dumb question. ati still reign over nvidia for 2d?

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onetrueday

[H]ard|Gawd
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I'm currently running an ati x800xl in my system and figured it was time for an upgrade.

My system specs are below.

I'm thinking of getting the 7900gt or the x1800xt.

My past experience (i've owned approx 15 video cards) has proved that ati simply looks better for 2d and video.

I'm a little outdated though.

Is this still true?

thanks for any help.
 
I have been through a few Nvidia/ATI cards and don't notice a difference between the two.
 
the x1k series are said to have better image quality in gaming. Less shimmering.
 
The 6xxx/7xxx series and 8xx/1xxx series seem pretty much identical in 2d to me.. Generations prior to that I would have given Ati the 2d nod... Way back in the day Matrox had the best 2d image quality.. Perhaps they still do, but I have not owned a Matrox card in quite a while...
 
2D is excellent on any mid-range or high-end card from ATI or Nvidia. Gone are the days of poor filter design in Nvidia's reference design. Of course, lower-end cards will typically have poor 2D because manufacturers cannot justify the cost of parts to build good DAC filters.

My 6600 GT, and now my 7900 GT, both have 2D quality rivaling my old G400 MAX. Hell, even the 2D output of my onboard GMA 950 graphics on my Mac Mini are acceptable at 1280x960@85 Hz. As a CRT fan, I'm thrilled that the mainstream graphics industry has finally caught up with the high-end.
 
Between my X800XT and my 6800NU I can see that ATi has slightly sharper Image quality. But its nothing to make a purchase choice over. Allthough the X1Ks have that 10 bit Display crap or what ever it is (I dont truly understand it) that is said to give better image quality. Allthough I would check into it before buying it.
 
WTH in 2D there is not much difference if any. If you are using an LCD why even bother asking the question to begin with. The only thing with ATI is they have a gamma issue and its a PIA. They have had this bug snice the 9500/9700 era.
 
I have not noticed any 2D difference between ati or nvidia although the last ATI card I owned was the 9550.
 
Last time I noticed bad 2D was in the Geforce 3 days. This kept me from buying Nvidia
prior to the GF4 release. The 2D was so bad before that it would make your eyes bleed.
I haven't noticed any really bad 2D since.
 
Avivo. So if by 2D you mean movie-watching, then yes ATI wins in this category as Avivo is superior to PureVideo.
 
Avivo and Purevideo both have their faults.

Purevideo has better de-interlacing, Avivo appears to have better gamma etc. Both are mediocre compared to high end video output though from what I have read. So both are more or less = to each other.

For 2D desktop work; I think in this day and age there really isn't any difference. Especially if you are planning to use DVI as it transmits a bit perfect and color perfect digital signal to your display. For Analog I am unsure.

I am a Nvidia person for driver and industry support alone. I don't care if ATI cards are 20x faster in games if they BSOD and have poor driver support (no support for Linux, Drivers that require .Net framework installed etc.) I think Nvidia make more professional cards and have much better driver and software support but each person is entitled to their opinion.
 
Sovereign said:
Avivo. So if by 2D you mean movie-watching, then yes ATI wins in this category as Avivo is superior to PureVideo.
Click to expand...

What he said. ATi is better in the multimedia|HTPC arena. For example the theater 550pro. ATi cards are also better and faster at proper still image recognition. Extremetech and Firingsquad have both showed reports on this. Poke around their reviews on each site if you are interested.

As far as D3D goes ATi is more often than not faster with combined AA|AF at resolutions of 1600X and up. To top it off they do it with better IQ. For example ATi HQ AF, and ATi Crossfire Super AA at 14x being as fast and better looking than nVidia 8x SLi AA.

If you watch TV, DVDs and are into still image viewing on your rig ATi is the best choice. I love my setup. I had twin 7800GTs in SLi before this and don't miss them one bit.

If I used Linux I'd probably have nVidia cards and that's the only reason.

Obviously if you like the green goblin by all means buy their products. To each their own.
 
Its subjective, mostly peoples minds rather than reality in the differences. They are both very good at 2d these days, I wouldnt consider one better than the other at all. 3d of course is another ballgame alltogether.
 
i never noticed any 2D difference. i would have never known it was even an issue if wasnt for forums like this.
 
Beyond3D says that Avivo is better than PureVideo, allthough they are both Software relaeted and at any time they can be fixed so I dont expect one review at any given point in time to ever be the end all comparison.
 
MaxPC also chimed in that Avivo > PureVideo. Plus, Avivo = gratis, PureVideo = $$$....
 
Sovereign said:
MaxPC also chimed in that Avivo > PureVideo. Plus, Avivo = gratis, PureVideo = $$$....
Click to expand...
i thought that you had to pay for something associated with Avivo. i didnt know it was completely free.
 
You have to buy the graphics card for Avivo. The rest is FREE. :) With PureVideo, you buy the GFX and the software (either from nV or CyberLink PowerDVD or WinDVD, either of which have PureVideo built in).
 
Depends on what you mean avivo for free...the HD playback is not free, you have to buy the software for it, as well as the DVD player software.

I think it's pretty cheesy to have to pay for software that is used as a selling point for the card, especially considering the cost in the first place.
 
A 7800GS does support purevideo

For Purevideo;

you need to acquire the purevideo codecs. This can be done by purchasing from nvidia or by buying software that has it built in. As it is now Purevideo is pretty much the industry standard. Avivo might be better (better really is marginal in this case) but it is nowhere near as supported as purevideo.

Currently I use Purevideo with the program TheaterTek and I think DVD's look phenomional. Purevideo is included with TheaterTek. Some DVDs are comparable to HD .ts streams (which TheaterTek also plays)

Many people bypass these codecs all together and simply use the program FFDshow which does give a better quality image but also requires much more effort and PC resources to use. You can get a ZoomPlayer trial or even use Media Player Classic and use FFDshow. It takes work to configure it all though which is why I just purchased TT.

Another alternative is to get ZoomPlayer and buy the nvidia codecs but I much prefer TheaterTek for ease of use.


If you're primary interests are watching 320x265 kbs clips you download off sites then this stuff probably isn't relevant. For DVD and HD playback it is more or less essential.
 
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