   what video card to get?
  I'm building a new system, and I'm having trouble deciding what video card to get.  I want an Nvidia chipset.  Let's not start an ATI vs nvidia war.There are rumors that the NV40 is coming out in April.  Doom III and HL2 are coming out in May, aren't they?I don't want to spend around $450 on the latest video card.  My friend recommended the non-ultra 5900, which only costs like $200 to $250.  I see that the 5900 ultra comes with 256 megs RAM and the 5900 comes with 128 megs RAM.  Is the clock speed on the ultra also higher?When NV40 comes out, will the 5900 and 5900 ultra prices drop immediately?  or will it take some time?  (ie. is it worth waiting for the NV40 to come out before buying a 5900 or 5900 ultra?  If it might take a while for the 5900/ultra price to drop, then it's not worth it since I must have the computer built before Doom III comes out.)I also need a card that doesn't block the PCI slot below the AGP, because I'm building a Shuttle XPC (small form factor) which only has 1 PCI slot.  I hope to use the PCI slot for a TV tuner.   ___________________________________________________________Where to find the intensity (Updated Feb 10, 2004)[edited by - amish1234 on February 12, 2004 1:30:06 PM]
quote:Original post by amish1234  I also need a card that doesn''t block the PCI slot below the AGP, because I''m building a Shuttle XPC (small form factor) which only has 1 PCI slot.  I hope to use the PCI slot for a TV tuner.That rules out the 5900 ultra. Dunno about the non-ultra, but the ultra has a nice thick metal case and 2 angled fans that easily block the PCI slot under it.;  pretty much every DX9 card i can think of blocks the PCI slot below it, including the ATI ones i've hadMight be able to get a TNT2M64 in there As a side note, personaly i wouldnt touch the NV40 or ATIs new one on first generation, the refresh 6months from now will probably fix numerous hardware problems and raise the clock speed   [edited by - _the_phantom_ on February 12, 2004 2:18:37 PM];  From pictures, the heatsink and fan on the ATI cards seems much smaller, but obviously I''ll have to do some research to make sure.  If all cards block the PCI slot, I''ll probably go with an ATI all-in-wonder 9800 pro.Is the clock speed on the all-in-wonder slower than the regular?  If so, and it doesn''t block the PCI slot, I might get a 9800 pro + tv tuner separately.   ___________________________________________________________Where to find the intensity (Updated Feb 10, 2004) ;  u can raise the clock speed to normal 9800 speeds i beliveAs for not blocking, i''m pretty sure my 9800xt stops me from using the pci slot next to it, not that i would anyways for air flow reasons ;  Only current generation card that doesn''t block the PCI slot I believe is the FX5700nu.. at least off the top of my head I can''t think of any others B-) ;  ...The manufacturer determines whether it blocks any PCI slots, not the chipset designers.  You can get a 5900 non-ultra that doesn''t block it, or one that does.  Personally, my motherboard has a space between the AGP and PCI slots, though, so I don''t have to worry about these things.  ;quote:Original post by amish1234  [...] I must have the computer built before Doom III comes out.[...]Why? It makes a LOT more sense to let Doom 3 come out before you build a machine for it. When it is actually out, you''ll know what it works well on and what it doesn''t from benchmarks (which will be on the final product and thus much more accurate than those out now), plus current hardware will be as cheap as possible. If you build it now, you might pick a card that runs the final product poorly, or buy a good card for much more than it would cost you when the game is out.;  Only a complete asshole would make a game that runs poorly on a card like a 9800 or 5900, and id software is not comprised of assholes.   ___________________________________________________________Where to find the intensity (Updated Feb 10, 2004) ;5900U + 5950U + other cards block PCI slotsNO ATi cards block PCI slots, this includes the 9800XT, 9800Pro, 9800Pro AIW, and all midrange, etc.9800Pro All in wonder is higher clocked then a regular 9800 Pro