ATI or Nvidia?
 

who'd u go w/?


i'm thinkin about gettin a geforce4 128mb card for about 70 bucks (seems like a good deal)

but who's better in the overall picture?


somebody told me that the 9800 all in wonder can outperform the best FX.


anyway, what would u prefer?

I went with ATI.

I have an ATI Radeon All in Wonder 7500. I'm happy with it.

definitely a new ATI Radeon-series card. ATI's at the top of the market right now, and their cards greatly outperform the Geforce 4s.

NVidia every time...

I dont care how good the ATI cards look at the moment, I have had too many bad experiences with their cards (and specifically drivers) to ever trust them again =/

I do need a gfx card upgrade atm, and I am also not as impressed with the GeForce FX as I would like to be so I am going to wait and see what happens...

I currently have a GeForce3 and if I were to upgrade I would get an ATi.

It seems that each vendor outdoes itself every six months (Moore's Law or something like that).

I've found ATI cards to be most accomodating to PCs with many filled slots. I tried an nVidia video card but couldn't get it to play nice with the other PCI cards so it went back to the store.

Perhaps an nVidia video card would work great with my nForce2 mobo??

My next card will be an ATI. I do whatever Carmack says.

Had to much trouble with ATI and video games, if I want to play games I'll go with something else, but for stablity ATI is good.

you cant really compare the top of the line ati's to the gf4's.

you have to compare 'em to the geforce FX's.

I've always had nvidia cards and never had a problem, so I'll probably keep getting them. I will admit though that if I were buying a top of the line card today I'd buy the ATI.

Not sure how their linux support is compared to nvidia, though.

Right now, I have an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro, and with the exception of a few minor glitches, it's been good to me.

Of course, ever since I got my GameCube, I haven't been playing too many games on the PC lately. :)

at the moment im using ATi (9700 pro oc'ed to 387 core 355 mem).

ATI is way better... 9800 kicks Geforce FX's ass....

prepare for some intense stuff from both though. But ATI has been owning the graphics scene for a while now. They got desktop and mobile covered. DO'nt know about workstation though.

When it comes to Linux support, it's a mixed bag. I always found it easier to install Ati cards rather than Nvidia cards. However, Nvidia lets ya tweak it more so that you can squeeze out that extra performance (all tests done with Debian 2.4).

Workstation, I'd give Nvidia the edge. Highend to Ati. Mid-stream to Ati also. Low end will depend on how much the 5200 Ultra's cost compared to the 9000 pro 128 mb.

Just me $0.02

I've used both nVdia and ATI pretty extensively, and I've never had any issues. The 9700 Pro performs neck and next with the 5800 FX Ultra, and the 9700P came out in September of last year. The 9700P also costs about $100 less and it's drivers are far more mature than a bitter, outspoken minority gives them credit for. It also uses one less PCI slot and puts out a fraction of the noise. Yes, the Ultra is noisy, just loud enough to make it nigh impossible to tune it out. I'm looking forward to the NV35 in the hopes that prices and support stay competitive.

At the moment the top dog is ATI 9700.
The FX is not out yet, so it's unfair to compare them. But when I saw it back in march the ATI was still ahead, but they had much work to do.

You pay a huge premium to have high end hardware, $70 for a sweet card sounds like a good deal (but I have not looked at prcies in a few months)

ATI is currently on top, but i would wait till the next generation of geforce cards come around.

I currently do not own an ATI or NVidia but after reading the reviews, it seems that the NVidia always looks and runs better. I will most likely pick one up on my next upgrade but right now I am running a Matrox.

9800 and FX are out to certain organizations. Those organizations (review mags) have benchmarked them lightly, and it appears as though ATI is on top with the flagship product.

I got an 8500 AIW for $160 about 2 months ago. My decision was based on the tv-in because I wanted tv on my computer and being like the #5 card for performance at the time. I do believe that the 4200 128mb nVidia GeForce4 card is a really good deal as of right now. If I was going on pure performance/cost I would probably go with that card instead. The drivers for nVida cards are a little more streamlined than ATI's.

I've used nvidia exclusivly since the TNT was out, and never had a problem. I see no reason to change. Although my GeForce256 is getting a little long in the tooth

Id go Nvidia and I did go Nvidia

I have an nVidia, but if I ever got into gaming, I'd get an ATI.

I'm running nVIDIA now, but my next card will probably be a Radeon 9000 PRO 128MB. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do play UT2003 pretty frequently, and I can't wait for DOOM 3!!

I do love nVIDIA's unified driver architecture.

I've had no problems with this ATI chipset under Linux RH 9.0.

