sailor

OK, about time to start building my new box. Im stuck on the video card though--should I jump on the 6800, or spend the extra on a GT? I already have case, power supply, and RAM, and for the rest of the machine, Im going with a K8V, A64 3200, and a Raptor 74GB. Id like to keep the cost as low as possible given that Im a poor college student... But I do want performance that will let me play the next generation of games with some nice performance.

What is the difference like between them? Is it worth the extra $100? Even more importantly, can I even find the GT anywhere?

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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato

bltzkriegmcanon

What video card do you have currently? By the "next generation of games" do you mean Doom 3 and HL2? Because let me tell ya, I've got an ATI 9700 Pro and it's gonna run the dogshit outta both of those. With good graphical settings across the boards. And at a decent (1024*768) resolution.

You might ask, Blitzkrieg, how can you know that your system is gonna run these games at said resolution and settings well? I can guarantee ya, no test told me how my system is gonna do. Unless you've run one of the "demos" for these games, be it the leaked alpha for Doom 3 or the leaked graphical demo for HL2, and know for a fact that your computer is gonna blow on it, then don't take the word of anyone on what you NEED to run this game well. It's funny that I say all this and expect you to trust what I say, however, I will say that any "requirements" you hear for these games are absolute horseshit. You DON'T need a fucking X800 Pro or a 6800 Ultra to run these games good. Period. Amen. The only application that would EVER require a card of that magnitude is Unreal III. The guys who are developing it specifically said, "the only card that's managed a decent frame rate on this engine is the 6800. Most times we'd get about 1 frame per second, but with the 6800 we get an average of 30 FPS."

If you have that card, a 9800 Pro or just about anything from the last generation of Nvidia (5200 excluded), you'll be able to run these games without much trouble. Hell, even a 9600 Pro or XT should be able to do these games justice.

However, you may have not meant either of those games, and you might be talking about something even further off in the future. The only situation that would require such a card for decent performance is the one I mentioned earlier, Unreal III's engine.

I'm not gonna answer about how much of a performance increase you'll get until you tell what your current video card is.

__________________
What do you say to one last showdown?
- Ocelot, Metal Gear Solid 3

The password is "Who are the Patriots?" and "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." Gotcha.
- The Colonel and Snake, Metal Gear Solid 3

sailor

I currently have a Radeon 8500--it was going strong until the FarCry/Thief III generation--its choking now, hard.

By next generation, I mean Doom3/HL2, as well as Unreal3. I only buy a new video card every 2 or 3 years (as evidenced by my 8500), and it needs to keep up. I dont mind spending a bit more to get something that will last me, but I dont want to be stuck buying a new one in a year.

__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato

Lasereth

If you buy a 6800, it won't be outdated for two years at least. A GT will be the same way. To put things in comparison, a 6800 is about 50-100% better than a Radeon 9800 Pro. A GT is about 100-150 % better than a Radeon 9800 Pro. The Ultra is 150-250% better, and an Ultra Extreme is 150-300% better. The performance gains are more clear cut with this generation of graphics cards (can anyone say 5% gain in power from 9800 Pro to XT?). Spending the extra $100 on the GT WILL be worth it, but the 6800 is still a fucking powerhouse. NVIDIA and ATI really outdid themselves with this generation. I'm proud of them!

-Lasereth

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

bltzkriegmcanon

Yeah, all I can say is, it's about fucking time. When generation changes occur, it should be like this every damn time. No fucking around, a 150-300% increase should be expected.

__________________
What do you say to one last showdown?
- Ocelot, Metal Gear Solid 3

The password is "Who are the Patriots?" and "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." Gotcha.
- The Colonel and Snake, Metal Gear Solid 3

sailor

Yeah, I think Im gonna have to go with the GT... I was gonna go with the vanilla, but I just read all the stuff about Doom 3.... And damn. Gotta get me some...

__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato

ChrisJericho

I only keep track of Radeon mods... so are there any mods out there for the 6800 line to enable to pipelines?

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"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows us that faith proves nothing." - Friedrich Nietzsche