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07-19-2004, 09:43 PM
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#1 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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The Video Card Buyer's Guide!
For those who are mesmorized and bamboozled by all those big, juicy video cards (aka graphics cards)
Alright first off there are basically two big name companys making worthwhile and mindblowing cards.ATI and nVIDIA, both are good.(Matrox is great for buisness) First, ask yourself...Am I a gamer or a buisness rep or something of those sorts. Gamers: You want to play all the newest games, or are you fine with the older games? If you want to play the newest games such as Doom 3,Half-Life 2, or Halo that require high-performing cards. Buisness: You usually don't need the best card out there(unless your a game developing company  ) You should be fine with some of the older cards out there..------- Bit, mb? What? Gamers want those top cards usually, but you may not know how to tell the difference. Heres a quick help guide: Bit: If you plan on playing newer games, you must get atleast a 128 bit card to run games at max settings(Not always gonna happen) The best out right now is a 256 bit. Memory: Doesn't make as much difference as the bit does, but still requires some thought. NOTE: This memory is memory onboard the card, not the memory that rests in the sockets in your motherboard. Buisness: 6 words: Don't Buy Top Of The Line  You wont need as I stated before a great graphics card, just a simple 32 or 64 bit will do  ---------- Series and Pros and Xts? The nVIDIA geforce FX series has not had a good rep, people were expecting a better series from the almighty N. The new 6 series featuring the 6800, 6800GT (better and smaller), and the 6800 ultra are expensive but for good reason....they are this generations top gaming cards out today. ATI differs a good bit, they don't really use series but more like seperate generations in a weird way. Most casual to frequent gamers will be fine with a cheap but quality 9200....among the most popular is the 9800pro....used to be the best out there, and is still a good contender! The new cards from ATI is the x800 pro, x800 XT, and the x800 XT Platinum Edition I beleive. --------------- Third Party companys Alot of third party companys make quality cards here are some of the most popular: nVIDIA Chaintech eVGA Asus PNY ATI: Sapphire Hercules Powercolor Abit ------------------- Bottlenecks Make sure your graphics card can run at it's full potential, you dont want a $400 card to play like a $50 card. Get a quality and high ghz processer from AMD or Intel...... ----------------- RAM Gamers, your computer will need atleast 256mb ram to play some older games, and will need 512 to play the newer games. I and many others recommend 1024, but it's your decision! Buisness: Use either 256mb or about 320mb.....unless your running big computer-heavy programs like CAD or something, stick with a lower amount. RAM good and bad list: Good for overclocking: Crucial Kingston HyperX Corsair Geil OCZ Great for Buisness: Corsair Kingston ValueRAM Crucial Unproven: Simpletech Rosewill and any more that's not on the above list -------------------------------------- AGP or PCI-e Am I going on a budget or wanting to get into the future? If your on a budgut then get a AGP slot video card, but if your going with the future, get a PCI-Express card such as the ATI x800 XT Platinum Edition. NOTE: Make sure your motherboard is compatible with your video card! That Concludes the VCBG! Comments Appreciated !Good Luck everyone! 
Last edited by 8raker; 07-20-2004 at 09:24 AM. Reason: Added a good amount more:) |
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07-19-2004, 09:50 PM
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#2 |
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Member (13 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 7,835
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Good in depth guide. I'm not quite sure about the quality of the eVGA cards on nVidia - they have a shaky reputation, though I'm not completely sure. Also, the X800 XT will NOT be released for AGP8X, but for a PCI-Express solution. The X800 Pro, therefore, will only be released in the AGP8X solution.
You might want to distinguish onboard memory from real memory too - onboard memory is the memory utilized by only the GPU, and the real memory rests in DIMM sockets . You forgot Matrox - generally the best business user's card .Besides that, looks great - nice guide, thanks for the post .kram
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"For today, goodbye. For tomorrow, good luck. And forever, Go Blue!"
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07-19-2004, 09:57 PM
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#3 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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eVGA are supposed to be very good quality, I am ordering the 6800 non ultra non gt for my new build
 I made the edits real quick 
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07-19-2004, 10:02 PM
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#4 | |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,315
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Quote:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...131-408&depa=0 8X AGP PowerColor X800XT, which will be the last AGP card produced...as in last new chipset. |
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07-19-2004, 10:17 PM
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#5 | |
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Member (13 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 7,835
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Quote:
.kram |
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07-19-2004, 10:41 PM
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#6 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,315
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Yeah it was my understanding that they were going to release the X800 Series (Pro and XT) in both PCI-E and AGP, and from then on go full PCI-E. At least that is what I read somewhere, but we know about how people read things...lol...
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07-20-2004, 12:19 AM
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#7 |
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Member (10 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: NJ
Posts: 855
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This is a pretty helpful thread. Thank you.
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07-20-2004, 12:51 AM
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#8 |
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Certified Audio Nut
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Washington State
Posts: 7,245
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That's a nice guide. I will say, however, that Asus makes excellent cards. I have yet to see a product made by Asus that isn't quality.
