best bang for the buck VGA

[lookouthere]

which VGA is best bang for the buck?
i also want to know which graphic card made by any manufacture is the most overclockable?

 

[GeneralGrievous]

The 9800 Pro has the highest price/performance ratio at this time. It's overclockability is decent, but not exceptional. If you get an R360 core you can bios flash into a 9800 XT and overclock further if you can.

 

[lookouthere]

Originally posted by: GeneralGrievous
The 9800 Pro has the highest price/performance ratio at this time.

what about its overclockability?

 

[Winnoc]

I have a Leadtek Geforce 5700xt which i flashed a bios from a leadtek 5950ultra on.
Works like a charm and it can do 487/950 fine at 43°C

 

[lookouthere]

i also want to consider its future proof...i read reviews that older Nvidia chips do not do good on newer game...but older ATI chips still do good

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: lookouthere
i also want to consider its future proof...i read reviews that older Nvidia chips do not do good on newer game...but older ATI chips still do good

Would that be confusion about the GF FX series not performing as well as the ATI cards in DirectX 9 games? Because I'm not sure how the cards could age differently...

 

[Marsumane]

The NV 3X series is better at lighting/shadows then the ati 9xxx series. The 9xxx series is better at pixel shaders then the NV 3X series and also has higher IQ. Basically, when both are implemented heavily (like in Doom 3) the ati 9xxx series cards tend to be a better choice due to their speed and image quality. When price comes into play, there is a ~$180 Leadtek 5900xt that can be oced pretty far (past 5900u speeds on most cards at stock) which will beat a STOCK 9800p in many games but will still have reduced image quality. On the other side, a ~$195 Abit 9800p will oc past 9800XT speeds on stock cooling and will fairly match the other card in benchmarks (one card will win some, while the other will win others. 60/40 split in favor of the ati card). So basically the main concern is the games you play, and how each card does on those games in comparison to oneanother. Also, if you are willing to sacrifice some image quality by going with the NV card because their older cards (NOT the 6800 line, but the 5xxx line) all have reduced image quality in comparison to the ati cards at similar settings for a savings of ~$15 give or take $10 either way due to the market fluctuating day by day.