Graphics Card

Allright I'm going to suprise my dad with a graphics card so I was wondering wich graphics card is the absolute best. He mainly wants it for gaming. It would also be helpfull if you could tell me a store that sold it.

Edit: keep it around $300.

 

at this very moment, I'd have to say that the GeForce 7950GX2 is the absolute best. only computers with PCI-e slots support it, you also need a very good powersupply.


check newegg.com

they won't stock it in most retail stores because it's too expensive.

 

Allright what about around $300.

 

x1800XT for under 250 is pretty good and OCs like mad.

if you don't want to OC(or need linux support) the card then aim for a 7900GT or perhaps two 7600GTs in SLi.

 

7900gt

 

7900GT doesn't perform as well when you CO them both and costs about 50$ more.

 

Aswell check out google and type in G-Force or ATI video cards to see which ones ull like

 

just look IN GAME benchmarks. disregard stuff like 3dmark unless comparing 2 card by the same manufacturer because driver optimizations make the score higher for both companies than they really should be(especially true for nvidias 5 series, 6 sries more or les caught them up and made good marketting hype[we were 'good' before and now were' way better!!!]).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_5

 

Allright thanks guys I think I found one I like.

 

nVidia ftw, ATI is ok but nVidia is where the performance is at.

 

Maybe a 7800GTX? We need to know if you've got PCI-E Really, if you have that's great because that's what the really nice cards require. But browsing sites like Newegg.com etc will give you a good general idea. Good Luck.

 

depends on what you mean by 'nice card'. true, the 7950x2's require PCI-E, but there are just as nice AGP cards for other models of both nvidia and ATi. Just more expensive now-a-days for the AGP cards.

 

dont want to start a flame war but i had had 2 nivida cards and 2 ati card

a ati 9250

a nividia 5200

a ati x800 gto

a nividia 6200

and i must say out of them all the x800 is the best and out of the other 3 the 9250 is the best i notice that ati cards GIVE u more power and performance nivida on the other hand gives u less power

 

5200 was crap, 9250 definately better. nvidia's 5 series was garbage.

6200 is low end. when the x800 debuted it kinda cost 5 times as much as the 6200... so you're really making an unfair comparison.


never the less, ATi's price/performance ratio is a lot better and if nvidia didn't release the 7950GX2 as a stopgag stunt because they couldn't compete, then ATi would have the performance lead.

I will say this, before someone makes a claim about a given card, show benchmarks using standard non-optimized drivers, nvidia's driver's are typically so damn well "optimized" that performance is a lot higher at the cost of image quality in thign slike 3d mark