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"I'm not lying. I'm writing fiction with my mouth." - Homer Simpson My Miscelaneous Gallery ASUS P7P55D PRO / Intel Core i7 860 / 8GB Crucial DDR3 1333 RAM / OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD / Seagate 1TB 7200.12 / Asus Radeon 5870 1GB / LG Super-Multi 22x SATA DVD-RW / Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit / HT Omega Striker 7.1 Sound Card / Corsair HX750 PSU / Logitech G500 Mouse / Dual Asus 24" Monitors / Ceton infiniTV 4 CableCard Tuner |
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07-20-2004, 01:06 AM
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#9 |
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Barefoot on the Moon!
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Northeastern USA
Posts: 13,806
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Abit cards are also on nVidia's good manufacturer list.
As for supporting system specs, 512MB of RAM or higher is optimal for gaming.
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There are two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day, and you have to have a dream.
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07-20-2004, 01:23 AM
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#10 | |
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Certified Audio Nut
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Washington State
Posts: 7,245
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Quote:
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07-20-2004, 09:26 AM
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#11 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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1.5 is done:)
Added some stuff, whoa that was a long guide....
Anyway what does everyone think of version 1.5?!
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07-20-2004, 09:43 AM
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#12 |
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GFX Techman
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: The kingdom United
Posts: 1,316
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Anyone know if the x800pro will come out in PCI-Express? Also, does anyone know how good the x600xt is? There is nothing on Tom's, which is a first. If the X800Pro is coming out in PCI-E then I'll wait...
fedz
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If it's broke, fix it If it ain't, overclock it ------------------------- http://img64.exs.cx/img64/309/mypc8ursmall2ts.png |
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07-20-2004, 09:44 AM
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#13 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: lometa,tx.
Posts: 1,399
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very good information, should answer a lot of questions that are ask over and over. cloeared up some questions that i had.
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claude intel d850mv 1.6a 512 rambus ATI8500le solid as a rock. intel e5200 2.5 P5KPL-CM 2 gig memory also solid |
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07-20-2004, 09:58 AM
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#14 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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Raft, it's good to help......maybe this will get stickied Force Flow *hint* *hint*
LOL Fedz: I don't think the x800pro will be PCI-E And there is no such thing as the x600XT, I believe you are thinking of the Radeon 9600XT, and yes it is still good for the price and will be able to run most newer games |
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07-20-2004, 10:03 AM
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#15 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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Oh Fedz, I didn't hear about that, well it seems that it equals about a 9600pro, so if you could i would go with the 9600XT
OR....If you have a few more bucks to spare I think it would be best to get a 9800pro
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07-20-2004, 11:40 AM
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#16 |
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Barefoot on the Moon!
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Northeastern USA
Posts: 13,806
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See here about x800 XT: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=104372
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07-20-2004, 01:15 PM
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#17 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Brooklyn Park,Minn.
Posts: 1,864
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07-20-2004, 01:38 PM
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#18 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,315
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I would like to see a review of all these cards, and some of the other older models like the 9800XT, Pro, 9600XT, Pro and such, just to see the performance gain of the new cards.
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07-20-2004, 01:47 PM
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#19 |
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The Boneshaker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,266
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Hey great guide!
Maybe it would be good to throw something in about pipes and overclocking? Crucial and Albatron also make good vid cards from what Ive heard. 128-bit and 256-bit cards......that means the cards memory has a bandwidth of 128 or 256 bits right?
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Leave it to me as I find a way to be Consider me a satellite, forever orbiting I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me Guaranteed ---Eddie Vedder, “Guaranteed”. Rest in Peace, Evan. 2.11.71 - 9.8.08 Last edited by nocturnx; 07-20-2004 at 01:50 PM. |
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07-20-2004, 02:57 PM
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#20 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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Noc, you are correct on the bits
I will edit it to include pipelines in one minute
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07-20-2004, 03:08 PM
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#21 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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AHH! i ran out of edits
 MODS: Do you mind if I started a new thread? |
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07-20-2004, 03:14 PM
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#22 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 461
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BFG and XFX are also companies on nVidia's list.
