The GeForce GTX 295 (around US$520) is a dual-GPU graphics card from Nvidia that features: 240x2 Stream (Shader) Processors 576 MHz Core Clock 1242 MHz Shader Clock 999 Memory Clock x2 1792 MB Memory HDCP support Two Dual link DVI The Guru of 3D took a close look at the Point of View GeForce GTX 295 single PCB, and gave it the Guru3D Top Pick stamp of approval: “Much like any of our GeForce GTX 295 reviews, we can only conclude that the GTX 295 single PCB graphics card pwns. Really it's a 480 shader processor encounting raw fricking compute monster, I liked the first model when it was released, and I like this version just as well. … Either way, we liked the GTX 295 ever since it was introduced, and this revised model does not make that conclusion any different. If you want to be a total freak and go quad-SLI, you can mix and match the old GTX 295 with this new one, not a problem either.” [Guru of 3D |GeForce GTX 295 single PCB review] Great graphics card to have, if you’ve got money to burn! Need more down-to-earth gaming graphics card suggestions? Head on to cedled’s Game! Technorati Tags: geforce gtx 295, dual GPU, point of view [ad#adbrite-1]
]]>The Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 (about $400) was recently released. It is based on the GT200 Core Code, and with 55nm Manufacturing Process.
Key Features:
240 Stream Processors 80 Texture Address / 80 Filtering 32 ROPs 648MHz Core Clock 1476MHz Shader Clock 1242MHz Memory Clock 512-bit Memory Bus Width 1GB Frame Buffer 55nm Manufacturing Process GT200 Core Code
Guru of 3D reviewed the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC, Inno3D GeForce GTX 285 OC, and Point of View GeForce GTX 285 EXO. The eVGA was the Top Pick:
"... the GeForce GTX 280 was the fastest single GPU on the globe, the GeForce GTX 285 is now the fastest single GPU on the globe. On average it's roughly 10% faster than the reference GTX 280. So an upgrade towards the 55nm node did bring in some additional gaming performance." [Guru3D | GeForce GTX 285 review]
HotHardware tested an EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC and a GeForce GTX 285 reference card:
"The new GeForce GTX 285's performance falls right where you'd expect it to--just slightly ahead of the GeForce GTX 280, but behind the flagship GTX 295. Throughout our testing, the reference GeForce GTX 285 performed right about on par with, or barely faster than a GTX 280. However the higher core, shader, and memory clock frequencies of the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSE Edition gave it a larger edge in performance over the GTX 280. Overall, the dual-GPU powered Radeon HD 4870 X2 and GeForce GTX 295 are faster and more powerful than the GTX 285 in games that scale well with multi-GPU configurations, but the GeForce GTX 285 is the fastest single-GPU powered graphics card available today, hands down." [HotHardware | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 Unveiled]
PCPerspective tested the BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX 1GB and ASUS ENGTX285 TOP 1GB cards:
"... the GeForce GTX 285 is definitely using less power than the GTX 280 card all while running at higher clock speeds and performing better in our gaming tests. The 55nm process might not have paid off as much of a dividend as we were initially hoping on the GT200 design but financially this is a move NVIDIA needed to make. You really can't ask for much more than that! ... If you already own a GTX 280 or even at GTX 260 card, I don't think the GTX 285 is going to add enough performance to warrant the upgrade price but users of the 9-series cards or even 3000-series card from AMD should definitely perk up their ears a bit with the release." [PCPerspective | 55nm GT200: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1GB Review]
HardwareZone tested the Zotac GeForce GTX 285 AMP! Edition 1GB GDDR3:
"... unlike the GeForce GTX 295, the GeForce GTX 285 is not as groundbreaking and its successes are no where near the scale of that achieved by its more powerful sibling. Sure, it does improve upon performance and efficiency, but it's not to the same extent as what the GeForce GTX 295 did. And without a Radeon HD 4850 X2 on hand, we cannot say with certainty if the GeForce GTX 285 is the best card in its price and performance segment. However, as far as single GPUs go, NVIDIA has clearly one-upped themselves here. The GeForce GTX 285 is certainly an improvement over the GTX 280." [HardwareZone | Cementing First Place - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285]
AnandTech tested the EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 in single and SLI configuration:
"In summary, despite its typical 10% performance advantage, the GeForce GTX 285 offers less price/performance than the GTX 280. The closest price competitor to the GTX 285, the Radeon HD 4870 X2, also offers better value, but at a higher price. At the same time, we have reservations about putting our weight behind the 4870 X2 with the driver issues we've experienced lately." [AnandTech | GeForce GTX 285: 55nm Enabling Higher Performance]
Do you want or need the fastest single GPU on the planet? The GTX 285 is it. If you already have a GTX 280, don't expect much of a performance upgrade. This would be good news for those targeting the GTX 280, since it would surely get more price cuts as the GTX 285 goes mainstream.
