what card to choose?

[l33tz0r0]

i have been saving down money for somthing like 3 months now
and now i face the question of what gfx card to choose
im going to hit heavy gaming soon

i run amd 3.0 +
512 ddr @ 433 hz
DFI lan-party mobo
GE-FORCE 2 mx 400 ( )

anyway
the gf2 is left from my old pc while upgraded my comp due to lack of money for a proper gfx

so now when i got the money i have around 500$USD

i thought about buying next month when im flying to the us getting one of these :

Radeon 9800 pro 128 ddr version
OR
Radeon 9800 pro 256 ddr version
OR
GE-FORCE FX 5900 ULTRA 128 DDR version
OR
GE-FORCE FX 5900 ULTRA 256 DDR version

i heared the 5900 ultra with 256 ddr is a bit pricy (~800USD~)

i would like to hear what you guys think of each and try focousing on the r9800 pro 128/256 plz if you can help me i would be glad

thanks in advance,
l33tush

[ale_x13]

9800 pro 128mb, unless u have money to burn (seeing as u said ur saving, u obviously dont...)

the 9800pro is heaps cheaper than the fx5900, and the 256mb version is just a marketing gimmick

the xtra 128mb would be virtually useless unless u do alot of 3d rendering, video editing etc

the fx5900 is the faster of the two though, but only by a very small margin...

[l33tz0r0]

then i guess ill be going with the 9800 pro 128 ddr version you have any price ideas ?

cause i dont like to get to the us and get ripped off
aprox how much do u assume or what stores you know of that sell it at good prices?

[DanGrease]

Check out this site for ideas and suggestion for your choice:
http://www17.tomshardware.com/graphi...714/index.html
As for my opinion, get the Radeon 9800, 128 MB. Its not that expensive compared to the Nvidia rival, and it perform surprisingly very well. As for where to buy the card, one thing I didnt get was are you going to buy the Video Card from the US? If so check out newegg.com which I consider a great deal. By th way, I have the same video card as you have and Im lucky I dont play games so I dont need a better card, but I agree this card is really bad in gaming performance. Hope this helps!

dan

[tony_j15]

The difference between the 9800 and 5900 is very small. One does better in one benchmark, the other will do better in the next. Back and forth like that. Since they be so close, the real difference is PRICE. If you want absolutely the best, the 5900 seems to deliver. But is it worth the price difference? Thats what you have to consider. I do not agree with ale_x13 at all about 256mb cards. The extra memory will come in terrifically handy with next gen games such as Doom3 and HL2. If you want money well spent, get a radeon 9800 256DDR.

[DanGrease]

I disagree tony
In the site that I posted it shows a benchmark comparing all these video cards that he is currently interested in. Comparing the Radeon 9800 128 Mb to the 256 Mb, the 128 even beats the 256 in almost all of the benchmarks made by Tomshardware(R). This means that why should you spend a great amount of money to get more 128 if its useless? I would agree though that currently the stongest and best performer in the market is the GeForce FX 5900 Ultra 256 Mb. But comparing price this video card is very expensive. I wouldnt consider this card as an option unless you are a person that always wants the best since the difference between the Radeons in the same level is small but the price difference is huge. Just my points in the situation

dan

[RedFury]

If you are curious about prices, just go check out the prices at www.pricewatch.com, or see if the card you are looking for shows up in that handy advertising space above this thread

[ale_x13]

my opinion is, by the time u have a REAL need of that xtra 128mb, there will be dx10 or 11 out, the 9800pro will be very outdated. like having a 128mb geforce2 today. and then there will be 512 or even 1024mb gfx cards out.

my opinion is: buy a 128mb 9800pro, then go to the store and buy yourself a nice new game with the xtra cash, to test your new card (and to have some fun on the side!)