Major deciding factor on choosing between cards

[Mr. Lennon]

I am in the market right now for a new graphics card and it is either going to be the 6800 gt or the x800xt. I will be working at compusa soon so I will be getting a good deal on any one of those I choose. I really like the raw power of the x800xt, but I dont like the lack of sm3.0. On the other hand, 6800gt does not have triple buffering. This means alot to me because I play all my games with vsync enabled. I could look at benchmarks all day, but I want the card which will play smoother with vsync. Any suggestions?

 

[Schadenfroh]

you might find this thread a good read.

 

[PrayForDeath]

So according to that thread, Triple Buffering could be enabled using nVHardpage on nVidia hardware.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Only one guy in that thread said it worked. If more people say it works then I think I might get the 6800gt.

 

[BFG10K]

On the other hand, 6800gt does not have triple buffering

It most certainly does. There might not be an option to force it in OpenGL in the control panel but something like Riva Tuner should have the option.

 

[kylebisme]

No, Nv hardpage's opengl tripple buffering option does not work and there is no way to get triple buffering in opengl though nvidia drivers. Also, in d3d nvidia drivers default to triple buffering off while ati default to having it on; so if a d3d game doesn't make a specific request as to triple buffering on a nvidia card you won't get it, but with a radeon you will.

Basicly, if you like vsync then radeons are a much better option.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
No, Nv hardpage's opengl tripple buffering option does not work and there is no way to get triple buffering in opengl though nvidia drivers. Also, in d3d nvidia drivers default to triple buffering off while ati default to having it on; so if a d3d game doesn't make a specific request as to triple buffering on a nvidia card you won't get it, but with a radeon you will.

Basicly, if you like vsync then radeons are a much better option.

Damn, I wish ATI would have implemented sm3.0. Thats the main reason I want a nvidia, but this triple buffer thing doesnt make the descision easy. I dont want to pay top dollar for a card that will stutter when it cant reach the desired frame rate with vsync, but at the same time I dont want to feel like I am missing out on some key features that will be in new games. So theres no possible way to force it with extra programs? Any of you that own the gt, does your card stutter with vsync on?

 

[kylebisme]

Sure it gets choppy when the framerate gets to low, and vsync really hurts there when there is no triple buffering. If you turn things down low enough you can ususally avoid bad framerates, but I have a 6800gt and while I really like vsync, I tend to do without it in most games.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Sure it gets choppy when the framerate gets to low, and vsync really hurts there when there is no triple buffering. If you turn things down low enough you can ususally avoid bad framerates, but I have a 6800gt and while I really like vsync, I tend to do without it in most games.

Thats the answer I have been looking for, looks like the XT will be my next card.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

I dont know if i can live without sm3.0 though...

 

[PrayForDeath]

SM3.0 isn't that important yet, and it won't be until early 2k5, plus, PS2.0b offers many of the PS3.0 features, so you won't be missing something THAT important. I say, if you always play with v-sync, you should go with an X800 card.