAF or antec 1200)

 

[imported_Asianman]

try going on newegg and look at each brand's reviews. If they're useless, then maybe Sappire (specialist in ATI cards) or maybe MSI (Good quality)

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: eryx24
Alright, also how much hotter to these ATI's run compared to the 260 216 core because I'm not planning on buying any extra cooling, just whatever that comes with the case (HAF or antec 1200)

They run cool enough as to not have to worry, alot of people just run the fans faster to be anal like me.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: eryx24
Alright, also how much hotter to these ATI's run compared to the 260 216 core because I'm not planning on buying any extra cooling, just whatever that comes with the case (HAF or antec 1200)

Up the fan speed a bit (you can control it with ATI tray tools) and it'll run cool enough to not have to worry about it.

 

[eryx24]

Up it to what? I have no idea cuz I'm not good with computers

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: eryx24
Up it to what? I have no idea cuz I'm not good with computers

To the highest noise level you can stand, the cooling will take care of its own.I set mine at 37% just so you have some sort of idea.

 

[eryx24]

Alright thanks.

 

[eryx24]

Just remembered something else, would 650W's be enough for the ati 4870 1gb?

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: eryx24
Up it to what? I have no idea cuz I'm not good with computers

The 4850/4870 cards came with the fans set to a low speed from the factory to keep noise down. The downside of this is that the GPU temps climb higher then what a lot of people were used to seeing. It's not a problem for the cards, they were built to withstand the temps, but a lot of people like seeing the lower temps that they were used to seeing from previous cards, not to mention the low fan speed will most likely limit overclocking. So, if you want your card to run at a lower temp you can manually adjust the fan speed. By increasing the fan speed you'll start to notice more noise as you push the fan faster and faster, but you'll see your temps drop as a result. So, most people settle on a fan speed that isn't too loud to annoy, but yet drops the temps to levels they're happy with. Everyone's case is different, how sensitive you are to noise is different, and of course how you play your games may affect how much noise you'll deal with... there are people here who use headphones so they don't care if their fan is set to 70%. So anyway, I hope that explains it.

Originally posted by: eryx24
Just remembered something else, would 650W's be enough for the ati 4870 1gb?

Yes. I run the system in my sig on a 550 watt power supply.

 

[eryx24]

Ah, thanks for the info Spyder..yeah I usually have a headset on with either game music, regular music, or talking on vent so its not a huge problem, but then again I dunno how noisy it can get, never had a custom built computer I've always had something like a Dell or Hp.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: eryx24
Ah, thanks for the info Spyder..yeah I usually have a headset on with either game music, regular music, or talking on vent so its not a huge problem, but then again I dunno how noisy it can get, never had a custom built computer I've always had something like a Dell or Hp.

The fan on the 4870 is INSANELY loud, you can hear it throttle up to I think must be 100% when you boot up. People are different but to me anything getting into 40% and higher is too loud.

 

[eryx24]

Just thought of something...is it bad to keep turning the fan up and down? I'm planning on keeping it running pretty loud during the day but If I go on at night, I'm assuming I'll have to turn it down because people will be asleep, and I'm hearing these things can get as loud as a blow dryer.

Also need to know if 650W is enough, I was reading reviews on the GTX 260 and someone siad his 680W power supply couldnt handle it. I'm assuming the ATI uses more power.