ATi and NVidia, is one really better?

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voodoothe2nd

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#1 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts
Until now, I've concludedthat ATi was cheaper but Nvidia overall, better. Is this true? I know for a fact that a Nvidia 512Mb will probably be more expensive than an ATi 512Mb, but are they equivalent? Will one deliver more power than the other? I don't want system specs but maybe some experience with different video cards.
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artiedeadat40

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#2 artiedeadat40
Member since 2007 • 1695 Posts
No
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Luminouslight

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#3 Luminouslight
Member since 2007 • 6397 Posts
You should not generalize companies, but you should look at the differences between individual products.
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riptoe222

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#4 riptoe222
Member since 2007 • 799 Posts

i always buy nvidia cuz their card descriptions are less confusing and their numbering system made more sence, but now their becomming as silly as ati, so dunno, but ill probably stick with nvidia, u spend 400$ on a card and itll run anything , usually u can tell by price which is best, cuz everything else is just a scrambled mess that wasnt meant to be understood by the average consumer, basically a consumer alienating move, if computers were less overly complex then more people would be gaming with them which would expand the pc gaming world and give them more business..

but preaching aside, their both bout the same, aparently nvidia got better driver support, usually every generation one is a nose ahead of the other, but nothing really noticable

i did get a nice teeshirt tho with my last nvidia card, so thats neato lol

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GTR2addict

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#5 GTR2addict
Member since 2007 • 11863 Posts
look at speceific products, dont generalize... i.e. an nvidia card with 512 mb of memory is as good as a 512 mb ati card... what if the ATI card is a 4870 with 512 m of GDDR5 and the nvidia one is a Geforce 7950 GTX with 512 mb of GDDR3... the 4870 is ages faster, now, if its the 9800 GTX + 512 mb compared to the ATI HD 4850 512 mb, thats a much more fair comparrisson, because, no matter what brand you like, you can choose any of the two, wherever you find the cheapest since theyre equal in performance
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cmdrmonkey

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#6 cmdrmonkey
Member since 2004 • 994 Posts
They're both fine. Just buy whichever card has the best price/performance ratio within your budget.
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voodoothe2nd

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#7 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts

So ATi isn't really behind (which is what I sort of used to think), just wondering, isn't the ''best'' Nvidia card better than the ''best'' ATi card?

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GTR2addict

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#8 GTR2addict
Member since 2007 • 11863 Posts
no. the HD 4870 X2 is better than the geforce GTX 280 period but, when nvidia launches the GTX 285/295, and when ATI launches the RV 770 XT and 775 X / XT, well see who takes the crown, right now, ATI is king
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CellAnimation

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#9 CellAnimation
Member since 2007 • 6116 Posts
It's just a constant battle of one-upmanship. Today ATI have the fastest single board GPU, tomorrow it will be Nvidia, repeat... It's hard to go wrong with any modern video mid/high-end video card. Just buy whatever you need for your system/resolution that falls within your budet. /me hugs his GTX 260 Core 216
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voodoothe2nd

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#10 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts
So I should have no prejudice when looking at video cards and compare specs for all of them... I feel like sticking to ATi since it's canadian (even if AMD bought it)
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glez13

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#11 glez13
Member since 2006 • 10310 Posts
Which is better depends on the generation, sometimes nvidia is better others amd/ati an so on. Right now the most powerfull overall is the 4870X2. But like i said thats gonna change when the gtx295 is released in february.
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teddyrob

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#12 teddyrob
Member since 2004 • 4557 Posts

It is best to look at the games benchmarks and then decide which one is best for you for the price you pay for it. Is it worth paying £10 more for a better ATI or Nvidia card depending on the price they are changing all the time.

