ATI or Nvidia... MEH!

[xguntherc]

OK so I know this has been discussed in forums all over the world over the last few weeks.. but I've been hearing mixed things lately so I'm going to ask it again..

What card should I get.. lol. I have a eVGA 750i Mobo. thats a SLI Certified board.. so lots of people say to get the 9800+ or the 260. then others say the best card for your money is the 4870, and that I should get that.. and to be honest recently I've been thinkin I just might get the 4870.. but in the future as the prices drop. I can see myself getting a second card. Can I Crossfire a 4870 on my Nvidia chipset SLI certified board.. I thought that was a NO. but I've heard yes, and no. so can anyone please clear this up.

I just want to get something new here in the next little while. something that will take care of me with new games like GRID, Far cry2, and Crysis warhead.. oh ya and COD world at war.. So I'm going to get the 4870, or the 260.. Hard choice. I probably wont ever get 2 cards.. but if the prices go down enough. I just might. I kno ATI tends to get cheaper faster. so I don't kno. If I can use ATI on my SLI board. then I'll proabably get the 4870. and if I can't crossfire. I might get it anyways.. ah, i love it but I hate it. Such a hard choice, but I'm COMPLETELY used to Nvidia, I use Rivatuner, and i've never had an ATI card.... some might say I need to try something else. some might say stick to what you trust. Well I've had 3 Nvidia cards all have been great. never had a problem. so what should I do.

Take into Consideration I don't have a 30" screen.. I have a 22" Widescreen.. so I wont need HIGH resolutions.. Also i don't kno anything about ATI's drivers, are they stable yet? I know they've very muched fixed the AA problems. some say it's now there strong point.. If anyone has first hand results please share. I've very much a gamer, and I want the cards/drivers that will perform best for Smooth gameplay and no problems.

Let me kno what you all think.. Sorry this is so long. and to Johngault.. What did you get? did you decide on the 9800+.

Thanks Guys!

 

[Epicurus]

you already have a 8800 GTS!

i would say get another for SLI and you will be fine for a while!

thats my opinion, since the 8800 is still a pretty vid card.

 

[blackram_air]

Well I have the hybrid 650i board from asus and I have been running ati cards for the past 2 gens. I don't know about running 2 cards on the sli board. I do currently have the 4850 and love it. ATI has better IQ in my opinion. I can run with items turned up in Call of duty 4 and inside my drivers and still run the same frames as the 8800 series cards. For your money right now ATI is the way to go. Most likely by the time you would be looking at a second card crossfire boards on P35 or higher chipset will be a lot lower in price. Just my .02 worth

 

[xguntherc]

see I like my 750i and I don't wanna change.. thats why I'm thinkin stick to Nvidia, or see if I can use ATI's.. and ya the 8800 GTS is a good card. but I have the old G80, it's big. and hot, and I don't wanna run 2. if anything I'd run 2 of the new 8800GT's.. but I'd rather get the same performance as 2 8800GT's in just ONE card like the 4870.. and be happy with that. Or get the GTX 260. the 260 looks good. but the 4870 is better than the 260, for $20 bucks less.. but the 260 is Nvidia. so thats my other problem.. lol

 

[fieseler]

Man its starting to get to the point where you may as well add another one of ur current gfx card, since the power requirements are mental nowdays. The last to b released that used only a 6 pin was the 8800gts 512.

I would get two of these cards. ive got one but it runs cod4 maxed out at about 60fps all the time, so i reckon in sli it would outperform the 260 at least. Probably would save your electric bill too coz ur not using the 8pin connector too.

*EDIT*

just realised uve got the g80 version, not the g92. Sry i cant read today!!!

 

[blackram_air]

The new ati cards only use 6pin. I currently have the hd4850 and it uses 6 pin only with a 450 watt PS min required.

 

[03hdfatboy]

I'm using a 3870x2, it has a 8 and a 6 pin plug on it.

 

[xguntherc]

ya the 3870x2 is a 6 and a 8.. same is the 4870x2... but the normal single 4850 and the 4870 use single 6pins if I remember right.. either way I don't kno what to get. and ya I have the G80. it sucks power. and it's really hot. I'm wanting to dump it and get something new. and that 4870 is looking good.. I want it to be honest.. but I have an SLI board so I'm hesitant..!

 

[WildEagle]

ya the 3870x2 is a 6 and a 8.. same is the 4870x2... but the normal single 4850 and the 4870 use single 6pins if I remember right.. either way I don't kno what to get. and ya I have the G80. it sucks power. and it's really hot. I'm wanting to dump it and get something new. and that 4870 is looking good.. I want it to be honest.. but I have an SLI board so I'm hesitant..!

Crossfire won't work on an Nvidia chipset motherboard, it must be an Intel chipset motherboard or an ATI chipset motherboard for Crossfire to work.

I own and use every day, the Radeon 3870X2 for gaming and so on.

If you want the 3870X2 or 4870X2 you must be willing to dump that Nvidia chipset motherboard. However a single 4850 or 4870 will work in your board.

