nVidia cards

[SteveI]

I am not a big fan of either nVidia or ATI. However, over the years, I've been more up to date w/ ATI. Purely coincidental.

I just happen to have a basic understanding of performance to the names given.... no small task.


9600se - 9600np - 9600pro - 9600xt - 9800se -9800np - 9800pro.

I don't have this understanding when it comes to nVidia. Can someone identify names of cards in the $75 - $150 price range for me? Also, give me some basic idea of performance. Please don't let this turn into a fan chant for nVidia or ATI. However, I would appreciate a rudimentary comparison of relative performance and different prices.

Thanks in advance.

[XeroHouR]

I think I can venture a good guess..

GF4MX->GF4ti4200->GF4Ti4400->FX5200->GF4Ti4800-> FX5600->FX5700LE->FX5700-(it it exists FX5700XT)->fx5800->XT
above that is prolly out of the 150 range
I'm not sure if theres a $150 6600 or 6800, but those would be better than all of them I'd assume as well. Try to get gainward Golden Sample cards on any model, they'll overclock better, they 'hand pick' the memory and GPU chips for better performance.

I think basically each model is LE->normal->XT I'm not sure if there is even a pro

and in the GF4 series MX are the crappy ones.

[surlyjoe]

you can get a vanilla 6800 AGP that will probably unlock to full 16/6 pipes for $150. The 6600's are $100 but arent nearly as fast, I think anything less than the 6800 standard would be ATI's territory as far as bang for the buck.

[Aedan]

The GF4MX cards should be discounted totally. They provide poor performance generally.

For newer games, the FX series may provide better performance, for older games, the GF4Ti series tend to perform better relative to the FX series. I'd put the line up something like the following:

FX5200 -> 4Ti4200 -> FX5200U -> 4Ti4400 -> 4Ti4600 -> FX5600 -> FX5600U -> FX5700-> FX5700U -> FX5800 -> FX5900XT -> FX5900 -> FX5800U -> FX5900U -> FX5950U

Note that the FX5200 really isn't good for much in the way of 3D. I've generally assumed that all cards come with a minimum of 128Mb, as cards with less will take a performance hit.

6600 and 6800 provide better performance still.

[Kaitain]

Worse still, all FX5200s (standard, not Ultra) are not created equal. Some have a 64 bit memory bus, and some have a 128 bit memory bus. Get the wrong one and you have slightly worse than MX440 performance - trust me on this one

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by Kaitain

Worse still, all FX5200s (standard, not Ultra) are not created equal. Some have a 64 bit memory bus, and some have a 128 bit memory bus. Get the wrong one and you have slightly worse than MX440 performance - trust me on this one

Good to know... That's the same cr@p that ATI pulls with its SE BS.

[SteveI]

Great Info guys... it really helps.


I've looked at ATI 9600s... mostly Pro & XT as the type performance I'm interested in (for the $$)...

Is the FX5700 (LE) in the same category for performance in DX 8 & 9 games?

Is the naming consistent? ie... 4ti for DX8, 5xxx for DX9, 6xxx (newer and supposedly better or just the PCI-X versions).

I know the value of benchmarking, but just as a rough guide, for 3dmark 01 and 03, what would an ATI 9600XT roughly compare to for nvidia?

[XeroHouR]

everyone in consensous thats about a 5700? maybe the best 5800? I'm not sure. I'd go with ATi(and I'm a fanboy too!) for anything less than a 5900, and even the normal 5900 would have to be overclocked quite a bit. And anything higher than I listed(save for the 6xxx's Surley threw in) will cost more than $150 and prolly not be worth it anyways(from nvidia standpoint)

[mookydooky]

Throw a few more bucks at it and get a 6600GT. They're about $185, but significantly higher performing.

EDIT: I'm wrong. They're about $240 for AGP versions. The PCI-E version is $185.

[SteveI]

Mooky,
I'm glad you piped in... Didn't you get a 5700LE for that toaster box of yours?
Did you try 3dmark03 yet?

I'm trying to get perspective, and I think I want to buy myself a better card. My reference point is a 9600np that I currently use. I want a substantial upgrade and a 9600xt just doesn't seem like a lot, and I don't want to spend over 150.

I'm tempted to try an nvidia card, but still don't have that comfort zone yet. to lay down the cash.

[mookydooky]

I got a 5900. They didn't have 6600GT in AGP back when I ordered the parts at the end of October. In retrospect, I should have gotten the 915 chipset toaster and gotten a 6600GT. The thing is, I couldn't find any reviews about the 915 Shuttle box back then that said the OC lock was broken. I should have just taken the chance.

EDIT: Why are the 5900's so expensive? When I bought it, I paid $155, now it's over $200.

EDIT 2: Seriously, it makes no sense. 6600GT is selling for like $185-$200, but the 5900 is selling for about the same. Who would buy a 5900? Well I guess I did, but it was only $155 back then and there were no AGP 6600's.

[Lazgoat]

Get a 9800 Pro!

[mookydooky]

9800 Pro doesn't compare to 6600GT. Hell 6600GT beats the X800 Pro at Doom 3.

[GrahamGarside]

I cant beleive how slow they are being dropping the price of the last generation of cards, you can get a 6800LE for the same price as 9800pro and 5900xt and less then the 9800xt and 5950ultra and they perform better as well. Ati is letting the mid range slip though. the x700 agp isnt due for a while yet and its outperformed by the 6600GT, they have nothing to compare with the 6800LE and standard 6800 and even the 6800GT beats the x800XT in many things

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by mookydooky

I got a 5900....

I thought you bought a sub $100 card???

[mookydooky]

Originally Posted by SteveI

I thought you bought a sub $100 card???

Nope. A sub $200 card. Sub by $45.

[eagle63]

ive got a 5700 le in my system the max 3d mark scores ive got out of it was 10437 in 3d mark 2001 se and 4315 in 3d mark 2003 its on an amd2500+\a78nx-e overclocked to 3200+ the video card is not overclocked.i get decent frame rates on all the latest games on the medium settings.im not posative but i think i compares with a ati 9600 pro.

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by mookydooky

Nope. A sub $200 card. Sub by $45.

This is the card that got sub 10fps in 05?
Do you recall the scores for 03?

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by eagle63

ive got a 5700 le in my system the max 3d mark scores ive got out of it was 10437 in 3d mark 2001 se and 4315 in 3d mark 2003 its on an amd2500+\a78nx-e overclocked to 3200+ the video card is not overclocked.i get decent frame rates on all the latest games on the medium settings.im not posative but i think i compares with a ati 9600 pro.

Sounds reasonable... I think it is cheaper too.

Now I'm thinking about that 5900 mooky got.... aside from the low 05 scores, it sounds like the right track for me.

Thanks to all.. I think I learned in a day, what it would take me a month to cover in reviews.

[SteveI]

OK... didn't take long.
Another question,

5900XT (8xAGP)

6600GT (PCI-X)

Both seem to be in the same ballpark, pricewise... Which would be a better performer? I have an AGP system now, but am looking to go A64 in the near future. If PCIx pricing makes them a better deal, I'll wait on the mobo's.