Which video card?

[rootbeer]

I swooped into Best Buy tonight with my credit card set to Maximum Bank Balance Damage mode and spent half a fortune on various items, among them two video cards. I need for you guys to please tell me which one to keep and which one to take back. The cards are 1), the ATI Radeon X1050 and 2), the nVidia GeForce 7300GS.

I bought the ATI because a few months ago I got on here and asked The Experts which card to get. The word came back to get any of the following: an X800, X800GTO or X800GTO2. I looked on eBay for these cards and didn't find much. It seems the card is an older item and may not be too available anymore. Oh, well, I thought. I'll just make do with my X700Pro and like it. My X700 box has it writ upon it that it has 256Mb of DDR3. Today's X1050 just says 256Mb of DDR. I'm wondering what's the difference...

Yesterday I got the idea that I would go into Reno and buy a digital camera to take pictures and videos of the airplanes I talk about in my Sightings entries over in the Real Aviation forum. I looked at the forum for this here at SimV and saw that a gent in England is having a wonderful time with his Fujifilm S9500. That is it, I decided and headed west to get one. Well, Best Buy didn't have one, so I began to look at other things. I have wanted to add more RAM to my machine for a while, so I bought 2 x 512Mb sticks of PC3200 DDR400 memory. I have wanted a new monitor for a while, but just never got up the guts to pull the trigger. Today I pulled that trigger in grand style, purchasing an LG Flatron wide-screen, LCD, flat-panel monitor in the 22-inch variety, p/n L226W. $400, plus 7.5% sales tax and I threw a three-year warranty on it for another 50 bucks. I figured for 4.56 cents a day, it would worth it if it ever took a dump. I am a believer in those extended warranties after the X700 video card now in use crashed and burned just two weeks after I bought this machine in May 2005. I took it back and they put a new one in free of any charge, even though I bought the card at CompUSA because Best Buy didn't have one on the shelf at the time of my original purchase. The LG monitor boasts a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a two-microsecond response time. All I can say is WOW!! over my 19" CRT. I haven't hooked-up any of this stuff yet, however...

I bought today's nVidia card because it says on the box that it "supports up to 512Mb" of video RAM. It has 256 on the card itself and jumps to 512 if you have at least 512Mb in your mobo slots. It dips into the RAM in the on-board video memory and will access the system RAM if it can't find enough video RAM to get to 512Mb. At least, I think this is how it works. nVidia calls it Turbocache Technology. I just think it's too cool for school if that's how it works...

So what do I do, gentlemen? Which card do I keep and which do I take back? The nVidia card says it supports HDTV and flat-panel monitors. No info about that on the ATI box.

I like ATI cards because I know they will play back DVDs. Not sure about the nVidia offering. I have multiple WMV, AVI and mpeg files that my little ATI handles extremely well. Not sure about the nVidia offering.

I leave it to you, now. Which would you keep?

Thanks for your help.

[visualchaosfx]

Nvidia is capable of playing back videos and DVDs. I have a 7600 GS on my compaq and I have 7600 GT for my custom Sytemax computer that I got from tigerdirect this week. I like ATI but I'm a Nvidia person.

[rootbeer]

Thanks, vis. So, which one would you keep? I have two weeks to bring one (or both) back. I need some feedback, here...




I've done a little research in the several hours since the above was written. It seems the ATI card is the very bottom rung to run the new Vista OS. I think we're going with the nVidia...

[visualchaosfx]

I would say use the Nvidia. Although I'm not running Vista but Nvidia does a pretty good job in any case. I have Medieval 2 Total War and the graphics are impressive. I also deal with particle effects and animations and there is some lag when creating various particle effects but what do you expect when you have alot a particles in one single effect. But the card still performes its duty. Maybe get the more expensive Nvidia cards but that all depends on your budget and stuff.

[ctjoyce]

YOU BOUGHT A WHAT!??!?!?! You bought two of the worst budget cards on the market. Both are RAM eaters, and no where near what you would want for a satisfying FS9 or FSX expirance. I'm willing you paid about $150 for each didn't you? You could have gotten a ATi X1950 pro for that or a nVidia 7900GS for that. Both cards that for the money are well worth it.

Rule #1 unless something breaks, or you want a new monitor NOW, NEVER EVER go into a store to get computer parts. Usually they don't have anywhere near the selection you want, or prices to match what the stuff is worth.

To answer the other questions. Both cards are whats called "RAM eaters." What this means is that they do acess your system RAM to steal up to 512MB of RAM. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING! It will slow down your system, and dosn't help graphically all that much. Infact ususally you don't gain any frames at all.