 

[skunksmash]

you already have a 8800 GTS!

i would say get another for SLI and you will be fine for a while!

thats my opinion, since the 8800 is still a pretty vid card.

i gotta say mate ''right now'' ... 2 88GTs in sli are out perfoming or pulling level to any next gen single card solution..4870 / 280GTX in most benches (pre R700 of course & at your res)

you already have an SLI board....''bonus !!'' 8800s are cheap as chips ''double bonus''
in this great battle NVIDIA & ATI have been battling the 4800s against the GT200s & the modest G92 was forgotten
but they have come back with a bang in SLI.. & TBH i think shocked both companies that their flagships are pretty mediocre at anything lower than 1920x1200 the 8800GT 'owns'' 1680x1050

im contemplating a GPU upgrade but i have an ATI chipset & an 8800 so no chance of SLI for me (4870x2:Dme thinks)
but from what i have seen in the past few weeks i wish i had an nforce board & i would have snapped another G92 off fleabay & been sorted

so i say SLI....:D

 

[xguntherc]

Hm.. ya well like I said, I'd like to go SLI with some 8800's, but also like I posted above. I have the old G80 8800GTS. so it's huge, hot, and power hungry. so I'd need to sell that and get 2 new 8800's. that would run me around the same as a 4870. so might as well get one card, that will handle that same load.

I'm actually more than likely getting a 4870 tomorrow. I'm selling my current old G80 8800GTS OCE tomorrow for get this.. $150. thats a good sale... so after I get that cash I'll only be spendin another 150 for the best card for the buck right now. the 4870.

It's either that, or the GTX260. and after all the other cards come out i could maybe SLI the 260 with my SLI board... so thats it, tomorrow I'm getting the 4870 or the 260. It's such a hard choice I'm not sure what I should do. lol

inputs are welcomed..

 

[03hdfatboy]

I tell ya I don't regret buying my 3870x2 it's sweet. But I wish I'd waited about 3 weeks, the price dropped 100 bucks.

 

[WildEagle]

I tell ya I don't regret buying my 3870x2 it's sweet. But I wish I'd waited about 3 weeks, the price dropped 100 bucks.

I don't regret buying the 38702X2 either.

 

[Axon]

When I bought my first ATi ever (9800 Pro), it broke twice. Once the fan got burned off because of overheating + bad fan and once the card just popped. I then bought a X1600 and the fan got blocked and shredded the card. Then I went to a 7600GTXXX that I had for almost 2 years without any problems and now I have a 8800GT without ANY problems, I already have it for like 1 year.

nVIDIA > ATi in my opinion.

 

[xguntherc]

4870 or the GTX 260.... thats my problem.. lets hear it guys.

they are so close. but the 260 can OC better, in the end passing the stock 280 performance. but the ATI doesn't have drivers yet.. ATI doesn't have a good company like eVGA..

I'm getting the 4870. or I'm gettin the 260 and getting eVGA so I can use the 90 day step up program if I need to. then i could get the new GTX 260 B series with 55nm. those will rock I'm sure... so thats why I'm lookin at gettin the 260. plus I have SLI, no CF board.

 

[xguntherc]

ya that 260 is lookkin really good... when Oc'd it's better than the 4870.

I could get eVGA, has a great warranty, a step up program if I want something new, and i could OC it mad... then i'd have a card that's right for my system, and i could SLI in the future.. unlike the 4870 cuz I have a SLI board..

Check out this review. shows that an Oc'd 260 kills the 4870. and the 4870 comes close.. but they are not known for there oc'n abilities.. right?

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/evga_gtx260/

 

[skunksmash]

ahh.. i actually missed the fact you had a G80 !!!!!!
its gotta be the 260 then....... your board is screaming for it...
it aint gonna like the taste of an ATI card much...

though i agree they are both great choices

(would love to be the one making the choice )...lol

 

[motarola2]

click this link, it's an article from tomshardware.com, says 4870 better than GTX 280Radeon HD 4870: Better Than GTX 260! : Introduction - Tom's Hardware

bang for the buck: Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July '08 : Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck - Tom's Hardware

 

[fieseler]

None of nvidia's cards released later than the 9600 really appeal to me. They are way to expensive. If i had to buy a new card right now, it would definatly be ati.

 

[xguntherc]

you don't think my board would be that happy with it huh.. really, I heard it would work no problem.. lol or are you just jokin.

and to Motarola (thats spelled wrong) you said it beats the 280, it doesn't. it beat the GTX 280 in ONE test.. once. but the 4870 Does beat the 260. I know it does. I've read it everywhere.

So to be honest, I'd rather get the 4870, but when you look at the 260, and company's like eVGA, that have a lifetime warranty, and more importantly a 3 month step up program, thats hard to beat.. no ATI company offers that..
So ya, the 4870 is a better card. at stock. but the Nvidia 260 can OC higher than the 4870 can. and in the end the 260 pulls ahead by more than 16%, and stock the 4870 is 6% better.. so in the end the 260 is at least 10% better.. and then I have the warranty. So as much as the 4870 looks great. I should go with the 260, IMO I think it's the Logical choice.. because I have a SLI certified board.. and I think it would be pretty angry with me for pluggin in a little red ATI deamon.

also to fieseler, ya the NV cards have been way overpriced, but thanks to the hard working people at ATI nvidia has had to lower prices and currently the 260 and the 4870 are the same price.. I'm still waiting for the guy to call that wants my 8800 GTS.. so after I sell it I'll make my choice and go get my card.