Concluding F.A.Q.
Q: Will there be any price drops on these cards anytime soon?
A: Yes. We will see the Radeon series slightly come down in price to make room for the Radeon x1950XTX. We also might see Geforce 7 series cards drop slightly in the coming weeks as a result from the competition. Prices will drop as new GPUs are announced.
Q: Will there be any GPUs announced in the near future. Will there be any GPUs dicontinued in the near future? If so, what are they?
GPUs reaching end of line: Radeon x1800 series, Geforce 7900GT (as of Sept.)
GPUs upcoming: Radeon x1650 series, Radeon x1950Pro, Radeon x1950XTX, Geforce 7900GS, Geforce 7950GT. More information on these GPUs can be found below.
Q: What's the difference between different GPU manufacturers? Which manufacturer should I buy from?
A: Most cards will be the exact same regardless of who the manufacturer is, however, some may offer cards with a factory OC. This slight difference in clock speed will usually only be what sets different manufacturer's cards apart. Thus, the biggest factor for choosing which manufacturer to buy from is their customer service, provided warranty, and thier overall reputation.
- For nVidia, reputable manufacturers include eVGA, XFX, BFG, MSI, Gainward, Gigabyte, ASUS, and Leadtek.
- For ATI, reputable manufacturers include ATI, HIS, ASUS, Sapphire, Gigabyte, Powercolor, and Connect3D.
Q: How much Ram should my card have?
A: First things first - never buy a low end card with 512MB of VRam (such as the Geforce 6600GT, x1300Pro, etc.) 512MB of VRam is only needed in highend cards, because anything lower will not have the power to utilize what the extra VRam would be needed for. Thus, for most cards, 256MB of VRam will be perfect, and even 128MB of VRam for low-end cards. 512MB of VRam should only be desired from highend cards.
Q: How do I tell how fast a GPU is?
A: Back in the early days of GPU history, one could decipher performance by merely knowing two factors - number of pipelines the particular card had and how fast its clock speed was. Today, however, this standard can no longer be accurate. Pipelines consist of many different units, and are begining to become completely different between nVidia and ATI. With this change, one must understand the full architecture to be able to comrehend performance. Thus, the most accurate way for average enthusiasts and gamers is to simply go by benchmark results. Otherwise, it should be known that the number of pipelines can no longer be used as a performance measurement.
Q: What's the difference between a pixel pipeline and a pixel shader processor?
A: The pixel shader processor is is just one makeup of the pixel pipeline. The pixel pipeline also contains elements such as the TMUs, responsible for texturing, and the ROPs for outputting the pixels to the display. For nVidia, each pipeline contains one pixel shader processor, whereas for certain Radeon GPUs, such as the Radeon x1900XTX, each of the 16 pixel pipelines contain three pixel shader processers each.
Q: I have an integrated graphics chip? How will this be for gaming?
A: First, let me offer you my sympathy, as an integrated graphics chip will not be able to handle any current game out there, and will even have trouble with older games. If gaming is a purpose for you PC, replace that IGC as soon as possible.
Q: I'm hesitant at buying a new GPU. How can I be a smart consumer?
A: You need to first decide how much power you'll want / need from a GPU. If you're a casual gamer, occasionally popping in WoW or the SIMs every now and then, then you probably shouldn't invest a whole lot into a GPU. On the other hand, if you're a hardcore gaming enthusiast, you'll probably want to invest a little more. A huge factor, as well, is the kind of games you want to play. Graphically intense games will obviously require more GPU power. But it also depends on how much eye candy you want to apply to your games while still maintaining tolerable performance. After answering these questions and concluding what kind of canditate you are, and what kind of GPU you'll want to buy, it comes time to do some research. Set a reasonable budget, and explore every single option within that budget, which can be aided by the GPU Buying Guide found above. Don't be Co. exclusive, either.
Q: What's the minimum GPU recomended for most of today's games?
A: Most games today list either the Geforce 6600 or Radeon x800 as a minimum requirement. However, following minimum requirements, usually delivers performance not acceptable by most gamers, unless of course you're willing to significantly sacrifice resolution and image quality. Therefore, for today's games, the lowest GPU I would recomend for acceptable performance at around with decent settings is the Geforce 7600GS / Radeon x1600XT. Both of these GPUs can be had for under $150.
