Should I Buy Nvidia? (And If So, What Card?)

[Iced8383]

Hi,

I was just wondering if maybe I should buy a Nvidia card rather than an ATI card, and which Nvidia card to buy that can handle Trainz. Also, can you hook up two monitors to a single Nvidia card?

 

[Gandalf0444]

Hi,

I was just wondering if maybe I should buy a Nvidia card rather than an ATI card, and which Nvidia card to buy that can handle Trainz. Also, can you hook up two monitors to a single Nvidia card?

Most if not all modern graphics cards can handle more then one screen, and infact a lot encourage that you use 2 screens. Makes you feel more important that way!:hehe: If the graphics card has 1 VGA(Blue) and 1 DVI(White) and your screens only have the VGA then all you need is a simple adapter for the 1 screen. If both ports on the graphics card are DVI then you just simply need 2 of the adapters...Then again you could always replace the screens to....

 

[AndyKay]

ATI 5830 runs absolutely fine with me (all settings at max) - running 2 monitors.

 

[Iced8383]

Thanks guys for help on dual monitors,

I am wondering if someone can suggest a Nvidia card that can run high-end routes in Trainz at a decent FPS rate. (at a good price of course)

 

[AndyKay]

Try ATI if you're looking for a decent price.

Rule of thumb is you get more performance per £/$ with ATI rather than Nvidia

 

[Stagefright]

When upgrading a computer, there's a LOT more to think about than simply ATI vs. Nvidia. What cpu do you have? How much RAM? What Operating System? How about power supply? Can it handle a powerful video card???

Also: How old is your system? Is it really worth spending $200 or more(if a new power supply is neede)?

It would be helpful to post your computer's specifications so we can make an informed opinion.

Later!

Darrel

 

[Iced8383]

Thanks,

I'm considering a Nvidia card in a future computer I will build. Its specs are as follows:

AMD Phenom II Black Edition X4 @3.2 GHz
Corsair Dominator 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
Corsair 750W Power Supply

Hope that helps.

 

[D-RAIL]

hi,
i have just purchased a new computer and it handles 2009 fantastic.
superb graphics really sharp definition the difference between my old machine and the new one is incredible. the spec on the new machine.
AMD Phenom 11 x 6
8GB DDR3 Ram
1 TERABYTE H/Drive
Graphics Card ATI Radeon hp5770

 

[Stagefright]

Thanks,

I'm considering a Nvidia card in a future computer I will build. Its specs are as follows:

AMD Phenom II Black Edition X4 @3.2 GHz
Corsair Dominator 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
Corsair 750W Power Supply

Hope that helps.

Good to know. Here's a helpful link; it's PassMark Software comparison of video cards: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html.

A quick check at Newegg.com (my favorite online store) shows a GT9800 in the $100 range or a GTS450 in the $150 ballpark. I believe either one would serve you well at that price point. The next level would be a GTX460 around $200. That's about as much as I personally would spend on a video card...unless, of course, you have money to burn .

Darrel

 

[Iced8383]

Thanks Darrel,

I took a look at Newegg and found this card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121391

It's $60 cheaper than the ATI 5850 I was going to buy and well reviewed, so it seems this may be the card.

 

[lewisner]

I used to have 2 x Gigabyte 6800GT 256MB cards in SLI mode with 3 GB RAM.
I bought 2 Nvidia 8800GT 512MB cards used from Ebay but my Mobo was in such bad shape I eventually rebuilt my PC with an ASUS M4N82 Mobo and AMD 11 X4 635 CPU , 4GB RAM and the 2 88ooGT's.
The new PC gave me hell, crashing all the time, until I eventually found that one of the cards appears to be faulty.With it removed the PC runs sweetly and gives very smooth running except in very high detail areas.
Moral; whatever you get don't buy used.