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upgrading graphics card - opinions please...

Kalypso Igaly
lost in the black room
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 20
03-28-2007 18:56
hello everyone!
i'm very new to sl yet, and i'm sure i'll show my newb colors here... can anyone tell me which of these graphics card choices would benefit me the most as far as running sl?
GeForce 6800 Xtreme 256 MB DDR3 PCI-E
vs.
ATI Radeon X1650 Pro 512 MB PCIe
i need to upgrade anyway, and thought i'd make sure the one i choose will be the best for sl, as i'm sure i couldn't continue with rl if i couldn't enjoy sl as i have been the last few weeks.. :) thanks for any help you can give me!
kaly
Delion Leroux
LVX
Join date: 1 Nov 2006
Posts: 17
03-28-2007 19:09
From: Kalypso Igaly
hello everyone!
i'm very new to sl yet, and i'm sure i'll show my newb colors here... can anyone tell me which of these graphics card choices would benefit me the most as far as running sl?
GeForce 6800 Xtreme 256 MB DDR3 PCI-E
vs.
ATI Radeon X1650 Pro 512 MB PCIe
i need to upgrade anyway, and thought i'd make sure the one i choose will be the best for sl, as i'm sure i couldn't continue with rl if i couldn't enjoy sl as i have been the last few weeks.. :) thanks for any help you can give me!
kaly


ATI Radeon X1650 Pro 512 MB PCIe
Ylikone Obscure
Amatuer Troll
Join date: 24 Jan 2007
Posts: 335
03-28-2007 19:22
I would say always go for the nvidia, because ATI has driver issues in more than just SL. Plus, if you're a Linux user, nvidia really is the only way to go at the moment. ATI drivers just suck.
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-28-2007 19:24
I have a Radeon x550 in my machine, and it did its job well up until 1.14. After that upgrade, I found quite a number of defects in work I had done while on the prior 1.13 version of the viewer. Needless to say, new video hardware is top of list for me before I continue any endeavors at creating which involve alpha textures, which is where most of my difficulties are. I'm probably going away from ATI and into the nvidia realm.

Moral of the story: Not only is it important to have video hardware that exceeds specs insofaras having an enjoyable experience in Second Life is concerned, if you're doing any serious building, and work with textures, you really need to be ahead of the curve. Updates can expose all kinds of defects you never saw in your work before.


From: Delion Leroux
ATI Radeon X1650 Pro 512 MB PCIe
Chosen Few
Alpha Channel Slave
Join date: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 7,496
03-28-2007 21:31
I'm a huge nVidia fan. I've never had a significant problem with any of their hardware or software. Just about every ATI component I've ever owned though has had its share of problems. From ATI drivers failing, to ATI cards having compatibility issues with all manner of programs, to ATI software applications constantly crashing, it seems every time I've ever had a major annoyance on any of my computers, ATI's been at the center of it.

There is of course a core of ATI fans out there, so I'd imagine not everyone has had the slew of problems with the brand that I've had, but I can only report on my own experiences. Everything I've ever seen personally tells me ATI is far inferior to nVidia.

With nVidia stuff, my experience has pretty much always been, plug it in, install the software, and it all works.

That having been said, specs-wise, it's hard to tell which of those two particular cards is "better" on paper.
  1. 256MB DDR3 vs. 512MB DDR2. Hard to judge which is going to perform better.


  2. Both have the same clock speeds


  3. Both are PCIE x16


  4. Both support Crossfire/SLI


  5. The ATI only has one DVI out, while the nVidia has two. If you plan on ever running multiple monitors, that's a significant handicap on the ATI.


If it were me, I'd take the safe bet, and go with the nVidia. It's less memory, but the difference between DDR3 and DDR2 may make up for that (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that). The nVidia has better output hardware with the dual DVI's, and nVidia has a much better track record with SL compatibility than ATI.
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Ace Albion
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Join date: 21 Oct 2005
Posts: 866
03-29-2007 01:10
Two screens is way too handy once you're used to it, to give it up.
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Markubis Brentano
Hi...YAH!!
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 836
03-29-2007 03:22
Another vote here for Nvidia

Way too many problems overthe years trying to use ATI cards. Heck I even had an ATI card that couldn't even play the demo video that was on the install CD...LOL

My last ATI card blew up on me last July.

