The best GeForce 4400

[Rimnet]

I am extremely confused as to which 4400 to buy.

At first I wanted to buy the MSI version of the card. However, there are two reasons why i changed my mind about it:
1) TomsHardware.com says that from 1-5, 1 being the best, and 5 being the worst. MSI got a 5 on image quality, saying that the card is "unsharp, ghosting" Click for Source
2) I have read on many sites that the card is very buggy. Lots of people seem to be having problems with it, mainly on the VIA boards.

Then again, gamespot and anandtech rate the card to be so awsome! I dont get it. Maybe its because gamespot and anandtech both only looked at the raw power of the cards, and not the image quality on the screen and the bugs.

I am now thinking about the Abit 4400, since it got a '2' on image quality, and it also looks sexy. Also its proformance is on par with the other 4400s.

Am i wrong about the MSI? What card do you recommend?

I really only want the best 4400 i can get my hands on (no 4600 -- to expensive for me). I do not care about ViVo, but its a plus.

 

[Shooters]

I've never owned an MSI card, but I have also heard that the image quality on them is pretty bad. I would get the Gainward; it's a little more expensive, but the image quality is supposed to be great and you get the added bonus of it being a "Golden Sample", so you might get a little more overclocking from it.

 

[SHoddyCOmp]

AH whats up with all these damned VIA problems. Is it true that VIA chipsets doent like nvidia cards either? Who can say they have had problems with VIA chipsets and the 4400?

oh boy...

 

[Shooters]

You got any links? I haven't heard anything about VIA and nVidia problems.

 

[CubicZirconia]

I was just going to go buy an msi 4400 at newegg. This really screws up my plan. I can't stand a 50 dba fan.

 

[Rimnet]

yah i forgot to mention the thing about the fan. Yah, its the loudest!

MSI seems hot, but apparently its not.

BUT WHAT DO I GET?

 

[CubicZirconia]

I was also going to get the abit siluro 4400 at newegg. That is until they went out of stock and were taken out of the catalog. I've heard lots of good things about that card, you probably can't go wrong with it.

 

[Rimnet]

Ok, i decided to get the Gainward 4400 card. It is awsome!!! It has ViVio, awsome picture quality, and it can overclock high. Found my new card =)

 

[cleverhandle]

Well, I got the MSI ti4400 a couple weeks ago, so I'll put in my 2 pence...

The image quality is not great, but doesn't seem anywhere near as bad to me as THG makes it out to be. The quality is slightly, but noticeably, worse than my old 64MB Radeon. I don't see any ghosting, though I'm only running at 1024x768 on a 17" CRT, so that may have something to do with it. Basically, the image quality is what I expected it to be - passable, but not the best.

I don't notice the fan at all. While I certainly would not call my PC quiet, it's not a jet engine either - 80 mm Sunon (~3000 rpm) CPU fan, the default 3 fans on the Lian Li cases (set to medium speed), and an Antec PSU (pre-True Power series). Unless you are actively working at a near-silent rig, I don't think the fan is a big concern.

No bugs/compatibility problems at all - this sounds like either a few idiots, or just a consequence of there being a relatively large number of these cards in circulation. Mobo is the Soyo Dragon Plus (KT266A). I just made to sure to remove all ATI-related video devices (display driver, video codecs, etc.), installed the card, booted up, and installed the latest Dets.