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ATI graphics recommendations?
Hey,
at the moment I'm running on a ATI x1800xl, but for most/all games I have I either can't have settings up to high, or I have to endure a SERIOUS performance cut, and it just dies at the very thought of AA
I want my graphics card to be future proof (im only running windows xp at the moment but hope to upgrade in time) so ATi looked like the best option due to their dx10.1 compatibility.
2gb ddr2 ram
AMD athlon 64 x 2 4000+ processor @ ; ~2.1Ghz each
I'm wanting to play games like Lotro + possibly WAR on roughly full settings, although as long as its not lagging and it doesn't look ugly then it'll be ok.
I started looking at the 3800 series, does anyone have any feedback on them?
Or could anyone recommend a good card, UK based shops pref if linking, for about £60 would be perfect, but if that's really too little to get anything worth having I'd be willing to stretch my budget.
I'm also wondering if I'd need a new PSU, only 350W at the moment?
thanks very much, any replies at all would be greatly appreciated!
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Hello!
Comments
why do people on this site love ati, the new x295 nvidia will be sick when it comes out.
With a Sick Price tag like the other Nvidia cards, Ati gives good performance for a good price.
yeah i guess if your tight on money.
If you want to go ATI, forget the 38xxx and go for the 48xx. There's a significant speed difference. You might want to wait until the Nvidia GTX295 is released in January which should cause price drops on ATI's cards.
You'll probably need to upgrade your power supply since your current one may not have the connectors that are required. The HD4850 model needs at least a 450Watt power supply, but I'd recommend getting at least 600Watts. Power supplies are more efficient when they are not running at their top power output level.
DirectX10.1 will not be used very much because Nvidia is buddies with alot of game developers. DirectX10 is also very slow and I have rarely used it in games. I believe Windows 7 and DirectX 11 will be released sometime in 2009.
sigh... due to the browser refreshing this page (gee, thanks noscript) and losing everything that I had written I'm going to skrimp on the information...
Get the HD 4670. That's around $80 USD, which is around £60
Here's a Google link to reviews: www.google.com/search
quick review links:
hothardware.com/articles/ATI-Radeon-HD-4670-Redefining-The-Mainstream/
www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_4670
Have fun and enjoy.
The 4870X2 is the best card on the market right now and their lower ranged cards are cheaper and more powerful than Nvidias lower ranged. It's always back and forth though because Ati were ahead with the 9800 series vs the 5 series and the x800 was about the same as the 6 series. The x1950xtx owned anything from the 7 series but the 8800 series owned Ati's 2 series. The 3800 came along shortly after for ATI to bring them upto par with Nvidias 9 series and the Ati 4870 series is slightly better than nvidias and again nvidia are going to come out with the more powerful card in the next month or so.
The only thing that holds Ati back on the benchmarks is their first 2 drivers suck so you have to wait a month to get alot of the potential outta them.
It does kind of seem like you're here simply to gloat about having a lot of money, I've seen at least one other money related post from you in the last 30 mins (headset for $400?), and find your reply fairly insulting.
enough said on that matter, thanks for the suggestions, I shall do a bit of my own research now I've got a starting point
Is the 3800 series definately not the way to go then, they seem to be roughly the same price as the 4800 for the same spec? (I'm looking at the ~£80-90 models), but yeah, they seem to be an option
I'll wait til after christmas as you suggested, some time in late january no doubt!
thanks again.
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Hello!
A favorite site of mine has done a review on the 295 card
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-295,2107.html
Makes interesting reading, I still like the Ati X2 cards.
Heres the FPS chart too
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/Sum-of-FPS-Benchmarks-1920x1200-AA,801.html
With a Sick Price tag like the other Nvidia cards, Ati gives good performance for a good price.
