It’s that time again - another video card showdown.
This week’s matchup: what’s more cost effective?
I’ve been looking at picing up a new viddy in the next week. Well, ordering it within the next week. Because The Elder Scrolls Oblivion has problems with some NVidia cards, I’ve been looking at going with another Radeon. I’ve not been dissapointed in my previous ATI card, rough edges on the firmware excepted.
One note: no, I don’t have PCI Expres. No, I’m not upgrading my whole computer to get it. I don’t have the money so there’s no point in reccomending it. Yes, I know it’s faster. I’ll live with my 2-year old Presario.
Right now, the X850 XT looks pretty good. But it’s not my only choice. The Platinum edition version of the same card is also on the table, and I’ve looked at some other choices.
Right now, though I think I’m going for the base X850 XT. It’s very solid and cost-effective. I don’t think I’m giving up too much relative to more expensive cards, given the big price break I’m seeing.
Basically, will it do what I want it to? The very small edge the Platinum edition has over it doesn’t excit me, but am I missing something more important? Is there a better Nvidia card I ought to use?
May I suggest http://www.tomshardware.com ? They do periodic, detailed rundowns of a wide variety of graphics cards and they maintain a backlog of their previous articles and tests.
I went with the Platinum Edition. I figured it would last until I get enough money around to upgrade my system to PCI Express. And at the time, it was the best AGP card around.
The Nvidia 7800GS is the obvious videocard to get for anyone looking for a last upgrade for their AGP system. ATI hasnt produced anything equivalent for AGP diehards at this stage.
I have an X800Pro and it does OK with Oblivion, but you’ll get closer to full effects with the 7800GS as it has HDR and other fancy effects that the X8 type cards wont do.
I think maybe you would be wise to get a NVIDIA 6800 Ultra on BAY.
There are a few features on the 7800 that it doesn’t have, but quite frankly, if you are going to go PCIe at some future point, then the 6800ultra is well up to the task and will be cheaper.
If you are intending to buy new then the 7800GS is the only choice to make right now.
Thank you for the pointers. I apologize for taking so long to get back on it: I was on a business trip and didn’t recall my password while on the road. I’ll check the prices - that 7800GS does look nice.