As for the DVD playback, any video card will do that. ATi has that a bit better than nVidia, however unless you are playing a DVD on a 32" widescreen, or a projector you are not going to notice the difference.

nVidia 7900GS $170
ATi X1950Pro $180

Ithor of those cards are going to give you the preformance you were looking for. What you bought is pure rubbish, sorry dude.

Cheers
Cameron

[jimcooper1]

Harsh Callum...but very true.
I guess Callum is trying to say...take them both back.

[Gunny04]

Both of those cards are 150% Useless... at least the 7300 is.... and if its a 'RAM' Eater its the LE... Fanless as well? Mines overclocked at 561Mhz.... 161 over the stock clock without a fan and it still struggles with the sims 2 even. I bought it because my parents only gave me 50 instead of 150 that I requested when I bought this computer..... I should have used the built in, and saved up and bought a 7600 because at least I could run things. HUGE mistake budget cards are, you should only get a budget card if you never game or light gaming if that much (or for vista etc) I learned my lesson. Took a 6200 and a 7300LE to get that through my thick skull (and a good 120 bucks in less than 8 months) which could have bought me a single 7600 etc on ebay. Just take em back and get a better card like Cameron said. The 7300 is worthless.... I'm surprised mine can run my TV and monitor at the same time. Also, Take your credit card online to newegg or another site like it, you can save hundreds in a single day if you looked hard enough, that and ebay.

Gunny

[rootbeer]

No, ct. I paid only about a hundred bucks for each of them. I can take them both back as they are still in the shrinkwrap. Your reply was more in the line of what I was looking for in making the post. My machine is a MATX board and doesn't have alot of room in it. I have to keep one PCI slot open (I only have three) to allow the fan on the video card to suck some air, so a double-wide card is out of the question. Maybe it's best I hold off for awhile on a new card? The X700 is OK, but I want a faster response. I figured either of the cards in question would be an improvement. I am not so much interested in screenies that look like the winners in the monthly contest; I just want to eliminate some of the jaggies and kill the occasional stutters I get. I realize I am working with inferior equipment as opposed to some of you, but I'm a noob and just don't know how much of one I really am. I come from the days when an 8088 chip and dual, half-height floppies was state of the art. I remember when a 1Mb HD was $500. Most of you would scratch your heads at hearing that...

So, now that we have confirmed I need to choose yet another card, where do we go? I don't need some $600, super-duper thing that will blow my eyes out of my head. I just want an improvement over what I have now. Please be gentle in your recommendations...

[Gunny04]

buy a 7600GT (Runs most everything in DX9 reasonably) or wait for the midrange DX10 cards to come along and get one of those (From what I can gather they will be 200 bucks or less hopefully upon release in a few months) and they will be the size of the 7300 or 7600 I believe. I reckon if you need a card asap buy a 7600 for cheap or what CT recommended. Personally I would deal with what you have until DX10 midrange came along, then you'd be good for a few years!

Gunny

[visualchaosfx]

Yeah I learned the hardway about buying Graphic cards from either Walmart or some other department store. I bought both of mine from Tigerdirect.com. I'd go there or some other reputable online site to get graphic cards.

Went through that whole fiasco on trying to get Medieval 2 Total War to work on my PC. All I had to do was buy at Tigerdirect and my problem could have been solved alot sooner lol.

[jimcooper1]

For just over $100 you can get an eVGA 7600GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130062
You should see a noticable improvement on your X700

Probably double the frame rates...check out this benchmark test:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=569&model2=529&chart=196
The 2 cards appear in blue


Regards

Jim

[rootbeer]

Thank you, Jim, for your considered reply. I bookmarked the eVGA 7600GT for later consideration. The two cards I have now will go back to Best Buy next Thursday and an order will be placed to newegg in the coming days. It is for the intelligent help I get from "those who know" here at SimV that I am very grateful. I could have made quite the mistake. I could have had a V-8...

[sonic]

I bought a x1950pro agp and very happy it added alot to my aging system I am not going to use vista right now or fsx but it will pretty much max out fs9.

[DizZa]

rootbeer, buy a X850XT, 7600GT, X1950GT, X1950pro, or 7900GS. The cards you got are both significantly slower than your X700. AND they will lower system performance.

[rootbeer]

OK...

I am surprised that a card I bought almost two years ago is better than one available today. I thought technology always advanced. I will just step back for now, keep the 7600GT in mind and look at this again when I've sobered up...

Thanks to all for their input.