Graphics Card Recommendations (UK)

N3f · 25th Feb 2004, 12:50 PM

Hi, I was wondering if any of you are up to date knowledge wise with the latest graphics cards? I used to be when i bought my GF3 Ti500 almost 2 years ago, but now i'm thinking of upgrading i just want to get a second opinion before i rush out and buy something thats going to let me down. don't get me wrong, i'm quite amazed how long the Ti500 has lasted me and i'm damn proud of my choice.. but money isnt easy to come by

i know, and i'm looking towards £100-£160 mb more if something special is out there (UK retail preferably not online).

using toms hardware's ever useful VGA charts, i have come up with the following short list in order of preference, (bare in mind i despised UT2003, and love 2004, who can't love onslaught

so i'm gonna need a card decent enough).

I'm unsure whether these cards maybe america exclusive, tom's hardware doesnt exactly help in this department.
Key:
Red - Unable to find in UK
Blue - UK
Green - Unsure

Geforce fx 5800 Ultra (can't find in UK, seems to outperform everything, i might be interested in buying online at the right price.)
Geforce fx 5900 XT
Radeon 9500 Pro (another that i can't find, if you can find some prices for me

again it seems to trash the UK's versions.)
Radeon 9600 Pro
Geforce 5700 (depending on price difference again may not be UK)

yes the specs get lower, but i'm leaving it open to price, whatever gets the best specs to price ratio i will get. So please leave your opinions, reviews, suggestions, prices anything you have on this selection that will influence my decision, i will be most grateful.

Midnight Mick · 25th Feb 2004, 02:23 PM

Look for a new card out:
nVidia FX 5900XT (Or SE).
It's a Underclocked FX5900 but more powerful than the FX5700!
Basically, it's similar to how good a Geforce4Ti 4200 in comparison to a Ti4600, which means it fly's!

It goes for around £150 aswell!

I'm gonna grab one pretty soon as all the reviews are raving about it!

Dead_Hood · 25th Feb 2004, 10:19 PM

Buying the FX 5800 is a bad idea for 2 reasons:

1.) It performs terribly. The card is a waste of engineering and silicon.
2.) It's a collectors item, and will be expensive if you can find it.

I second the idea of the 5900xt. If you can find a Non-Ultra or XT, I would buy that and overclock it.

Hunter · 26th Feb 2004, 03:40 AM

get the 9600 Pro, nice card and can easily be found at the right price, hate to say it but you may be better at buying online.

N3f · 26th Feb 2004, 01:15 PM

Thanks for the tips, i've tried to cram as much in as is humanely possible with the aid of Micro Mart, lovely little magazine

and a damn useful article this week, apparently the 9500 pro did exist, but no longer as it seemed so powerful its been removed from the market, and i think they are intent on doing the same with the 128mb sapphire radeon 9600 pro fireblade, apparently the rumour is that ATI has asked sapphire to stop making them

So if its as good as this guy recommends i might get that for £100. What i really wanted to know though is the GFX 5900 XT really worth the extra £40-50? and any recommendations on what make to go for if so?

anyway just for reference the 5900XT got an aquamark score of 37689 on toms hardware, Micro Mart's Sapphire fireblade got 34279 on a XP3000+ so again is the extra £50 odd worth it for those kinda specs o_O and performance and driver wise? Nvidia is always good with their drivers but ATI i have no idea what their drivers are like.
Sorry for all the questions i just want to get gamers approvals before i make a final decision :P

Dead_Hood · 26th Feb 2004, 03:14 PM

Buying a video card is much like buying a car. You have to do the research and decide what is best.
Some people put alot of stock in benchmarks, but I, for one, do not. I am happy with my 5900 Non-Ultra and it works fine. Other people would say that I shouldn't have bought it because ATi's cards are better. Really, you need to decide how much money you want to spend, and what brand you want. Don't let fanboys from either side tell you what to do. Figure it out for yourself.

Arcon_silverblade · 27th Feb 2004, 05:11 AM

screw 5900 xt... buy geforce fx 5950 ultra! it's 256mb .. it's form Nvidia.. but if u don't like this.. company.. i would recommend.. Radeon 9800 pro.. that is also a preety cool card! and yes less expensive. than 5950... if ur running short of money here.. then i would recemmond geforce 5200 Nvidia.. it's 128mb.. it's a gr8 card.. i'm currently using it.. my games run smoothly. AI of computer bots in unreal tournmant2003 and other games like QUake3 become more advanced..(tough) according to the performance level of your card!

