ati vs nvidia

so ive had it. im going to build a new system. i love aion but my old agp and ddr system just is not having it. im going to have 4gb of ddr2 or ddr3, phenom x4 945, 500gb hdd (one of the WD black ones), and a couple of optical drives. my only real concern is the video card. Aion will be the main game played, as well as others like BioShock, CS 1.6, CSS, Frontlines Fuel of War, GTAIII, and some other odds and ends. but since the game to be played is aion, what graphics card should i consider? my friend just bought a new computer with a gtx 260. it runs aion well, but hes also on high settings. ill be running my system on medium. i also have just upgraded to an lcd monitor, and the game just looks horrid if it isnt on 1680x1050. what card is going to be able to drive that resolution on medium settings the best? i know there is a lot of talk with the new hd5xxx series. im just not sure which one of those or an nvidia card to get. i would like to spend around 300 USD. maybe a little more, but not more than 375. also is the power supply in my sig going to be enough or will i need a new one? if i dont need a new one, then i might be able to spend a few more bucks on a video card. i already have the case (i might decided to get another one later). thanks in advance and as always, have a good one!

Yogurt

Why when purchasing a new video card would you expect to run things on medium???? Makes no sense. Full tilt or bust big guy!

With that in mind, and at the res you listed on your new LCD (btw it DOES in fact look horrid when you are not on the native res of your monitor so thats why you are seeing that) I would get a GTX275. Especially since you are a folder and that is potentially a 9-10k PPD card when overclocked.

i actually havent folded much. but part of that is do to the aging system i have. and yes i really would run it on medium. that graphics look good enough for me on medium. and considering its open pvp that can have massive fights. and the fact that there isnt a 64bit client yet, running full blast with that amount of memory will actually do nothing. im really interested to see what the ati guys have to say. although at this point it seems that nvidia has better drivers, which is one of the reasons i asked to begin with. i mean, is a decent with awesome driver support better or worse than a higher end card with so-so driver support? i just wonder if having a card that supports dx11 is even worth it for me. i mean, im not even running dx10, nor do i have the os to do it with. but i will be running a 64bit os when i build the new machine. thanks for the input.

Yogurt

Your new system will likely be able to chew up and spit things out fairly easily on high.... Shoot for the stars. Playing on medium settings is like the difference between looking at a Dali Painting vs my 2 y.o son's drawings!!!

I dont see much wrong with ATI's drivers really. They are a tad behind when it comes to launching cards and their performance up front but aside from that, I dont feel that are any better or worse really.

i dont want to seem like im arguing here. have you played Aion? i know what the game looks like on high and what it looks like on medium. massive pvp battler, lets say 50 vs 50. thats a lot for any computer to handle. i like the pretty graphics, but at the same time, its all about the game play for me and i like it very much in Aion. i mean 80-100 fps in an mmo like that is impressive, but i wouldnt mind having it higher. lets also realize that i still play cs 1.6, if graphics were everything, i would buy a console and leave it at that.

Yogurt

Yes, I have played it...on high.

"If graphics were everything you would be on a console"...now thats funny b/c PC's look MUCH better than any console last I checked. Maybe when you are on a better system and can turn on all the eye candy a more powerful video card can offer you would think different....in fact much differently. Here is a link to some comparisons: http://www.geeks3d.com/20081222/graphics-comparison-pc-vs-xbox-360-vs-ps3/. Check out the link at the bottom of that one as well.

I dont want to come across arguementative either...just saying it can be done and shoot for the stars. The choice is obviously yours.

i guess now my main concern is, will the power supply i have be sufficient for either a gtx275 or one of the ati hd5xxx series? if so, i might be able to swing for a gtx285. im just getting excited because this my first high end system. im maybe wondering if a quad core will be too much? i guess, even if i get a 64bit os, all 32bit programs are run via an emulator of some kind. will that emulation software see all 4 cores and use them or would i be better off with a nice dual core system? thanks again for the input.

Yogurt

Well, the PSU will be just fine to carry over for any single videocard. So dont worry about that.

If you have the money to go quad (say AMD Phenom II X4 955 or Intel i5 750/i7 860) do it. Your PVP will thank you as all that "action" is generally handled via the CPU. A dual will likely be fine but why be stuck with a dual in the days of quad? Not many games use all four cores, but judging by how long you keep systems (sees P4 in your sig), I would without a doubt get a quad.

