If you wanna game.. you should go nvidia.

[Zarick]

After ordering my 9800pro I began to look at driver issue in games. Now I am seeing that nwn, kotor, other bioware titles, cod, nfs, and many others have driver issues, features disable and such all because of bad drivers. So whether or not ati can beat nvidia in some game benchmarks.. it would appear if you want compatibility in games.. if you don't want to hassle with turned off features or bugs.. you best order an nvidia card.. cause frankly thats what they are all building their games for.

 

[Flyermax2k3]

Let me get this straight: you're not actually having any problems with the card (because you stated that you ordered it, not that you're using it) and you're bashing the card because you've *heard* bad things about it? I smell troll... Either that or you're just easily mislead... I feel no sympathy for you. You should have done your homework *before* buying the card.
I have yet to have any problems with any games I've played on my Radeon 9600 AIW Pro, and it's HIGHLY o/c'd (450MHz Core/720MHz memory). I've used every driver revision from the Cat 3.8's on up to the current 4.2's.
Games I play:
Diablo
Diablo 2 w/expansion
MS Flight Sim 2002 (with countless 3rd-party add-ons)
MS Flight Sim 2004
IL-2 Sturmovik
IL-2 Forgotten Battles
Fly! II
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Medal of Honor Allied Assault w/Spearhead expansion
Age of Empires 2
Command & Conquer Generals

No instabilities or rendering errors in *any* of the above games with the exception of the "flashing menu" problem in FS2004 (corrected in Cat 4.1 & later).

P.S. prepare to be flamed, troll

 

[Zarick]

I get frustrated when I cant use features like soft shadows in a game because of a driver bug.
I get frustrated when I have to download a hotfix because of a driver bug.
I get frustrated when I have poor performance because of a driver bug.

I am just venting my frustrations.

 

[Jeff7181]

If you're easily frustrated, custom PC building is not for you.

 

[Zarick]

custom computer building is the ONLY way not to get frustrated. Build with known parts that work with known parts. Buy quality, use the manufacturer spec, don't overclock. You get solid stable performance all the time. if you buy pre built you are forced to suffer with somebody elses optimizations and spamware.

 

[Flyermax2k3]

Originally posted by: Zarick
I get frustrated when I cant use features like soft shadows in a game because of a driver bug.
I get frustrated when I have to download a hotfix because of a driver bug.
I get frustrated when I have poor performance because of a driver bug.

I am just venting my frustrations.

Venting your frustrations? You implied that you don't even own the card and are just rehashing what you've heard 2nd-hand. Sounds more like buyer's remorse or perhaps just plain trolling to me.
Do you own the card and have it installed in a pc you own, or not?
Oh, and your idea of building a PC is HIGHLY misguided, my friend. You've got a lot of learning to do in this area, and I suggest you do that before spouting 2nd-hand conjecture as though it's 1st-hand experience.
PCs are not perfect machines, no matter who builds them or what parts you use. There are *NO* guarantees in the world of PCs.

 

[Zarick]

its just buyers remorse I guess. Wanted to go nvidia.. didn't shoulda listened to myself.
I have build every computer I have had but one.. and I have never run into a major compatibility issue. But I have always followed manufacturer recs.

 

[Flyermax2k3]

Originally posted by: Zarick
its just buyers remorse I guess. Wanted to go nvidia.. didn't shoulda listened to myself.
I have build every computer I have had but one.. and I have never run into a major compatibility issue. But I have always followed manufacturer recs.

Like I said earlier: should have done your homework before making a purchase
You still haven't answered my question though (although you continue to imply that you are not, in fact, using said card yet)
Why not give the card a shot and see how it works in your system? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results
Buying computer hardware is just a big crapshoot. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

 

[Zarick]

I think more of my frustration comes from.. why can't I buy a good video card and not have to worry whether company A coded for a different card or not.. I want a card that I can pop in and not have to check for driver issues. I realize I am not being fair to ati in this thread, but it really appears that nvidia is the favored among developers. But your right.. I am not giving ATI a fair shot. I was simply going through threads of games I play and finding out the issues and I was a little supprised by what I found..

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Zarick
I think more of my frustration comes from.. why can't I buy a good video card and not have to worry whether company A coded for a different card or not.. I want a card that I can pop in and not have to check for driver issues. I realize I am not being fair to ati in this thread, but it really appears that nvidia is the favored among developers. But your right.. I am not giving ATI a fair shot. I was simply going through threads of games I play and finding out the issues and I was a little supprised by what I found..