I've used Voodoo's, ATI's, and Nvidia's...only the ATI's had issues.


Another thing is Nvidia has better performance in OpenGL applications where ATI has better performance in DirectX applications (maybe that changed by now, but the last I heard that was the case)

Secondlife is an OpenGL application.
Kalypso Igaly
lost in the black room
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 20
03-29-2007 04:49
From: Chosen Few


If it were me, I'd take the safe bet, and go with the nVidia. It's less memory, but the difference between DDR3 and DDR2 may make up for that (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that). The nVidia has better output hardware with the dual DVI's, and nVidia has a much better track record with SL compatibility than ATI.



forgive me for being so clueless here...
don't even know what DDR3 and DDR2 signifies... ?? just looked at the two options a friend suggested. (i'm computer illiterate - hehe)
along with the new graphics card, i'm also upgrading the memory on my computer. will that help with the nVidia card having less memory, or should i look for a better card as well?
thanks everyone for your help! lots of great information here on the forums - wish i'd found them earlier!
kaly
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-29-2007 05:39
DDR is just a type of RAM.. DDR3 would be desirable in a video card as it consumes less, power, has a wider prefetch buffer, is able to move bits around faster than DDR2 (theoretically)..

Having extra ram in your system will help overal performance, but it won't mean you can opt for less ram in the video card. The more the merrier there..

From: Kalypso Igaly
forgive me for being so clueless here...
don't even know what DDR3 and DDR2 signifies... ?? just looked at the two options a friend suggested. (i'm computer illiterate - hehe)
along with the new graphics card, i'm also upgrading the memory on my computer. will that help with the nVidia card having less memory, or should i look for a better card as well?
thanks everyone for your help! lots of great information here on the forums - wish i'd found them earlier!
kaly
Beebo Brink
Uppity Alt
Join date: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 574
03-29-2007 05:45
From: Kalypso Igaly
along with the new graphics card, i'm also upgrading the memory on my computer.

If you're an SL addict, then upgrading your graphics card and upgrading your memory are well worth it. I couldn't believe how much of SL I'd been missing once I saw the difference.

Optimal memory for SL is 2gb. Minimum for decent playing experience is 1gb.

Get the best graphics card you can afford within SL specs. Again, you won't regret it. I skimped on that part (more from ignorance than choice) when building my new computer and I've been kicking myself ever since.
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Sterling Whitcroft
Registered User
Join date: 2 Jul 2006
Posts: 678
Question Back To You
03-29-2007 06:10
The 6800 is sort of old, I think.
It only supports OpenGL version 1.5. Current is 2.0

And from the prices at newegg.com, it seems expensive...although I'm not sure I see the exact same card.

For under $150 you can get a 7800GS that is easily 4x faster than the 6800. <my interpretation of the stats>

You have PCI-E x16, right? What's your budget? That might get you more learned opinions.
Amity Slade
Registered User
Join date: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 2,183
03-29-2007 07:04
I have the ATI card, I like mine fine. It wouldn't play with Vista, however, be forewarned if you have Vista.

Overall, I'd trust nVidea a bit more. More RAM is helpful, though. Why not an nVidea with 512 MB RAM?
Kalypso Igaly
lost in the black room
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 20
03-29-2007 07:45
From: Sterling Whitcroft


You have PCI-E x16, right? What's your budget? That might get you more learned opinions.