IceRocket : nvidia geforce gtx 285
]]>Nvidia GeForce 9400/9300 MGPU (code named the MCP7A) is an IGP chipset solution for the Intel platform, which directly competes with the chipsets from Intel. The chipset features are as follows:
Intel Core 2 Family, Pentium D, Pentium 4, Celeron D, Celeron 1333 Mhz FSB Dual-channel DDR2-800 / DDR3-1333 Memory Interface DirectX 10 Support 16 Graphics Cores 580/1400 MHz (9400) or 450/1200 MHz (9300) Core/Shader Clocks 3.6 Billion/second Texture Fill Rate 128-bit Max. HDR Precision 2048 × 1536 Max. Analog Resolution 2560 × 1600 Max Digital Resolution GeForce Boost Technology HybridPower Technology NVIDIA PureVideo HD With full HD decode (1080i/p) PCI-Express 2.0 support 10/100/1000 Networking HDA (Azalia) audio 7.1 LPCM HD Audio Support
Guru3D tested the ECS GF9300T-A-V1.0 motherboard:
"... the GF9300 based mainboards will be a flexible solution, and not just for the budget minded. It performs as fast as any modern mainboard, you can make it a gaming rig, you can use it excellently for HTPC and if it floats your boat, it's a nice NET PC as well. I also think it's lovely we can use the integrated GPU, if not utilized for graphics, for CUDA, transcoding, PhysX and whatever new applications we'll see in the future... if you're looking for a competitive IGP solution, and a versatile and flexible mainboard that's not too expensive... this should be ranking at the top of your list. Definitely recommended." [Guru3D.com| NVIDIA GF9300 (ECS GF9300TA) mainboard review]
AnandTech had comparisons IGP boards - Nvidia 9400 / 9300 / 8300 / 8200, AMD 790GX / 780G, Intel G45 / G35:
"Everyone likes a clean victory; while NVIDIA has the opportunity to obtain just that with the GeForce 9300, there are a handful of lingering issues that cause them to hit just wide of the bullseye... if these problems are quickly addressed, the GeForce 9300 is as close to perfect as you're going to get for now... The GeForce 9300 is leaps and bounds ahead of Intel's G45, but that's not really a tremendous accomplishment. What NVIDIA has done however is effectively bring 780G-class performance to the Intel platform, which is better than nothing." [AnandTech | The IGP Chronicles Part 3: NVIDIA's GeForce 9300]
HotHardware.com tested two 9300 motherboards - Zotac GeForce 9300 and Asus P5N7A-VM - and compared it with mainboards with the Intel G45:
"In comparison to Intel's G45 chipset, the GeForce 9300 generally performs on roughly the same level in productivity applications, with a slight edge going to the G45 where its increased memory bandwidth comes into play. In any GPU intensive situation, however, the GeForce 9300 is simply on a different level than the G45. In the game tests, for example, the GeForce 9300 was up to 4.4X faster than the G45. ... If you're thinking about building a low-cost, low-power Intel-based rig or an HTPC anytime in the near future, do yourself a favor and check out the GeForce 9300 or GeForce 9400." [HotHardware.com | NVIDIA GeForce 9300 and 9400 Motherboard GPUs]
PC Perspective took a look at three motherboards - the MSI P7NGM-Digital (9300), Zotac GF9300-A-E, and ASUS P5N7A-VM (9300) - and compared it to an Intel DG45ID (G45 chipset):
"NVIDIA's new GeForce 9400 and 9300 chipsets are a breath of fresh air in a world of integrated Intel platforms that have underperformed. With the exceptions of synthetic memory performance and some nagging issues with the tested motherboards BIOS, the GF9300 chipset was a success from every angle. The graphics performance is without a doubt a level of magnitude improvement over the G45 chipset and added benefits like CUDA, Hybrid SLI and the coming onslaught of multimedia applications accelerated by GPUs make motherboards based on the NVIDIA GeForce 9400/9300 chipsets an easy choice." [pcper.com | NVIDIA GeForce 9400/9300 Chipset Review: IGP for Intel ]
As soon as the Nvidia 9300 and 9400 motherboards are available in the retail market, builders will have a choice of IGP motherboards when building a rig based on the Intel processor. Judging from the above reviews, the Nvidia 9400/9300 MGPU is the better way to go.
