Geforce 6800GT vs. ATI X800XL

[garyhott]

I'm wondering which would be a nicer addition to an AMD Athlon 64 4000+ running on an Asus Premium A8N SLI nForce4 MB with 1GB Ram.

Both are within my budget, but I'm not sure which one is faster and/or better where it counts. I've also heard that the nVidia stuff works better with AMD processors, is this true?

Thanks for any help.

[hockey man]

I've also heard that the nVidia stuff works better with AMD processors, is this true?

I'm not sure about that.... both cards have 16 pipelines and have around the same memory and clock speed. I would go with the 6800 GT because it will allow you to go SLI if you get the money for the other card. SLI is two nVidia 6600gt-7800gt cards that are connected via a bridge on the top of the cards. Each card basically only has to work on half of the screen then. You get a nice performance boost out of that.

[odannyboy000]

I would go with ATI. Better drivers. It really is a matter of personal preference. these cards are a lot alike.

[jlreich]

He has a SLI mobo. I would go Nvidia as Hockeyman said so he can use SLI in the future if he wants to. The ATI card is good but he wont be able to use the SLI function.

[pop pop]

ATI is behind the curve on SLI, right now. You have an SLI capable motherboard. If you will ever consider running two graphics cards, you have to keep that in mind. The price on 6800GTs has dropped considerably since I bought mine back in May. It's really a good card and now a good buy. One other thing to consider though is what you plan to use it for besides potential future SLI. Here I'm speaking of game types. NVidea cards are typically better at things like flight sims and games that have intense shading requirements. ATI cards are better at FPS type games. The reasons are technical and Saph has explained it all several times. I don't have all that committed to memory like he does.

My bottom line here is I would go with the 6800GT...and did when faced with the same choice.

[saphalline]

What this choice really comes down to is this: If you're getting an SLI mobo, you should get an NVidia vid card. Otherwise why get SLI?

[garyhott]

Got the Nvidia card....thanks for the help guys!!