Good video card for $200-250

Originally posted by GT@Ultra+Mar 11 2006, 04:12 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (GT@Ultra @ Mar 11 2006, 04:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--andr3w@Mar 11 2006, 03:52 PM
Ati is meant for video editing and all that pansy stuff, not gaming.

Lmao thats the dumbest thing i ever heard... maybe u should read some info before u make urself look dumb =)

ATI pwns and so does Nvidia and both have game videocards and workstation cards...

Intel cpu is better for editing AMD cpu for Gaming... thats the way [/b][/quote]
Actually, Ati is not meant for gaming. Ati cards do not have smartshader which is highly needed for games like Battlefield 2. But, if you like low fps and constant lagging go ahead, get an ati card. Don't come back saying that I am making a fool of myself. I worked for a computer store for over 6 years. nVidia is better for Gaming then Ati. Period.

Andr3w. Stop talking drivel.

ATI are one of the World's leading graphics card manufacturers. They offer graphics solutions for video editting and playback, games and workstation rendering. Sure in the past, before the Radeon architecture, their rage fury was appalling, but the only competing products back then where 3DFX Voodoos and Nvidia Riva 128s. Since the Radeon 9800, ATI have stepped up the mark on their reference drivers and have often beaten Nvidia on all out pixel pushing performance... and it is well excepted that ATI's 2D/3D image quality is far higher than nvidias.

Sure nvidia are great, if you go out and buy a 7800GTX EE like mine, but if you buy any enthusiast board from either company you will experience amazing Shader Model 3.0, hi-res gaming. My other PC has a ATI Radeon x800 and whilst it lacks SM3.0, as a direct comparison to the then competing GeforceFX 6800, it kicked its ass! Also, to compare the x850 XT PE to a 6800 Ultra at full precision PS2.0 rendering, I think you will find Nvidia walk away with their tail between their legs on the majority of occasions. The only time nvidia won on a benchmark back then is if they used half-precision pixel shaders and unlocked the level of detail clamp (LOD) within the game or benchmark.

So... If you are complaining about ATI you obviously haven't payed enough for a decent card or have it set up wrong, thats all. To say its only good for video editting, I assume you must have an ATI PCI Rage 128 or something! :P

Oh and before you shout out about 6 years in a computer shop, many of us staff here have been professionals in the industry far longer than that... and many of us remember when if your video chip outputted colour, you were assumed to be an IT demi-god!

Originally posted by GM™@Mar 16 2006, 09:49 AM
Andr3w. Stop talking drivel.

ATI are one of the World's leading graphics card manufacturers. They offer graphics solutions for video editting and playback, games and workstation rendering. Sure in the past, before the Radeon architecture, their rage fury was appalling, but the only competing products back then where 3DFX Voodoos and Nvidia Riva 128s. Since the Radeon 9800, ATI have stepped up the mark on their reference drivers and have often beaten Nvidia on all out pixel pushing performance... and it is well excepted that ATI's 2D/3D image quality is far higher than nvidias.

Sure nvidia are great, if you go out and buy a 7800GTX EE like mine, but if you buy any enthusiast board from either company you will experience amazing Shader Model 3.0, hi-res gaming. My other PC has a ATI Radeon x800 and whilst it lacks SM3.0, as a direct comparison to the then competing GeforceFX 6800, it kicked its ass! Also, to compare the x850 XT PE to a 6800 Ultra at full precision PS2.0 rendering, I think you will find Nvidia walk away with their tail between their legs on the majority of occasions. The only time nvidia won on a benchmark back then is if they used half-precision pixel shaders and unlocked the level of detail clamp (LOD) within the game or benchmark.

So... If you are complaining about ATI you obviously haven't payed enough for a decent card or have it set up wrong, thats all. To say its only good for video editting, I assume you must have an ATI PCI Rage 128 or something! :P

Oh and before you shout out about 6 years in a computer shop, many of us staff here have been professionals in the industry far longer than that... and many of us remember when if your video chip outputted colour, you were assumed to be an IT demi-god!

Brilliantly stated :thumbup:

I dont want to be an ati fanboy but i started with this setup in this order ati9200SE=Shit next NV FX5600=ok for low settings then a 9800 pro=teh pwnage! and now a 6800GT since half a year and tbh im not satisfied with it...

My next card? ATI for sure had the best experiences with them accept my out the box 9200SE...

Have a radeon x850 card i bought last fall, and i think its really great. My comp is getting slower and slower with the newest games(intel2.66 1024gig266hz ram) its 3 years old now.
im usually running games on medium detail, with alot of anisotrophic and anti-aliasing, lightning ++

Im really satisfied with the x850 and will recommend it to anyone

(ooopsss.. OK.. I just realized you asked for PCI express, but anyway...)

I just purchase a 256mb Radeon x800 from newegg.com for $175... (upgrade from radeon 9600pro) running BF2 and Call of duty on 1280x1024 max settings and smooth as glass...(even 4X AA) very very happy with it (and the overclock utility - OC'd to 490core/530 mem) :thumbup: Just be sure to get the latest 6.3 catalyst drivers....

my rig:
ABIT NF7-S mobo
AMD barton 2500 (OC'd to 3200 - 2.2ghz)
1.5GB dual channel Corsair Value Select 400mhz memory
WD IDE100 drive.... (upgrading to SATA150 RAID soon)

I haven't had a single issue with newegg, and have purchased the parts for my last 5 systems from them. And definitely an ATI fan