Hey everybody,
It's crazy the way a lot of people start calling each other names over video cards. And some other GeForce owners seem a little too sensative about admitting that "other" great cards do exsist. Well, I have a GeForce and now I have one of those "other" cards too, and I want to share the info with anybody looking to buy a new card.
I've had my GeForce for a while, and I really like it, but the RADEON is considerably better. My 64MB Radeon is the best purchase I have made in a long time. I am playing everything at 1280 x 1024 32-bit, with everything maxed out, and it's smoother than I ever imagined. Most games I am even playing at 1600 x 1200 the same way. And the Image Quality? O man, it's amazing.
Not only does the RADEON have speed, but the Image Quality is much better in both 2D and 3D. It also has many exclusive rendering techniques that are already being supported in the new games on the way, and will make it even more powerful. It also has DirectX-8 support!
The RADEON 64MB with the very first drivers was already faster in 32-bit than the GeForce2 64MB with many-many driver updates. Only with the most recent drivers did the GeForce2 squeak by it.
The RADEON can do many special rendering techniques that the GeForce2 can't do. Here are a few of them.
Vertex Skinning:
The Radeon chip can handle up to "4" matrices for skinning compared to the Geforce2?s ability to handle only "2". What this means for future games that take advantage of the Radeon, are skinning techniques on in-game characters and models that move and behave in a much more life-like manner.
Keyframe Interpolation (Vertex Mapping):
This feature works by interpolating successive keyframes in an animation sequence, and automatically fills in the gaps between frames, resulting in a much smoother animation. This technology can scale as necessary so you can have more or less animation depending on the performance level the developer wishes to achieve. This is one of the coolest features of them all, and the GeForce2 can't do it.
3 Texturing Units:
Having three texture units as opposed to most graphic cards having only two gives the Radeon an advantage. It can perform multi-texturing in a single pass when rendering anywhere from 1 Bilinear to 3 Bilinear Textures per pixel. This greatly enhances the overall performance of the card by not having to take more clock cycles to perform this rendering. **The developers of HALO, Tribes2, and many other developers have already announced that their games "will" take advantage of the 3rd T.U. and this will give the Radeon a distinct advantage!
3D Textures:
3D texturing gives the Radeon the ability to add various kinds of maps onto the texture, giving it a much more enhanced ?3D? look. The final rendered objects looks much more lifelike. The GeForce2 does not support 3D textures!
_____________________________________________________________________
Now, when you consider that the Radeon has the best performance on it's first drivers than any other card that has ever launched on it's first drivers, the argument about past ATI drivers just doesn't hold water anymore. They have definately got their driver team doing some great work! (About the only thing they need to work on is better Win2k drivers)
So while the GeForce2 is maxed out with the latest drivers, the RADEON is just beginning, and hasn't even stretched it's legs yet.
It will be even more powerful when all those other features kick in, and the directX-8 support kicks in. Not to mention driver updates too!
The RADEON 64MB will set you back about $350, but you can get the 32MB version on sale for about $219 at www.computers4sure.com and it has all the same features as the 64MB, just a little slower.
I know the reviews of the 64MB RADEON are great, and when you consider it just launched, it's amazing how good the performance is. But I thought you might like to hear from an actual person (not another reviewer) who has the card. I am blown away by the combination of speed and image quality and have never been more happy with a purchase.
****IMPORTANT. THE GEFORCE-2'S ARE KICK-ASS CARDS FOR SURE, SO NO FLAMES. I have just seen other people get flamed to death by GeForce owners just for talking about other cards. It's silly. I am not saying the GeForce2's aren't great cards, because they are. OK? I am just pointing out that the RADEON is kick-ass too, and in fact, does have many unique features to go along with it's speed that give it a definate advantage "overall".
This thread is not for arguing or flaming, so if you intend to do that, just go away. I am just sharing some info with my fellow anandtechies about a great new product. The same way we have always done. I HAVE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE GET FLAMED FOR SPEAKING UP ABOUT THE RADEON, AND IT JUST AIN'T RIGHT.
If you are lucky enough to get a RADEON or GeForce2, than count your blessings because you will be rocking!! They are both great!
I guess the real question is, with RADEON and GeForce2 so far ahead of Voodoo5, what will become of 3dfx? The V5 5500 is a very good card, but it just can't match the 32-bit performnace at high resolution of the RADEON and GeForce2, and most people spending $300 for a card have a 19inch monitor and want 32-bit high-rez. The 6000 has been delayed again (untill fall) and if it costs $599 like expected, most people won't care when it "does" come out. It still won't have any significant improvements over the 5500 except raw speed. If people just want raw speed, and are willing to pay that much, they will just get the GF2 Ultra for $500 and save $100, so 3dfx seems to lose that battle too.
I have owned 2 3dfx cards in my time (V2, V3 3000) and I would hate to see them go under, but I have to admit it isn't looking good for them right now. Maybe they should just abandon the 6000 and concentrate on the "Rampage" for next year. That might be the card to bring them back! What do you guys think about the future of 3dfx?
EDIT-P.S. Even though I have not flamed, or been abusive in any way, there is one particular guy who will probably start ranting about "this or that" and try to put me down the way he has done to so many other people here. I won't say his name, but you will know him we you see him. If he tries to pull that crap with my thread, I will not respond to him because he has done the same thing to other RADEON and Voodoo5 owners. If I have to, I will cut and paste examples of his past comments to show what kind of person he is, and ask Anand to lock or delete this thread all together. This thread is for people who are considering a new card purchase, not flaming, and the RADEON deserves to be on anybody's list looking for a new card. Thanks
It's crazy the way a lot of people start calling each other names over video cards. And some other GeForce owners seem a little too sensative about admitting that "other" great cards do exsist. Well, I have a GeForce and now I have one of those "other" cards too, and I want to share the info with anybody looking to buy a new card.
