Optimum Graphics Card for my current system

[knowley]

Hi people!

I am looking to upgrade my TI4800 (agpx8) graphics card. Please can someone advise me as to what is the "optimum" card for my system.

Currently I run an Abit KD7-RAID (KT400 chipset), with an AMD Barton 2800XP cpu and 1gig of DDR333.

I have just ordered a 1 gig of DDR400 ram as the first part of my upgrade, but am completely lost with all these graphics cards, there are too many too choose from.

I don't want to create a bottle neck in the system by having the latest and greatest graphics card. My motherboard is AGPx8, ignoring budget whats the best card for my setup?

I use the machine for UT2003, UT2004, Doom3 (on occasion), web design and video editing. I can't really split ATI or Geforce, I am no "fan" of either in particular - if two were exactly the same I would go for Geforce becucase thats what I have atm (thinking driver installation).

Thanks very much

 

[Yanagi]

perfect balance would be a 9800Pro i guess. But even the GeForce 6800GT would be a good buy if you can find a good deal on one.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Yanagi
perfect balance would be a 9800Pro i guess. But even the GeForce 6800GT would be a good buy if you can find a good deal on one.

Sounds about right, which of those you get really depends on what you're willing to spend but neither is a bad deal or has a bad performance/price ratio. Also take a look at the 6800nu, it's in between the 6800GT and the 9800pro in terms of performance & price (they run ~$285 on Newegg, but could probably be had for as low as perhaps $250 elsewhere). If you do decide on a 9800pro, be wary that Sapphire makes a card that they call a 9800pro but which only has half the memory bandwidth and is much slower. It's priced just a bit lower than the 'real' 9800pro's and lures in many buyers who don't know better. You'd most likely want a 9800pro with 128 megs of ram (128mb) and 256 bit memory bandwidth (256bit). The cards are for gaming; video editing is cpu-intensive but doesn't benefit from graphics cards, at least currently.

 

[soulflyfan]

if your low on cash, go the 9800 pro route. try to get 256mb of ram for future proofing. if you can dig deep for the 6800GT then go for it. the difference between the two cards will be massive in upcoming games. The BFG GT overclock is popular, and has a lifetime warranty, and 24 hour support. i'll be getting one as soon as we get some stock in the uk

 

[knowley]

So people think my chipset is up to the job of these newer cards then, thats encouraging!

They have some 6800 Ultra and GTs here in the UK http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6800_Series.html > TBH they are a little expensive, so I have decided if I am feeling RICH I would get a Leadtek WinFast A400TDH GeForce 6800 GT 256MB DDR3 for £300.

I am stumped by the cheaper ATIs - have never owned an ATI before
There's a PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800XT 256MB for just under £200
or Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate 256MB for £250.

... should I completely avoid the GF59xx range?

The one thing I forgot to mention is I have (only?) 420W Globalwin PSU.... I don't want to upgrade that.

Thanks very much for all your help so far.

 

[araczynski]

pick 9800 line over 5900 line if price is an issue, or if you have the money, put up for a 6800gt.

the power supply is fine for a GT

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: knowley
I am stumped by the cheaper ATIs - have never owned an ATI before
There's a PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800XT 256MB for just under £200
or Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate 256MB for £250.

I'd advise against a 256mb 9800, that generation of cards doesn't have the grunt to really make much use of it. Besides, ram amount is one of the last factors affecting video card speed. The ATi 9800s are cheaper because they're last generation cards; their competition in the nVidia line were the 5900s and it's generally agreed that the 9800s were better. The nVidia 6800s are current generation cards, and so are more expensive. Their competition in the ATi line are the x800s, and it's generally agreed that the 6800s are better. The 128mb/256bit 9800pro, the 6800nu (plain), and the 6800GT are three of the most acclaimed cards with some of the highest performance to price ratios, which is why those are the three you'll be recommended most.

 

[knowley]

OK thanks!

Way too may ATI's to choose from!

Would Doom3 not benefit from 256mb of memory?

