Graphics Card (not again, sheesh).

[Rostum]

Hey there, I'm getting a new computer during the week and it's 2.6GHZ Pentium 4, 1GB RAM, 80GB Harddrive, etc. And it comes with a crappy graphics card so I was wondering what I should buy for a graphics card?

I have the choice of a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro which is $360, or a GeForceFX 5600 Video Card, AGP, 256MB DDR which is $260. That's in Australian currency too.

Which one would be the more wiser option? I have around $600 Australian, but I think I'd only use around $360 maximum.

[Doppelganger]

that 5600 is a ripoff... it's at <200 in other places (unless it's only the 128mb version that is under 200).....


GET THE F***ING 9800PRO, YOU WILL LOVE YOURSELF FOR SPENDING THE EXTRA $ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cometgreen]

LOL, find a new dealer. The FX5600 isn't worth $260. It's barely worth $150 at most places.

If you don't mind spending the extra money, go with the Radeon 9800 Pro. It is the best graphics card out there. If you don't want to spend as much money but still want the best performance in FFXI, go with a Radeon 9600 Pro or XT or a GeForce FX5700 Ultra. Both are around $200 and give about the same performance in today's games. However, if you play a lot of OpenGL games (Jedi Academy, for example), go with the GeForce. It's not as good with DirectX9 as ATi, but it has much better OpenGL performance.

EDIT: Oh, and these are in US dollars. Now I'm not sure if you're getting ripped off or not.

Cometgreen

[Rostum]

Thanks guys, I'm going to get the 9800 Pro then. I think I saw it for around 340 dollars somewhere.

[Thingol]

Is the 5600 a 256mb card? If so I would love to know where I could find one for under 150 US My main reason for this is my sell came with a GeForce card stock and have hears some serious horrorstories about switching to Radon/ ATI cards due to embeded driver issues. Right now I am only running a 64 mb card. While it is ok, the frame rate could be much better in highly crowded areas/ allience fights and such.

Basically, what I am asking is, will switching from GeForce to ATI really be a huge hastle? I've heard of computer freezes with pretty much all 9000 series ATI cards when running and opening maps/windows etc. and while my peak perfromace obviously can not match these cards I have suffered none of these problems.

So to summerize:
1. Will it be a huge pain to switch from GeForce to ATI/Radon?
2. Where can I geta 256 mb GeForce card for under $150 US?

Many thanks as always ^^

[Rostum]

Well that GeForce card I found (look up) is around 190 dollars and it's a 256mb. I hear though, from everyone else that it was a rip off and you can get it cheaper.

Can't remember where I got it from. Sorry i don't know that answer to your other question.

[Cometgreen]

There shouldn't be any problem switching to ATi from nVidia. Just put it in and install the new drivers.

And trust me, the 256 mb does not make much difference in today's gaming. Unless games suddenly use really high resolution textures and stuff, the 128 and 256 mb cards are only noticeably different in price. If you can get the 128 mb version of a card for cheaper, just save yourself the money. And the FX5600 is all ready falling behind in today's games, so it won't last you very long. But I think there is the MSI or Gainward GeForce FX5600 at http://www.monarchcomputer.com for around $150. Just check http://www.pricewatch.com for the best prices.

Cometgreen, who ran FFXI very well with his GeForce2 Ti450 64mb

[Wafflesrevenge]

acctully if you are switching video cards I would recomend a fresh install of your OS and everything else

just my 2 cents