NVidias new card due at this summer is supposedly going to put it on top. I have an ATI and a Winfast/Ledtek both run great, but I will try NVidias new card.

I'll go ATI....especially and AIW card...so many features....drool.
Right now the FX is just a piece 'o shit video card cause all that it is a over clocked geforce4 Ti....(and people why it has that dumb blower system on it)......

How about whichever happens to be the best at the time I buy it? At the moment I'm running an nVidia card. Who knows what the next one will be when I get it.

Nvidia screwed up the latest card by requiring to take up both an AGP and PCI slot. I have read it is super loud. I will wait to they get their act back toegther.

ATI... Nvidia... ATI... Nvidia...

blah blah blah..
It's a rat race between both companies at the moment, one is better for this and one is better for that, but then the other brings out a new card and counteracts the other. So yeah, personal choice, read reviews, go for what is best at the time. I have a Sparkle Geforce Ti 4200... I 'thought' that this was what I needed for what I was doin, learning graphics work and what not. But I didn't look into it enough. It works great for games, but is still slow with the ol' graphics program for what I want abit more in. I think the ol ATI will be on the next list, but I will be doin abit more heavy research next time :D

Go with the ATI , Seems to be the best at this time. I did and have had no problems.

Currently Nvidia, next ATI.

I, thankfully, do not need the highest end card, I am not a heavy gamer, or video editor. My tv is within easy view of the computer. I bought an OEM nVidia t4200 8xAGP 128 for a song, and it works great with my A7N8X deluxe mobo.

Nvidia. The drivers are so much more stable and bug-free. Just plug, install and go. No ho-hum.

ATI. Recently gave them a second chance after a previous bad encounter. This 9700 rocks. I can play any game Ive tried. Heres a list of games that run at better the 100fps at 1024 with all detail MAXED out. er at least the games I have and am currently playing.

Bf 1942
ut2k3
CC generals
CC renegade
nfshp2
nfspu
madden 2k3

I chose ATI, but not really because they are "faster". That will change in the next year, so it doesnt matter really. I chose it, because the quality of the picture, and the dvd playback, is just amazing in comparison. Get an All-In-Wonder card, and you have all the inputs and outputs you will ever desire. Digital video editing heaven! Of course, it runs games beautifully too. I love playin games on my 36 inch tv...with the TV out :)

I have currently a gforce 4 ti4200 (bought it bacause of the price) and I will definitiv onto the next ATI Radeon 8500 or better deal.

Just installed my GeForceFX 5800 Ultra on Wednesday. So far, I can run UT2K3 at 1280x1024, 32-bit color, all graphics options set to max and it is more than playable. Yes, that extra fan on there is loud, but it only comes on when you start a program that requires 3D rendering. The ATi 9800 Pro and GeForceFX 5800 Ultra really trade blows back and forth. Each card is better in a specific area than the other. I've always been happy with NVidia cards so that's why I went with it.
As for the loud fan that is on the 5800 Ultra, I saw a "redesign" of the cooling using liquid cooling rather than the small turbo prop you see on small airplanes. It all comes down to brand loyalty now. I suggest you look at what you want your video card to do, and make the best choice. For some reviews, go here:

Tom's Hardware Guide

im a nvidia fanboy, i love them dearly...

but, ATI has the best cards out there (for the money)

the 9500 is the best budget card and the 9700 is the best high end card (5800 can beat it at some tests but the antialiasing sucks ass) not to mention the cost of a 9700 vs a 5800

I wish nvidia could come out with a good card

ATI is the best right now as far as performance goes, but nvidia is keeping up with rock-solid drivers

i got a radeon 7000 right now but i just ordered a radeon 8500 le 32 meg ddr

I still prefer se they have had a better track record of updating their drivers (and having less problems in games) than ATI. I used to have an ATI card (rage 3d pro) but when trying to play games, it's not good when the "current" driver is almost a year old.

I will admit that right now, ATI has the better price/performance and that they are much better at updating their drivers. If they keep updating their drivers, then I may give them another chance, but for now I will say nvidia.

It's all about the drivers. Catalyst drivers bite. I owned a 9700 pro for three unhappy weeks before dishing out more money to go back to Nvidia. Give ATI another year and things may be different, but for now the drivers SUCK. I'd love for them to step up and make good drivers because the radeon hardware is very very solid; however, ATI has a long and sordid history of making the most fucked up drivers.

personally, i've always gone with nvidia, and as much as I'd like to experiment w/ a 400 dollar card like the AIW from ATI, i don't have the cash, so I'm gonna go w/ a 150 dollar 128 mb nvidia geforce 4 ... i figure, big whoop dee doo, but for ultimate gaming, ATI would pull it in the end w/ the 8 pipe something or other I read about... for 70 bucks GO FOR IT!