I think the cheaper option is best, can't justify spending £300+ on a graphics card.
So which one....
Connect3D ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £132.19
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £138.59
PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £140.94
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £143.94
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR IceQ TV-Out/DVI £157.45
MSI ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £150.40
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £176.19
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR All-in-Wonder VIVO TV-Out/DVI £217.38
Sapphire ATI Radeon "The Beast" 9800 Pro All-in-Wonder 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £260.85
PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800XT 256MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £193.88
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate 256MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £255.56
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR2 IceQ TV-Out/DVI £234.99

Is a 9800XT slower than a 9800pro?
Obviously the 3 at the bottom cost more due to the extra ram. What the deal with the ones above - bundles of games and gay addons I won't ever use? ... I suppose what I am really asking is, is the Connect3D 9800pro going to perform as well as the HIS ATI AllinWonder "beast" thing??

Thanks again!

 

[knowley]

is the Connect3D 9800pro going to perform as well as the HIS ATI AllinWonder "beast" thing??

^^^Bump

 

[mrwxyz]

Originally posted by: knowley
OK thanks!

Way too may ATI's to choose from!

Would Doom3 not benefit from 256mb of memory?

I think the cheaper option is best, can't justify spending £300+ on a graphics card.
So which one....
Connect3D ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £132.19
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £138.59
PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £140.94
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £143.94
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR IceQ TV-Out/DVI £157.45
MSI ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £150.40
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £176.19
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR All-in-Wonder VIVO TV-Out/DVI £217.38
Sapphire ATI Radeon "The Beast" 9800 Pro All-in-Wonder 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £260.85
PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800XT 256MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £193.88
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate 256MB DDR TV-Out/DVI £255.56
HIS ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR2 IceQ TV-Out/DVI £234.99

Is a 9800XT slower than a 9800pro?
Obviously the 3 at the bottom cost more due to the extra ram. What the deal with the ones above - bundles of games and gay addons I won't ever use? ... I suppose what I am really asking is, is the Connect3D 9800pro going to perform as well as the HIS ATI AllinWonder "beast" thing??

Thanks again!

the 9800xt is faster than a 9800pro.
the sapphire ati all-in-wonder "beast" will perform the same as the connect3d, its priced more because it has a built in tv tuner and vivo (same thing with the HIS). so unless u want that extra stuff dont bother with it. the 256mb will help in doom3 and probibly in the future too, but i dont know if it'll be that great of a help. i heard u can get the 256mb version of the pro and flash it to the xt, so thats a cheap way to get the xt with extra ram...

u wont go wrong with which ever version of 9800pro u choose.

 

[Cheetah8799]

9800 Pro would be good for your rig.

or a 9600 Pro or XT if you are on a budget.

Anything higher than a 9800XT might be overkill and wasted somewhat due to cpu speed being "low"...

 

[knowley]

Thats great, thanks for helping me out guys (n gals?)!

Normally my budget on graphics cards is about £150, but if people don't think the 9800xt is too much for my "slow" cpu (LOL) then I might as well go for it!!!?

 

[Demo24]

wait why would you pay for an 9800xt when its around the price of a plain 6800? If I where you Id go for a plain 6800.


also here the xts are like 400 still arent they? not very smart choice when you get get a 6800gt instead

 

[imported_theEman]

Originally posted by: DEMO24
wait why would you pay for an 9800xt when its around the price of a plain 6800? If I where you Id go for a plain 6800.


also here the xts are like 400 still arent they? not very smart choice when you get get a 6800gt instead

DEMO24 is right. Don't go 9800XT when the 6800 is the same price. Just get a plain 6800 instead.

 

[knowley]

Yes, your right looking at various reviews the XT does look a little over priced considering the increase in performance is not huge. Oh decisions decisions...

 

[Runner20]

Wait till the next gen cards arrive (skip these new ones).

 

[knowley]

Originally posted by: Runner20
Wait till the next gen cards arrive (skip these new ones).

LOL Thats what I did with the last generation, the prices have dropped so...