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Do you have $xxx to spend on a video card?

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Those are like the SE but worse since they don't even have the bga memory. Back when the 9800 first came out, NP refered to the 256-bit underclocked Pro and SE refered to the 128-bit crippled 9800. But it's sad how the whole nomenclature is messed up because video card markers are attempting to liquidate their R350 supply.
 
Nice post man im back on the market due to my second sapphire 9800pro blowing up on me for some unknown reason so
this will kinda help me out a fair bit as im completely clueless usualy when it comes to buying things like graphics cards, :D

If anyone has any recomendations of there own please feel free to shoot them in my direction...
 
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I was offered an x800xt for $350 with vmods and the works (from a friend) and it had decent clocks but I have only a few bucks in my paypal account plus no need for all this gpu power, expecially with only 2.25GHz of winchester pushing it. In a few years when I go pci-e ill ask one of my friends to sell me his x800xt or equivalent cheap and ill finally have a need for that gpu and a 4GHz a64 to back it up
 
So if I go with the Wildcat or Quadro Pro options because I really need to learn 3d graphics and I want the fastest card for the job but I still really want to play STALKER and LOMAC and RTW with the highest quality settings, will they both be able to handle it?

Will they play directx9 games as well as the x800 and the 6800u?
 
Thnks!

Very helpfull, I want to upgrade and now i know what to buy. :cool:
 
Time for an overhaul so I will be making some modifications to this post throughout the next few days. Already got the beginning started.
 
Updato?

Best Cards for No Budget
PCI-E NVidia: 7800GTX (512MB)
PCI-E ATI: x1800XT

$350-$450
PCI-E NVidia: 7800GTX (256MB)
PCI-E ATI: x1800XL
AGP ATI: x850XTPE

$250-$350
PCI-E NVidia: 7800GT
PCI-E ATI: x800GTO2 or x850XT
AGP NVidia: 6800GT
AGP ATI: X850XTk

$150-$250
PCI-E NVidia: 6800GS
PCI-E ATI: x850Pro
AGP NVidia: 6800nu
AGP ATI: x800Pro

$100-$150
PCI-E NVidia: 6600GT (128MB)
PCI-E ATI: x700Pro
AGP NVidia: 6600GT (128MB)
AGP ATI: 9800Pro

$50-$100
PCI-E NVidia: 6600LE
PCI-E ATI: x700
AGP NVidia: 6200 (256MB)
AGP ATI: 9800SE
 
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"I think the 9700pro on ebay for $110 is the best deal for now."

hehe, the hardware wind always blows your way, no matter what everyone else thinks.

great list. there are a lot of good options out there.

baldy
 
Well, considering that there hasn't been any real updates in a while, I figured I'd make a new one. I also did one of these here about a month and a half ago:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=424767
I might do more of these later.
Edited to include PCI cards for those who are stuck with onboard graphics and no AGP/PCIe slots.


Money is no object:

PCIe nVidia: 7800GTX 512MB
No real competition here. As of now it's the best available. At about $750, it's also the most expensive. Two of these in SLI also beat the X1800XT with Crossfire.

PCIe ATI: X1800XT 512MB
Not quite as good as the 7800GTX 512, but if you want ATI, this one is clearly the best. Add the X1800 Crossfire if you can afford it. Also, if you actually do have a budget of some kind, this is only ~$550 as of now.

AGP nVidia: 6800 Ultra 256MB
If you're stuck with AGP, this is your best bet for an nVidia card. Because of this, prices have skyrocketed to absurd levels lately.

AGP ATI: See below for X850XT-PE.

PCI nVidia: See below for FX5600.

PCI ATI: See below for 9250.


$350-$450:

PCIe nVidia: 7800GTX 256MB
An easy decision. Not as good as the X1800XT but ATI can't compete at this price range for now.

PCIe ATI: Nothing as of now, since the X1800XL falls below this price range and the X1800XT is too high.

AGP nVidia: 6800GT 256MB
These, like the Ultras, are now absurdly expensive compared to the X850XT-PE, but if you need AGP and want an nVidia card but don't have the money for a 6800U, this will work.