IceRocket : 9300, 9400, g45, geforce, igp, intel, mgpu, nvidia
]]>Nvidia GeForce 9400/9300 MGPU (code named the MCP7A) is an IGP chipset solution for the Intel platform, which directly competes with the chipsets from Intel. The chipset features are as follows:
Intel Core 2 Family, Pentium D, Pentium 4, Celeron D, Celeron 1333 Mhz FSB Dual-channel DDR2-800 / DDR3-1333 Memory Interface DirectX 10 Support 16 Graphics Cores 580/1400 MHz (9400) or 450/1200 MHz (9300) Core/Shader Clocks 3.6 Billion/second Texture Fill Rate 128-bit Max. HDR Precision 2048 × 1536 Max. Analog Resolution 2560 × 1600 Max Digital Resolution GeForce Boost Technology HybridPower Technology NVIDIA PureVideo HD With full HD decode (1080i/p) PCI-Express 2.0 support 10/100/1000 Networking HDA (Azalia) audio 7.1 LPCM HD Audio Support
Guru3D tested the ECS GF9300T-A-V1.0 motherboard:
"... the GF9300 based mainboards will be a flexible solution, and not just for the budget minded. It performs as fast as any modern mainboard, you can make it a gaming rig, you can use it excellently for HTPC and if it floats your boat, it's a nice NET PC as well. I also think it's lovely we can use the integrated GPU, if not utilized for graphics, for CUDA, transcoding, PhysX and whatever new applications we'll see in the future... if you're looking for a competitive IGP solution, and a versatile and flexible mainboard that's not too expensive... this should be ranking at the top of your list. Definitely recommended." [Guru3D.com| NVIDIA GF9300 (ECS GF9300TA) mainboard review]
AnandTech had comparisons IGP boards - Nvidia 9400 / 9300 / 8300 / 8200, AMD 790GX / 780G, Intel G45 / G35:
"Everyone likes a clean victory; while NVIDIA has the opportunity to obtain just that with the GeForce 9300, there are a handful of lingering issues that cause them to hit just wide of the bullseye... if these problems are quickly addressed, the GeForce 9300 is as close to perfect as you're going to get for now... The GeForce 9300 is leaps and bounds ahead of Intel's G45, but that's not really a tremendous accomplishment. What NVIDIA has done however is effectively bring 780G-class performance to the Intel platform, which is better than nothing." [AnandTech | The IGP Chronicles Part 3: NVIDIA's GeForce 9300]
HotHardware.com tested two 9300 motherboards - Zotac GeForce 9300 and Asus P5N7A-VM - and compared it with mainboards with the Intel G45:
"In comparison to Intel's G45 chipset, the GeForce 9300 generally performs on roughly the same level in productivity applications, with a slight edge going to the G45 where its increased memory bandwidth comes into play. In any GPU intensive situation, however, the GeForce 9300 is simply on a different level than the G45. In the game tests, for example, the GeForce 9300 was up to 4.4X faster than the G45. ... If you're thinking about building a low-cost, low-power Intel-based rig or an HTPC anytime in the near future, do yourself a favor and check out the GeForce 9300 or GeForce 9400." [HotHardware.com | NVIDIA GeForce 9300 and 9400 Motherboard GPUs]
PC Perspective took a look at three motherboards - the MSI P7NGM-Digital (9300), Zotac GF9300-A-E, and ASUS P5N7A-VM (9300) - and compared it to an Intel DG45ID (G45 chipset):
"NVIDIA's new GeForce 9400 and 9300 chipsets are a breath of fresh air in a world of integrated Intel platforms that have underperformed. With the exceptions of synthetic memory performance and some nagging issues with the tested motherboards BIOS, the GF9300 chipset was a success from every angle. The graphics performance is without a doubt a level of magnitude improvement over the G45 chipset and added benefits like CUDA, Hybrid SLI and the coming onslaught of multimedia applications accelerated by GPUs make motherboards based on the NVIDIA GeForce 9400/9300 chipsets an easy choice." [pcper.com | NVIDIA GeForce 9400/9300 Chipset Review: IGP for Intel ]
As soon as the Nvidia 9300 and 9400 motherboards are available in the retail market, builders will have a choice of IGP motherboards when building a rig based on the Intel processor. Judging from the above reviews, the Nvidia 9400/9300 MGPU is the better way to go.