Deathmaker · 27th Feb 2004, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcon_silverblade

screw 5900 xt... buy geforce fx 5950 ultra! it's 256mb .. it's form Nvidia.. but if u don't like this.. company.. i would recommend.. Radeon 9800 pro.. that is also a preety cool card! and yes less expensive. than 5950... if ur running short of money here.. then i would recemmond geforce 5200 Nvidia.. it's 128mb.. it's a gr8 card.. i'm currently using it.. my games run smoothly. AI of computer bots in unreal tournmant2003 and other games like QUake3 become more advanced..(tough) according to the performance level of your card!

....and don't......ever...take advice.....from dudes.....like that.

Arcon_silverblade · 27th Feb 2004, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathmaker

....and don't......ever...take advice.....from dudes.....like that.

i think N3f can make his own choices here.. people gave thier own opinions and advices on what they think about the latest graphic cards..and thier personal reccemondations.. so i gave mine.. it may be not be sooo helpful... but hey i'm just getting started here.. so cut me some slack

N3f · 27th Feb 2004, 03:11 PM

Thanks dead_hood, i'm doing my best research wise :P I too don't put much stock in benchmarks, i personally think its just a way too show off what your card can do, not how it performs.... if you understand that. I'm swayed towards the GF FX 5900XT atm but the Radeon 9600 Pro is tempting for the price, the gfx cards are just too close to call atm. things were easier when Nvidia was dominant, more expensive but easier

Arcon i know what the beasts are at the minute, but £300 doesnt really warrant the extra 50fps. and personally i dont havge a biased to any company, if it outperforms for the price it outperforms simple.

25th Feb 2004, 12:50 PM	#1
N3f Lost in Post Join Date: Sep. 29th, 2001 Location: London, England Posts: 29	Graphics Card Recommendations (UK) Hi, I was wondering if any of you are up to date knowledge wise with the latest graphics cards? I used to be when i bought my GF3 Ti500 almost 2 years ago, but now i'm thinking of upgrading i just want to get a second opinion before i rush out and buy something thats going to let me down. don't get me wrong, i'm quite amazed how long the Ti500 has lasted me and i'm damn proud of my choice.. but money isnt easy to come by i know, and i'm looking towards £100-£160 mb more if something special is out there (UK retail preferably not online). using toms hardware's ever useful VGA charts, i have come up with the following short list in order of preference, (bare in mind i despised UT2003, and love 2004, who can't love onslaught so i'm gonna need a card decent enough). I'm unsure whether these cards maybe america exclusive, tom's hardware doesnt exactly help in this department. Key: Red - Unable to find in UK Blue - UK Green - Unsure Geforce fx 5800 Ultra (can't find in UK, seems to outperform everything, i might be interested in buying online at the right price.) Geforce fx 5900 XT Radeon 9500 Pro (another that i can't find, if you can find some prices for me again it seems to trash the UK's versions.) Radeon 9600 Pro Geforce 5700 (depending on price difference again may not be UK) yes the specs get lower, but i'm leaving it open to price, whatever gets the best specs to price ratio i will get. So please leave your opinions, reviews, suggestions, prices anything you have on this selection that will influence my decision, i will be most grateful. __________________ You have selected to slap the program 'WINDOWS' with a large trout, do you wish to continue [y] [n] .... [y]...you missed, would you like to abort [a] retry [r] or get a bigger trout [t]

25th Feb 2004, 10:19 PM	#3
Dead_Hood The Seventh Sign Join Date: Apr. 24th, 2001 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 308	Buying the FX 5800 is a bad idea for 2 reasons: 1.) It performs terribly. The card is a waste of engineering and silicon. 2.) It's a collectors item, and will be expensive if you can find it. I second the idea of the 5900xt. If you can find a Non-Ultra or XT, I would buy that and overclock it. __________________ In darkness together, we're bringing the light. In darkness together, we are forming. The fire tomorrow is born of the night. In darkness together, we ignite.

