Lasereth

I figured since there were so many threads on TFP about which videocard to buy, I may as well start a videocard buyer's guide. This will be updated when newer videocards come out (if they're worthy of my list!! ).

An explanation of NVIDIA and ATI's naming schemes is needed. Let's pretend NVIDIA and ATI have three levels of one videocard. A lesser version, a normal version, and a super version. ATI's videocards are named like the following:

ATI Radeon 9600 SE
ATI Radeon 9600
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
ATI Radeon 9600 XT

Those videocards are better in performance as the list goes down. The SE is the worst and the XT is the best, even though they're all Radeon 9600's.

Here's NVIDIA's naming scheme:

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 XT/LE/SE
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Ultra

The XT is the worst of the cards instead of the best concerning NVIDIA! Keep in mind that this is a general naming scheme. It does vary on certain videocards, but typically follows the aformentioned guidelines.

*EDIT* ATI is beginning to go against their standard naming scheme and is introducing completely new names such as XL and GT/GTO. If you have a question about any of these types of cards, just send me a PM.

Let's start with a few basics about the actual videocard. First off, the memory on a videocard does not give a clue as to how powerful the videocard is! This is a common misconception that many videocard buyers have. A 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 is not a good videocard. A simple 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 4 TI4200 will run circles around it even though it only has 64 MB of RAM on it.

What really matters is the amount of pixel pipelines on the videocard (4, 8, 12, 16, etc.), the memory interface (128-bit, 256-bit, etc.) as well as the core clock speed and memory clock speed (MHz). This information is rarely given on videocard boxes...if it is, it's vague and misleading. So as of now, we all know to forget how much RAM the videocard has and concentrate on the pipelines, memory interface, and speed of the card.

For example: let's take a look at the high and mighty GeForce FX 5200 256 MB vs the little GeForce 4 TI4200 64 MB. The TI4200's speed is 250 MHz/500 MHz (core and memory speeds). It has 4x2 pixel pipelines. The FX 5200 has 4x1 pipelines, even though it's newer! The speed of the FX 5200 is 250/400 MHz...slower than the TI4200.

This is why a 64 MB videocard is more powerful than a 256 MB videocard.

Now on to the real fun part: the actual videocard buyer's guide! I'll divide each section into prices for every budget gamer. This guide is designed COMPLETELY from www.newegg.com . I consider NewEgg to be the very best in PC reselling, mainly due to their incredible RMA policies and tech support. If you use www.pricewatch.com , make absolute sure to check the company on www.resellerratings.com first.





Every card on this list is worthy of a purchase but the bold videocards are the best deals out there right now for that price point.

• $50-$99
• Radeon HD 3650 ($50)
• GeForce 8600 GTS ($50)
• Radeon HD 4670 ($75)
• GeForce 9600 GSO ($80)
• Radeon HD 3870 ($90)
• GeForce 9600 GT ($95)
  
  

• $100-$149
• Radeon HD 4830 ($110)
• GeForce 9800 GT ($115)
• GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB ($120)

• $150-$199
• Radeon HD 4850 ($150, arguably the best deal on the market)
• GeForce 9800 GTX ($150, 4850 is a better deal)
• 2x GeForce 9600 GSOs in SLI ($170)
• 2x Radeon HD 3850s in Crossfire ($170)
• GeForce 9800 GTX+ ($175, Radeon HD 4850 is a better deal)
• Radeon HD 4870 ($190)

• $200-$299
• GeForce GTX 260 ($215)
• 2x GeForce 8800 GTs in SLI ($220)
• Radeon HD 4870 1 GB ($240)
• GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 ($250)

• $300-$399
• 2x Radeon HD 4850s in Crossfire ($300)

• $400+
• Radeon HD 4870 X2 ($490, best videocard on the market)

6/19/08 NOTE: SLI and Crossfire setups are being supported in more and more games. Almost every major PC game supports dual videocards. While many (if not most) systems cannot support dual videocards, I'm required to put these setups in my guide because of the price to performance ratio they have. In many cases an SLI or Crossfire setup blow the competition out of the water for half the price. If you are interested in using dual videocards, do some research and find out if the games you plan on playing support it. If they do, and if your system supports it, dual videocards is very feasible.


Like I said before, this guide will be updated as soon as new videocards worth mentioning come out. If there's any errors in the guide, or if anyone has any questions concerning videocards in general, feel free to ask! This isn't meant to eliminate videocard threads, but it'll at least give people a steer in the right direction.

the_marq

Thanks Lasereth, since I have learned my one thing for today I can now fold up my tent and go home.

