Better graphics card for FS2004

[holmese]

anyone got any ideas about what they think might be the better graphics card for FS2004 - Radeon X800xt or Nvidia Fx6800 ultra ?

Have heard that the Radeon’s tended to give problems with FS2004 ?

Thanks
Ted

[psolk]

I am an Nvidia person myself. The Nvidia cards tend to be a bit stronger in the areas we are concerned with in FS such as AA. It is just a personal opinion though, I have tried twice to move to Radeon cards and had to return both of them. I had to try numerous power supplies just to keep from locking up. so it is just my opinion based on my own experiences, but go with Nvidia. I run the 6800GT right now and could not be happier.

[RyanbATC]

I think the Radeons are stronger when it comes to higher res and FSAA in FS2004.....you could ask a billion people, and each will have his own opinion. My advice - do some research, and pick the one that fits your budget. The ATI Radeon 9600XT and the nVidia GF 5700 Ultra are similar in performance and price.

[macdonaldjr]

I had a Radeon card once, and never will I purchase one again. Go for the 6800.

Radeon = expensive paperweight

Jason

[FlyingColin]

Agreed

[holmese]

Thanks for the feedback.

Ted

[Bigshot]

Now, go buy your Radeon. Don't listen to the propaganda. You'll love the Radeon.

[kc10]

Both of those cards should be superb. The 9700 I use was king for a while but nvidia has caught up again. This is just the same old Ford vs Chevy quibling. One is junk and the other rocks. Nonsense.

[loki]

Go check out the thread with the link to the video card tests run by Tom's Hardware. Video Card Tests I think is the name.

The latest generation of cards is so close in performance that you can't really go wrong either way. Unless you are playing Doom3, then you should go for the nVidia cards.

[miguel]

I had to choose between the Radeon and the 6800 Ultra.
Finally, I bought the Radeon X800 Pro VIVO (from GECUBE).
I have a friend with the Ultra. Really good, fast and huge card, but, we have tested both in FS9 and my personal opinion is:
-AA from the 6800 Ultra not as good as the Radeon.
-an ultra powerful power suply is no required with the Radeon (with a good 350W, it works without problems.
-It runs cooler and quiet than the 6800 Ultra.
-Every month , you get a new WHQL driver.
-FPS are similar in both cards with 4XAA and 4 or 8 AF at 1280X1024X32
(the resolution I use, and the results in performance that I have seen in my system, the test from http://www.hardocp.com are more reliable than those from http:/www.tomshardware.com, in FS9)
But , really, if you choose any of both cards, you can´t be wrong.
Regards.

[psolk]

Miguel,
I had the exact opposite experience that you did.
1. AA and AF are better with the 6800. Most of the reviews tend to confirm that this is where the 6800 out performs
2. An ultra Powerful power supply IS required for the Radeon. If you search the forums, numerous people have had to upgrade their power supply just to get the Radeon Cards to work. I went through 2 power supplies trying to get the Radeon Card to work and I do not even think Radeon says their cards will run with a 350W power supply
3. Cooler and Quiter? I do not hear my video card at all? Temperature has never been a problem either.

The one thing I agree with is that you can't go wrong with either card, other than that my Nvidia experience has always been more pleasant than my ATI expreience.

[miguel]

Curious, isn´t it?

Greetings.

[Bigshot]

Radeons, the 9700/9800 series will run just fine on a Dell 250 watt PS. The new X800 series cards require less power than the 9800Pro. If you got a decent 300 watt PS or a Dell 250 watt PS, you're good to go with any Radeon. If you had any problem with a Radeon, I suspect your troubles were do to something else in your system. The video card tends to get blamed for every problem. As to AA/AF, the latest ie; 6800/X800 cards, are probably pretty much the same except that Nvidia requires a much more substantial Power Supply and makes more noise. Otherwise, these latest cards seem to be pretty much equal based on what I've read lately. As far as drivers go, the Radeon Cat drivers seem to have fewer problems and are updated monthly by ATI whereas the Nvidia drivers seem to be more problematic. So, it's all a matter of personal taste. Get the Brand name you feel comfortable with.

[loki]

The manual for my Radeon 9800 Pro recommends a 300W power supply. A 350W power supply is recommended for the X800 XT Platinum.

As most hardware sites will tell you though, a good quality 250W power supply can actually be better than a cheap 350W one.

[TheFlightMan]

Buying a video card is like voting for George W. Bush or John Kerry, it depends what you want to hear and believe in. I've used the older ATI cards and had nothing but major issues. Since then, I've been an NVidia person and don't regret it. The story about ATI being better with AA or AF is a bunch of bolonie if you ask me, I've seen screenshots with both cards and they look great.

The 6800 seems to be a well rounded card, not only does it work great with FS2004 but also with OpenGL games. Something ATI cannot claim in today's world and migth be a while before they come up to par.

I've read posts from Bigshot swearing by ATI cards and he almost convinced me on buying one. Then, after reading and reading, I realize that ATI complaints were a lot higher than NVidia's. In addition, previous NVidia owners that had switched to ATI were switching back to NVidia.

So like I said at the beginning, it's whatever bakes your cookie. I'm a republican and an NVidia fan, so you now know who has my vote.

TheFlightMan

[holmese]

Thanks guys for all the feedback - At least it gave me some idea of what to expect.

When I get my new card ( and I still haven't made up my mind which one to have ) I'll let you know what I think of it !

Ted

[dunsul]

Here is a link directly to Tom's that compares a slew of cards using FS 2004 itself.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041004/vga_charts-09.html