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GeForce3 Ti200 Now or GeForce4 Ti 4200 Later?

J

Jeff H

Golden Member
Guys,

I'm slowly collecting parts for a new machine. I pick items up when the price is right. So far I have 512MB Crucial PC2100 DDR ($73 for two 256MB sticks last fall), Yamaha CRW3200EZ CD-RW, Enlight 7237 case (I've been doing some minor case modifications, mainly for airflow. I will likely replace the p.s. w/ Antec 350w p.s.), and cooling items. The guts will be built around an EPoX 4BDA2+ board, P4 1.8A, Seagate or Maxtor 60G drive.

My question here is this: should I pick up a GeForce3 Ti200 (Leadtek TDH) now or wait for a GeForce4 Ti4200 when they come out? I've read reports that we should see the GF4 4200's sometime in May. I'm in no hurry to either buy a card or build the system. But, if you think the GF3 is the card to get, I'll simply pick it up and put it w/ the rest of my collection. FWIW I'm a very light gamer. I do a lot of web surfing and Office type work. I simply want (the operative word here) a good card in this box, and a few $$ isn't the issue. Will the 4200 have noticeably better 2D image quality to it, compared to the 200?
 
If you have the patience, wait. If you are just a 'light' gamer, why even worry about a card that powerful. They're just now starting to really release GeForce 3 optimized games.
 
Well, if you are not a heavy gamer, both of those will be great cards. If you are primarily going to be using the PC for more productivity apps and general entertainment, you might want to take a look at some of ATI's latest offerings. They are not as fast as Nvidia as a rule, but they boast excellent 2D image quality..probably only second to Matrox.. and they are usually more feature rich. They have hardware DVD decoding that is also considered top notch. This is by no means saying the GF3/GF4 cards have bad 2D or bad DVD, just that the ATI's are a nicer all around card IMO.

A couple of suggestions would be the Radeon 8500, which can be had for around $150 now in, or even a AIW 7500 for around $170. The 8500 will have slightly better performance generally than the GF3 cards, but probably slower than the next gen GF4 card....but not too much I would think. The 7500 is a tad slower than the GF3/GF4 cards, but is still an excellent gaming card. It also comes with a ton of stuff like video editing and recording, TV Tuner, RF Remote, and the ability to run dual monitors if you were so inclined.

Whatever your choice, have fun. 🙂

Radeon 8500

Radeon AIW 7500
 
Insane3D, does ATI finally have their act together re driver stability? I know for quite a while ATI's driver support didn't keep pace w/ their hardware offerings. Do they finally have a stable, good performing driver set? If so I guess I wouldn't hesitate to give the Radeon 8500 a try. It's certainly in the same price range as the Ti200, if not a bit less.
 
IMO they are putting out some good drivers, often, and they have moved to a unified driver design that helps alot. I snagged a Retail 8500 a few weeks ago since the price had dropped to around $160. Since I've had the card, I have tried three new driver releases, and all had better perfromance than the one before, and none of them had any issues in WinXP for me. I frequent a site called Rage3D to keep a "heads up" on the latest drivers, and they have some good forums so you can see some real world experience with these dirvers. I have had a Radeon 64mb VIVO SE for awhile now, and it has treated me well, so I had no qualms giving the 8500 a try. I also use a GF3 and it's nice too. I am considering the AIW 7500 to replace my 64mb VIVO and make one of my PC's a A/V machine.

You could even step up a bit, if you have the $$$, to a 128mb 8500 or a 8500DV for a more full featured card. It's up to you... 🙂
 
Well, Tommy tested one of the updated drivers for the 8500, and in those tests, the Radeon 8500 beat out the GeForce 3 ti500 in almost every one... and it costs about half as much (Last time I looked)
 
SteelCityFan, that's pretty impressive. Makes it hard not to consider the 8500. And, from what I've read since the 8500 came out its 2D visual quality is top notch.
 
Hehe Do you have yours prebooked now Amish?

Actually if you want a fast card with alot of features, I would go with the ATI card now cause it's a great card for the money. Stock out of the box it will beat the GF3 TI200 and in alot of the TI500 tests too. I am getting one myself cause the price is right. Definitely look at the 8500, you will get alot out of the card in games and it looks very nice with hydravision as well as DVD assist.
 


<< Wonder how the Matrox Parhelia will stack up against the Bitboy's Card...😉 >>



Pretty well, I think, since the Bitboy's card doesn't exist.

amish
 


<< Well, Tommy tested one of the updated drivers for the 8500, and in those tests, the Radeon 8500 beat out the GeForce 3 ti500 in almost every one... and it costs about half as much (Last time I looked) >>



where can i see these tests?
 
If you buy a card now, Radeon 8500 is better than Geforce Ti200. The 8500 is about $20 more than Ti200, but it performs better at stock speeds. More importantly, you get great 2D quality on the Radeon 8500, whereas the 2D quality of Ti200 varies from brand to brand.
 
I agree with the Radeon 8500 comments. Because you are a "light" gamer, you will probably not utilize the "hardcore fps" garnered by the GeForce series of cards. The Radeon 8500 performs comparably with a GeForce3 so don't think your performance will be skimped for choosing the 8500 over a GeForce 3/4. The Radeon 8500's 2D/3D image quality is a bit better than the 2D/3D image quality on GeForce cards.

Also, depending on which version of the Radeon you get, you also get some extra TV output features. A few GeForce3 and GeForce4 also come with TV output features but the software package and feature flexibility is much more robust on an ATI Radeon.
 
Matrox Parhelia.....Summer '02. You'll be glad you waited. 🙂

Please don't tell me you're waiting for it.
 


<< << Wonder how the Matrox Parhelia will stack up against the Bitboy's Card... >> >>





<< Pretty well, I think, since the Bitboy's card doesn't exist. >>



Umm.... Amish, my point exactly! The 'Parhelia' doesn't exist either!!!
 
i'll wait for a parhelia... not like anything is actually killing my ti200 (oc that biotch!) except when theres 100 people on the screen in DAoC. can get taxing then. FSAA has something to do with it, methinks.


anyhow, back to topic, i'd say get the ti200 if you can find a hot deal (check hot deals forum here at AT forums) for ~$100, and overclock it. or, if you can find a radeon 8500 for ~$130, grab it. games are so far behind hardware that it doesn't matter.
 
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