I've had my GeForce for a while, and I really like it, but the RADEON is considerably better. My 64MB Radeon is the best purchase I have made in a long time. I am playing everything at 1280 x 1024 32-bit, with everything maxed out, and it's smoother than I ever imagined. Most games I am even playing at 1600 x 1200 the same way. And the Image Quality? O man, it's amazing.
Not only does the RADEON have speed, but the Image Quality is much better in both 2D and 3D. It also has many exclusive rendering techniques that are already being supported in the new games on the way, and will make it even more powerful. It also has DirectX-8 support!
The RADEON 64MB with the very first drivers was already faster in 32-bit than the GeForce2 64MB with many-many driver updates. Only with the most recent drivers did the GeForce2 squeak by it.
The RADEON can do many special rendering techniques that the GeForce2 can't do. Here are a few of them.
Vertex Skinning:
The Radeon chip can handle up to "4" matrices for skinning compared to the Geforce2?s ability to handle only "2". What this means for future games that take advantage of the Radeon, are skinning techniques on in-game characters and models that move and behave in a much more life-like manner.
Keyframe Interpolation (Vertex Mapping):
This feature works by interpolating successive keyframes in an animation sequence, and automatically fills in the gaps between frames, resulting in a much smoother animation. This technology can scale as necessary so you can have more or less animation depending on the performance level the developer wishes to achieve. This is one of the coolest features of them all, and the GeForce2 can't do it.
3 Texturing Units:
Having three texture units as opposed to most graphic cards having only two gives the Radeon an advantage. It can perform multi-texturing in a single pass when rendering anywhere from 1 Bilinear to 3 Bilinear Textures per pixel. This greatly enhances the overall performance of the card by not having to take more clock cycles to perform this rendering. **The developers of HALO, Tribes2, and many other developers have already announced that their games "will" take advantage of the 3rd T.U. and this will give the Radeon a distinct advantage!
3D Textures:
3D texturing gives the Radeon the ability to add various kinds of maps onto the texture, giving it a much more enhanced ?3D? look. The final rendered objects looks much more lifelike. The GeForce2 does not support 3D textures!
_____________________________________________________________________
Now, when you consider that the Radeon has the best performance on it's first drivers than any other card that has ever launched on it's first drivers, the argument about past ATI drivers just doesn't hold water anymore. They have definately got their driver team doing some great work! (About the only thing they need to work on is better Win2k drivers)
So while the GeForce2 is maxed out with the latest drivers, the RADEON is just beginning, and hasn't even stretched it's legs yet.
It will be even more powerful when all those other features kick in, and the directX-8 support kicks in. Not to mention driver updates too!
The RADEON 64MB will set you back about $350, but you can get the 32MB version on sale for about $219 at www.computers4sure.com and it has all the same features as the 64MB, just a little slower.
I know the reviews of the 64MB RADEON are great, and when you consider it just launched, it's amazing how good the performance is. But I thought you might like to hear from an actual person (not another reviewer) who has the card. I am blown away by the combination of speed and image quality and have never been more happy with a purchase.
****IMPORTANT. THE GEFORCE-2'S ARE KICK-ASS CARDS FOR SURE, SO NO FLAMES. I have just seen other people get flamed to death by GeForce owners just for talking about other cards. It's silly. I am not saying the GeForce2's aren't great cards, because they are. OK? I am just pointing out that the RADEON is kick-ass too, and in fact, does have many unique features to go along with it's speed that give it a definate advantage "overall".
This thread is not for arguing or flaming, so if you intend to do that, just go away. I am just sharing some info with my fellow anandtechies about a great new product. The same way we have always done. I HAVE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE GET FLAMED FOR SPEAKING UP ABOUT THE RADEON, AND IT JUST AIN'T RIGHT.
If you are lucky enough to get a RADEON or GeForce2, than count your blessings because you will be rocking!! They are both great!
I guess the real question is, with RADEON and GeForce2 so far ahead of Voodoo5, what will become of 3dfx? The V5 5500 is a very good card, but it just can't match the 32-bit performnace at high resolution of the RADEON and GeForce2, and most people spending $300 for a card have a 19inch monitor and want 32-bit high-rez. The 6000 has been delayed again (untill fall) and if it costs $599 like expected, most people won't care when it "does" come out. It still won't have any significant improvements over the 5500 except raw speed. If people just want raw speed, and are willing to pay that much, they will just get the GF2 Ultra for $500 and save $100, so 3dfx seems to lose that battle too.
I have owned 2 3dfx cards in my time (V2, V3 3000) and I would hate to see them go under, but I have to admit it isn't looking good for them right now. Maybe they should just abandon the 6000 and concentrate on the "Rampage" for next year. That might be the card to bring them back! What do you guys think about the future of 3dfx?
EDIT-P.S. Even though I have not flamed, or been abusive in any way, there is one particular guy who will probably start ranting about "this or that" and try to put me down the way he has done to so many other people here. I won't say his name, but you will know him we you see him. If he tries to pull that crap with my thread, I will not respond to him because he has done the same thing to other RADEON and Voodoo5 owners. If I have to, I will cut and paste examples of his past comments to show what kind of person he is, and ask Anand to lock or delete this thread all together. This thread is for people who are considering a new card purchase, not flaming, and the RADEON deserves to be on anybody's list looking for a new card. Thanks
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