which card for good 2d as well as performance

[tomwolfman]

which of the ati or geforece cards give the best price/performance combination as well as excellent 2d for digital photography.i'm looking for something better than my matroxg550 but maybe not as pricy as a 9800 or 5900.i have a DUAL CRT setup

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Depending on how "high up" you want your 3D graphics, I'd go with a Radeon 9200 or 9600. If you're into the digital photography, why not get a lower-end card (R9200) with DVI and a good TFT?

- M4H

 

[Schadenfroh]

my asus 4200 has good 2d IMO

 

[tomwolfman]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Depending on how "high up" you want your 3D graphics, I'd go with a Radeon 9200 or 9600. If you're into the digital photography, why not get a lower-end card (R9200) with DVI and a good TFT?

- M4H

hi,how would the radeon 9200 or 9600 compare to my g55032mb performance wise and 2d wise ,afraid i gotta stick with dual crt though

 

[kylebisme]

they would both smoke the g550 in preformace and come close in 2d quality.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
they would both smoke the g550 in preformace and come close in 2d quality.

What he said. Even a Radeon 7500 would make the G550 cry uncle in 3D performance. The 9200 will make it squeal, and the 9600 would tune it like a little import car.

If you're willing to drop the bread, you could go with a Matrox P-series (P650, P750, Parhelia) for some seriously bitchin' 2D and comparable 3D quality to an R9200 on the higher ends. If you're really hardcore about photo editing, you'd appreciate the 10-bit-per-channel "Gigacolor" features in the P-series.

- M4H

 

[Pete]

If you're running Windows 2000, nV may offer better multi-mon options than ATi (namely, independent resolutions--both offer that feature in XP, though). Most new cards offer dual-CRT outputs, though be sure the card you buy includes a DVI-CRT adapter (some OEM models skimp on this, which you'll have to buy separately for $10+).

If you're not interested in 3D performance at all, consider a card without a fan (just a heatsink) to eliminate a potential source of noise or failure. I'd look into a Radeon 7x00 or 9000, or GF4MX or 5200. I'd avoid a GF4Ti or earlier for 2D quality.

If by performance you mean 3D gaming, then look into a 9600 Pro at a minimum. You'd do best with a ~$200 9800 or 5900, obviously.

A GF4Ti 4200 is still a decent card for 3D speed, but I'm not sure it's shaken its reputation for uneven 2D quality. It's also getting a little long in the tooth, but a $100 128MB 4200 should compare favorably to a 9600P in terms of price/performance in plain rendering. (Keep in mind the 9600P will offer better 2D and DVD quality, AF & AA speed, and DX9 compliance.)

 

[tomwolfman]

thanks for all the advice everybody im going to mull things over for a day.ill report back when i decide

 

[CraigRT]

any newer video cards have good 2D
most people will recommend ATI over NVIDIA for 2d, although I think NVidia's is fine now. I had a 4200 before my 9700 pro and noticed no difference in viewing and reading text on webpages for instance (something most people here do a lot of)

IMO you're safe getting anything.
as for 3D performance... you should go with at least an ATI 9100, (not a 9200) or a 9500,9600 level if you want to spend more.
and of course, you can go even higher with something like a 9800.
depends on your budget!