Ultimate gaming isn't just about pipelines and frames. Bottom line for me was this: I upgraded from a ti4600 to a 9700 Pro and was so thoroughly unhappy with the experience that I went back to nvidia. This was in spite of the fact that the 9700 is much much faster than the ti4600, and is only a tad bit slower than the 5800 I'm running now.

im going with an ATI Fire GL X1, ill have it by the end beginning of summer ill report on how it performs for games, but i want it for the 3D render ing

Fuck! I can't choose! Umm...err...(goes off into his room swearing)

Used to be a nVidia man, but they really fell far behind in the last two years. Pay $100 more for a card that's as loud as a small airplane, and at best of equal speed as it's competitor? No thanks, i'll take ATI.

I used to be a die hard NVidia fan, but after ATI got their drivers act together last year(?) it's been ATI all the way baby. Those sapphire boards rock. Besides with the new GFFX taking up *2 SLOTS* cause they have to add a noisy, bulky fan is ludicrus...ATI wins, hands down.

It's really interesting how divided everyone is in their video choice.

nice, i'd be interested to see some benchmarks or a rough framerate on a few games. i've never seen a framerate comparison between regular and professional CAD cards. that's one expensive card!

I gotta say the ATIs and Nvidias are just fine either one you choose. The differences seem to be neglible. They will both do what you need to do. I have owned both, I also currently have an ATI in one of my machines and an Nvidia card in my other one. They both do the job. I haven't had problems with either and the set up was just fine for both of them.

My suggestion, check out what is available when you buy the card and get whatever you can afford and seems proper at the time. The technology moves so quickly, it will be out done again as soon as you buy one.

I've always been an nVidia FanBoy, just ordered an FX 5900 to replace my Ti 4200. Comes in tomorrrow so I'll let ya know how good it is then.

BTW, the 5900 out performs the 9800 on the current builds of DooM3, haven't seen anything for HL2 though (which may be the opposite due to the FSAA dilema).

I used to be an Nvidia fanboy then my Ti4600 died so I got a ATI AIW 9700 pro and never looked back. I've found ATI cards have sharper image quality and features than Nvidia cards. Quality and performance are what I look for. So..the choice was obvious. I've never had problems with drivers on both ends. The way things are going with Nvidia, they'll be the next 3dFx.

I went with nVidia, even though i have a 9800 now. The FX 5900 Ultra's are just great but i bought the card thats $200 cheaper and can still handle near as well as the FX.

Simply an ATI

Simply enough, the Radeon 9800 Pro does better at lower resolutions with no AA or filtering on. Yes, it beats out the FX 5900 Ultra with these settings. Crank the resolution and AA up and the FX takes the lead by far. Now, just ask yourself: do you usually turn up the anti-aliasing and resolution on your games past 1280*1024? I guess each card is tailored for a certain type of gamer.

In further news, NVIDIA has shipped a cubic asslode of bad FX 5900 Ultra's to various manufacturers around the world, most of them being huge-name companies (eVGA, PNY, BFG, AOpen, etc.). The card emits an extremely annoying buzzing sound when in operation that does NOT emit from the fan. There is also a monitor-flickering/scrambling issue that usually accompanies those same cards. Good luck finding a good FX 5900 Ultra out there right now; I RMA'ed two of them back to NewEgg in the past month. Yes, that's $450.00 a pop and neither one worked. Right now, if you absolutely MUST have a good video card that's top of the line, go Radeon 9800. If you want to wait a while for the good quality FX's to come out, then crank the resolution and enjoy.

-Lasereth

When people refer to ATI driver issues they usually refer to the Rage cards released over 4 years ago!!! Let it go people! If you`re an Nvidia fanboy praise them, dont just dis ATI.

Although Nvidia has always been a safe bet for good performance and good price they have gotten lazy and careless and have lost the lead in both. They are still trying to coast on past victories!Buying their mistakes only allows them to make more. 3dfx did the same thing and look what happened to them.

ATI for now!

ATI bitches

I have used both nVidia and ATI. Right now I have a Radeon 9800, and until nVidia catches up with ATI I see no reason to switch my current favorite.

