nvidia or ati... roshambo?

[Toasty_Squirrel]

Hey guys/gals,

I've recently been blessed with numerous green pieces of US currency in additional to a AMD Athlon XP 2600. Thus I am now itching to build myself a brand new system from the ground up. I realize that next to the monitor purchase, the videocard is going to be my largest financial woe.

Previously I've been in the nvidia camp, but now I'm hearing how peachy and keen ATI's new cards are.

I know my way around computers, however when it gets down to the details of components I'm still relatively green. Can anyone give me some ideas as to how to compare and choose which Graphics card to go for, or even choosing between different models for the same manufacture.

Right now I know that a 128 card is better then a 64 card :D

Thanks

Toasty

[IR1]

How much you looking to spend? I cannot recommend any of the Nvidia FX cards. Nvidia was doing fine with the gf3 and gf4... then they just jumped the rail on the FX series, what a joke. With all the recent cheating... and another cheat discovered yesterday in 3dmark for the FX series... you just dont know what the heck your getting with the FX series.

So If I were you... seeing as you have a gf3... Like I did when I upgraded in December, I went and got a 9700 pro. I got it refurbished for $235 off newegg, with all the cables, which was the going price for a new ti4600 at the time. I would suggest buying Sapphires 9700 non pro. It has the 2.8ns memory, and can be found for around $220, and it easily overclocks up and over a pro... it essentially is a pro... but clocked to a non pro to fill that margin of demand.

Or... if you dont want to spend that much. Try and find a 9500pro for around 160, there plenty on ebay. They are hard to find at retailers because ATI is fazing out the 9500pro in Favor of their new 9600pro which performs quite close to the 9500pro, but early overclocks of the 9600pro of almost 550mhz have started to drop off with the recent manufactured 9600pros.

If you really need an Nvidia... any of the Geforce 4's will do ok for todays games, and can hold you off, but the price performance is in ATI's favor big time. And going from a gf3 to a gf4 is not a really big jump.

So until Nvidia gets their act together its Radeon all the way.

[GravY]

if your into it, I have gotten 3 9500np sapphires from Newegg over the last week and all three have softmodded with out any problems to 9700's.. mine overclocks well 390/310.. its not a guarentee but you can have kick ass card for 149.00

Newegg Sapphire ATI OEM RADEON 9500 128MB DDR BULK (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?DEPA=1&submit=manufactory&catalog=48&manufactory=1561&description=&page=2)


if you want to read what it's all about look here.. Link (http://duhvoodooman.com/9500mod/9500mod_3.htm)