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ATI vs. Nvidia
Zak Escher
Builder and Scripter
Join date: 3 Aug 2003
Posts: 181
10-24-2003 06:37
I am not sure this is the proper place to post this, but here goes. Please don't turn this into a flame war between ATI users and Nvidia users.

Here is my questions:
Is there a technical reason (eg different APIs, driver quality, SL design) that players with ATI video cards seem to have many more problems with SL than players with Nvidia video cards?
Lola Bombay
Secular Humanist
Join date: 6 Sep 2003
Posts: 116
10-24-2003 06:43
The cards have different ways of doing things. It is up to the manufacturers to put out drivers which interface with these cards without any problems, but at the same time are compatibile with current industry standards such as OpenGL (ex). ATI, however, is not really known for releasing par drivers. Whats more, some games work better with ATI, and will yield better results with ATI cards. Likewise, some games work better with nVidia cards.

To ask 'Which is better' would be a matter of opinion, as ATI's have the horsepower advantage on a lot of benchmarking tests, but nVidia cards have less problems, period.
Misnomer Jones
3 is the magic number
Join date: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 1,800
10-24-2003 10:23
Please search the forums, there was a really good post awhile back comparing the two at length. I'm too lazy to look :D and post the link.
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Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
10-24-2003 14:53
From: someone
Originally posted by Lola Bombay

To ask 'Which is better' would be a matter of opinion, as ATI's have the horsepower advantage on a lot of benchmarking tests, but nVidia cards have less problems, period.


Man this is such a complicated issue. If you define "problem" as framerate stuttering/lag issues then ATI actually has less "problems". Actually I switched to ATI because I ran some framerate-demanding games...bad framerates were my "problem" with nVidia. Now with SL framerates aren't the issue, stability and compatibility is. Ya can't win...

Maybe some day we'll be able to have two types of video cards installed at the same time and we'll be able to pick which one to use. Compatibility card or performance card? rofl.
Teeny Leviathan
Never started World War 3
Join date: 20 May 2003
Posts: 2,716
10-24-2003 20:55
From: someone
Originally posted by Garoad Kuroda
Maybe some day we'll be able to have two types of video cards installed at the same time and we'll be able to pick which one to use. Compatibility card or performance card? rofl.


Technically, you can have two different types of video cards in your machine. However, only one can use the AGP slot. The other will have to be a lowly PCI card. This capability has been around since at least Windows 98.
Lola Bombay
Secular Humanist
Join date: 6 Sep 2003
Posts: 116
10-24-2003 22:37
From: someone
Originally posted by Garoad Kuroda
Man this is such a complicated issue. If you define "problem" as framerate stuttering/lag issues then ATI actually has less "problems". Actually I switched to ATI because I ran some framerate-demanding games...bad framerates were my "problem" with nVidia. Now with SL framerates aren't the issue, stability and compatibility is. Ya can't win...

Maybe some day we'll be able to have two types of video cards installed at the same time and we'll be able to pick which one to use. Compatibility card or performance card? rofl.


*rawr*, baby.

Fact: If you read through the SecondLife forums (because, we ARE talking about ATI vs nVidia so far as SL goes, and not every past present and future game that could be called into question), you see more video related bugs on ATI cards.

*NOTE: I didnt say you only see ATI related video problems, just more. I'll probably be glad i clarified that.

That was my point, more or less..
Alondria LeFay
Registered User
Join date: 2 May 2003
Posts: 725
10-25-2003 10:00
If I recall, nVidia is involved with SL in some way (a partnership or something), thus it would make sense they are a bit less problematic...
James Miller
Village Idiot
Join date: 9 Jan 2003
Posts: 1,500
10-25-2003 10:50
For all you ATI users, feel free to move to ATI's partnered virtual world -- There! ;)

(LOL)
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Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
10-25-2003 22:47
Actually I took the question in more of a general sense than just reguarding SL, for some reason. Oops.

Teeny: Yeah right PCI HAHAHAHAHAHA good one...

(While I guess all that is true--I want two AGP slots!)

James: Quiet please.:mad:
Ricercar Neville
debates for fun
Join date: 31 May 2004
Posts: 36
06-16-2004 14:36
WARNING -- OLD THREAD RESSURRECTION ALERT!

From: someone
I want two AGP slots
The AGP 3.0 spec allows for multiple devices on the AGP bus. However, the only consumer implementation to date is the ATI 9100 motherboard chipset. The built-in 9100 AGP graphics are NOT disabled when you plug in n AGP 3.0 compliant card. I'd recommend a Radeon 9x00 series rather than a GeForce card so you don't have driver conflicts.
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Catherine Omega
Geometry Ninja
Join date: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 2,053
06-16-2004 15:05
Alienware have developed a dual PCI-Express motherboard, designed to let two video cards each render half the screen. There's no reason you couldn't have both an ATI and Nvidia card though.

See the photos and article here.
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Rakella Guillaume
Junior Member
Join date: 6 Jun 2004
Posts: 2
Split screen?
06-16-2004 23:52
it is much more efficient to use dual monitors
as I do then to try to configure a split screen enviroment

I still prefer Nvidia dual DAC cards over any other
stable framerates great software compatibility
and simple driver installs and updates

NOW if I can just turn off Microsoft auto updates :)