Once again showing my total ignorance when it comes to computers, I have no idea what a PCI-E x16 is. I have a dell computer with Intel Pentium 4 cpu 2.8 GHz 504MB RAM (if this information is helpful?) I do not run Vista...I would prefer to stay right around $150 to $200 for the graphics card, unless I'd benefit much more with a larger budget? I've only looked on the dell website for options - there are a lot of them, and when you know as little as I do, it makes for a lot of frustration. I will look again for one with more RAM, though. Thank you.
Kaly
bilbo99 Emu
Garrett's No.1 fan
Join date: 27 Oct 2006
Posts: 3,468
03-29-2007 08:11
Kalypso, your spec sounds young enough for a PCIe as opposed to the older and slower AGP. Do you not have your original specification on file somewhere like your receipt?
Kalypso Igaly
lost in the black room
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 20
03-29-2007 08:26
From: bilbo99 Emu
Kalypso, your spec sounds young enough for a PCIe as opposed to the older and slower AGP. Do you not have your original specification on file somewhere like your receipt?


Yes I do have the receipt (at home), but unfortunately am at work right now. My computer is only a year old, however I didn't choose to have any extra graphics or memory included at the time I purchased it. (wishing I had now...) From what I'm understanding, this card would plug into the 'motherboard' of my computer? Wow, I had no idea that I knew so little. :) And since I'm also upgrading the memory, now I have another question. Dell recommends purchasing two 512MB memory modules instead of one 1GB.. so, will there be enough room to 'plug in' (?) all three of these items? Please forgive me if what I'm saying doesn't make any sense at all!
I found a GeForce 7300 GT 512 MB DDR2 PCI-E on the Dell site, but it costs less than the GeForce 6800 Xtreme 256 MB DDR3? Is that right? I know I must be missing something. **yeah, like the knowledge required to make these decisions...haha!**
Thank you all again! I so much appreciate the help!
Kaly
Amity Slade
Registered User
Join date: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 2,183
03-29-2007 08:33
Check to be sure what kind of card you can put in your computer.

There are differences between PCI, PCI-Express, and AGP.

I learned this after exchanging video cards twice at Circuit City because each one I brought home didn't fit the computer. The first time I wasn't embarassed to make the exchange. The second time, I was embarassed.
bilbo99 Emu
Garrett's No.1 fan
Join date: 27 Oct 2006
Posts: 3,468
03-29-2007 08:37
From: Kalypso Igaly

I found a GeForce 7300 GT 512 MB DDR2 PCI-E on the Dell site, but it costs less than the GeForce 6800 Xtreme 256 MB DDR3? Is that right?

At one year old you are about 99% likely to be PCIe Kaly.

I'd guess from the Xtreme label there might me a software bundle included which might inflate the price slightly.

A comment earlier suggested that 512Mb of DDR2 might be near to 256Mb of DDR3 in performance but I couldn't comment on that. The 7xxx sounds a little better 'future-proofing' and I've not heard a bad word about GT :)

Dell memory is a law unto itself. I'll let someone more knowledgable answer you there :)
Kalypso Igaly
lost in the black room
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 20
03-29-2007 08:39
From: Amity Slade
Check to be sure what kind of card you can put in your computer.

There are differences between PCI, PCI-Express, and AGP.

I learned this after exchanging video cards twice at Circuit City because each one I brought home didn't fit the computer. The first time I wasn't embarassed to make the exchange. The second time, I was embarassed.


Very good to know! I will check when I get home tonight!
Thank you Amity!
Kaly
Kalypso Igaly
lost in the black room
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 20
03-29-2007 08:57
From: bilbo99 Emu
At one year old you are about 99% likely to be PCIe Kaly.

The 7xxx sounds a little better 'future-proofing' and I've not heard a bad word about GT :)

Dell memory is a law unto itself. I'll let someone more knowledgable answer you there :)


I thought the 7300 would be the better choice, figuring it's a newer version, I just got confused when the price was less. But after your comment about the software bundle possibitly, I looked closer at the overview on the 6800 Xtreme, and have found that it has extra features that allow the user to adjust color controls digitally (or some such nonsense..), as well as some other 'special' features ..that, of course, would do nothing to help me :). I think I'm leaning towards the 7300 for now. Thanks!
Kaly