[hldan]

I just bought the new DP 2.3Ghz PowerMac G5 with the ATI Radeon 9650/256MB graphics card. This card kinda sucks when it comes to playing Doom 3 or even UT2004 at higher settings. I was thinking about splurging and going for the ATI Radeon X800 or the Nvidia Geforce 6800 Ultra.
I know the 6800 will use up 2 slots and that's not good but besides that has anyone tried both of these cards and could give an personalized unbiased opinion on which one is better for gaming and noise issues?
Also are these the only high end gaming cards for the G5?
Any help please.

[NY152]

I have only used the X800 so I cannot give you a comparison. But I can say that with the X800 installed I have played the games listed below and the speed was fabulous.

Halo, Wolfenstein, Call of Duty, Metal of Honor (spearhead), Neverwinter Nights.

HTH

[Maflynn]

I have the x800 and have been pleased with the performance. Since I don't have a lot of money I really didn't have a chance to buy/try the nvidia. The concensus here (do a search) indicates that the ATI has better written drivers and is as fast or a little faster then the nivdia for $100 less.

If you need hard number check out Accelerate you Mac They review and compared both cards and have some owner feend back so you get a lot of information

Regards
Mike

[hldan]

Originally Posted by Maflynn

I have the x800 and have been pleased with the performance. Since I don't have a lot of money I really didn't have a chance to buy/try the nvidia. The concensus here (do a search) indicates that the ATI has better written drivers and is as fast or a little faster then the nivdia for $100 less.

If you need hard number check out Accelerate you Mac They review and compared both cards and have some owner feend back so you get a lot of information

Regards
Mike

Thanks for the link, so far the only issue I see with the x800 is the ROM update which seems to have been fixed with the 108 ROM update. Some people are going back to the 104 update. Don't know which is the right way to go, hmm.
I think I want to go with the x800 over the Nvidia based on reviews mentioning the x800 maintaining graphics quality at higher resolutions and on larger screens.
My question to anyone is can I buy the x800 at a local retailer? Does it have to purchased online only? I wanted to get one this weekend and try it out. I tried CompUSA and Fry's and they only carry low end Mac GPUs.

[AC Rempt]

If you find the card at a local retailer, I would be shocked. Online is the easiest way to go with cards like this.

[hldan]

Originally Posted by AC Rempt

If you find the card at a local retailer, I would be shocked. Online is the easiest way to go with cards like this.

I found one at Upgradesource.com for $472.00 with free tax and free shipping. Is there any benefit from buying directly from Ati? Ati has for $494.00 including tax and shipping. The only reason I was considering getting it from Ati is because I figured they may ship it with the lastest ROM update installed. Sorry to sound cheap, anyone purchase from Ati before?

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by hldan

I found one at Upgradesource.com for $472.00 with free tax and free shipping. Is there any benefit from buying directly from Ati? Ati has for $494.00 including tax and shipping. The only reason I was considering getting it from Ati is because I figured they may ship it with the lastest ROM update installed. Sorry to sound cheap, anyone purchase from Ati before?

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...c=101&sp=1

[Todd Madson]

Depends on the store you visit as well. I've seen some stores that stock a lot of
different video cards. The local Microcenter is a case in point. The really spendy
ones sit in a glass display behind the counter. The Mac versions of same are up
behind the counter in the Mac area but it's interesting that some stores don't
stock ANY Mac video cards - if you're finding a paucity of Mac cards then by all
means check online.

That X800 sounds monstrous but at that price it ought to be!

[hldan]

Originally Posted by Todd Madson

Depends on the store you visit as well. I've seen some stores that stock a lot of
different video cards. The local Microcenter is a case in point. The really spendy
ones sit in a glass display behind the counter. The Mac versions of same are up
behind the counter in the Mac area but it's interesting that some stores don't
stock ANY Mac video cards - if you're finding a paucity of Mac cards then by all
means check online.

That X800 sounds monstrous but at that price it ought to be!

Thanks, I'll check Microcenter out today. There's a local store in my area.