I loooove nVidia. nVidia to pwn. Its simple, drop aTI, save up your money, simply purchase two relatively cheap / on sale nVidia cards Sli connection and hook them puppies up and watch how you can play almost anything on full specs. ( also, you need the RAM to back up the cards. but ram is relatively cheap anyway nowwa days. )
______________________________
What if Paul Revere was like the boy who cried wolf....?
Originally posted by Hazmal
What does he say when people ask what he did? "My mommy was irking me yo - I wanted to keep pwning nubs on my xbox, so I roughed her up with a hardshell. That is just how I roll."
Crossfire has become a better method for dual setups because of progress made by ATI year after year. Also the mid-range cards from ATI currently draw less power, not to mention sub $100 ATI dominates. However, imo 2 cards are not worth 1 card for the same price as the 2. Multi-GPUs just isn't used enough to make it worthwhile.
You can look to www.overclockers.co.uk , 4670 is 59.99 +VAT but im not sure how much performance increase will be over 1800XL ,i would go for 4830 but they are 88 -89 +VAT .their Ocuk branded 9600Gt is 65.99 +VAT decisions decisions Good luck
Or if Mom and Dad aren't supporting you...or if you actually spend money on other things than your liquid cooled, server-rated, Windows server 64-running pc. Like a social life. Welcome to the real world, trust fund baby.
On-topic, the head of nVidia admitted they dropped the ball in the past year in letting ATi get ahead of them. For dollar value, you can't beat the 48xx series. One card was able to run AoC seamlessly, and it didn't break the bank. It isn't being cheap to go for the best value. It's smart.
I don't know why you mentioned "Windows server 64", but I have Windows 2008 at work and it sucks...full of bugs and glitches.
ATI is clearly better than Nvidia right now. The 4870 and 4870X2 are the best cards on the market and crossfire has surpassed SLI. If you looking for a good card thats not to expensive go with a 4850. I recently upgraded from a 1950XT 512MB to a 3870 512MB DDR4 for only $95 from Newegg. Other than Crysis which I have no intrest in I can play any game on the market. ATI 4 Life
I recommend a 8800GT and a 500W PSU. You won't be able to play on max setting since your processor is a bit old but, its your best option right now.
www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/Sum-of-FPS-Benchmarks-Totals,795.html This is a really good chart of GFX cards.
Personally I run a Nvidia GTX 280, can't see why it shouldnt be future proof. But check the benchmark test and compare the cards, the higher rating the better. As you see is the HD 4870x2 the best radeon card in existance right now, but you can compare the performnce with the price easy with the list and a pricelist from your regular gaming store. And yes the 3000 seies is kinda old but check the chart, there is one or 2 acceptable cards there.
No, 350W isn't enough for jack today, 550W is minimum to run a good GFX card. (ok, that is for the top notch ones but I wouldn't use the word good for anything else.
No, they are not. And anyways, few games have support for SLI, how many have for X-fire? The GTX 280 card is better than any ATI cards.
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 280* * 1024 MB 3765.60
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 Ultra SLI* * 768 MB 3534.80
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 280 SLI* * 1024 MB 3522
#NVIDIA Geforce 9800 GTX SLI* * 512 MB 3505.80
#ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2* * 2x1024 MBNew 3503.30
#ATI Radeon HD 4870 CF* * 512 MB 3482.90
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 SLI* * 896 MB 3481.10
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GTS SLI* * 512 MB 3468.90
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT SLI* * 1024 MB 3467.20
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260* * 896 MB 3464.80
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT SLI* * 512 MB 3411.90
#ATI Radeon HD 4870* * 512 MB 3355.70
ATI have done best cards at times, it all changes but right now the GTX 280 is fastest. Here is the whole chart.
Well if you can aford it get a 4850, I have one and i love it. CCC now has a fan controler in it so you don't have to make a profile to change it.
I love ATI cards because they give a great price vs. performance.
The cheapest 9800GTX+ is 20 bucks more than the cheapest 4850 and what do you get like maybe 10 FPS if that on some games. To me it just don't seem worth it.
one lousy chart? there are countless other reviews, charts, polls that put the 4870x2 well above the 280...id call theme quals for the most part accept you'll usualy find the 4870x2 at a better price.
