I have 4200, Go with 5900 or what?

[Buhammot]

Well, as usual, I have X-Mas money to spend and of course i want to get a faster video card. I been lookin a lil here and there, Checked our the 5700Ultras, Looked at the 5900 and the 5900 Ultras. Not quite sure after checking online. So i come here.

Anyone have any pros/cons about the 5900 non ultras? Cause tho i have about 400 dollars to spend, i dont want to spend it all on just a video card.

Am currently Looking at the eVga 5900SE. And if anyone hasnt noticed, I like to keep driver installs quick and simple. No ATI suggestions please.

 

[Sir Barton]

the 5900 is an excellent card, just make sure you dont get an SE, XT, EZ, etc. as theyre crippled with the 2.8ns memory. the other variations have the faster 2.2ns memory and can be OCed further than 5900U speeds.

 

[Buhammot]

One of the bigger reasons for suggesting This Card is that it is only $188. Comparable to many 5700 Ultra prices, but from what i have seen in reviews wtc, kinda outperforms. For the most part, I am Not going to be overclockin the whole time, generally just for a bench and run stock settings for gaming. So o/c ability not really important at this time.

But does the SE make that much of a difference over say This gainward Card?

 

[Sir Barton]

that gainward card has the 2.2ns memory, thats why its rated at 400/850. the SE has the 2.8ns, and is rated for 400/700. the SE is not a bad card by all means, but if youre in it for OCing, then the 2.2ns variation is the one to get.

 

[blurry]

Any non-SE 5900 will work. Also, I never buy a card because of its software bundle.

 

[Buhammot]

I was goin more for price, heh. But I had a chat with mbently not too long ago, and am eyein the Gainward 5900 128mb for 229 @ newegg.com. Still gotta wait a lil while, and gonna get some more opinions and such, but unless there is reason to go with a different card, ans still at a reasonable price, if anyone has any suggestions

 

[larva]

If you are going with an nvidia card definitely skip the 5700u and get either the evga 5900se you eyed or spring for one of the full-boogie 5900nu's. I have a Leadtek 5900nu with VIVO on the way from newegg, it was 168.75 shipped as a refurb.

The evga 5900se is a fine choice though, and the extra clock rate on the memory isn't really a big deal, outside of benchmarking. The 2.8ns ram on the se cards typically overclocks to 800-850MHz, where the 2.2ns stuff on the 5900nu's nearly always run 900MHz and sometimes 1000MHz. But there are enhancements to the 5900xt (se) design that reduce the performance gap below what the clock rate difference would indicate.

So basically, if you just want a great upgrade over your existing card and don't intend to fret about a few fps here or there or a few hundred points on 3DMark, get the evga 5900se. If you think you would always wish you had held out for the 5900nu, either ante the extra 40 bucks or wait for the next round of refurbs. Either way you will be getting a solid upgrade over your current card.

 

[Phoenix87]

5900SEs are NOT crippled. They are the EXACT same thing as a regular 5900 but with 2.8ns memory. Hell you can even OC the memory to 800mhz and get the lossed speed.

 

[Buhammot]

Ok, so now i have a new question. IF i were to get a 5900 Ultra, about how much better are the ultras over the non ultras?

 

[PreservedSwine]

The 5900SE/TX is THE best nVidia deal. By far. Grab it. Don't look back.

Unless of course you want a better card, then grab an R9800...

 

[Kenshiro]

I do not recommend the 5900 ultra and the 5950 ultra. The reason is because these cards are way too overprice since they provide poor to moderate performance for DX9. The current best buy products for Nvidia line is the 5900 non ultra, or the 5900SE. The difference between them is around 5% in speed and the software bundle. Of course, the SE version is the slightly slower version. I believe newegg is selling the SE version for around $185, and the regular for around $200.

If you are interested, I do have a XFX FX5900 non ultra that I will be getting rid off on Ebay. Its only around 1-2 months old with box and everything. The reason is because I receive an ATI 9800 Pro as a Chirstmas gift. Let me know and I will be glad tell you when exactly I will post that item on Ebay. I can also tell you my exact selling price.

 

[Steven4563]

if u plan on playing DX9 games get a ATi Radeon 9700 or 9800 do NOT get a 9600 in any shape

 

[Sir Barton]

5900SEs are NOT crippled. They are the EXACT same thing as a regular 5900 but with 2.8ns memory. Hell you can even OC the memory to 800mhz and get the lossed speed.

i didnt mean crippled as in its junk, i meant crippled as in the memory speed differences between the 2.8ns SE and the 2.2ns regular 5900NU

 

[PreservedSwine]

if u plan on playing DX9 games get a ATi Radeon 9700 or 9800 do NOT get a 9600 in any shape

He's not going to, but that doesn't make you any less wrong....The R9600XT hangs w/ the FX5900 just fine in DX9 app's, and a few DX8 as well....generally, the 5900 is faster in DX7 and DX8

 

[Steven4563]

i went from a ti4200 to a 9600pro and its the worst thing i have ever done with PC parts guess what i took back the 9600pro and got a much faster 9700NP

 

[Buhammot]

Grr! 1) we are on an nvidia topic here
2) i requested no ati products for reasons i have seen through the rears and recently
3) I am kinda lookin at the 8900se by evga at newegg, cause i just want to have a little better performance with what will be coming up in the future. IF you think that the upgrade is only a small % in performance for newly released games, lemme know please.

8o)

 

[DayUSeX]

buhammot, if you can hold out on your ti4200 new technology is just aroudn the corner. If you have waited this long why not wait less than 3 months??! I really doubt your TI is chugging along with tweaked settings. Wait and see what nvidia has up their sleave for nv40. Even if it is trash the top end 5950*whatever* will go down in price.

 

[PreservedSwine]

Buhammot, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the best deal (Only card worth getting in this category) from nVidia is the FX5900non-ultra, FX5900TX, or FX5900SE. Don't even bother w/ the FX5700U (too pricey, the 5900 is much better, and the 5950 is $75-100 more for a *small* performance gain)

This has got to be the easiest question to answer currently.

Of course, the R9800np (if -u- can find one) is a better card, but since you have your panties in a bunch on who's name is in a peice of computer hardware, stop wasting time and go grab that FX5900!!!

NOW!!!

 

[Kenshiro]

If you want a free game, go for the EVGA 5900SE from newegg. It comes with a full version of Call of Duty.

 

[Buhammot]

Well, i am goin with the evga 5900se cause it will be an improvement, and prolly one that i will make last a few years. But thats how these things go. But thanks everyone that suggested as i requested.

After listening to your opinions, and lookin at price comparisions... it isnt worth the money to get anythin higher at the moment. That is and still stick with my favorite chipset/video card manufacturer.