Which NVidia to buy??

[jtelep]

I'm looking to purchase a new card in the next month or so and want to be sure that it's going to last for at least a couple of years. I currently own a GeForce4 TI 4200/64MB and have been very happy with the performance that this card has given me. I've been contemplating either a 5700FX, 5700FX Ultra or a 5900 but I'm not sure which to get. I know the 5700 is the oldest out of the bunch (and the least expensive, I like to try to stay around the $150 price range) but I want to be sure, like I said, that it's going to last for a couple of years. If the next step up is a 5700 Ultra or a 5900 then which is the best out of those two? I know that the 5700 Ultra has an insanely fast GPU and memory speed over the 5900 and (I think) is still more than the 5900 but does the 5900 have features that the Ultra doesn't have? Would there be any compelling reason to go with the 5900 over the 5700 Ultra?

 

[Wolfshanze]

First of all, the FX5900 is actually older then the FX5700 series... the 5600 & 5900 were the first "FX" cards, and 5500 & 5700 came out later (we won't talk about the FX5800).

Having said that, the FX5900 is still better to have then a FX5700U, but the catch is still finding these cards as they are kinda on the way out.

Out of all the cards you mentioned, any FX5900 is worth having, but only the FX5700 Ultra is worth getting out of the 5700-line, because the "slower" FX5700s won't be much (if any) faster then your Ti4200.

I know you said you wanted Nvidia, but at the price-point you mentioned, you're probably better off with an ATI 9800Pro or something similar.

To be honest though, you would be even better served if you just shelled out an extra $50 bucks and ponied-up about $200 for a GeForce 6600GT. You'll have a HUGE boost going to a 6600GT, because going from your current card to a FX5700 or FX5900 won't be very noticeable.

Mind you, I upgraded from a GeForce3 to a FX5900 and didn't notice a huge improvement in anything. However, when I went from the FX5900 to the 6600GT, I noticed a big jump!

If I were you, I'd do one of two things... keep the Ti4200 and just wait longer to upgrade, or put up a little more money (even if you have to wait an extra month) and get a 6600GT... I don't think you'll notice much of an improvement going from a Ti4200 to a FX5700 or FX5900.

 

[perillo34]

you will notice an improvement going to a 5900, I did when I made that venture, but then I upped the Aunty straight to a 6800 and my god I was blown away.

 

[Appledrop]

i totally agree with wolfshanze here; i feel you would be disappointed with any of the FX 5X00 series cards, mainly because of their terrible performance in DirectX 9... I would strongly advise saving up the rest of the cash for a nvidia 6600GT, - you would be MUCH happier with this, granted it is $57 over budget though :S

edit: though having said that, it really depends on your system specs; there is no point having a 6600gt with a pentium 3 cpu with 256mb ram, clearly. For some real help, please post your full spec.

 

[Azndude51]

Originally posted by: Azzy64
i totally agree with wolfshanze here; i feel you would be disappointed with any of the FX 5X00 series cards, mainly because of their terrible performance in DirectX 9... I would strongly advise saving up the rest of the cash for a nvidia 6600GT, - you would be MUCH happier with this, granted it is $57 over budget though :S

edit: though having said that, it really depends on your system specs; there is no point having a 6600gt with a pentium 3 cpu with 256mb ram, clearly. For some real help, please post your full spec.

I agree, but the 6600GT will last longer, it'll be overkill for the current rig, but it'll last to the next upgrade (since the you seem like you keep things for a long time)