26th Feb 2004, 03:40 AM	#4
Hunter BeyondUnreal Newsie Join Date: Aug. 20th, 2001 Location: ...Behind You... Posts: 6,904	get the 9600 Pro, nice card and can easily be found at the right price, hate to say it but you may be better at buying online. __________________ UnrealFans \| Hunter's Home \| GameFansNetwork \| deviantART

26th Feb 2004, 01:15 PM	#5
N3f Lost in Post Join Date: Sep. 29th, 2001 Location: London, England Posts: 29	Thanks for the tips, i've tried to cram as much in as is humanely possible with the aid of Micro Mart, lovely little magazine and a damn useful article this week, apparently the 9500 pro did exist, but no longer as it seemed so powerful its been removed from the market, and i think they are intent on doing the same with the 128mb sapphire radeon 9600 pro fireblade, apparently the rumour is that ATI has asked sapphire to stop making them So if its as good as this guy recommends i might get that for £100. What i really wanted to know though is the GFX 5900 XT really worth the extra £40-50? and any recommendations on what make to go for if so? anyway just for reference the 5900XT got an aquamark score of 37689 on toms hardware, Micro Mart's Sapphire fireblade got 34279 on a XP3000+ so again is the extra £50 odd worth it for those kinda specs o_O and performance and driver wise? Nvidia is always good with their drivers but ATI i have no idea what their drivers are like. Sorry for all the questions i just want to get gamers approvals before i make a final decision :P __________________ You have selected to slap the program 'WINDOWS' with a large trout, do you wish to continue [y] [n] .... [y]...you missed, would you like to abort [a] retry [r] or get a bigger trout [t]

26th Feb 2004, 03:14 PM	#6
Dead_Hood The Seventh Sign Join Date: Apr. 24th, 2001 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 308	Buying a video card is much like buying a car. You have to do the research and decide what is best. Some people put alot of stock in benchmarks, but I, for one, do not. I am happy with my 5900 Non-Ultra and it works fine. Other people would say that I shouldn't have bought it because ATi's cards are better. Really, you need to decide how much money you want to spend, and what brand you want. Don't let fanboys from either side tell you what to do. Figure it out for yourself. __________________ In darkness together, we're bringing the light. In darkness together, we are forming. The fire tomorrow is born of the night. In darkness together, we ignite.

25th Feb 2004, 02:23 PM	#2
Midnight Mick My Cat is Black & White! Join Date: Aug. 12th, 2003 Posts: 114	Look for a new card out: nVidia FX 5900XT (Or SE). It's a Underclocked FX5900 but more powerful than the FX5700! Basically, it's similar to how good a Geforce4Ti 4200 in comparison to a Ti4600, which means it fly's! It goes for around £150 aswell! I'm gonna grab one pretty soon as all the reviews are raving about it!

27th Feb 2004, 05:11 AM	#7
Arcon_silverblade King Pin Join Date: Feb. 17th, 2004 Posts: 6	screw 5900 xt... buy geforce fx 5950 ultra! it's 256mb .. it's form Nvidia.. but if u don't like this.. company.. i would recommend.. Radeon 9800 pro.. that is also a preety cool card! and yes less expensive. than 5950... if ur running short of money here.. then i would recemmond geforce 5200 Nvidia.. it's 128mb.. it's a gr8 card.. i'm currently using it.. my games run smoothly. AI of computer bots in unreal tournmant2003 and other games like QUake3 become more advanced..(tough) according to the performance level of your card! __________________ [UNREAL]Silverblade[/UNREAL]

27th Feb 2004, 03:11 PM	#10
N3f Lost in Post Join Date: Sep. 29th, 2001 Location: London, England Posts: 29	Thanks dead_hood, i'm doing my best research wise :P I too don't put much stock in benchmarks, i personally think its just a way too show off what your card can do, not how it performs.... if you understand that. I'm swayed towards the GF FX 5900XT atm but the Radeon 9600 Pro is tempting for the price, the gfx cards are just too close to call atm. things were easier when Nvidia was dominant, more expensive but easier Arcon i know what the beasts are at the minute, but £300 doesnt really warrant the extra 50fps. and personally i dont havge a biased to any company, if it outperforms for the price it outperforms simple. __________________ You have selected to slap the program 'WINDOWS' with a large trout, do you wish to continue [y] [n] .... [y]...you missed, would you like to abort [a] retry [r] or get a bigger trout [t]

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