Ati Ownz Nvidia

ATI definitly

This is an old ass thread.
Anyway, I just ordered another ATI card last week... 9800 PRO :D

ATI

Since when has ATI owned NVIDIA? NVIDIA doesn't need to catch up, they have a card just as good as the 9800 XT: the 5950 Ultra. Neither one is incredibly better than the other. Certain games perform better than the other card, but neither one is simply better than the other. That's just taking into account the high-end cards...the FX 5700 Ultra is much better than the 9600 XT, so NVIDIA is the owning party here if anyone. I'm an NVIDIA fan, but I'll admit that neither chipset manufacturer is simply better than the other. Both produce incredibly powerful videocards and both deserve the same amount of respect.

-Lasereth

I used to be an nvidia fanboy for a long time until my Ti4600 died. So I decided to try ATI and got an AIW 9700 pro and never looked back. I heard horror stories about their drivers but never had any problems. I've found the picture and color quality of ATI cards to be so much more crisper and vibrant than nvidia cards.

ati = the shiznit

WTF? I didn't post that. Weird..

I have one of each in my computer, so i had to vote "other" :)

I'd agree that until the very latest generation nvidia had the more stable product and support. ATI sits on top for the moment, but all of my 6 AGP gcards are geforce and I've been very happy with their performance and driver evolution/support (the lack of which just about killed ATI a couple of years ago).

Is there any ATI equivelent to buying a GeForce FX 5900 and flashing the bios 2x + overclocking it, effectively making it a 5950 for under 200 bucks instead of 400?

I'm looking at a graphics card for a gaming system and so far, this seems like the best bang for my buck.

Either I'm gonna do this now or I'm gonna get a Ti4200 (cheap and good for price) and wait it out for a bit, but I'd like to hear everyone else's opinion.

nvidia is my current card of choice, good history of driver support, excellent specs, got an awesome price on mine too.

geforce 5950 fx ultra... *drool* i think this discussion will never be settled! i seen it in forums much 2 many times heh, but that 5950 ultra is one BITCH of a video card!

i've got both, ati all in one at work and nvidia at home. the ati software is kind of clunky, in my opinion, but the cards are more or less the same.

ATI, they simply make the best video cards currently. I also don't like many of NVIDIAs business practices, such as killing 3DFX.

I choose NVIDIA because all the cards I have from them do what I ask of them 99% of the time. When they dont I can usually get suport form them easily. I have tried several ATI cards and had minor issues but nothing big. The only real problem I have with ATI is their customer support, I have yet to get any from them. They dont seem to care once they got my money. That is the main reason I dont use them and seldom reccomend them. YMMV.

Currently both brands top of the line cards are pretty much teh same exact level of "Goodness".

9800XT and 5950Ultra , same price, mostly same performance.

Both series 2nd best cards, this is where ATI wins.
9800 Pro kicks the 5900Ultra to the losing position.

So for top of the line, who you can pick whoever you wish.
For general consumer level cards, ATI.

For older generation cards, I'd personally say Nvidia w/thier GF4-Ti4600.

Anything older, it doesnt matter cuz you appearently are not doing this for performance.

I've read completely different. Tom's Hardware has incredible videocard reviews, and their results show that depending on which games you're playing, the 5900 Ultra and 9800 Pro are nearly identical. It all depends on which games you want to play. The 9800 Pro does a bit better in some games, while the 5900 Ultra does better in other games. The same thing goes for the 9800 XT and the 5950 Ultra -- it all depends on which games you're gonna play. Neither card is simply better than the other overall; it all boils down to individual tests that are compared.

From my readings, the only conclusions of "this is better than that" are the midrange newer cards. I've checked a ton of reviews, and the 9600 Pro is slightly better than the 5600 Ultra overall, while the 9600 XT is slightly inferior to the FX 5700 Ultra. Above these cards it's nearly identical performance.

On the low-end newer card range, I've seen that the FX 5200 Ultra is better than the 9200 128 MB, and the FX 5200 is better than the regular 9200 64 MB.

That's just an overview of what I've seen from various reviewers. That's also only including the newer cards from ATI and NVIDIA -- the GeForce 4 series and 9500/9700 series from ATI are very interesting in today's gaming as well. But that's an entirely different conversation. :)

-Lasereth

I tried putting a Radeon 7000 in my HP comp, didn't work. But was probably the cheap $10 mobo HP put in there that had the problem.

My Gainward Geforce 3 is great, but is still a little slow on games (not the cards' problem, I just play more modern games)
Looking into a 9800Pro or a FX5900..

In the past I've had bad experiences with ATI and their drivers, so I've always leaned toward Nvidia.

I currently own an Nvidia Ti4600, but if I had the cash to spare, I'd get an ATI 9800 Pro All In Wonder. I believe ATI does have the superior video capture card.

nVidia in the past/present, but now considering ATI

Totally depends on who is winning in realworld applications and image quality, as of now I would say that is ATI.