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07-20-2004, 03:18 PM
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#23 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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Nevermind, heres version 2.0! Changes are in Red
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GRAPHICS CARD BUYER'S GUIDE 2.0! For those who are mesmorized and bamboozled by all those big, juicy video cards (aka graphics cards) Alright first off there are basically two big name companys making worthwhile and mindblowing cards.ATI and nVIDIA, both are good.(Matrox is great for buisness) First, ask yourself...Am I a gamer or a buisness rep or something of those sorts. Gamers: You want to play all the newest games, or are you fine with the older games? If you want to play the newest games such as Doom 3,Half-Life 2, or Halo that require high-performing cards. Buisness: You usually don't need the best card out there(unless your a game developing company) You should be fine with some of the older cards out there.. ------- Bit, mb? What? Gamers want those top cards usually, but you may not know how to tell the difference. Heres a quick help guide: Bit: If you plan on playing newer games, you must get atleast a 128 bit card to run games at max settings(Not always gonna happen) The best out right now is a 256 bit. Memory: Doesn't make as much difference as the bit does, but still requires some thought. NOTE: This memory is memory onboard the card, not the memory that rests in the sockets in your motherboard. Buisness: 6 words: Don't Buy Top Of The Line You wont need as I stated before a great graphics card, just a simple 32 or 64 bit will do ---------- Series and Pros and Xts? The nVIDIA geforce FX series has not had a good rep, people were expecting a better series from the almighty N. The new 6 series featuring the 6800, 6800GT (better and smaller), and the 6800 ultra are expensive but for good reason....they are this generations top gaming cards out today. ATI differs a good bit, they don't really use series but more like seperate generations in a weird way. Most casual to frequent gamers will be fine with a cheap but quality 9200....among the most popular is the 9800pro....used to be the best out there, and is still a good contender! The new cards from ATI is the x800 pro, x800 XT, and the x800 XT Platinum Edition I beleive. --------------- Third Party companys Alot of third party companys make quality cards here are some of the most popular: nVIDIA Chaintech eVGA Asus PNY ATI: Sapphire Hercules Powercolor Abit ------------------- Bottlenecks Make sure your graphics card can run at it's full potential, you dont want a $400 card to play like a $50 card. Get a quality and high ghz processer from AMD or Intel...... ----------------- RAM Gamers, your computer will need atleast 256mb ram to play some older games, and will need 512 to play the newer games. I and many others recommend 1024, but it's your decision! Buisness: Use either 256mb or about 320mb.....unless your running big computer-heavy programs like CAD or something, stick with a lower amount. RAM good and bad list: Good for overclocking: Crucial Kingston HyperX Corsair Geil OCZ Great for Buisness: Corsair Kingston ValueRAM Crucial Unproven: Simpletech Rosewill and any more that's not on the above list -------------------------------------- AGP or PCI-e Am I going on a budget or wanting to get into the future? If your on a budgut then get a AGP slot video card, but if your going with the future, get a PCI-Express card such as the ATI x800 XT Platinum Edition. NOTE: Make sure your motherboard is compatible with your video card! ----------------------- Pipelines Pipelines increase quality by quite a bit, and it will make the client very happy! Gamers need the 12 pipelines atleast for the newer games Buisness, it can be almost anything there! Just remember, more pipelines doesn't always mean better graphics! That Concludes the VCBG! Comments Appreciated! Good Luck everyone!
Last edited by 8raker; 07-20-2004 at 05:20 PM. |
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07-20-2004, 03:41 PM
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#24 |
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Member (13 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 7,835
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Actually, beg to differ on the pipelines. Most cards out there only have 4 rendering pipelines, and play games fine - the Radeon 9600s are 4 pipes, but the Radeon 9500 Pro and above have the 8 pipeline structure. It's necessary to have at least four pipelines, not 12 - haven't seen them until the release of the Radeon X800 Pro!
Be sure to point out that the XT series on the FX cards aren't real XTs...that's kinda confusing. Nice guide though - again, thanks for the post - I've been meaning to post something like this, haven't gotten around to it .kram |
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07-20-2004, 04:49 PM
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#25 |
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Folding For PCMech
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: San Dimas, CA
Posts: 3,136
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Great work 8raker. Lots of good information.
One thing I noticed is that you added some text in a yellow green color, do you think you could change that to an easier to read color? Because not all members have perfect eyesight, and it's a lot of strain on the eyes to try to read such a light color on a fairly light background. |
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07-20-2004, 05:11 PM
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#26 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 104
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Sure thing bigandy!
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07-20-2004, 11:41 PM
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#27 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Asia-Singapore
Posts: 461
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It's been a while since I have seen a good post on graphics cards today.
Great job 8raker!!! |
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07-20-2004, 11:44 PM
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#28 | ||
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Barefoot on the Moon!
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Northeastern USA
Posts: 13,806
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Quote:
Quote:
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07-21-2004, 08:30 AM
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#29 |
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The Boneshaker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,266
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The 9600 series has 4 rendering pipelines. The 9500, 9700, 9800 series has 8 pipelines. This is also why the 9500 pro could be softmodded to a 9700, get a great overclock, and performed better than the 9600 pro. The x800 has 16 parallel pixel pipelines. The pipelines allow for more rendering effects to be sent per clock cycle is my understanding. Basically the more pipes the better from what I can find, as cards with more pipes give better performance.
Heres some info on how the pipelines work: http://www.ati.com/developer/sdk/RAD...fo/Design.html |
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07-21-2004, 08:55 PM
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#30 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 336
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Your comment:
you must get at least a 128 bit card to run games at max settings(Not always gonna happen) The best out right now is a 256 bit. I'm looking for a used 9800 card. I know that the card is available in both 128 and 256 bit. How can I tell which card has the 256 bit? There are many cards out there without any documentation, no box, no manual etc, even some OEM cards come only with an antistatic bag. Is there a quick way to ID the card? Bugnut
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