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#3 in a series

pandafaye

I was wondering when you'd do this. Nice list.

bltzkriegmcanon

Hear hear, I call for a damn sticky for this business!

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Dragonlich

I'd suggest adding the Nvidia 6800LE in the $200-$250 range. If you can find it...

I dunno how it compares to the 6600, but it beats the 9800 pro hands down (6900 vs 5700 3Dmark03 score). We sell them for 199 Euros a pop, the same as the 9800 pro.

soopafreek

superb job!

i was really starting to get confused with all the seemingly random names of all the video cards.... for me, picking out a video card is almost as stressful as picking out a great bottle of wine.

thanks for sharing the knowledge!

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Lasereth

If you can find me gaming benchmarks on a reputable site, I'll definitely add it. I haven't seen any 6800LE's benchmarked, so I can't give an opinion on it. Considering how powerful the 6800 is price-wise, the LE is probably a contender.

-Lasereth

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mrap1

Great guide, it certainly helps clear things up. Why do they bother adding all these non-sensical initials to the same number? Instead of having a 9600SE, regular, pro, and XT why not do a clear naming scheme like 9600, 9620, 9640, 9660 or something similar that can be easily understood and differentiated by consumers?

spindles

I think they want confused customers. You have to remember that a large portion of computer buyers have absolutely no clue, will see a brand and go yep!

Classic (but old) example - Nvidia put out the Gforce4 mx440, which from my understanding was a gforce2 card with a 4 chip on it. I bet they sold heaps on the name alone , plus it was significantly cheaper than the 4 ti4200 cards they were REAL gforce 4's.

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Lasereth

spindles has it right. They do it to let the people who spend $70 on a new videocard think they're getting a blazing fast Third Echelon model. My favorite is the GeForce FX 5200 256 MB that I mentioned in my guide...a true instance of "Wow mom, that card has 256 MB's of memories!!!!! let me have it please!!!"

-Lasereth

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Redjake

hey mods!!! sticky this!!!

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The Phenomenon

Great guide man, I hope its made sticky!

basmoq

you forgot the AIW Radeons

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Lasereth

This guide is meant for gamers. Anyone who's getting an AIW knows what they're getting anyway. Most gamers wouldn't wanna pay $300 for a 9800 Pro just to have the AIW options.

-Lasereth

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R3d

a mod should definately sticky this thread.. there's always q's about vid cards

SiNai

This is a great thread, good work Lasereth! Can't think of anything to add to it, except a possible explination of PCI-X cards.

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redarrow

I got my Geforce 3 Ti500 for $30.. however it was a refurb and I had to mod the fan for it to work.

portwineboy

Nicely done.

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Nafter

You can flash x800 pro radeons to the 16 pipe XT PE if your into that, saves some cash and pushes it ahead of the 6800GT nvidia in the price range

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Lasereth

My 6800 GT is overclocked to 420/1150 without a flash. Just coolbits settings. That puts it ahead of 6800 Ultra status. Both are still good deals.

-Lasereth

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Mondak

Here is your test then: I don't want to spend a lot and was hoping to spend around $50 to upgrade my GeForce3 Ti200. I found this on NewEgg for $85. Although it is more than I wanted to spend, it seems like a great deal. Any thoughts?

Albatron nVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP Model "5600CP" -RETAIL

Thanks a lot for the guide. You are the SOURCE for all that is video cards. Good luck keeping this updated.

I second the sticky motion . . .

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Bigwahzoo

Nice job on the list. This is definitely a very useful tool for all of us.

nanofever

Nice information in this thread. My only suggestion would be that you take each video card name and make it a hyperlink to newegg's picture or page for that particular card.

Also, STICKY!

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Lasereth

That card isn't worth $85. Not when ATI offers a Radeon 9600 Pro for under $100 anyway. A GeForce 4 TI4200 will perform as good if not better than the FX 5600. NewEgg doesn't sell GF4 TI's anymore ( ) but you can find them at other Internet stores. The FX 5600 wouldn't be a bad choice for a low budget, I'm simply saying that there is better for under $100. If you don't want a Radeon 9600 Pro or GF 4, then the FX 5600 is fine. Don't expect it too perform too much better than your GF3 though!

-Lasereth

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Silverbrain

Lasereth, nice fricken writeup! Wish I had seen this before I blew 100 bucks on a brand new Savage4 =)

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roadkill

thanks for the list man