F131 nvidia case color free, ATi = $299. What's the diff?

[Nosfera2]

I'm delaying a long-thought about order only because I don't know how to go, NVIDIA or ATI based. I'm confused in this sense :(

I would however like to go for a yellow case color. I noticed that for an ATI setup the case coloring costs $299 while for nvidia there is no charge. Wasn't sure why that is. Is there a difference between the F131 case models when it comes to an ATI or NVIDIA config?

Thanks in advance :)

PS. Also would it be a bad idea to go with an ATI setup for gaming? I read that the P5K mobo in crossfire, one PCIe works at x16 and the other at x4. I guess that's mostly why i'm hesitating...

[theDreamer]

No difference.
With the ATi products you currently get crossfire for free, thus no painting for free.

[Nosfera2]

Wow, qick response. Thanks dreamer :D I <3 U.

[RottynDawg]

Personally, I only buy Nvidia products due to past experience with ATI drivers but that was years and years ago. It might be worth finding a benchmark between the Crossfire setup and a comparable (price wise) Nivida solution.

[theDreamer]

ATi v. nVidia is pathetic right now.
While ATi beats nVidia without any AA, or special video feature, the second you turn them on it goes down hill, so we all want AA for that extra edge so going with ATi to mean would not be the best choice.

Also the Intel+nVidia setup is cheaper and more bang for the buck. :wink:

[blindem]

I'm with Rottyn in that boat. I don't go ATI any more cause I had a couple of bad experiences with them in the past: bad drivers, like he mentions above, and I also had a card go out on me two and a half months after purchase, and my experience getting them to act on their warrantee was so bad that I don't buy their products anymore. I've had much better luck in the past with NVidia, so I stick with it.

[Nosfera2]

:D Thanks for your reply guys. I had bad luck with nvidia cards, when StarCraft came out i'd always get crashes, and I've updated the drivers did everything I knew how to do back then. Since then on I was an ATI guy, but you guys know best, so I'm starting to seriously consider an nvidia setup.

Your feedback helped alot :D

[blindem]

Oh, no! I don't really know anything. Was just expressing my personal opinion on nVidia v. ATi, which is purely based on my experience.

I'm not a computer guy, I just play one while gaming... :wink:

[Nosfera2]

I'd mostly want it for online gaming myself. I'm more of a Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament type of guy :)

BTW, this scared me a bit:
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTI0NCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

There seems to be a fix on this issue, so it probably doesn't matter now. Still, I've had my share of BSOD in my lifetime :(

[theDreamer]

That article is a bit old, and I do remember all of those problems when the board first was introduced (I also remember the memory problem), but MG was good to help anyone who asked for help with problems, or needed support. Also the board has shown vast improvements in the previous updates (firmware) to really push itself ahead of everything.

I would not worry to much about it, since if you do have problems you always have the boards here, and the support of MG to fall back on to.

[RottynDawg]

I definitely wouldn't worry about it; I've had that board since November with out any challenges at all. They addressed the serious issues pretty quick and have continued to release new firmware fairly regularly. I'm very happy with the 680i!

[Charly Brown]

To add my two cents on the discussion, my current Intel ‘gaming’ computer (it is too old and not really designed for gaming, thus the ‘’) has an ATI X600 128mb video card. Before that, I had an Intel PC bought in 2003 with a 64mb NVIDIA card, don’t remember the model, this was about 3-4 years ago. Well, that old PC with the old 64 mb NVIDIA card, three years older than the X600 and with half the memory, helped me to play games I was not supposed to play, and I always got excellent performance from that video card. In the other hand, the ATI X600 many times didn’t play games it was supposed to play at the resolution it claimed, and I was never able to get a good performance from it

To make things worse, I tried to increase the life of my current PC a bit by adding an ATI X1300 256 mb card, and it was a total disaster, having basically driver compatibility issues as many said here. Even basic games rendered in shades of grey or poorly, to the point that I removed the card, shipped it back for a refund and will buy a Maingear Prelude with an NVIDIA card, and I think won’t go ATI for a while. Personally didn’t like the experience

[ElAntonius]

At any given time, the important thing is to do a ton of research. I mean. LOTS.

The last two systems I've owned included a PNY nVidia GeForce 4 TI 4400 (i think, been a while. The middle GF4...equivalent to a 8800 GTS today), and a HIS ATI X800XT-PE.

Next system I buy will likely be nVidia...not because I'm unhappy with my ATI (in fact, it's the best card I've ever owned, overclocks like a mother and has played games till today without flinching. Even played FEAR fairly well), but just because at this exact moment survey says nVidia has been a more forward thinking.

A _VERY_ common problem I've seen is that people will buy a low-mid range card and expect high end performance out of it. That goes...quadruple...with cards with x3xx numbering schemes.