IceRocket : 9300, 9400, g45, geforce, igp, intel, mgpu, nvidia
]]>Two new budget graphics cards came into play recently. These are the GeForce 9400 GT from Nvidia, and the Radeon HD 4550 from ATI. Their specs are as follows:
GeForce 9400 GT (US$59):
G96 Core Code
314 million Transistor Count
55nm Manufacturing Process 550MHz Core Clock 16 Stream processors
1400MHz Stream Processor Clock
16 Texture Mapping Units (TMU) or Texture Filtering (TF) units
8 Raster Operator units (ROP)
800MHz GDDR2 Memory Clock
128-bit DDR Memory Bus
12.8GB/s Memory Bandwidth PCIe ver 2.0 x16 interface no Multi GPU Technology support HDCP Output Support
Radeon HD 4550 ($45-55):
RV710 Core Code 242 million Transistor Count 55nm Manufacturing Process
600MHz Core Clock
80 Stream processors
600MHz Stream Processor Clock 8 Texture Mapping Units (TMU) or Texture Filtering (TF) units 4 Raster Operator units (ROP)
1600MHz GDDR3 Memory Clock
64-bit DDR Memory Bus 12.8GB/s Memory Bandwidth PCIe ver 2.0 x16 interface
CrossfireX Multi GPU Technology support
HDCP Output Support
AnandTech compared the HD 4550 with HD 3650, GF 9500 GT, and HD 4670 cards:
"Anyway, the point is that with cards in this class, you can't expect gaming performance. And even still we have cards that absolutely blow away integrated graphics. This really does highlight just how how horrible the performance of integrated solutions really is in comparison to any modern add-in graphics part. But that doesn't mean these cards don't have some value. Not everyone needs 3D, and these cards are priced very well. And more importantly, these cards offer a real solution to a problem HTPC builders have been faced with for a long time. The Radeon 4350 and 4550 offer quiet or silent video acceleration for full resolution blu-ray playback with the option of enabling 8 channel LPCM audio playback over HDMI. If you want to build an HTPC, one of these cards would be a very good fit." [AnandTech | ATI Radeon HD 4350 and 4550: Great HTPC Solutions]
HardwareZone gave the GeForce 9400 GT a 3.5 stars rating, and gave the Radeon HD 4550 a 4 stars rating:
"... the GeForce 9400 GT needs some improvements to match the Radeon HD 4550. In terms of performance, the 4550 was always faster than the 9400 GT, though this margin varied from game to game. When it came to power consumption, the Radeon again had the advantage, albeit a rather slight one. Finally, if you're battling for the hearts and minds of HTPC enthusiasts, ATI has a rather significant advantage in being able to offer 7.1 channel HD audio through its DVI/HDMI outputs, something that NVIDIA cannot do, even with a S/PDIF cable. Then, there's the matter of VC-1 hardware acceleration, which ATI just does better (though the market does seem to be favoring H.264 in Blu-ray nowadays)." [HardwareZone | When Budget Graphics Clash: GeForce 9400 GT Meets Radeon HD 4550 ]
I agree with HardwareZone's suggestion of taking a good look at the older mainstream graphic cards such as the GeForce 8600 GT and Radeon HD 3650, before committing to buy a 9400 GT or HD 4550.
The HD 4550 seemed to perform better than the 9400 GT, despite the Radeon's 64-bit DDR Memory Bus. And if you need 7.1 channel HD audio, the HD 4550 card is the one to get, and a nice one if you are thinking of building and HTPC.
Technorati : 4550, 9400, budget, geforce, graphics, gt, hd, htpc, radeon, value
]]>Two new budget graphics cards came into play recently. These are the GeForce 9400 GT from Nvidia, and the Radeon HD 4550 from ATI. Their specs are as follows:
GeForce 9400 GT (US$59):
G96 Core Code
314 million Transistor Count
55nm Manufacturing Process 550MHz Core Clock 16 Stream processors
1400MHz Stream Processor Clock
16 Texture Mapping Units (TMU) or Texture Filtering (TF) units
8 Raster Operator units (ROP)
800MHz GDDR2 Memory Clock
128-bit DDR Memory Bus
12.8GB/s Memory Bandwidth PCIe ver 2.0 x16 interface no Multi GPU Technology support HDCP Output Support
Radeon HD 4550 ($45-55):
RV710 Core Code 242 million Transistor Count 55nm Manufacturing Process
600MHz Core Clock
80 Stream processors
600MHz Stream Processor Clock 8 Texture Mapping Units (TMU) or Texture Filtering (TF) units 4 Raster Operator units (ROP)
1600MHz GDDR3 Memory Clock
64-bit DDR Memory Bus 12.8GB/s Memory Bandwidth PCIe ver 2.0 x16 interface
CrossfireX Multi GPU Technology support
HDCP Output Support
AnandTech compared the HD 4550 with HD 3650, GF 9500 GT, and HD 4670 cards:
