graphics card quandry

[sawfish]

I want to get a new graphics card but keep getting told different things. I want to be able to work in Flash, but also have reasonable 3d graphics abilities. I get told Geforce one minute, then Radeon or Matrox G550. I want to spend around £100 new, so what do you reckon?

 

[cdogg]

Cards like the GeForce or Radeon are not going to make a difference in many 3D applications. They're drivers and hardware capabilities are fine-tuned mainly for 3D gaming in OpenGL or DirectX. If you go with either card, most of the processing will overload to the CPU doing the kind of stuff you are looking to do.

Going with a professional card from Matrox would be an optimal solution, but does come at a price. ATI and Nvidia also have some cheap professional solutions available, so you might want to check their site out as well.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
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[jrbarnett]

Do you run 3D graphics apps on your PC?
What is the general spec of the PC? Having a very fast 3D graphics card won't be a benefit if the PC is slow because it won't be able to provide the input data fast enough.

John

 

[noellees1]

If you want a good card, ive had no prob's with them, the GeForce 5600 (FX) is a brilliant card runs splinter cell farcry and runs flash and dreamweaver brilliantly

MY System
1.83GHZ Athlon
2 X 256mb 333mhz RAM (DDR)
80GB HD (Seagate)
DVDRW
DVDROM
5600 FX

http://www.spano.co.uk

The way web design should be

 

[paparazi]

It really depends on which of these functions matters most to you.
I suspect it will end up being either an ATI Radeon or the Matrox which both have very slightly better image quality than the the Nvidia cards of the same price.
If gaming performance is a priority then I would say for the £100 go for a Radeon 9600Pro or XT (if possible)
For sheer 2D quality and adequate basic gaming then the Matrox G550
Please note* at this £100 price point because I'm sure many will post their wish lists, as they always do!
Martin


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