No, they are not. And anyways, few games have support for SLI, how many have for X-fire? The GTX 280 card is better than any ATI cards.
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 280* * 1024 MB 3765.60
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 Ultra SLI* * 768 MB 3534.80
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 280 SLI* * 1024 MB 3522
#NVIDIA Geforce 9800 GTX SLI* * 512 MB 3505.80
#ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2* * 2x1024 MBNew 3503.30
#ATI Radeon HD 4870 CF* * 512 MB 3482.90
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 SLI* * 896 MB 3481.10
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GTS SLI* * 512 MB 3468.90
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT SLI* * 1024 MB 3467.20
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260* * 896 MB 3464.80
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT SLI* * 512 MB 3411.90
#ATI Radeon HD 4870* * 512 MB 3355.70
ATI have done best cards at times, it all changes but right now the GTX 280 is fastest. Here is the whole chart.
That chart means nonthing. Go to forums and see what Hardcore PC Gamers and Builders are saying. The 4870X2 owns and ATI is owning Nvidia.
No, they are not. And anyways, few games have support for SLI, how many have for X-fire? The GTX 280 card is better than any ATI cards.
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 280* * 1024 MB 3765.60
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 Ultra SLI* * 768 MB 3534.80
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 280 SLI* * 1024 MB 3522
#NVIDIA Geforce 9800 GTX SLI* * 512 MB 3505.80
#ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2* * 2x1024 MBNew 3503.30
#ATI Radeon HD 4870 CF* * 512 MB 3482.90
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 SLI* * 896 MB 3481.10
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GTS SLI* * 512 MB 3468.90
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT SLI* * 1024 MB 3467.20
#NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260* * 896 MB 3464.80
#NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT SLI* * 512 MB 3411.90
#ATI Radeon HD 4870* * 512 MB 3355.70
ATI have done best cards at times, it all changes but right now the GTX 280 is fastest. Here is the whole chart.
I really don't think the "sum of fps" benchmark is anything worthwhile, especially since a single GTX280 beats a GTX280 in SLI. Their benchmarks uses certain settings which are likely different from what you would use. Nvidia does quite well in certain games, which throws Tom's benchmark out of wack. Nividia is also known for making details disappear to make their drivers faster...like they did with Crysis. The cost of a single GTX280 isn't far below the cost of a 4870X2 - SLI-ing the GTX280 is very expensive. People need to do alot more research than just a single benchmark from a single reviewer.
all i can say is i own 2 8800 ultras and a hd4870x2 and if i go by that chart i would run the ultras,
but the performance is better from the 4870x2 so i will continue to run the ati card,
as for the 280gtx i can't say but the chart is flawed
The following statement is false
The previous statement is true
The only way you can justify nVidia performance wise is if you make special price brackets for them. Such as saying "For less then $488 the GTX280 is the best" Or "Between $110~$114, you can't beat a 9800". In the arguments for the GTX280 over the HD4870X2. The games that need more then just 1 HD4870 offer crossfire support.
Support nVidia though, graphics cards are only what they are because of stiff competition.
Why would you want to support a money hog? All of last year, nothing could touch the 8800 series and Nvidia charged ridiculous prices because of it. They made a ton of money off of gamers. Once ATI released the 4800's, Nvidia's prices crashed by as much as 70% off.
Why would you want to support a money hog? All of last year, nothing could touch the 8800 series and Nvidia charged ridiculous prices because of it. They made a ton of money off of gamers. Once ATI released the 4800's, Nvidia's prices crashed by as much as 70% off.
yeah the 8800 was WAY overpriced for quite a while. It WAS a decent, in fact quite a decent card, but its nothing special at all these days, even SLI'd its nothing special. The person who said SLI'd 8800's beat out a 4870x2 is an idiot PS.