Topic: About video cards

[Iceman]

So long as you have 3 outputs i don't see why not. That's a hugeeee desktop area though.


Also ATi I think is pretty doomed unless they're doing something in secret. Nvidia (supposedly) already has this upcoming generation of videocards DONE and is just sitting back and waiting for ATi to do SOMETHING while the work on more cards for the generation AFTER this upcoming one. If thats true, I feel bad for ATi and just hope they don't join Voodoo.

[Nemesis]

(Cough)  You can buy a television for less than a video card or monitor and put it beside the computer.

Where is the fun in that? 

The TV is already within easy distance of the PC.  I have a Stargate episode playing right now (The Curse - Anna-Louise Plowman  yummm.  What was I saying again?)

...
...
...  (Jackson on screen, brain comes back on line)

Actually there is an advantage.  The "primary" monitor is shared the secondary monitor would not be nor would the TV. 

[FPF-SCM_TraceyG_XC]

Gigabyte released an Athlon based motherboard that was designed specifically for nVidia 6600GT SLI mode. The performance of the dual 6600GT cards left even the 6800 behind for dead (which at the time was the fastest nVidia card). Since then, nVidia released  a dual 6600GT card, which when used in conjunction with SLI gives you 4 GPUs. No single video card chip is yet to beat this configuration. Additionally, while the 6600GT was advertised as a mid range card, it was the only card in its class that also sipported Pixel Shader 3.0 which at the time could only be found on newer high end video cards, not to mention that ATI still only had a 2MB texture cache (whereas nVidia use a 4MB cache). nVidia typically have always had better drivers than ATI. The only issue with the 6600GT is where the resolution is increased to 1280x1024 and upwards where it begins to fall behind the high end cards, but on lower resolutions keeps pace quite well with its more expensive counterparts at less than half the cost.

As far as the market goes though, nVidia and ATI have been pretty even over the last few years, sometimes ATI has been better, but then later it will be nVidia and the top video card had changed places often. Recently though, nVidia has stayed ahead of ATI.

If I was to buy a new video card today, it is pointless however to throw good money after an AGP video card. The AGP slot reached its maximum theoretical limit with 8x the bandwisth of a normal PCI slot (the AGP architecture is actually an extension of PCI). PCIe or PCI Express is a redesigned PCI slot that can continue that development, and comes in different flavours. The PCIe slot used for video cards is the PCIe16 version (that is, equivalent to 16x PCI bandwisth or twice the bandwidth of the best AGP port). PCIe also has provision in its specs for 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x PCIe slots as well, but very few motherboard manufacturers are actually using them. These slower slots are also physically different (the 1x slot is only about 1/4 of the size of a 16x slot).

In a few years or so, AGP will be totally unheard of just as ISA slots eventually disappeared with the advent of PCI.

[Tus-XC]

not quite tracey, AGP still had a ways got go before being maxed out (based on what i've read).  but since PCIe provides more speed and can be used for more than just vid cards it just makes sense to make the switch. 

[Javora]

If I was to buy a new video card today, it is pointless however to throw good money after an AGP video card. The AGP slot reached its maximum theoretical limit with 8x the bandwisth of a normal PCI slot (the AGP architecture is actually an extension of PCI). PCIe or PCI Express is a redesigned PCI slot that can continue that development, and comes in different flavours.

It is not pointless at all if the motherboard in your system has an AGP port instead of a PCIe port.  If you have a ATI 8000~9000 series video card or a nVidia 5000 series video card than a new AGP based video card would be well worth the money.  Especially if you already have a 3.4Ghz or higher processor.  A setup like that should last for another one or two years.  That is a lot cheaper then building or buying another system.

Tus is correct AGP isn't maxed out yet although the latest greatest video cards coming out (as of this writing) may be pushing that limit.  AGP 8x might reached its end but that doesn't mean that video cards have reached that limit as well.  Since gaming companies will not make use of these resent hardware updates for another one or two years I see no reason to build another system.  Especially since the hardware industry is in such a transition period right now anyway.  With duel and quad CPU cores coming out in the next year or two along and with Windows Vista about the same time period, waiting seems like the right thing to do.  I'm not buying into the hype of PCIe just so hardware companies can make more money and neather should anyone else.

[FPF-SCM_TraceyG_XC]

My apologies, I should have worded that better. In the articles I had read, it claimed that the AGP architecture had gone as far as it could, namely the AGP 8x specification. Whether video cards are actually utilising all of that bandwidth, is of course another issue.

Here is an interesting article that compares PCIe with AGP

http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=506&Itemid=0

I agree completely that now is not the time to be buying a new system with all of the imminently pending changes to the industry in the very near future.

[Elvis]

The current set of video cards still does not utilize the bandwidth of an 8x AGP slot. Other considerations have arisen, namely one of efficiently using available power. A AGP slot provides around 30 watts, a PCI-E X16 slot can provide up to 75 watts of power. A  6800 ULTRA required 2 molex connectors in the AGP variety. Any bets on how many molexes a 7800 GTX would take? We wiil not see any AGP card more powerful than a 6800 Ultra or X850XT although ATI hasn't ruled out an AGP version of the X1600(not the 1800).

[Elvis]

Deals can be had though right now, like this one at Newegg. Buy a 7800GT and Evga will throw in a free rebadged SLI motherboard. I believe the board ia a rebadged Asrock, which is a subsidiary of ASUS IIRC.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130238

Npt a bad deal. Pair it with this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537 and your good to move into the next generation for $540. The only other component that might need replacing is your PSU.

[Mackie]

went and bought ati radeon x1600, 180€ (pretty much the same in $) . apparently the agp line of cards are dying out :p

[E_Look]

I hope not too fast, because I don't want to upgrade my mobo, too if I just want to upgrade the vid card.   

[Mackie]

I hope not too fast, because I don't want to upgrade my mobo, too if I just want to upgrade the vid card.   

for what i see, yes, theyre going out quite fast , now would be the time to buy a new one if you want it to be of any use :p

[Overmind]

Best card right now is by far the Radeon X1900XTX.
With 48 pixel processors and 1.1ns memory, not to mention the high clocks, it leaves any competitor way behind.

[Mackie]

Best card right now is by far the Radeon X1900XTX.
With 48 pixel processors and 1.1ns memory, not to mention the high clocks, it leaves any competitor way behind.

PCIE/PCIX?

[Overmind]

The card is PCI-E.
Very few high-end cards are now AGP, and this won't be for long anyway. AGP is finished.

[Tus-XC]

Best card right now is by far the Radeon X1900XTX.
With 48 pixel processors and 1.1ns memory, not to mention the high clocks, it leaves any competitor way behind.

Last i knew the best card in the geforce 7000 series was on par w/ it on benchmarks and in SLI the geforce series wins at 1600x1200 w/ AA and all that.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-x1900xtx.html  ya based on the game Frame rates both cards are pretty much on the same level.  the 3dmark has the x1900xtx ahead, but outside of that it all depends on the games you play. 

[Overmind]

The score is close because all current games use standard 1xN instructions.
If a game were to support 1:3 mode, the difference would be up to 50%. And a lot will, very soon.
A professional testing program will show this.

[Dracho]

I have an AMD64 that runs at 3 Ghz and 2 GB of DDR Ram.  before I upgrade chips again, I'm going to swap to a PCIExpress board and run a pair of Nvidia cards in SLI.

[Mackie]

I just tried playing some elder scrolls oblivion with the x1600... I think i may have some sort of an mental erection from the experience