radeon 8500 now or wati for geforce 4 ti 4200?

[RyanB18]

what do you think i should do? do you know how these cards will compare?

 

[Wolfsraider]

ryanb18,

hello,man if this is to replace your CardEXpert/Gainward (Nvidia Geforce 2 MX then by all means upgrade lol

when to upgrade well that depends as the 4200 may not be out for a few months and it looks respectable but there aren't any to be had .

also when upgrading, upgrade when you have the money and to what you want (as far as features etc...)

the 8500 is a great card and will push your gaming to new heights (you'd be amazed what a video card upgrade will do from a mx anything lol)

but what's important to you better gaming now or waiting to get gf4 4200 also waiting to upgrade also means something better will be coming out and should you wait for that too

this doesn't mean in any way that you should or shouldn't wait ,it just gives you some insight to think about


hope this helps

 

[Pete]

Right now, you can order a retail 8500 for $150, or a retail GF4 Ti4400 for $235 at the Gateway store, after $50 coupon and with free shipping. You'll always find a better deal if you wait, particularly if you're willing to wait two months for a 4200 to appear, but $235 for a 4400 now (or, within a week or two, anyway) is a great deal. Or you could get a Visiontek GF3 Ti200 for $100 after a $50 MIR, also using the $50 Gateway coupon. It's your choice.

But if you don't have a decent (>1GHz + DDR) PC, you won't see much improvement from the top-of-the-line cards--you're probably better off upgrading your CPU than buying a GF4 Ti.

 

[CedarTeeth135]

Get the GeForce 4 and OVERCLOCK!

 

[Rand]

I'd probably say buy now as it looks questionable when the Ti4200 will finally hit release.
Besides, you'll still have the advantages of a very slightly better 3D feature set, better DVD, better FSAA visual quality by default, and 2D visual quality... not to mention DVI-Out, TV-Out and HydraVision natively.
All of that in addition to getting the R8500 much sooner then you could get the GF4 should make it worth accepting the performance difference to get a card now rather then later.

 

[mikysee]

Why does it take so long for the 4200 to come out? Isn't it just a slower version of the 4400 and 4600?

 

[bocamojo]

Tough decision, I know... I'm in the same boat. I'll be building a new system in about 3 weeks (p4b266 w/ an oc'ed 1.6A to around 2.4GHz), and I'm waiting until then to decide. If the GF4 4200 (or 4400) is out, I'll take a hard look (after all, GF4 kinda rhymes with P4, so you can't go wrong there, except with the MX version ). If not, I'll be more than happy to settle for an 8500 at a great price. It's all about the timing...

 

[Skibby9]

If you're building a new system, definitely wait until you are ready to buy ALL the parts you require-- no reason to get a "slower" vid card now then see a faster one for ~the same price come out when you build the rest of your machine.

For the first poster-- I'd take a real good look at the 8500. Lots of great features, impeccable 2D/ way past adequate 3D, you can get it now, and for really cheap for a top-tier card.

Regardless of which way you go, use Amex Blue so you can enjoy the card now, and get the cheaper price that you know it'll be two months from now.

 

[PowerYoga]

if you want an 8500 i'd suggest you get it soon, i heard its going to be phased out as the new radeon card is coming out soon (thats what i've heard anyways) Besides.... the geforce 4 is going to be expensive, and that would be an issue for anyone not made of money.

 

[Crucifier]

You should also realize that the Radeon 8500 now comes in a 128 meg DDR flavor rather than the 64 meg DDR version that did quite well for itself. Based on the average of the many reviews I have read the 64 meg version equalled the GF3 Ti 500 in about a third of the test, beat it in another third and came in behind it in the last third. Go figure. Based on that I would guess (key word is guess) the 128 meg Radeon 8500 would be direct competition for the GF4 Ti 4400.

 

[jiffylube1024]

<< Based on that I would guess (key word is guess) the 128 meg Radeon 8500 would be direct competition for the GF4 Ti 4400. >>



Nope, the 128MB Radeon 8500 has virtually no noticable speed difference whatsoever from the 64 MB. All the extra memory does is allow it to use higher resolutions with AA, etc. ATI is coming out with a new part very soon, so I keep hearing. The 128 MB Radeon 8500 is just to hold the fort until the new cards come out; just like the 128 MB GF3 Ti200's that are being released.

 

[BFG10K]

If you don't have the money to get the Ti4400 or the Ti4600 (or the Radeon 8800) then I'd simply get the Radoen 8500 if I was in your position. It's completely unknown when the Ti4200 will be released, if even at all.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I love my 8500...great DVD (the Ti line of GF4 has no decoder), excellent 2D (Nvidia's 2D is way behind), better dual monitor support and control, excellent TV out, not to mention the price will be less and is less.

I'd take the 8500 hands down...overall it's a better card. more well rounded. Not a serious gamer's card, but it holds it's own very well.

 

[Crucifier]

<< Nope, the 128MB Radeon 8500 has virtually no noticable speed difference whatsoever from the 64 MB >>




The fact of whether the Radeon 128 meg was faster was not an issue. The core runs the same speed as the GF4 Ti 4400 at 275, the ramdac faster at 400 (GF4 ti at 350) and the memory at last glance was the same speed. The biggest thing with the Radeon is: are the drivers good enough to push the card to its potential? The hardware is there already which has been the case all along.
My personal viewpoint on the 128 meg version was never whether it was faster, but that the added ram will most likely make it better at taking advantage of the features it already provides such as FSAA, etc.