ATI, Nvidia, etc..... just paying for the name?

[hu_xu]

Dale the reason why people are mad is this:

Once games start using PS 3 people who spent hundreds of dollars on a X850XT will be forced to upgrade. People who buy a X850XT buy it to play games with max visual effects. Most people who spend a lot on GPUs I know do it JUST for that reason. Nothing else. You don't need a $500 GPU to run HL2 in DX7 and 800*600 with low texture and no reflection. They buy it to run everything full or as marketing people like to call it "in full glory". So the fact that they can't play Lost Coast for example in all its glory makes them feel they have been cheated. OF COURSE a logical and smart consumer would DO their research before buying. Right now to me ATI is playing catch up with Nvidia. They got beat with PS 3.0 and they got beat with SLI. ATI is playing catch up.

The X850XT is a damn good card but what will you do when games come out with the option to utilize SM 3.0 and PS 3.0? You will find that you just wasted a ton of money especially when you could have bought a 6800 Ultra.

 

[dale5605]

That's a pretty bad example to make your case. For one you aren't forced to upgrade, you can run the game on your ati just fine while hurting a few fps here missing out on the option for a few eye candy there.
Secondly, those people that spend a lot of money to always have the latest graphics and all the eye candy are going to upgrade anyway, whether or not their old card is really lacking, because they just want the latest and fastest stuff. By the time PS3 games actually start becoming more prolific those people will already have their x900 xt pe's installed (most likely with ps3).

And I guess some people may feel like they wasted their money, I don't, but then again like you say I did my research, no regrets for me. I knew exactly what I was buying, the best video card I have ever owned. I dunno I just like the card a lot, maybe my mind will change when they start making aao on ps3, but by that time my vid card will be getting outdated and I'll be turning off all the eye candy I can to save every scrap of fps.

But I really am curious if you all can tell the difference. You preach playing games in their "full glory" but can you really tell that big of a difference in those splinter cell screenshots? To me they look identical so I don't think one is "full glory" and the other one is "crap." So either those eye candies aren't the biggest since since sliced bread like everyone is making them out to be or I have very bad eyesight from so many hours of aao.

 

[beedubaya]

Some of us care about more than AAO, and you will change your mind with the Unreal Engine 3 version of it comes out and your X800XT struggles with it. However, the X900XT will have SM3 so you can upgrade to that. Yeah, there are subtile differences between SM1.1 and SM3 like specular lighting, etc...but the main difference is parallax mapping, which you are completely blind if you can't tell the difference between a brick wall with parallax mapping disabled and enabled. If all you care about is AAO, and all you demand is to "play the games," why didn't you get a 9600XT which would suit you just fine?

I am not an ATI or Nvidia fanboy, unlike some people, I just go for what is the best. I have great faith in the X900XT from ATI, but for now, you can't beat the 6800 GT for price/performance/value. You don't pay $400+ for a video card not to be able to play games in full glory.

 

[Harper]

For one you aren't forced to upgrade, you can run the game on your ati just fine while hurting a few fps here missing out on the option for a few eye candy there.

Actaully people are forced to upgrade due to games.

Like last year was a fine example with people purchasing new cards just so they could play Doom III or Half Life 2. I sold lots of video cards to people just so they could play the those games.

Simulare thing happened with Battlefield 1942. In fact it happened a lot with Battlefield 1942 in 2002.

CUSTOMER :- I need a price on a new video card
ME :- You just purchased Battlefield 1942, didn't you?
CUSTOMER :- Yeah. How did you know?


Sure, there are some people that feel the need to max every thing out. I can think of a few customers that are purchasing new gear from me every 6 to 12 months as they want the best.
And there is some poeple that are just happy to be able to place the game.

Personally I don't feel the need to max out the graphics. However since I invested $300 into a video card early last year, I make the most of it.

Currently, I am debating upgrading my current APG video card some time in the next 12 months, or get my next video card when I replace my MoBo and CPU when i upgrade in the next 18 to 24 months.

 

[Harper]

you can't beat the 6800 GT for price/performance/value.

I alway purchase my video card just at the price break. I find that there is no sence in purchasing a $600 video card only....
* to have only a handful of games that will actually utilise it.
* only to see if drop a few hundred dollars in the following 6 months.


So basically I purchase an upper mid level video card. Use It, Abuse it. And then try to sell it off 2nd hand before the chipset becomes entry level.

 

[Mr. Switch]

I don't understand it when people spend $600 on a new videocard when they are going to upgrade with the next generation anyway. just buy a 6600GT now, save $400 and buy a 7600GT for $200 when its released. that way you stay current with the technology, save money, and still be able to play games maxed.

 

[dale5605]

If all you care about is AAO, and all you demand is to "play the games," why didn't you get a 9600XT which would suit you just fine?

Well indeed I did select this card specifically for aao based on it's attributes (obviously being D3D favored). The reason I did not get a 9600 xt is because I had a good budget for this computer. I was used to playing aao on a geforce4 mx420 and I did not like playing on the lowest settings with minimal fps and lock-ups during firefights. I figured if I got a card only a step up from that I would be disappointed. I play aao competitively and I wanted so make sure nothing would cripple my play. I didn't get the card for the eye candies. I enable aa and af stuff sometimes for fun. But I just wanted a card that could hit a solid range of 40-70 fps without dropping really low and be able to handle not lagging in firefights or pausing when you turn around and look at a large part of the map or something. I also wanted to be able to run bullet holes (to locate enemies), shadows (for location also), and some lighting things I had disabled because the card couldn't take it.

Harper I agree with you. I'll be using this card as long as I can probably. And I don't max out my games either. Now that I have a decent card I put the textures on high and the game looks well enough. For me it's all competition I guess. I managed well enough on my old mx420, just couldn't keep up with the people running through smoke and shooting no problem and with their shadows going all over the place. I guess I just had to have it.

Yep beedub I probably will regret not having ps3. Who knows what I will do then. But then again it is a D3D game, so I would still think it would outpower a nvidia with ps3. I wonder if the shadows will change with ps3. Either the crazy shadows will go away or maybe take on a whole new form. Getting the best shadows is the main thing I'm concerned about.

 

[Harper]

I don't understand it when people spend $600 on a new videocard when they are going to upgrade with the next generation anyway. just buy a 6600GT now, save $400 and buy a 7600GT for $200 when its released. that way you stay current with the technology, save money, and still be able to play games maxed.

Sorry. I was talking AUSTRALIA DOLLARS there.
US I.T Prices to AUST I.T Prices are normally....
(US Dollar x Converstion Rate) + Another 30% for Tarrifs and fact that we are in the arse end of the World.
New Zealand's Worse.

Even though I don't want to due to warranty reasons, I do see myself getting a good part of my next computer from the USA.

 

[Wayniac]

wow... you don't know how happy you made me for a second telling me it is only going to be $200.

 

[Harper]

wow... you don't know how happy you made me for a second telling me it is only going to be $200.

Well, it's the truth.

There are a few products that are more or less the same price. EG. Apple iPODs and iMAC have the same standardised pricing not matter where I look. There is no/little savings with me getting a iPOD or an iMAC from the USA (unless it's eBAY)

I am very likely to get both the my next CPU and Video Card from the states when I do my big upgrade in late 2006/2007.

Tell you want, lets see how good my maths is on that $200. What video card can I get for US$200?