"Anyway, the point is that with cards in this class, you can't expect gaming performance. And even still we have cards that absolutely blow away integrated graphics. This really does highlight just how how horrible the performance of integrated solutions really is in comparison to any modern add-in graphics part. But that doesn't mean these cards don't have some value. Not everyone needs 3D, and these cards are priced very well. And more importantly, these cards offer a real solution to a problem HTPC builders have been faced with for a long time. The Radeon 4350 and 4550 offer quiet or silent video acceleration for full resolution blu-ray playback with the option of enabling 8 channel LPCM audio playback over HDMI. If you want to build an HTPC, one of these cards would be a very good fit." [AnandTech | ATI Radeon HD 4350 and 4550: Great HTPC Solutions]
HardwareZone gave the GeForce 9400 GT a 3.5 stars rating, and gave the Radeon HD 4550 a 4 stars rating:
"... the GeForce 9400 GT needs some improvements to match the Radeon HD 4550. In terms of performance, the 4550 was always faster than the 9400 GT, though this margin varied from game to game. When it came to power consumption, the Radeon again had the advantage, albeit a rather slight one. Finally, if you're battling for the hearts and minds of HTPC enthusiasts, ATI has a rather significant advantage in being able to offer 7.1 channel HD audio through its DVI/HDMI outputs, something that NVIDIA cannot do, even with a S/PDIF cable. Then, there's the matter of VC-1 hardware acceleration, which ATI just does better (though the market does seem to be favoring H.264 in Blu-ray nowadays)." [HardwareZone | When Budget Graphics Clash: GeForce 9400 GT Meets Radeon HD 4550 ]
I agree with HardwareZone's suggestion of taking a good look at the older mainstream graphic cards such as the GeForce 8600 GT and Radeon HD 3650, before committing to buy a 9400 GT or HD 4550.
The HD 4550 seemed to perform better than the 9400 GT, despite the Radeon's 64-bit DDR Memory Bus. And if you need 7.1 channel HD audio, the HD 4550 card is the one to get, and a nice one if you are thinking of building and HTPC.
Technorati : 4550, 9400, budget, geforce, graphics, gt, hd, htpc, radeon, value
]]>Tom's Hardware recently released their October 2008 choice picks for gaming video cards.
Recommended PCI-E cards:
Radeon HD 3650 GDDR3 (US$35) Radeon HD 4670 GDDR3 ($85) GeForce 9600 GSO (aka GeForce 8800 GS) ($85) Radeon HD 3870 ($100) GeForce 9600 GT ($100) GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (aka GeForce 9800 GT 512MB) ($120) Radeon HD 4850 ($170) Radeon HD 4870 ($260) GeForce GTX 260 ($260) GeForce 9800 GX2 ($260) 2x Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFire Configuration ($340) Radeon HD 4870 X2 ($550)
If you are building a new system, and will just use it for some very light gaming on the side, the Radeon HD 3650 GDDR3 would probably be a good-enough discreet graphics solution. Other than that, the 8800 GT 512MB, 9800 GT 512MB, and HD 4850 seem to be the "middle-ground" choice cards.
Recommended AGP cards:
Radeon HD 3650 (under $US100) Radeon HD 2600 XT ($100) Radeon HD 3850 512MB ($135)
[Source: Tom's Hardware | The Best Graphics Cards for the Money: October 2008] It's interesting to note that an AGP HD 3650 card would cost almost 3 times a PCI-E card with the same GPU. Unless you need to replace a broken AGP card, maybe that $100 is best kept for your next system build.
Technorati : agp, bang, best, buck, card, game, gaming, graphics, october, pci-e
Tom's Hardware recently released their October 2008 choice picks for gaming video cards.
Recommended PCI-E cards:
Radeon HD 3650 GDDR3 (US$35) Radeon HD 4670 GDDR3 ($85) GeForce 9600 GSO (aka GeForce 8800 GS) ($85) Radeon HD 3870 ($100) GeForce 9600 GT ($100) GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (aka GeForce 9800 GT 512MB) ($120) Radeon HD 4850 ($170) Radeon HD 4870 ($260) GeForce GTX 260 ($260) GeForce 9800 GX2 ($260) 2x Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFire Configuration ($340) Radeon HD 4870 X2 ($550)
If you are building a new system, and will just use it for some very light gaming on the side, the Radeon HD 3650 GDDR3 would probably be a good-enough discreet graphics solution. Other than that, the 8800 GT 512MB, 9800 GT 512MB, and HD 4850 seem to be the "middle-ground" choice cards.
Recommended AGP cards:
Radeon HD 3650 (under $US100) Radeon HD 2600 XT ($100) Radeon HD 3850 512MB ($135)
[Source: Tom's Hardware | The Best Graphics Cards for the Money: October 2008] It's interesting to note that an AGP HD 3650 card would cost almost 3 times a PCI-E card with the same GPU. Unless you need to replace a broken AGP card, maybe that $100 is best kept for your next system build.