Q: Are the ultra-high end GPUs really necisary for today's games, or are they more for just bragging rights?
A: It largely depends on the resolution you plan to game on, and the amount of eye-candy you want to turn on. It also depends on how demading the games are you want to run, and those coming out in the near future. So, the ultra-highend GPUs are viable for enthusiasts who desire higher quality and great performance at the same time, while the lesser powerful GPUs are for those who will be gaming at a more typical resolution, still want good settings, and obviously good performance, as well.
Q: Who's better? ATi/Radeon or nVidia/Geforce?
A: Neither. Each GPU, regardless of if from ATI or nVidia, have their strengths and weaknesses (some more prevalent than others) compared to other GPUs in their segments, which you can view above.
Q: What's SLI and Crossfire?
A: SLI (nVidia) and Crossfire (ATI) are multi-GPU solutions where users connect 2 video cards to recieve increased performance when gaming. How much performance increases from two cards over one depends on the resolution the user will be gaming on. SLI and Crossfire is mostly recomended for users gaming on 1600x1200 or higher. These resolutions are where users will notice significant performance gains. Any resolution lower than 1600x1200 will inhibit minimal performance gains.
SLI, or Scalable Link Interface, has been in the market longer than Crossfire and thus has had more time to mature. Most users also say that it is a much more conveniant than Crossfire and provides users with more flexibility. With SLI, you need two of the same video cards, and manufacturer, clock speed, and BIOS do not have to be the same. With Crossfire, you must have one GPU, and then a master card for that series GPU. More on SLI vs. Crossfire coming soon.
Q: How long will my new GPU last me?
A: For people who want to continually stay up with the times, they'll usually have to upgrade every 1.5 - 2 years. The GPU industry moves very rapidly, correlated by the advancement of the games they are meant to run.
Q: I want to upgrade my GPU when DX10 comes along. What should I get to hold me over?
A: You are one of many who ask this question. My response would be to do a modest upgrade, spending no more than $200. You certainly don't want to go all out and buy a $500 high-end card to have yourself drooling at the intro of the new DX10 GPUs that will take place in the next several months. A mid-range card will last you well into DX10, even beyond, and thus for someone who will be upgrading as soon as DX10 cards hit the market, spend less now so you can spend more later.
Q:When exactly are DX10 GPUs coming out?
A: G80 is nVidia's codename for their next series DX10 generation cards. G80 will be introduced at the end of the year, but will primarily be a card for next year's revenue, according to CEO Jen. R600 is ATI's codename for their next series DX10 generation cards. Earlier roadmaps had R600 appearing in the market around December, but that date has likely been pushed back into Q1 2007. In other words, expect Q1 2007 to be when the DX10 GPU's from both ATI and nVidia square off. For more information on DX10 GPUs, please refer here.
Q:How much will DX10 GPUs cost?
A:Currently, there is no reason to suspect that next generation DX10 GPUs from both ATI and nVidia will be priced higher than usual. Thus expect highend cards around $300-$500, midrange cards around $150-$300, lowend budget cards below $150, and the ultra highend cards to be somewhere upwards of $500.
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5/16 - Preliminary list added.
5/24 - Prices for each card added, as well as brief concluding F.A.Q.
5/25 - Budget/Value segment added. Additional F.A.Q. added to concluding F.A.Q.
5/28 - Added to concluding F.A.Q.
6/07 - additional GPU's to be added in the Low End segment, information on upcoming GPUs, AGP list, introduction to the list, and anything else that takes place this week on the GPU front.
8/14- Pricing update and added to concluding F.A.Q.
8/15 - Buy, Review, and Price/Performance ratio rating features added to each GPU. Other minor changes / updates made to list, as well.
8/17- Additional Q&A added to F.A.Q.
8/24- Pricing update and minor modification to high-midrange segment's price/performance ratio ratings.
9/01- 3dMark06 scores added to each GPU
9/02- Pricing update and a few fixed typos.
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~Aetrii
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