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jmnderson69

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#13 jmnderson69
Member since 2008 • 1236 Posts
Its like saying an apple is better than a banana, its all down to individual taste and preference.
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RayvinAzn

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#14 RayvinAzn
Member since 2004 • 12552 Posts
Its like saying an apple is better than a banana, its all down to individual taste and preference.jmnderson69
More like saying Honda is better than Toyota. The S2000 might be better than the Corolla, but the Supra is better than the S2000, while the NSX is better than the Supra, etc. They have a range of good products that have theirs ups and downs.
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swehunt

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#15 swehunt
Member since 2008 • 3637 Posts

i always buy nvidia cuz their card descriptions are less confusing and their numbering system made more sence, but now their becomming as silly as ati, so dunno, but ill probably stick with nvidia, u spend 400$ on a card and itll run anything , usually u can tell by price which is best, cuz everything else is just a scrambled mess that wasnt meant to be understood by the average consumer, basically a consumer alienating move, if computers were less overly complex then more people would be gaming with them which would expand the pc gaming world and give them more business..

but preaching aside, their both bout the same, aparently nvidia got better driver support, usually every generation one is a nose ahead of the other, but nothing really noticable

i did get a nice teeshirt tho with my last nvidia card, so thats neato lol

riptoe222

You really should open your mind a bit, sounds like you haven't been really open minded.

First, the numbering system on Nvidia is very comfusing.

For ex, 8800gt is better than 8800gts, but 8800gts (new one) is better than both.

8800gts (new one) got a oc and became a 9800gtx while our beloved 8800gt became a 9800gt, basicly nothing else but diffrent names on the sticker.

After the release of the HD4850 from ATI Nvidia decided to make a better competitor of the 9800gtx and refined it and put an + after it, cos seeing the + would make any kid know this is the card to get.

And same of the GTX260 when the HD4870 launched, cos being able to make the card a strong competitor they maked a special gpu with 216 cores and make'd the GTX260 to an GTX260 216, this is brilliant, now evryone know the GTX260 is faster than the HD4870 rigth? ( or is it just the 216?, hmm. )

So about the naming is a really comfusing thing about nvidia.

ATI make much more sence in nameing the cards so anyone know what card is better.

And one thing is comfusing me lately, many people talking about the drivers of nvidia to be better than the counterpart, for me this is just a useless argument, i can't say iv'e had more trubble with ATIs drivers than Nvidias. And the nvlddmkm.dll stopped working problem is all over the web.

But talking about Linux is a whole other discuss, Nvidia have better Linux drivers for sure, ati is pickin up the paste slowly but are still behind on that point, but my guess is you're not talking about that?

I really don't care about ATI or Nvidia i buy my cards with carefull reading of reviews and benchmarks, performance is king, and price comes as a big pros also, both ATI and Nvidia compete in performance and price, they usally match up really nice, but naming cards in a better mannor really could make nvidia a favour,.. so that the poor kid's with an 8800gt dont go buy an 9800gt thinking it'll be any better.

T-shirts are nice, i'd like one to. ;) But I couldn't care less if i'd get one or not if i'm shopping for a new graphic card.

Im not trying to tell one or another is better, im saying this is just bad arguments.

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X360PS3AMD05

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#16 X360PS3AMD05
Member since 2005 • 36320 Posts
I would wait for power consumption and pricing on the new GTX265/285 then make a comparison. I think Nvidia will come out on top.
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voodoothe2nd

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#17 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts
I'm starting to feel as if my 8800gt is getting old. Well, in the computer industry it is. Come to think of it, is it possible to overclock a video card? I'm guessing you can't, but...
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BumFluff122

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#18 BumFluff122
Member since 2004 • 14853 Posts
I'm starting to feel as if my 8800gt is getting old. Well, in the computer industry it is. Come to think of it, is it possible to overclock a video card? I'm guessing you can't, but...voodoothe2nd
I'm not in any way a hardware expert so someone please correct me if I'm wrong but companies who make video cards often sell overclocked editions. I myself bought a BFG GTX 280 OC edition recently. SO I think it is possible (Though I don't know how to do it myself)
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#19 Neo_revolution7
Member since 2008 • 2088 Posts
in all actuallity both companies are going to be battling for the top spot so it will never really be over till one goes out of busniess wich will not be for a long time lol butboth companies do come out with great gpu's only thing im sometimes disappointed about ati is there drivers but there cards make up for it
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teddyrob

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#20 teddyrob
Member since 2004 • 4557 Posts

I'm starting to feel as if my 8800gt is getting old. Well, in the computer industry it is. Come to think of it, is it possible to overclock a video card? I'm guessing you can't, but...voodoothe2nd

Don't bother you are not going to start getting the performance of a 280GTX by overclocking.

