Computer Junkies - Video Card debate?

[KatDiesel]

Still researching my "new" computer system. Also waiting for Christmas to come and go since I hope to get some gift certificates to help with the funding.



I am still at odds as to which video card to get.



There are soo many variations of the Geforce³ Ti 500, is one better then the other? If so which? The one I have been "eyeing" is the VisionTek Xtasy 6964 .



Then there is the ATI Radeon 8500.



So nVidia or ATI?

 

[JConley]

Go here for a review of the ATI Radeon versus the Gforce



http://www.tomshardware.com

 

[dmurdock]

You just can't go wrong with an Nvidia card. ATI has a very shaky situation with product support and infrequent driver updates (been there, done that).



Visiontek makes excellent cards, not many people have heard about them until recently (they have been primarily an oem supplier), but their cards are extrememly high in quality and adhere to nvidia's reference design (which insures you won't have any "weird" problems that other people with different brands of nvidia cards aren't having).



Only reason I would go with ati would be if you want the "all in wonder" type of card. Nvidia has one out (or it's coming out real soon) now, however I've heard it's having teething problems and the ati has them beat in this arena.

 

[johnrv4]

DMurdock, I couldn't have said it better myself. I believe that Nvidia has better driver support than ATI. I think the ATI all in wonder card would be nice for playing around with the TV, but I have ran into poor driver support with ATI in the past.

 

[Todd G]

I like the newest Asus GeForce 3 Ti. It has video in and out plus those funky 3D glasses.



Here's the link:



http://www.asus.com.tw/vga/agpv8200t5/overview.htm

 

[dmurdock]

Todd, you ain't kiddin! I know the asus commands a premium price (like their motherboards), but those glasses have me mesmerized...

 

[LBTRS]

Gainward

KatDiesel,



I've had very good luck with Gainward video cards. They use better filters so you get a bit better 2D with their cards then some of the others. I've used both nvidia geforce and ati radeon and the nvidia cards have much less compatibility/driver issues. I'd go with a Gainward Geforce3 ti 500.

 

[Don M]

Gainward for video games and for my CAD machine I use the 3DLabs Wildcat.



Mucho games written for the geforce cards



Don~

 

[KatDiesel]

Yes I am aware of the driver issues, the only reason aTi is still in the "running" is its on sale at Best Buy($50 cheaper then the nVidia) AND they give you a $50 gift card to use towards something else. Not to mention it also has dual monitor support.



Still reading... ... I got until 12/22/01 before the aTi deal expires.

 

[KatDiesel]

Theres a huge article on the Tom's Hardware page now... ... like 21 different nVidia cards are tested.

 

[KatDiesel]

Well coupled with the deal from Best Buy, and everything I have read this morning (and over the past few weeks), the aTi has better DVD quality, as well as dual display support, as well as a supurb TVout.



So going to go with the aTi Radeon 8500 Retail.

$299 at Best Buy and they give you a $50 gift card for later use.



I have about 130 DVD's... . so thats why I am interest in DVD support and quality.



So the system is shaping up like this :



AMD Athlon 1800 or 1900 XP

Abut KR7A-RAID

(2) 256 Meg PC2100 DDR

Maxtor 45 gig ata100 7200 rpm (laying here brand new)

Radeon 8500 64meg AGP

SoundBlaster Audigy MP3+

Pioneer DVD/CD rom 16x/40x Slot Load

Plextor Plexwriter 24x/10x/40x



Am I missing anything? Compatabilty issues?



I'll be running Windows 98 SE and already have Sony 420GS 19" monitor.

 

[Don M]

Win 98 is soooo unstable I hate to see anyone run it. Try for Win 2000 or the new XP.



I run 2000 and have had one crash in the last year. The interface is smoother and it is rock solid stable.



My 98 partitioin never gets booted into because I cant keep it running reliably. My win 2000 plays my games with more precision than the 98 ever did.



Don~

 

[KatDiesel]

Ya I know Win98 is unstable, but I don't think XP has enough bugs worked out yet for me to commit to it. I do however have a copy of Windows 2000 thats on my laptop, so I guess I could consider using it?



I dunno... ... like I said I built this current PC a while back and "got out of the game" because it was too exspesinve



Is there only one version of Windows 2000???



Another reason that video card is being bought at Best Buy is its a Christmas present... ... otherwise I would get it cheaper elsewhere



So what else am I missing? I need to get all this worked out by the first week after Christmas when I build/order the rest of what I need.

 

[KatDiesel]

Heres the case I want to use :



#ad




Info on the case : Case Specs



Will it work?

 

[RamThatStroker]

Windows 2000 versions

Katdiesel,



There are multiple versions of Windows2000. The version you'll need is Win2000 Professional. I recommend that after you get everything installed you go to the microsoft website and download Win2000 Sp2, Direct X 8. 1, and couple of security updates to make you computer safe while your online. I to run Win2000 Pro on my laptop and I have found it to be very stable and good for games and playing DVD's. By the way thats quite a nice system your building should be great for games and DVD's. I do have a suggestion though you may want to check out tom's hardware mainboard comparison he did for Athlon based systems to determine which motherboard has the best performance and which motherboard is the most stable.



Joe

 

[KatDiesel]

Re: Windows 2000 versions

Originally posted by RamThatStroker

By the way thats quite a nice system your building should be great for games and DVD's. I do have a suggestion though you may want to check out tom's hardware mainboard comparison he did for Athlon based systems to determine which motherboard has the best performance and which motherboard is the most stable.

Funny you should mention that... ... thats exactly what I am doing right now. Reading the motherboard article.







The Soyo Dragon is getting "more" consideration now..... still reading.

 

[dmurdock]

Kat, when you settle on all the components you want, go to www.amdmb.com 's forums and post the list in the appropriate section (based on the type of motherboard you choose). You will get quick feedback concerning any possible problems you might be in for concerning your specific setup.

 

[WOWZY]

Kat , My next DVD-Rom drive will be the Pioneer slot load also. But I've read alotta gripes that unless your tower is in an enclosed cabinet in the computer desk (like mine is) you'll get really annoyed with how noisy it is. I think that PC World called it the noisiest DVD drive that they ever tested.



I'm still gonna get one anyway since mine will be inside the desk cabinet. Wish they would've made all drives slot-load. The drawer load doesn't make sense. Can you imagine if our CD players in our trucks had the drawer load?



Plenty of expansion room in that tower you're getting. What size power supply are you getting? If you haven't made up your mind yet, a 400W will allow you to put plenty of toys on your new system, but don't skimp on your cooling system.



Hope you enjoy it!