Whats your budget? WHen are you purchasing this PC? Any holder over parts aside from the PSU like case, optical, HDD, etc?

basically my budget is whatever i want it to be. however, around 1000 is my current and seeing the system my friend bought, that is a very reasonable goal for me and what i want. case, psu, and opitcals drives will be carried over. those can always be upgraded with decent ease. im kind of set on the phenom 945. one is because of the price. i know that intel was and or is dominating the cpu market. im think if i got intel, ill just get an i5. i mean the the i7's are nice and all, but a quad core with hyperthreading? if im correct and hyperthreading is what it was, i dont see the point in having 4 real cores and 4 simulated cores. not to mention the price difference. i guess im also considering amd because ive never had a high end amd system. not that this beast is high end, but it used to be amazing back in the day. im just looking for about 1000 dollar stable rig that will play the games i want to play. some video/photo editing might be down the road, but it wouldnt be anything to serious.

Yogurt

Listen, you have $1k to spend, why not get the best you can afford? You say will may be doing some photo/video editing and the only thing that does that better are more cores!! Not to mention as time goes on, more and more applications will leverage the horsepower of more cores.

For that money you can easily build a s1156 i7 860 PC and it would be what I reccomend.

arghhh. ok im going to bed. this is too much. and im not taking this as well as i should. i do not need the best of the best. this is my first major overhaul ever. the more money to be save the better. if i can save 100 bucks on a cpu, why not? im just thinking a nice quad core (no hyperthreading) at around 2.6-3.0 ghz will be just find with about 3-6mb of cache and around 4gb of ddr3. an upgrade path wouldnt be bad either(if thats available). not to mention the budget of this build could change as quickly as the weather. ok, im out for now, thanks again. have a good one!

Yogurt

Lets be clear, your budget doesnt allow the best of the best... The i7 860 is on the socket 1156 platform which is the "mainstream" Intel platform. If you have a $1k budget (which you alluded to having more available) why not spend it? Sounds like you could have a larger budget but cut it back already.If you keep PC's as long as like the ~6 year old model in your sig, you SHOULD get the best you want to afford (which was $1k). Your thinking in going even less than your budget is a little myopic Im afraid. I would rather have the faster system with HT with your PC rentention habits.

That AMD would be fine, but I would suggest the 955 version as its a bit faster clocked and has an unlocked multiplier in case you overclock.

As far as the budget changing, thats why I asked when are you purchasing this upgrade. There isnt a point to talk turkey really unless you are about ready (like a within a week or so) to pull the trigger.

Well, good luck on your build, we are always here to help, that is, if you are here to listen.

i understand more clearly now. so as far as amd vs intel, what is going to be the best cost/performance ratio? seems like amd is ahead of that race. also, will virtalization play a part in anything i will be doing? im also a tad confused on triple channel memory, is it essentially dual channel but better? have a good one!

Yogurt

To explain memory a bit...

If you have a bus speed of 400, you multiply that by the width of the bus (64 bit = 8 bytes) for the throughput. So in this instance, 400x8=3200MB/s. With Dual Channel, you would multiply that by two, since you have double the bandwidth (64x2=128 bits). 3200x2=6400MB/s. With triple-channel, it would be tripple the bandwidth (64x3=192 bits) 3200x3=9600MB/s. And finally, since it's Double Data Rate RAM, you multiply the end result by 2 to get the total throughput. 9600x2=19200MB/s.

That's the math, anyhow. DDR3 typically has slower bus speeds than that, though, but the logic applies.

Here's a build that would suit you nicely.

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R

Intel Core i7 860


G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1600


Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB

$600.96, with free shipping. That leaves you about $400 for a video card. For around $300 you could get a HD 5850, if you can find one in stock. It performs on par with a GTX 285, for about $50-$100 less, depending on the model. Or, for the whole $400 +/- $20, you could get an HD 5870, which would rock your world. I'd suggest the 5850 for what you're using it for. It's a phenomenal card. Of course, this is assuming you're still going to be using your Case, PSU, Opticals, and already have an Operating System.

Radeon HD5850

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

SAPPHIRE 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB

so im thinking this will be my build if i go AMD. Otherwise the parts above for an Intel build. Im still not sure on the video card. Still up in the air on that one. if i dont go with ATI, this will be the Nvidia Card, GeForce GTX 275 Superclocked Edition 896MB thanks again for the input. Have a good one!

Yogurt

or with the price of the amd system i could really swing for the fences and get the HD5870, so many things to think about. I guess ill have to start looking at some benchmarks.

any other thoughts on the amd system and a stellar card? or the mid-range intel with a good card? thanks again for all the input. have a good one!

Yogurt

What are your plans with the system? You a gamer? Overclocker? I wouldn't discount the 4890. It's still a great video card for the cost. As is the GTX 260.

if you want an upgrade path, dont go socket 775, it is dead, if you go intel go i5/i7 router.

the 4890 is a good card, better then say a 5770, but of course behind the 58** for the most part.

The best upgrade path is s1366 i7. I havent seen a roadmap for s1156 chips if they will see hexcore action or not. Its at least on 1366's roadmap however.

Its behind the 58** period. I dont think there is one test, one game or one res where the 5850/70 loses to the 5770.