Don't forget nVidia haven't been around anywhere near as long as ATi, it used to be ATi and 3DFX. Matrox are a company who make cards specifically for stuff like video and design work rather than gaming, games wouldn't get great fps, but for video editing they're the nads. The memory size is one of the least important specs on a video card by the way. Graphics card summary: Graphics cards (sometimes known as GPUs although technically the GPU is just the chip in the middle of the board) are obviously rhe devices that generate video separate from the main motherboard, cheap computers have integrated graphics on the board which although are OK for 2D work such as word processing, the interference from the CPU activity is often strong resulting in a poor picture, and gaming frame rates are often measured in seconds per frame rather than frames per second, they're useless. Graphics cards started on ISA slots in the 1980s, then moved to PCI like other components for the 1990s. AGP was developed around the new millennium for faster graphics and offered a far higher bandwidth. The latest PCI express slot however allows more than double the bandwidth that AGP offered, and even more still if you own a true-16x SLi or Crossfire board. The important things to consider when buying a graphics card are: Slot - does it fit? LOL Speed - an X1900 is faster than an X1800, but an X1300 is NOT faster than an X800, because X and X1 are the generations, 300 and 800 are th models. Memory - 32 (ugh),. 64 (slightly less ugh), 128 (OK), 256 (good), 512 (better), 1024 and even 2048MB. The more the better, but within limits. Memory bandwidth - far more important than memory size. 128MB of 128-bit memory would flatten 256MB of 64-bit memory. What use is having a 20 gallon tank of water if there's only a pinhole to get it in and out of! Core and memory speed - faster RAM and core speeds than standard models give a little boost, but are they worth buying when you could do the job yourself? (Hint: not really!) Cooler: Bigger cards have two-slot coolers, so they won't heat your case up since the air is going out, but you lose one slot on your mobo. Smaller cards may use single slot coolers, but the heat goes into your case and needs extracting with case fans. Make: ATi for image quality, nVidia for marginally increased performance, but VERY marginal.
I am ONLY 14!..I want to stay 18-25 all my life too...lol but I can't...18 is the age to become independent where I live...21 in US, right? P.S. r u from us?
No, I'm found, but haven't decided yet, we'll get to that when it comes. I'm not one of those "I'm leaving home as soon as I can" people.
Instead of moving out you can buy/rent a bigger house and live/share with your parents until you have a high education. Being 18 does not mean you are leaving home as soon as possible but instead it means you can start taking charge of your life and make the choices that will lead you to success as well as not being able to be told "no" at. That was just some advice...although I think you already know that...it's more concrete (ooooo...big word!!) if you hear (in this case read) it from someone else.
lecsiy I've just noticed your post regarding catalyst, and I have to say I find it completely untrue. Catalyst I've found perfectly stable on any card, it's just if you happen to get a faulty card then you have the issues.
could you not just settle this war by using 2 pcs(identical but with the latest NVIDIA card and same for ATI).Run a demanding graphics game such as doom 3 and see what is best?
That's what benchmarks are for, and there are millions of them out there, but the trouble is, results vary from game to game, card to card.
but its the same game and just seeing what card can handle it better as doom 3 is probably the most demanding. Stretching them to there limits.I would say put the new NVIDIA to play doom 3 and ATI wont stand a chance.
actually ATi cards have caught up with nVidia (and even surpassed them in some tests) with Doom 3 since the game has been out for a long time. New games like FEAR and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion are where the real hardware testing is at.
sony probably make the best laptops in the world.for there slim design and manufacturing.Now have u seen a new sony with an ati card? i havent.Ive only seen nvidia or intel cards(in cheaper versions) not to put ATi down i have an ati card and my cousin has a new nvidia laptop card in his sony and he can play any game.not to mention graw and hitman blood money.Even though laptops verisons are not supported by graw.
@ sammoris: ATI is better then, right? (slightly) So...if I wanted to have a gaming rig then I should have a AMD CPU and a ATI gfx card? (preferably) Is my PC good? Intel 630 CPU 1 GB DDR PC3200+ 330 GB HDD (80 GB+250 GB) ASUS P5GDC Deluxe Mo-bo ATI RADEON X600 PRO I guess those are all the important stuff... _____________________ Quote:"talk about the subject "nvidia vs ati" not moving out" _____________________________________ lol...and its ATI vs. NVIDIA...that sounds better... __________________________________________ And is money the reason ATI and NVIDIA always make new gfx cards..the answer is ya...right?
s3a they are on par.sammorris might think ATI is better while someone else might think NVIDIA is better.
sammoris.. for me anyway ive found catalyst to be unstable and i hate it!! lol Ive had problems with it. Maybe its because of the card maybe its the catalyst but it still goes under ATI really.
Everybody has their own opinion, I know of one disaster casde with ATi, and a couple more with nVidia. Sony vaio laptops may only have nvidia cards in them if that's what sony prefer, both ranges are good. S3a, your PC is "OK" I would put it, but in terms of gaming the graphics card is a bit of a snail really. Better than integrated, but not by much because, in order of performance, from your card upwards, all these cards are above it: X600Pro X600XT X700Pro X700XT X800GT X1600 Pro X800GTO X800 Pro X800XL X800XT X1600XT X800XTPE X850 Pro X850XT X1800GTO X850XTPE X1800XL X1800XT X1900GT X1900XT X1900XT-X Quite a long list!