AGP ATI: X850XT-PE 256MB
Prices have rose on these also, not nearly as bad as the Ultras, though. Buy this card if you have AGP and can afford it. Now is the time, as cost will only continue to soar. Look at the situation with the PCI FX5600 for another example of this.


$250-$350:

PCIe NVidia: 7800GT 256MB
A great buy. Not as good as the X1800XL but slightly cheaper.

PCIe ATI: X1800XL
Prices for these have been dropping lately and will probably continue to do so. The X850XT-PE or non-PE is a little bit cheaper, if you prefer that, but not nearly as good of a value.

AGP nVidia: 6800NU 256MB
All of the AGP 6800 series are ridiculous in price, and this is no exception. Avoid these unless you really hate ATI.

AGP ATI: X850XT 256MB
Comparable to the 6800U for half the price, but this is also climbing. They can usually clock to XT-PE speeds. You can also try the X800XT if you want to spend slightly less. It's still better than the 6800NU.

PCI nVidia: FX5600
When you can actually find it, expect to pay at least $300 for this, the fastest PCI card available.


$150-$250:

PCIe nVidia: 6800GT 256MB
Falling prices for this due to the 7800 series have now made it to buy this for under $250. Go for it, or the 6800GS (really the better bargain of the two) if you prefer the lower end of this price range.

PCIe ATI: X800XL 256MB
X800XL still reigns supreme here on the ATI side but falls short of the 6800GT. X800GTO² prices have also fallen, making it possible to buy one and unlock to X850XT-PE if you want to take the risk.

AGP nVidia: 6800NU 128MB
Given the absurdly high price of the 6800 AGP cards lately, this is as good as you'll get. The 256-bit memory bus puts it ahead of the 6600GT.

AGP ATI: X850 Pro 256MB
Prices on these have fallen. This is damn near as good as the X800XL, and certainly leaps and bounds ahead of nVidia's offering here.


$100-$150:

PCIe nVidia: 6600GT 128MB
Prices on these are relatively stable, still a good deal for a budget card.

PCIe ATI: X800GTO 128MB
Grab this one. Much faster than the 6600GT in every possible way. As with other PCIe card, new generation hardware has forced retailers to cut the prices on these.

AGP nVidia: 6600GT 128MB
As with the PCIe, these are a great deal and an easy choice for this price range and interface.

AGP ATI: X700 Pro 128MB
If you insist on ATI, this beats the 9800 Pro, especially in DX9, but falls short of the 6600GT.


$50-$100:

PCIe nVidia: 6600NU 256MB
256MB models are still under $100 now and this is still acceptable. The 128MB NU or LE are considerations for the lower end of this price range.

PCIe ATI: X700 Pro 128MB
Cheaper than the AGP version, still offering sub-6600GT performance but better than the plain 6600. Choose this unless you really need the extra memory or don't like ATI.

AGP nVidia: 6600NU 128MB
Prices on these have come down quite a bit, finally allowing users with a budget in this range to buy it. It's better than the 9600XT as well.

AGP ATI: 9600XT 256MB
These are an option if you refuse to use nVidia, but won't perform as well.

PCI nVidia: FX5500 256MB
They're cheap, are DX9 capable (albeit with horrible performance). This would be my choice here.

PCI ATI: 9250 256MB
Slower than the FX5500 and only DX8.1, only choose this if you hate nVidia.


Under $50:

PCIe nVidia: 6200TC 64MB
The PCX5300 is unfortunately now too expensive. If you have enough (~512MB+) reasonably fast system memory (DDR, DDR2 or Rambus), these will do okay. They support up to 256MB. Avoid at all costs the 16MB version with its 32-bit memory bus.

PCIe ATI: X300SE 128MB
Bad performance, but having sufficient onboard memory usually makes this a better choice than the 6200TC series, unless your system memory is extremely fast.

AGP nVidia: FX5500 128MB
Just a slightly faster FX5200, but unfortunately the 6200 series is out of our budget here.