Technorati : agp, bang, best, buck, card, game, gaming, graphics, october, pci-e
Looking to buy a new graphics card based on the GeForce 9600 GT? Maybe you'd be interested in one of the souped-up 9600 GT cards from Asus, MSI, Palit, or Sparkle. Tom's Hardware tested 4 modified 9600 GT graphics cards:
"If you prefer a lot of performance, you should go with the super-quiet Sparkle Calibre. If you can live with a little less speed, but want to have HDMI and DisplayPort, you should buy the Palit Sonic version. The MSI Hybrid Freezer is a nice gimmick, but you can get a 9800 GTX for the same money. If you are interested in having a silent HTPC, you might want to take a look at the Asus card; the cooler is solid, and only under full load conditions does it require a slight air flow." [Tom's Hardware | Four GeForce 9600 GT Cards Compared]
Of the 4 cards reviewed, it looks like the Sparkle Calibre gets performance honors. The Palit Sonic is something to consider if you plan to use HDMI or DisplayPort on your rig.
Technorati : 9600, geforce, gt, modified
]]>Looking to buy a new graphics card based on the GeForce 9600 GT? Maybe you'd be interested in one of the souped-up 9600 GT cards from Asus, MSI, Palit, or Sparkle. Tom's Hardware tested 4 modified 9600 GT graphics cards:
"If you prefer a lot of performance, you should go with the super-quiet Sparkle Calibre. If you can live with a little less speed, but want to have HDMI and DisplayPort, you should buy the Palit Sonic version. The MSI Hybrid Freezer is a nice gimmick, but you can get a 9800 GTX for the same money. If you are interested in having a silent HTPC, you might want to take a look at the Asus card; the cooler is solid, and only under full load conditions does it require a slight air flow." [Tom's Hardware | Four GeForce 9600 GT Cards Compared]
Of the 4 cards reviewed, it looks like the Sparkle Calibre gets performance honors. The Palit Sonic is something to consider if you plan to use HDMI or DisplayPort on your rig.
Technorati : 9600, geforce, gt, modified
]]>The AMD 790GX is an integrated graphics chipset that has the following features:
HT 3.0/5,200 MT/s Processor Interface PCI Express 2.0/26 lanes/2x8 Graphics support RV610 integrated core (same with AMD 780G) DirectX 10.1 / OpenGL 2.1 700 MHz Graphics Clock DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, VGA Display Outputs Hybrid CrossFireX, CrossFireX Multi-GPU support SB750 Southbridge (AMD 780G uses SB700) A-Link Xpress (4 x PCIe 1.1) Interconnect RAID 0, 1, 10, 5 support (AMD 780G lacked RAID 5)
Tom's Hardware compared the Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H (790GX) with the Gigabyte MA78GPM-D2SH (780G) and ASUS M3N78 PRO (GeForce 8300) motherboards:
"... The SB750 is AMD's real strength here. Otherwise, we'd probably go for the inexpensive 780G with a Radeon HD 3870 or 4850. But with ACC and RAID 5 support wrapped up into AMD's new southbridge, the company finally has a platform to tie the assets it acquired from ATI into its own processor lineup. Naturally, it helps that the onboard RV610 core is now running at 700 MHz and aided by side-port memory. The main story here is ACC and what AMD is doing to make its processors more attractive in the face of a formidable opponent." [Tom's Hardware | AMD 790GX: RV610 For Enthusiasts?]
AnandTech previewed the 790GX:
"The 790GX Northbridge is actually a 780G that has its stock core clock speed increased from 500MHz to 700MHz along with a graphics core name change from Radeon HD 3200 to HD 3300. Sideport Memory, now called Performance Cache, is a "requested" feature on the boards that improves IG performance about 5% on average, sometimes less, sometimes more. The SB750 Southbridge is basically a SB700 with RAID 5 operation and the new ACC interface. Mix the two parts, stir, and you have the highest performing integrated graphics solution on the market today." [AnandTech | AMD 790GX - The Introduction]
The bottom line is that if you are decided with going with the AMD chipset route for your system build, the 790GX is the right choice if you need RAID 5, and are interested in some overclocking (thanks to the Advanced Clock Calibration).