Now, if someone were to ask me today? Go nVidia. But let's not forget that these two companies are usually quite neck and neck, and it's not really uncommon for the lead to swap from generation to generation (Radeon 9800 vs FX line, anyone?). Right now nVidia is enjoying a marked advantage. But imagine a scenario (and it's feasible, though not likely) where they fail to release a new card, and the 8800 is proven to be a poor choice for DX10 gaming. Simultaneously, ATI releases a killer flagship. At that point, the pendulum would swing the other way. Alternately, the 8800 could prove more than sufficient, or nVidia releases a new killer flagship, and ATI falls farther behind.

Ultimately, the best thing anyone can do is ask themselves:
-What are my needs?
-Can I truly afford to meet those needs at this point in time?
-Have I done sufficient research to ensure that what I'm buying will meet those needs?
-(THIS IS A BIGGY) Do the games I enjoy playing CURRENTLY tend to perform better with a particular card? This is one of the reasons I'm looking for the nVidia switch. ATI owners get some headache from Blizzard in WoW.
-Am I selecting a balanced system? (Don't mix a crap computer with a great video card. You'll only be disappointed)
-Am I demanding too much for the amount I'm paying for my video solution?

[Charly Brown]

Nosfera,

You hit the nail right in the head.

When I bought the SFF PC I own today, I didn’t take the time to do a throughout research an ended up buying on brand and nice look, and not on what I really need it. The consequence is that one year and a half later I am looking to buy a new computer, thing I’ve done in the past every 3-4 years. The PC gaming world and all the options have increased the complexity of the system you should design, and the tons and tons of options/configurations make things worse. Even to the point as you said, that depending on the games you expect to play, you need to choose this or that video card. What happens if a new game you like come out and your configuration cannot run it properly? This is nuts!!!

Now, I can tell you I’ve been close to a month researching on the new computer I should get, going from Maingear to Dell to Voodoo, to Falcon, to Velocity Micro and back to Maingear and I think I’ve found the PC that will fit me, and even that won’t grant me I’ll have a decent computer 1 year down the road.

My advice: If you can afford it, go for the best system with the latest and cutting edge technology as it will increase the odds of getting it right. But if you are on a budget like me, go for a system with proven technology extensively used today, even if it is closer to become obsolete, and make sure your computer has room for grow, both physically and in terms of compatibility. And of course, create a fund that allows you to invest in your computer every 3-4 months, and get a new one in 4 years maximum (why everything has to end talking about money? :lol:)

[blindem]

I agree with Nosfera's point, but I feel it needs one major caveat. You could do massive amounts of research, and if you don't understand the research or the facts/comparisons are not plain/clear to you as an individual, it won't matter one bit, and you'll end up making the wrong decision anyway. The nice thing is that for those of us who could do all the research but still wouldn't completely understand everything we were reading about card/computer differences, is one can call MG and have them explain it to you if you plan to order from them. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing what you want and finding out the way to best satisfy that; research is not always the answer to that for those of us who need some extra guidance.

[theDreamer]

That is correct.
Research is the not exactly the best answer, smart research is. Understanding what you are reading and what those benchmarks mean is really what you need to find out. Many places will show X thing beating Y part, but what exactly does that mean and what did it do to win?

[blindem]

:exactly:

[theDreamer]

:exactly:

:nerd:

[ElAntonius]

I ain't no nosfera!

Anyhow...I'd say a fundamental of researching any computer component is asking people. I think most people around here are in agreement that nVidia is the way to go with the current generation for example.

In fact, a quick cursory inspection of even nVidia's website will tell you the 'target market' for each card. At the very minimum that can give you and idea of whether the card you're thinking of is really intended to operate for what you want (not whether it's a good card, but just a ballpark of whether it's a gamer card or not).

There's plenty of sites that offer more realistic views of cards. I'm a fan of HardOCP, in this regard. And inspections around enthusiast forums (like this one, or HardOCP, or pretty much anywhere) can help you get a picture of if a particular card or model is operating well.

[noodlesnspam]

not worth buying ati products right now, they arent getting the peformance vs value at any price point for any of their r600 products.

if u read reviews and test results, the 1950 dx9 generation is getting more favorable ratings than any of their new products.

as far as nvidia, anything below 8800gts is crap, their sub 8800 dx10 cards are worse than nvidia's dx9 cards.

stick with 8800 for dx10 or go back to 7950gx2 for dx9

[theDreamer]

Exactly, though on the lower end 8k series cards I would not expect much from them, but the problem is what I want to see is more media center orientation from those cards. They are smaller, less heat, quieter, but they never put any of the right features in those cards so it is worthless for that also. They are always trying to make a gaming card which is fine for the mid to upper end range, but with the low mid to low end why not make the card media since that would be a perfect card.