End the video card debate!

[Adabiviak]

Please, gamers of the world, what is the real difference between ATI and nVidia based cards? Let me get some things straight before the answers come (correct me if I'm wrong). ATI and nVidia provide the chips that other manufacturers use on their cards so some of the variety comes from how they implement the chips. I have owned many implementations of both chipsets by different manufacturers, and haven't found much difference. For the sake of this argument, assume price isn't a factor and that all drivers are the latest. Overclockability and SLI-ability (?) are not factors in this argument. Also, keep card comparisons as hardware-relevant as possible. This is the hardest part of this argument to keep consistent and is typically the failure of the argument. Cards should have the same amount of RAM (perhaps one chipset uses its RAM better?) They should have the same clock speed (perhaps one gets more out of each cycle?) They should have the same number of pipelines, shaders, etc. When I sold my 6800 and bought an x850, I didn't see any difference. When I sold my x850 and bought a 7800, there was definitely a difference, but the 7800 has more pipelines, so it isn't necessarily a fair comparison. If there was no difference, one might say the x850 is better. This is the kind of answers I seek here. Not "ATI pwns because the R520 will kill!" nor "nVidia pwns because the 7800 has the highest benchies." Can somebody give me the answers I seek? The only differences I see as I switch between comparable cards is the control panel interface. I like nVidia's better, but that's a matter of opinion, not because it is necessarily a better interface.

Discuss (moderators, please keep the flames to a minimum. Thanks!)

 

[bryanf445]

well for this generation, nvidia would be ahead because of their cards supporting sm 3.0 while atis do not. And sm 3.0 will be a big factor in new games coming up

 

[Asuka]

The new ati cards support sm 3.0 but i think nvidia one this battle just like the one before.

ati already released all their cards, nvidia still has a counter.

I believe the last 2 battles between gfx cards were won by nvidia.

fx nvidia cards lost to ati 9800
6800 nvidia cards beat x800
7800 is winning as of now might be pasted by atis new cards for a short time untill it comes out with 7800 ultra.

Thats how i feel. I could be wrong tho.

 

[dream431ca]

As long as there are 2 large videocard manufactures, the debates will continue...Besides competiton is good for business.

 

[Adabiviak]

Okay, score 1 for nVidia with a better implementation of SM (Shader Model 3.0?). This is the kind of answer I'm looking for (thanks, bryanf445). What's ATI got? What happened to Truform?

 

[Adabiviak]

As long as there are 2 large videocard manufactures, the debates will continue...Besides competiton is good for business.

...and as well they should, but I'd like to see one that isn't based on opinion and is relevant to the manufacturers. For example, I found that it's much easier to find an ATI card with VIVO than an nVidia. Is the card therefore better? Did I not look hard enough? Do nVidia chipsets somehow not support VIVO? Does this have anything to do with nVidia or ATI but instead with the card manufacturers? Those are the kinds of arguments that I am used to seeing in these types of debates.

 

[Asus]

Both ATI and Nvidia make the chips. Nvidia does not make any cards but gives them to companies to make. ATI makes their own cards AND gives them out to other companies.
The difference between all of these models and cards basicly comes down to the model of the Chip that is on the card. What features it has. You can only really compare the core clock speed between similar models. You can't take a Geforce 4 4600 and compare clock speeds with a Geforce FX or even an Radeon 9800. DirectX version, Pipelines, clock speed, memory speed and memory bus width all play a factor in the overall picture. But what really matters is what it can do, rather than the specs. So you really shouldn't have your head down looking at specs but rather benchmarks between similarly priced cards.

If you have 2 comparable cards then you can't pick one and have it be better at everything (6800Ultra vs X850XT as an example). 7800GTX is the next generation and ATI has not released theirs yet so the 7800GTX is alone ahead of the pack right now.

If you have a large monitor then look at the higher resolution benchmarks when comparing cards. If you use AA/AF then look at those benchmarks. Also, look at the games you play. And you can't always count on games made from a specific engine to always run better on one card or another. Most of the time they do but there are quite a few exceptions. Even between Opengl and DirectX. For example Homeworld 2 is an OpenGL game yet it runs best on the newer ATI hardware (by quite a number of frames) which is where Nvidia usually does best.

If you buy a higher end card it is going to matter less which chip you pick since it can play everything well.
It's mostly preference at this point. A lot of what you pick might have to do with other features such as SLI, Crossfire, Temporal AA, Transparency AA, SM2.0b, SM3.0, TV tuner/record etc.

The market is always changing so one month Nvidia might be ahead but the next month ATI might have released a card that does the same performance at a lower price. Don't make it that big of a deal but be decisive when you buy.

Here are some sites to check out for video card reviews:
www.anandtech.com
www.hardocp.com
www.thetechreport.com
www.guru3d.com
www.beyond3d.com
www.tomshardware.com

 

[DrDevin]

...and as well they should, but I'd like to see one that isn't based on opinion and is relevant to the manufacturers. For example, I found that it's much easier to find an ATI card with VIVO than an nVidia. Is the card therefore better? Did I not look hard enough? Do nVidia chipsets somehow not support VIVO? Does this have anything to do with nVidia or ATI but instead with the card manufacturers? Those are the kinds of arguments that I am used to seeing in these types of debates.

I've got a VIVO 6600GT from MSI you just need to check the right manufacturer.

I also agree NVIDIA has won this round and the last one, with ATI taking the 3rd last generation.

You need to go by benchmarks alone from reputable sites. Do not be biased or you will pay the price in $ or performance. I have gone with ATI and NVIDIA equally in the past and plan to do so in the future.

 

[Shakermaker]

I've got a X850XT and I am very happy with it. Together with my other hardware (AMD 3500+ on an Asus A8N-SLI with 2 gigs of ram) it does what I want it to do: run BF2 smooth with everything on high on a 1280x960 resolution. My next upgrade will be a DX10 card. Prolly by Ati coz I am very happy with my current card.

 

[AzzMan]

Does it really matter? Chances are, with the higher end cards, you wouldnt be able to tell a difference in anything if one was swapped in your comp without you knowing one day. The only thing nvidia has going for them right now is SM3, so when ATI releases their sm3 card, it all comes down to personal preference.