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Radeon 8500/GeForce3 Ti500 comparison
RainDog writes: "The Tech Report has put together a pretty detailed comparison of ATI's Radeon 8500 and NVIDIA's GeForce3 Titanium 500 graphics parts. Despite being incredibly thorough, the review is also a pretty entertaining read. Definitely the best comparison of these cards I've seen to date."
When I decided to replace my Asus 7700 Deluxe with something a little newer, my budget seemed to limit me to a GeForce 3 Ti200. Further research showed me I could get a Radeon 8500 for just a little more. I ofcourse picked that up. It performs far better than a Ti200, nearly as good as a Ti500 (and better in many tests) for the price of a Ti200. Can't beat that eh?
tinfoilmedia
Also remember that the closed source NVidia drivers are far more advanced than the Open Source Raedon ones, and include options like Full Screen Anti-aliasing, Twinview with TVout or a second Monitor, etc etc. THe NVidia linux drivers use the same core as the windows NVidia drivers (the benefit of theur Unified Driver Model), so the latest linux drivers are usually as fast or faster than the latest windows detenators.
Umm, you are totally wrong under almost all assumptions.
The NVidia drivers have been totally unwavering stable for me, and I have been using them for over 8 months. This I CANNOT say for previous XFree drivers I have used.
THe NVidia drivers are totally fully featured, and support alot of things the raedons don't (Twinview, FullScreen Anti Aliasing to name a few).
Because of NVidias Unified Driver Model, the same code core is used in both the windows and Linux drivers (this is why new linux drivers come out at the same time as new detenators). This assures you of as good, or better preformance as what you would get on windows.
Next time, spread your FUD elsewhere.
I called ATI tech support about a week ago, because my All-In-Wonder 128 Pro wouldn't work properly with Windows 2000. Specifically, the DVD player doesn't work, and in order for Windows 2000 not to crash you need to reapply service pack 2, which in itself means that ATI's drivers are messing up fixes from service pack 2. The details aren't important, but I basically hashed the issue out with the tech for a long time and we both came to the conclusion that the driver that ATI offers for this product don't work properly on Windows 2000. When I asked when a fix will be available, he told me that I'll just have to wait and keep on checking the website for updates.
What kind of company sells you a non working product (driver) and tells you to wait and sit pretty while they fix it? In the meanwhile, I can't use the product for what it was advertised for.
I've been looking to buy a new system (for running
Linux and the BSDs), but the choice of video card
is a sticking point...
Nvidia cards are supported via binary drivers -
there is also an open-source 2D driver for XF86 4.1.0. The kernel driver is open source. My fear here is that I wont be able to follow development kernels closely, as the drivers will break. Ditto for changes to Glibc. OTOH, the
Nvidia drivers offer full support, including 3D w/ hardware T+L. The 2D hardware on Geforces have been lacking (i.e. blurry at higher resolutions).
As for Ati cards: XF86 4.1.0 supports up to Radeon 64 DDR/VIVO.
The CVS of XF86 supports that plus Radeon 7500 (2D+3D), and Radeon 8500 (2D only). None of the XF86 release or CVS supports hardware T+L, and probably never will (that support is complicated to write, and ATI isnt paying Precision Insight
anymore). Radeon 64DDR is a safe choice, but not the fastest. Very good 2D clarity at hi resolutions.
Matrox G400max/450 are supported pretty well - slower than Radeons, but they work. Excellent 2D quality. G550 is supported in CVS.
PowerVR Kyro 1+2 drivers are being worked on by the company - they say they'll be released in February. They havent decided wether they'll be open source or not.
OpenGL performance and features should improve when the Mesa 4.x sources are folded into the main XF86 tree.
Xig, the makers of the commercial Accelerated X, now have released Summit, with improved 3D support. The fastest card they support now is the Radeon 7500, with full T+L, full accleration, support for pretty much everything the card can do except for the TV/VIVO hardware. The only problem here is that they, bare minimum, cost $79, and the software key you buy is good for EXACTLY ONE driver, on EXACTLY ONE computer. I.e. if you change cards, or even your hardware appreciably, you're screwed.
Bottom line: if you want open source drivers: Radeon 7500 (risky, probably havent got all the bugs worked out yet, but fastest open source performance), Radeon 64 (stable), or Matrox G400/450/550 -- one of these together with the XFree86 CVS tree, compiling it yourself.
Appears to be /.ed.
Personally, I've had much respect for NVidia's quality. I've hated ATI since their All-In-Wonder-128 years (bleaak!).
Besides, this is temporary until the new GeForce4(?) comes out and the GF3 Ti drop in price comparable to the Radeon 8500.
And for those of you who complain that ATI is like Microsoft (ie: trying to make a buck first), may I remind you that NVidia purposely forced mobo manufactures to keep down the price of new mobos with their top-end n420 chipset *under* $180, when the manufacturers said "Hey, you could charge over $200 retail for this thing!"
Just my $.02
-CraigJames "All I need is a little TLC: Thorazine, Lithium, & Compazine"