Technorati : 780g, 790gx, 8300, amd, chipset, graphics, igp, integrated, nvidia, overclock, review, test
]]>(Please see October 2008 article)Tom's Hardware recently released their monthly article on the Best Video Cards For The Money: August '08. The recommended PCI-E cards were the following:
GeForce 9500 GT GDDR3 (under $100) Radeon 3850 512MB (about $100) GeForce 9600 GT 512MB (about $125) Radeon 3870 (about $125) GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (about $150) Radeon 4850 (about $175) Radeon 4870 (about $280) 2x Radeon 4850 in Crossfire Configuration (about $350) 2x GeForce 9800 GTX in SLI Configuration (about $360)
Most inexpensive PCI-E gaming card:
"The 9500 GT GDDR3 is essentially a reworking and optimization of the popular 8600 GTS GPU on a smaller process. ... The extra $30 is well worth stepping up to a Radeon 3850, but if you want the absolute cheapest gaming card and don't plan to go higher than the 1280x1024 resolution, the 9500 GT is a good option. Just be sure to get the faster GDDR3 version, not the slower DDR2-equipped cards." [Tom's Hardware]
Maximum is US$360 for most expensive PCI-E gaming card setup:
"... we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than two Radeon 4850s. As more data surfaces as to how the 4870, GTX 260 and GTX 280 perform in multiple card configurations compared to two 4850s in Crossfire, we might add a higher price point to the list. But for now, the power of two 4850's in Crossfire is our top recommendation for performance. ... While two Radeon 4850s are really the way to go in terms of price/performance, those of you who have an SLI motherboard will probably find staying with Nvidia's video cards a cost-effective choice. For you folks, two GeForce 9800 GTX cards are about as good as it gets..." [Tom's Hardware]
The recommended AGP cards were the following:
Radeon HD 2600 PRO (under $100) Radeon HD 2600 XT (about $100) Radeon 3850 512MB (about $140)
Sadly for AGP, Radeon HD cards are usually a rarity on store shelves. I guess if you see a Radeon 3850 512MB for sale, grab it immediately.
Technorati : agp, ati, bang, best, card, graphics, nvidia, pci-e, value, video
The GeForce 9500 GT (US$70-90) is a GPU from Nvidia that features:
G96 Core Code
314 million Transisitor Count
65nm Manufacturing Process
550MHz Core Clock
32 Stream Processors
1400MHz Stream Processor Clock
16 Texture Mapping Units (TMU) or Texture Filtering (TF) units
8 Raster Operator units (ROP)
1600MHz GDDR3 or 1000MHz GDDR2 Memory Clock
128-bit
DDR Memory Bus
25.6GB/s (GDDR3) or 16.0GB/s (GDDR2) Memory Bandwidth
PCIe ver 2.0 x16 interface
Multi GPU Technology support
2 x Dual-Link DVI Output support
HDCP Output Support
HardwareZone gave the Zotac GeForce 9500 GT 512MB GDDR3 a 4 out of 5 rating:
"While the GeForce 9500 GT does not appear to be a blatant carbon copy of any existing GeForce 8 GPU like how the GeForce 9800 GT is practically a GeForce 8800 GT, it is also not that different from the incumbent GeForce 8600 series. ...
ATI's competing Radeon HD 3650 was quite clearly the inferior GPU compared to the newcomer, so NVIDIA still has the edge here.
Power consumption too was quite favorable for the GeForce 9500 GT. ... if you already possess a GeForce 8 card of a similar caliber (or even a GeForce 7 of the same range), it's a lateral upgrade at best, not a move up the performance ladder. If you're new to all these and looking for a decent mainstream option, the GeForce 9500 GT could be a good choice at its price range of US$70 - 90.
" [HardwareZone | NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 512MB GDDR3]
As HardwareZone suggests, if you plan to play modern games, it would be best to spend a little bit more and get a true performance mainstream GPU like a GeForce 9600 GSO, GeForce 9600 GT or Radeon HD 3850. And yes, if you are not in a hurry for a new 9600 GT, it might be worthwhile to wait for the coming 55nm Manufacturing Process versions.
Technorati : 9500, geforce, gt, nvidia
]]>The EVGA nForce 750i SLI FTW ($US200) is a motherboard for Intel that features:
Intel Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, Pentium D, & Pentium processor support Nvidia nForce 750i SLI MCP and SPP chipset dual channel DDR2-800 memory support, up to 8GB 8x USB 2.0 ports 4x Serial ATA II, with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, and JBOD Gb LAN 2x 1394a ports Azalia High-Definition audio 2x PCI Express v2.0 x16 slots
"... users who would like to build an SLI graphics subsystem have very limited options when it comes to choosing mainboards for LGA 775 processors. Nvidia nForce 6 series doesn't support contemporary Intel processors, NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI and nForce 750i SLI run very warm and unstable during overclocking. ... we can only leave the decision making to SLI fans here. You may either use only one graphics card, or give up CPU overclocking altogether or overclock to pretty mediocre speeds. You may wait for new Nvidia chipsets or even switch to ATI graphics cards. The choice is yours, and at this time we cannot recommend any Nvidia nForce 750i SLI based mainboards. None of them are really good, so no wonder very few companies have them in their product range." [X-bit Labs | EVGA nForce 750i SLI FTW Mainboard Review: Rehabilitated?]