AGP ATI: 9550 128MB
Prices on the 9600NP have rose too much, but this is similar to it and better than the FX5500. Avoid the SE version with its 64-bit bus.

PCI nVidia: FX5200 128MB
Roughly equal performance to the MX440 with DX9 capability. Can't really go wrong here.

PCI ATI: 7000 64MB
Horrible performance and only DX7. This card is now about five years old and was a budget card back then. However, the 8500/9200 series is too expensive.
 
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Here's an update, not too many big changes. I picked several cards in most of the price ranges this time to narrow it down a bit for those with a more specific budget.


Money is no object:

PCIe nVidia: 7800GTX 512MB * 2 SLI (~$1500), 7800GTX 256MB * 2 SLI (~$900), 7800GTX 512MB (~$750), 7800GT * 2 SLI (~$600)
There's a lot of choices here depending on how much you really want to spend and what the capabilities of your mainboard are. The 7800GTX 512MB is the best card available, beating the X1800XT. Two of them will beat X1800XT with Crossfire.

PCIe ATI: X1800XT and X1800 Crossfire (~$1050), X1800XT 512MB (~$500)
Not quite as good as the 7800GTX 512, but if you want ATI, this one is clearly the best. Add the X1800 Crossfire if you can afford it.

AGP nVidia: 6800 Ultra 256MB (~$500)
This is as good as it gets for nVidia. Unless you insist on nVidia, the X850XT-PE is better and cheaper than this.

AGP ATI: See below for X850XT-PE.

PCI nVidia: See below for FX5600.

PCI ATI: See below for 9250.


$350-$450:

PCIe nVidia: 7800GTX 256MB (~$450)
An easy decision. Not as good as the X1800XT but ATI can't compete at this price range for now.

PCIe ATI: Nothing as of now, since the X1800XL falls below this price range and the X1800XT is too high.

AGP nVidia: For now, there's nothing in this range due to the fact that the 6800 Ultra is still much more than this (and probably will remain so), and the 6800GT is slightly cheaper.

AGP ATI: X850XT-PE 256MB (~$400)
Buy this card if you have AGP and can afford it. You won't find anything better than this, and prices will probably only rise for these.


$250-$350:

PCIe NVidia: 7800GT 256MB (~$300)
A great buy. Not as good as the X1800XL but slightly cheaper.

PCIe ATI: X1800XL 256MB (~$350)
Prices are remaining steady on the X1800XL for now.

AGP nVidia: 6800GT 256MB (~$330)
Prices on the 6800GT have fallen slightly due to the release of the 6800GS. Go with the X800XT-PE instead.

AGP ATI: X800XT-PE 256MB (~$350), X800XT AIW 256MB (~$280)
The X850XT is now ridiculously expensive. The XT-PE is only slightly faster, but also consider that the AIW version of the X800XT can render many aftermarket cooling solutions incompatible.

PCI nVidia: FX5600 256MB
When you can actually find it (on eBay, probably), expect to pay at least $300 for this, the best PCI card available.


$150-$250:

PCIe nVidia: 6800GT 256MB (~$250), 6800GS (~$200)
Falling prices for this due to the 7800 series have now made it to buy the 6800GT for under $250, but it still isn't as good as the X850XT. The 6800GS should be better than the X800XL, though.

PCIe ATI: X850XT 256MB (~$250), X800XL 256MB (~$200)
Prices on the X850XT have dropped. Don't even bother taking a chance with an X800GTO² anymore.

AGP nVidia: 6800GS 256MB (~$220), 6800NU 128MB (~$190)
The release of the 6800GS in AGP makes the 6800NU a bad deal now.

AGP ATI: X850 Pro 256MB (~$240)
This is still not a bad deal, but now you'd be better off with the 6800GS.



$100-$150:

PCIe nVidia: 6600GT 128MB (~$130)
Prices on these are relatively stable, still a good deal for a budget card.

PCIe ATI: X800GTO 128MB (~$130)
Grab this one. Much faster than the 6600GT in every possible way. As with other PCIe card, new generation hardware has forced retailers to cut the prices on these.