Maybe you ought to actually try it first before you "pull a VIAN"

- M4H

 

[Flyermax2k3]

There are problems with EVERY piece of PC hardware, even processors (remember the old fp miscalculation bug on the original Pentium CPUs?). Video cards are extremely complex pieces of hardware and take a lot of work to develop and maintain. I assure you Nvidia cards are not bug-free, just as ATI cards aren't. I've owned cards from both manufacturers in the past, and have had to d/l game patches, new drivers, and all sorts of workarounds to get some games working properly.
Just give the card a shot and see what you think of it. If it's really as bad as you feared, return it. See, not so difficult now, is it?

 

[CJP]

Just because you see "the way it's meant to be played" at the start of alot of games doesn't mean they don't play as good or even better on an ATI card.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Maybe you ought to actually try it first before you "pull a VIAN"

- M4H

*looks to VIAN*
OOooooh, you got SERVED.

Seriously though, after a few minor wierd driver bugs and a bunch of lock ups (WTF VPU recover...) I'm never buying an ATI card again. I'm considering trading my 9800 Pro for a 5900 if I could find someone to do it.

 

[Gagabiji]

Nvidia cards are not bug-free, just as ATI cards aren't

 

[BlvdKing]

I have to admit that when I was using an ATI card I missed the nvidia drivers. Now seeing the features of the 56.56 drivers (a popup blocker and multiple desktop tool?) I am even more impressed. Of course both ATI and NVidia have driver bugs, so it's hard to win there. Needless to say the drivers of both cards are really very good all things considered, with NVidia's edging out ATI's in terms of features IMO.

 

[ZimZum]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Maybe you ought to actually try it first before you "pull a VIAN"

- M4H

 

[nick1985]

so the moral of the story is if you are a moron, dont buy video cards.

 

[Vonkhan]

right now i'm playing with a 9800XT, 9800Pro, 9600np, 9500pro, 5950Ultra, 5900SE and a 5700Ultra (the 9800Pro and the last 2 nVIDIAs being up for sale in the FS/T forum) and:

for DX8 gaming, the nVIDIAs are better

but for DX9, bye-bye nVIDIA

 

[Genx87]

If you're easily frustrated, custom PC building is not for you.


Depends I guess. The last time I had any issues when I built my own machine was with a celeron 300A @450 and an Abit MB.

After that experience I went with quality parts and have never had any frustrations.

 

[SneakyStuff]

Originally posted by: Zarick
After ordering my 9800pro I began to look at driver issue in games. Now I am seeing that nwn, kotor, other bioware titles, cod, nfs, and many others have driver issues, features disable and such all because of bad drivers. So whether or not ati can beat nvidia in some game benchmarks.. it would appear if you want compatibility in games.. if you don't want to hassle with turned off features or bugs.. you best order an nvidia card.. cause frankly thats what they are all building their games for.

PLEASE don't tell me you've based your arguement over the "nVidia, the way it's meant to be played" logo, ATI and nVidia both have their advantages/disadvantages, but let me ask you this? If ATI had totally superior cards, would you still just buy nVidia because you think they're more compatable?

 

[Lonyo]

I've had no problems with CoD or NFS:U (except a CD issue not related to drivers but CD image mounting). Not got any of the other games you listed.
9800Pro, with Cat 3.6, 3.10.

 

[JayMassive]

I went from a Ti4200 and graphics in BF1942 and UT2003 looking okay. I won a 5900 at a lan party, and things started looking great! Then I won a 9800 AIW, and after benchmarking the last two, I was more impressed with the ati card. I had to super OC the 5900 to beat the 9800, and I haven't overclocked the 9800 yet. And I don't know about catalysts, but I've impressed with the omega drivers for now.

j'son

 

[Pete]

I don't think NWN has any features disabled, but it is slower.
KOTOR enabled soft shadows for ATI cards with the latest patch.
The Fast Writes problem in CoD should be gone by now. If not, the solution is known.
I haven't heard of problems in NFS:U...?

Correction: game devs focused on nV cards in the past because of nV's marketplace dominance. That will change now that ATi has market-leading DX9 parts and a little thing called the Xbox 2 contract. We should see companies focus equally on both IHVs from now on.

Just relax until you get your 9800P. When you start having problems, post. Until then, why worry? As long as you remember to uninstall your nV drivers before switching cards, and provided you follow ATi's installation instructions, odds are you won't have a problem moving to the 9800P. Download the broadband driver package if you want to simplify the install process.

 

[ronnn]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Seriously though, after a few minor wierd driver bugs and a bunch of lock ups (WTF VPU recover...) I'm never buying an ATI card again. I'm considering trading my 9800 Pro for a 5900 if I could find someone to do it.

The world is as it should be, I was getting worried.

:beer:

 

[Soulkeeper]

nvidia rocks