NVidia VS ATI

[TRIAD]

Which do you think is better and why? Thanks for the help.

[Miscue]

NVidia... ATI drivers bite the big one.

[Thrash]

I think nvidia is better for a couple reasons. But I have an ati and a darn game doesn't support it yet. and yet it supports nvidia. I like the stuff with the nvidia like better anti-alaisizing or however you spell it.

[Hamster Huey]

ATI is generally considered tops in 2D display and in playing DVD movies. NVidia really doesn't compare.

That being said, ATI has had an onerous history of crappy drivers - underpowered, buggy, and hard-to-find for non-Windows environments. It frustrated me for years. While these driver issues have more or less been resolved, that black cloud still hangs over their products. I'm not really sure what Thrash means when he says he doesn't have a game that supports his card, though.

The next generation Radeon is slated to be a monster. Doom 3 is being developed with it, if that's any indication. But right now, if you want the fastest commercial 3D card out there, buy NVidia.

[Restola]

I have owned both. And while you cant trust me for reviews based on specs and crap, I can tell you my ATI caused trouble non-stop. They just dont understand drivers...

[Tron]

Originally posted by Hamster Huey
The next generation Radeon is slated to be a monster. Doom 3 is being developed with it, if that's any indication. But right now, if you want the fastest commercial 3D card out there, buy NVidia.

Agree with everything but the DVD and Doom3 part. If you can tell the difference between ATI and NV playing the DVD you shouldn't be watching it on a computer screen in the first place you should have a $20k minimum set up in your media room.

The reason Doom3 does not have a lot of press with nvidia with more then the fact the Ti4600 can run it is there is no card yet. They are waiting for ATI to release their newer cards.

-Tron

[DarkOre]

http://gear.ign.com/articles/365/365264p1.html

The preview for the new ATi card.

[TRIAD]

Thanks guys, keep your thoughts coming.

[Hamster Huey]

The reason Doom3 does not have a lot of press with nvidia with more then the fact the Ti4600 can run it is there is no card yet.

*Shakes his head and rubs his eyes*

Huh? I have no idea what you just tried to say. Can you write that again for me?

As for the DVD playback difference - admittedly, I haven't _personally_ made a direct comparison between the two. But take a peek at Sharky Extreme or THG - ATI is simply accepted to have superior DVD playback. Their VIVO quality is also second to none.

[AutoMaggot]

Nvidia cards are geared specifically for gaming, but you'll find more multitasking uses with the ATI cards... more video outputs/inputs, and things of that nature.

The software packages with ATI cards are usually much better in terms of tweaking and monitor/color utilities. However, ATI has had some driver trouble in the past.

When it comes to speed, the comparable Nvidia cards usually outpace the ATI counterparts by a few frames per second... but in my opinion, you'll never notice.

I ditched by Geforce 2 Pro (32MB DDR), for a Radeon 8500 128 MB DDR, and it frikkin' rocks... pretty cheap for the performance too! I noticed the ATI breaking past the Nvidia cards at ultra high resolutions and bitrates... since it has all that tasty high-speed RAM.

Get the latest drivers from ATI, and you'll be pleased.

[bigsarge72]

Some sites have gotten to test the new ATI 9700 (due out soon), and while they could not post frame rates, they could post percentage improvements over the current (GF4) nVidia cards. The new ATI cards put the whoop-stomp on the nVidia cards, beating them in some tests by as little as 50% improvement to over 200%. This was with all the settings (AA, anisotropic filtering, etc) cranked up on the ATI card and the nVidia card didn't have anything turned on!
Granted, the new nVidia N30 is supposed to perform about the same as the 9700, but it won't be out for a little while longer.
When the 9700 comes out, it will be hands down the fastest gaming card around.
As to the driver issue, ATI knows that it has been an issue in the past, and is working on it now, thus the unified driver set for their other cards (ala nVidia). Their new cards will not operate with the same drivers, but that is because they are more advanced.
I bought a GF4 4200 to put in my new comp (good value if you OC it), because I plan on getting a 9700 before the end of the year. (Must get my C&C Emag first!)

sarge

[JRSJKD]

re: doom 3

ummm....from Carmack himself on video cards at E3......

Carmack: There are interesting things to be said about the upcoming cards, but NDAs will force me to just discuss the available cards.

In order from best to worst for Doom:

I still think that overall, the GeForce 4 Ti is the best card you can buy. It has high speed and excellent driver quality.

Based on the feature set, the Radeon 8500 should be a faster card for Doom than the GF4, because it can do the seven texture accesses that I need in a single pass, while it takes two or three passes (depending on details) on the GF4. However, in practice, the GF4 consistently runs faster due to a highly efficient implementation. For programmers, the 8500 has a much nicer fragment path than the GF4, with more general features and increased precision, but the driver quality is still quite a ways from Nvidia's, so I would be a little hesitant to use it as a primary research platform.

[Mossman]

I think nvidia is at the top of the heap right now....but come on guys...Radeon 8500...64mb DDR.....dual monitors and TV out..... $100!?!?!?!?!?!!?

I love me radeon. Got it when it was a little more money. Actually traded PB stuff and money for it. Its a grand old card.

Jesus, the next ATI card does look like a monster. ITS GONNA NEED EXTERNAL POWER CONNECTION!!! AS IN, AC ADAPTER RIGHT INTO WALL, AND PLUGGED INTO CARD. LMAO, WHAT A BEAST

[Tron]

Originally posted by Mossman
[B}Jesus, the next ATI card does look like a monster. ITS GONNA NEED EXTERNAL POWER CONNECTION!!! AS IN, AC ADAPTER RIGHT INTO WALL, AND PLUGGED INTO CARD. LMAO, WHAT A BEAST [/B]

So did the famed Voodoo 6000 by 3DFX which Nvidia ate awhile back.

-Tron

[Telefragged]

Ever considered a VisionTek GeForce, I've got on in my laptop and its got incredible rendering and framerate. Possible output is higher than an Nvidia or ATI. BTW, ATi = Problems, lots of them.