AGP nVidia: 6800XT 128MB (~$140)
These are a great deal and an easy choice for this price range and interface.

AGP ATI: X700 Pro 256MB (~$150), 9800 Pro 128MB (~$120)
256MB versions of the X700 Pro are a bit cheaper now. I'd still avoid it.


$50-$100:

PCIe nVidia: 6600NU 256MB (~$100), 6200 128MB (~$70)
The 6600 are cheap enough to be a decent deal, but the prices on the PCIe 6200 have soared recently.

PCIe ATI: X700 Pro 128MB (~$100), X600 Pro 128MB (~$80)
The X700 Pro offers more than the 6600NU. Choose this unless you really need the extra memory or don't like ATI.

AGP nVidia: 6600NU 128MB (~$100), 6200 128MB (~$70)
Prices on the 6600 have come down quite a bit, finally allowing users with a budget in this range to buy it. It's better than the 9600XT as well. I'd pick a 9600XT over a 6200, though.

AGP ATI: 9600XT 256MB (~$80), 9600 Pro 128MB (~$60)
These are an option if you refuse to use nVidia, but won't perform as well.

PCI nVidia: FX5500 256MB (~$80), FX5700LE 128MB (~$60)
They're cheap, are DX9 capable (albeit with horrible performance). These would be my choice here. If you go with the lower-performing FX5700LE, make sure it has a 128-bit memory bus.

PCI ATI: 9250 256MB (~$65)
Slower than the FX5500 and only DX8.1, only choose this if you hate nVidia. Avoid the SE version.


Under $50:

PCIe nVidia: 6200TC 64MB (~$50), 6200TC 16MB (~$40)
The PCX5300 is unfortunately now too expensive. If you have enough (~512MB+) reasonably fast system memory (DDR, DDR2 or Rambus), these will do okay. They support up to 256MB. Avoid at all costs the 16MB version with its 32-bit memory bus.

PCIe ATI: X300SE 128MB (~$40)
Bad performance, but having sufficient onboard memory usually makes this a better choice than the 6200TC series, unless your system memory is extremely fast.

AGP nVidia: FX5500 128MB (~$50), FX5200 128MB (~$35), MX440 64MB (~$25)
The 5500 is just a faster FX5200, but unfortunately the 6200 series is out of our budget here. Avoid the MX440 if you can, since it's DX7.

AGP ATI: 9550 128MB (~$50), 9550SE 128MB (~$40), 9250 128MB (~$30), 7000 64MB (~$20)
This is still your best bet. Avoid the SE version with its 64-bit bus if you can afford to. The 9250 is only DX8.1 and the 7000 is DX7, so, if you can, avoid those for compatibility issues.

PCI nVidia: FX5200 128MB (~$50), MX440 64MB (~$35)
These are of roughly equal performance, but the FX5200 has DX9 capability where the MX440 is only DX7. Can't really go wrong there.

PCI ATI: 7500 64MB (~$50), 7000 64MB (~$30)
These cards are now over five years old and leaves you stuck with DX7. However, the 8500/9200 series is too expensive. The 7000 is much slower and lacks hardware T&L, avoid it if you can.
 
Ok guys, sorry for the lack of updates. Still having issues and lack of computer time but that should be improving now. Thanks for the unofficial updates and i'll start looking everything over and mixing it into the main post. And thanks for the PMs. :D
 
Ok guys, I made a little addon that might also help Rhino. ;) I am going to start adding the cores for the cards also. Now, on the NV4x, I don't know what the x is so if anyone can chime in that would be great. Thanks. :)
 
Cerberus2k7 said:
Ok guys, I made a little addon that might also help Rhino. ;) I am going to start adding the cores for the cards also. Now, on the NV4x, I don't know what the x is so if anyone can chime in that would be great. Thanks. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_9700_core
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_X_Series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_X1000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_FX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_6_Series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_7_Series

That should be good for all ATI/nVidia DX9 GPUs. Though it doesn't say in the article, X1800* is R520, X1600* is RV530, and X1300* is RV515.
 
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