ATI Radeon 9800 XT and the nVidia Geforce 6800

[scelis]

Nice people on these boards...

Mods, feel free to delete this post.


EDIT: Repasting content in since some people have nicely replied to the post:


I am going to be dropping a lot for a new computer (a G5) and am considering the following three graphics cards:

ATI Radeon 9800 XT with 128MB DDR SDRAM
ATI Radeon 9800 XT with 256MB DDR SDRAM ($240 more than the 128)
nVidia Geforce 6800 ($360 more than the 128 and $120 more than the 256)

Do people have any recommendations? I looked through the nVidia review posted here, but in the comparison graphs, it isn't mentioned whether or not the 9800 mentioned is the 128MB version or the 256.

What would people recommend for the prices listed? Should I splurge now or should I get a lower model and wait for the ATI X800 to come out? Speaking of which, does anyone have any guesses as to when that card will be released?

Thank you very much for your time.

 

[Nebor]

Worst first post evar.

 

[scelis]

Thanks for the help.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Worst first post evar.

i think yours might have been . . .

:roll:

First of all . . . welcome to at.

Secondly, please learn to use the search function - this identical question has been asked (once) before.

Finally, WAIT (if you can and IF you are considering the latest cards - prices are NOT stable and supply is tight).

The 9800Pro 256bit/128MB is a great deal and superb bang for buck ~$200.

The Radeon Pro 256bit/256MB is about $60 more (i got mine 2 weeks ago shippoed from NewEgg for $223) - It's ADVANTAGE is a simple BIOS flash TURNS it INTO a 9800-XT!

Since you can make an XT from a 256MB Pro, it is a "waste" to spend the extra $100.

The 6800 will ofer the MOST performance of the cards you listed - IF YOU CAN, get the 6800GT.

FINALLY, if you're looking to put this in a G5, you're in the wrong forum.

 

[dudeman007]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: Nebor
Worst first post evar.

i think yours might have been . . .

:roll:

First of all . . . welcome to at.

Secondly, please learn to use the search function - this identical question has been asked (once) before.

Finally, WAIT (if you can and IF you are considering the latest cards - prices are NOT stable and supply is tight).

The 9800Pro 256bit/128MB is a great deal and superb bang for buck ~$200.

The Radeon Pro 256bit/256MB is about $60 more (i got mine 2 weeks ago shippoed from NewEgg for $223) - It's ADVANTAGE is a simple BIOS flash TURNS it INTO a 9800-XT!

Since you can make an XT from a 256MB Pro, it is a "waste" to spend the extra $100.

The 6800 will ofer the MOST performance of the cards you listed - IF YOU CAN, get the 6800GT.

FINALLY, if you're looking to put this in a G5, you're in the wrong forum.

Wew that about sumed it up. That's some really good info right there. If I were you I would also wait. This whole transition into different chipsets is gonna cause agp prices to die. I don't know what you're looking for cause you edited your post, but if youre in the market for a current agp card, then wait.

 

[apoppin]

Where are you getting your prices? Canada?

They are kinda high for PriceWatch . . . also please go to our own Hot Deals forums if you are in the USA . . . . some good GPU deals right now.

edit: very very few sites use the Radeon Pro 256 in ANY benchs - they tend to use the 128 or the xt

The 256MB Pro was ATI's most UNpopular card UNTIL "we" discovered a BIOS flash makes it an XT.

 

[scelis]

Thanks for the help, apoppin.

Yeah, I found the other topic after I posted. I'll make sure to search before I post next time. And as for the mention of the G5, I figured you guys would know a lot about graphics cards where as all the Macintosh forums are full of people who have never used these new cards.

As for the post content, sadly, I cannot wait. I need a new computer and am planning on buying one this week. The three cards I mentioned are really the only ones available, so I can not flash a Radeon Pro to make a 9800 XT. So, my only options are to buy one of the cheaper cards and upgrade later, or go for the behemoth, now.

Again, thanks for posting instead of flaming.

 

[scelis]

Originally posted by: apoppin
Where are you getting your prices? Canada?

They are kinda high for PriceWatch . . . also please go to our own Hot Deals forums if you are in the USA . . . . some good GPU deals right now.

Sadly, Apple, ATI and nVidia love to jack up the prices of graphics cards for the Macintosh. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy a PC card and try to flash it. That would be quite an endeavor. So, I'm stuck with buying an over-priced card and having to pay even more attention to my wallet...

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: scelis
Thanks for the help, apoppin.

Yeah, I found the other topic after I posted. I'll make sure to search before I post next time. And as for the mention of the G5, I figured you guys would know a lot about graphics cards where as all the Macintosh forums are full of people who have never used these new cards.

As for the post content, sadly, I cannot wait. I need a new computer and am planning on buying one this week. The three cards I mentioned are really the only ones available, so I can not flash a Radeon Pro to make a 9800 XT. So, my only options are to buy one of the cheaper cards and upgrade later, or go for the behemoth, now.

Again, thanks for posting instead of flaming.

Sure . . . you're welcome.

There is about a 10(+)% performance increase of the XT over the 128MB Pro. Worth the premium? you decide.

Any 6800 - the 6800GT being the best bang for buck as it has all 16 pipelines of the Ultra - will outperform even a XT by a sizeable margin . .. say 10-35% (we're talking the xt vs. the plain 6800).

Do you NEED this performance?

Depends on your monitor's refresh rate . . . 1600x1200 and you NEED the faster card. Like max detail and full AA/AF in the latest games? . . . get the faster card.

If your needs are more MODEST or you like 1024x768 (reasonable aa/af) with all details 'hi' and 'on', the Pro-128 will work for ALL of today's games.

 

[ViRGE]

Sadly, Apple, ATI and nVidia love to jack up the prices of graphics cards for the Macintosh. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy a PC card and try to flash it. That would be quite an endeavor. So, I'm stuck with buying an over-priced card and having to pay even more attention to my wallet...

It's not a "price-jacking" issue, it's a volume issue. Apple's cards are customized both on the BIOS level, and the hardware level(higher QC, ADC connector, etc), and Apple simply doesn't move the volume nessisary to offset these changes, and bring the price back down. I'm pretty sure you're going to have to buy an Apple card here; I don't believe flashing works on cards newer than the original GeForce or so.

 

[scelis]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Sadly, Apple, ATI and nVidia love to jack up the prices of graphics cards for the Macintosh. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy a PC card and try to flash it. That would be quite an endeavor. So, I'm stuck with buying an over-priced card and having to pay even more attention to my wallet...

It's not a "price-jacking" issue, it's a volume issue. Apple's cards are customized both on the BIOS level, and the hardware level(higher QC, ADC connector, etc), and Apple simply doesn't move the volume nessisary to offset these changes, and bring the price back down. I'm pretty sure you're going to have to buy an Apple card here; I don't believe flashing works on cards newer than the original GeForce or so.

Oh, ok. Thanks for the clarification. I assumed they were "price-jacking" since that is exactly what Apple does with RAM chips.



I am currently leaning toward the nVidia card as it seems like it has a pretty good performace increase over the ATI card. I'm looking forward to firing up World of Warcraft, Halo, and future games on this machine and think that the extra money for the nVidia might be worth it.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

this is really a dumb question, i could've gotten a FX5900XT for 160 but i held off b/c my dad would refuse to buy me a 6800 GT a month later when prices dropped because i "just bought one", go for the 6800, the 9800XT is a ridiculous value if you ask me (as in, not worth it), when for a bit more you can double your performance