You got the same card as me 8800GT. It's fine for all my needs up to 1600x1200 my monitors max.

I got 10700 32mark06 when I overclocked my CPU 13000. I prefer to overclock my CPU rather than my GPU as GPU doesn't really net you much gain in games.

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markop2003

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#21 markop2003
Member since 2005 • 29917 Posts
It shifts back and forth every few generations, Nvidia will be on top for a while now performance wise i think as AMD is having finaancial issues but for that same reason ATI will proberbly give you better value
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voodoothe2nd

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#22 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts

[QUOTE="voodoothe2nd"]I'm starting to feel as if my 8800gt is getting old. Well, in the computer industry it is. Come to think of it, is it possible to overclock a video card? I'm guessing you can't, but...BumFluff122
I'm not in any way a hardware expert so someone please correct me if I'm wrong but companies who make video cards often sell overclocked editions. I myself bought a BFG GTX 280 OC edition recently. SO I think it is possible (Though I don't know how to do it myself)

But, technically, isn`t overclocking a CPU just setting the clock-speed higher than the one the company set it at?Meaning if the CPU or GPU company is setting a clock-speed, it will never REALLY be overclocked, I think.

By the way, is it worth buying a new GPU every year? Is there a world of difference between my 8800GT and your BFG GTX 280? I know there's improvement but will changing it every year get you a better gaming experience? Just wondering.

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Vax45

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#23 Vax45
Member since 2005 • 4834 Posts
Their latest R770 series is a damn good competitor against GeForce, on Windows at least. Their Linux drivers still need a major revamp, but they're releasing documentation on their R770 products, so some decent open source drivers are bound to come around someday.
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kemar7856

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#24 kemar7856
Member since 2004 • 11783 Posts
So I should have no prejudice when looking at video cards and compare specs for all of them... I feel like sticking to ATi since it's canadian (even if AMD bought it)voodoothe2nd
ati canadian? i did'nt know that but I like nvidia better more games support it,better drivers and i had better experience with it then with ati
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voodoothe2nd

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#25 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts
MMmmm, good point
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McJugga

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#26 McJugga
Member since 2007 • 9453 Posts
There is more to a video card than the VRAM. You can get an 8600gt 512MB for $60. You can get a 4870 512MB for $230. They are both 512MB but the 8600 doesn't even come close the the 4870.
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voodoothe2nd

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#27 voodoothe2nd
Member since 2006 • 352 Posts
[QUOTE="McJugga"]There is more to a video card than the VRAM. You can get an 8600gt 512MB for $60. You can get a 4870 512MB for $230. They are both 512MB but the 8600 doesn't even come close the the 4870.

How can you know this without using them? I don`t plan on looking at all the specs on their website just to buy a video card...
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death1505921

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#28 death1505921
Member since 2004 • 5260 Posts
[QUOTE="McJugga"]There is more to a video card than the VRAM. You can get an 8600gt 512MB for $60. You can get a 4870 512MB for $230. They are both 512MB but the 8600 doesn't even come close the the 4870.voodoothe2nd
How can you know this without using them? I don`t plan on looking at all the specs on their website just to buy a video card...

Looking up benchmarks/reviews. I would expect that any right minded consumer would research their products before spending $250.
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BumFluff122

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#29 BumFluff122
Member since 2004 • 14853 Posts
[QUOTE="voodoothe2nd"]So I should have no prejudice when looking at video cards and compare specs for all of them... I feel like sticking to ATi since it's canadian (even if AMD bought it)kemar7856
ati canadian? i did'nt know that but I like nvidia better more games support it,better drivers and i had better experience with it then with ati

ATI was a Canadian company until they got sold to AMD.
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HeyDoYaThang

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#30 HeyDoYaThang
Member since 2008 • 963 Posts

I just laid my 8800 GTX 768MB to rest. She was a good card but came to a rather unfortunate end. Now she is in video card heaven. Tomorrow I should get a chance to try out my BFG GEFORCE GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 896MB. Had a hard time making up my mind and the benchmarks were pretty close between it and the HD 4870. It was the cheapest I could get between the two.