i know this is a debatable subject (video cards)

[Viper_Fujax]

what do you guys think is better. GeforceFX 5600 or a Radeon 9600. Iv looked at ur past posts and some other sources that say radeon has the upper-hand. But i also talked to a friend who knows a lot about videocards and he said radeon has the better software but really bad help from the company in terms of drivers, which is what nvidia is good at and stays on top of getting drivers out there.

If i want to/have to fork out some more money i could get either Radeon 9800 or geforce 5900.

I probably messed up explaining stuff cuz im pretty stupid when it comes to this kind of stuff. Just want peoples\' opinions on my two choices. (i plan on using it for a decent amount of time)

Well, for me, I stick with NVidia, simply because of the driver issues.  Nvidia has improved a lot on the graphical shortcomings it has compared to ATI (though ATI still rules there), as well as the framerates.  ATI has been making great strides to try and improve their drivers - their latest releases seem to almost match Nvidia for ease of use/installation and function.  

Still though, I\'ve had problems with my ATI card, where my Nvidia cards have run problem free, which is why my future purchases will be with Nvidia, unless ATI continues to improve it\'s drivers like they\'ve been doing.

Keep a watch on firingsquad.com - they have a lot more money to keep comparing the latest stuff.  They did a comparison of the top vidcards for the holidays - check it out.

It\'s not that hard of a decision.  Just read the reviews and benchmarks.  I\'ve owned both for a long time and can attest to the driver shortcomings of the Radeons, though my 9000 is 5x as better as my 7500.  When doing things such as dual-view GeForce definitely wins in this area.

I\'m pretty sure you\'ll be happy with either.  Plus you\'ll never know until you try.

[Viper_Fujax]

it is when ur also saving up for a 600 dollar bass head,lol. I just want to be 100% sure im making the right choice. Im gunna go with the geforce just because iv never had a problem with my geforce3 except the choppiness on raven shield which is expected. Only reason i was doubting it was because iv heard a lot of good thigns about radeon.

Now i just have to find out which of the 2 geforces im gunna get

[§ôµÏG®ïñD]

well, my Ti4400 o/c\'d to 4600 seems to out perform my brothers 5600 ultra msi card. Although 5600 supports DX9 etc.
As towards the radeon 9600 cards, i\'ve heard nothing but good things. So really, i\'d go the 9600.   The FX series imo aren\'t worth touching under 5900. But thats just my opinion.

Radeon 9600 > GFFX5600, but you\'re going to want the 9600XT because it\'s even faster.

Oh, and it comes with a voucher for Half-Life 2. I think the MSRP is below $200.

What Blade said.

The FX-series is flawed and Nvidia doesn\'t deserve your money this generation.

Radeon 9600 or 9600 XT are great cards and not too expensive.

Whatever you do, stay well clear of the FX5600, I have one and it\'s crap.

See? Even an owner of nVidia hardware will agree that ATi is currently the choice today.

Not to say that I don\'t use nVidia, I do. GeForce3 vanilla right here, the first batch out in May 2001. Why the long wait to upgrade? There hasn\'t been a reason. When will I upgrade? After HL2 comes out.

I\'ll probably get a R420 (high-end ATi) in Q1-Q2 2004, unless nVidia can clean up the mess they made with the shoddy FX series. First ATi pulled ahead with the 9700 Pro.. then even a good 9 months later nVidia couldn\'t get back the crown. Like JP said, nVidia doesn\'t deserve your money this generation. Maybe some other year..

[Viper_Fujax]

hmm..thanks for the info on the FX5600. Ill read up on the radeon 9600. I know HL2 is going to be an awesome game but im not sure im going to play it. My brother might get it so if i feel the need to play it ill use his computer, but right now battlefield1942 and Raven Shield have been enough, so i dont think i need the to wait until the next top of the line card comes out.

I\'m an ex Nivida user since the days of TNT2 Ultra and have switched to ATI for about 1 or 2 years....what can i say? ATI rocks in price performance. Also, image quality of ATI cards is just so much better!! Especially the 2D. I can\'t believe my desktop can suddenly look so good after switching from a GF2Ti to a ATI 9100.

Currently, I\'m using 9500 which is softmodded to 9700. It rocks. I haven\'t encountered much of a problem when running games either except maybe Splinter Cell which have some small image problems when AA is turned on...then again we all know this is a Nvidia game ported from the XBOX, so it\'s quite expected. (or maybe it\'s because i softmodded my card...heh-heh ).

So far I\'ve tried all these games with no problemo...Age of Mythology, C&C:Generals/Zero Hours, NFS:UG, Prince of Persia, SW:K.O.T.O.R., Freedom fighters, LOTR:ROTK etc etc.

If u still insist on Nvidia, i suggest u stay away from 5600 and get the 5700Ultra or the 5900XT. The 5600 just doesn\'t cut it.

Between the 9600 and a 5600, get the 9600 (or better - Pro or XT). Or if you have the money - nVidia 5900 / ATI 9800 or better.

[Viper_Fujax]

i heard the driver support for ATI blows. plus i went to their site and their selection for xp, graphics drivers werent too good..didnt even see any of the cards i was looking to buy.

Originally posted by Viper_Fujax
i heard the driver support for ATI blows. plus i went to their site and their selection for xp, graphics drivers werent too good..didnt even see any of the cards i was looking to buy.

Yeah it used to be the same way with the GeForce line when they first came up against VooDoo.

[§ôµÏG®ïñD]

again.

Nvidia FX 5900 or above
ATI Radeon 9600 or above


can\'t go wrong.

[Kurt Angle]

*thinks back to when graphics cards were pretty much the same................... ..............shall I buy the Cirrus Logic 1mb or the Trident 1mb......... decisions decisions*