As it seems, overclocking fans won't be interested in the nForce 750i SLI mobos. If you just have to have a system with an Intel processor and 2 graphics cards in SLI, probably the best way to have it is to run it at stock speeds.
Technorati : 750i, evga, intel, motherboard, nforce, nvidia, review, sli
]]>When planning an AMD rig build using integrated chipsets, the usual question is which chipset to use: AMD 780G or Nvidia GeForce 8200? Features common to both chipsets:
940 pins AM2+ processor socket HT 3.0 (1.8 GHz) CPU interface DDR2-667/800/1066 Dual Channel DDR2 memory support (up to 8GB) Gigabit Ethernet 12x USB 2.0 5x 32 Bit PCI 2.3 support 6x SATA/300 w/ NCQ Blu-ray, Betamax/HD-DVD HD video Direct X 10.0, Shader Model 4.0 D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI w/ HDCP HDMI 1.3
AMD 780G Features:
dual chipset design AMD Sb700 Southbridge PCIe x4 (2GB/s) chipset interlink 26 PCIe 2.0 Lanes PCIe support 0, 1,10, JBOD RAID modes Radeon HD2400 (RV610)-based graphics core 40 Graphics stream processors Crossfire X possible (Option: Radeon HD 2400/3450) ATI Avivo HD video decoding
Nvidia GeForce 8200 Features:
Single chipset design 19 PCIe 2.0 Lanes PCIe support 0, 1,10, 5, JBOD RAID modes GeForce 8400 GS (G86)-based graphics core 16 Graphics stream processors Hybrid Graphics-only (Option: GeForce 8400 GS/8500 GT) Power Saving: HybridPower switches off discrete graphics in 2D Nvidia PureVideo HD
"Both chipsets have reached a level of integration, performance and efficiency that is far above what most of us associate with the term "integrated chipset". The AMD 780G and Nvidia's GeForce 8200/8300 include all features and interfaces for a modern desktop solution, multimedia system or HTPC. ... They don't deliver less performance than high-end chipsets, and they even come with decent graphics engines, which are excellent for office and multimedia, and for playing HD video from Blu-ray in FullHD resolution. ... If you don't specifically want to run dual, three-way or quad graphics, or need more sophisticated platform features such as hardcore overclocking options, these motherboards do in fact suffice - and they still provide a nice upgrade path for graphics. Nvidia was more consistent in executing its platform strategy with Hybrid Power, while AMD offers better video features (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, Display Port) and FullHD video decoding efficiency." [Tom's Hardware | AMD and Nvidia Platforms Do Battle : Hybrid Graphics Platforms to Fire Up Multi-GPU Rendering?]
So, it boils down to what to choose. As the above article states, the 780G won in video (FullHD video decoding), while the 8200 won in graphics (Hybrid Power implementation). Fudzilla.com tested four 780G and one 8200 motherboards:
"While AMD might not be the gaming platform of choice, it is a good choice for HTPC. Geforce 8200 consumes less power compared to 780G, but AMD still has the superior graphics-power and the better multimedia support. Using a 45W TDP CPU such as the AMD Athlon X2 4850e, this configuration is the best possibility to go for." [Fudzilla | Four 780G and one GeForce 8200 tested]
If you are more inclined to choose the chipset with the lower power consumption, the 8200 should be your best bet (Further reading: IGP Chipset Power Consumption Compared). Also, it's also helpful to note that some Linux users tend to experience less video driver compatibility problems with Nvidia graphics than ATI ones, in case you are looking to use a Linux distro as your operating system. AnandTech tested six (6) motherboards with integrated graphics. The chipsets were: GF8300, GF8200, AMD 790GX, AMD 780G, Intel G35, and Intel G45:
"... it is difficult to declare a true winner at this time, especially given the fact that the new NVIDIA chipsets are launching shortly. However, if we had to choose one chipset for primary HTPC usage, it would be the NVIDIA GeForce 8200. The GF8200 offers 8-channel LPCM output, no hassle 1080P/24 fps playback capabilities, modest pricing, and a relatively low power envelope when paired with an appropriate processor such as the Phenom X3 8750 or Phenom X4 9350e." [AnandTech | AMD 780G vs. Intel G45 vs. NVIDIA GeForce 8200]
As of now, it seems the GF 8200 and AMD 780G chipsets are the ideal choices, with the GF 8200 more favorable for HTPC usage.
Technorati : 780g, 790gx, 8200, 8300, amd, chipset, g35, g45, geforce, graphics, igp, integrated, nvidia