5900 Question

dannnyjos · 10-05-2004, 11:48 PM

Hello:
I recently upgraded my video card from an Nvidia FX 5700 to a 5900. I bought a "BFG" 5900, but the problem is that I haven't noticed any significant difference between the two. Am I doing something wrong? Is BFG a crappy brand? I was really excited when I bought the card at best buy at an incredible cheap price: 230 dollars. But now I'm kind of dissapointed

. Can anyone shed some light on the subject? I removed the old drivers before installing the new card, and I have the latest drivers from Nvidia right now. Anyways, I'm posting my specs here and thanks in advance for any replies

.

OS: Win 2000 pro, SP3
MOBO: ASUS deluxe/Nforce2 chip
CPU: Athlon 2600+
RAM: 1 Gig
HD: Western Digital/Serial ATA (10000 Rpm)
PSU: 400 W
Video: BFG/Nvidia 5900xt (128)
Sound: Sound Blaster 5.1

Big B · 10-05-2004, 10:55 PM

Well, that depends on what you're playing and at what resolution. And then how much eye candy you have turned on. If you're playing at 800x600 with the eye candy turned off, you won't notice a thing because the card isn't being stressed enough.

dannnyjos · 10-05-2004, 11:06 PM

Hey, thanks for replying. I run everything at 1024, no anti-alising or aniso. I was just getting suspisious because that price seemed too cheap for a 5900. Do you know anything about BFG

? I mean, I know that the chipset is the same, but do the different brands make a difference when buying an Nvidia card?
By the way...I scored a 4340 on 3D mark. Is that good

?

I'm asking this because I'm seriously thinking about returning the card; a lot of money for a little improvement.

Big B · 11-05-2004, 01:35 AM

I've seen them pimped by Kyle and co over @ [H]ard|OCP. The speed of the 5900XT is pretty close to the 5700Ultra, and while the plain 5900 is faster, I doubt you'll notice it without a benchmark program. I've not personally used BFG yet, but they seem to be pretty solid from what Kyle says about them---and he doesn't just praise anyone. I do know that BFG came and filled the void when Visiontek went away.

The 5700 isn't the fastest on the market, but if you want a speed boost for the money, look at a Radeon 9800 Pro. Newegg has 'em for around $220, and Directron has them for a little bit more. Those are two on-line retailers that are pretty reputable.

dannnyjos · 11-05-2004, 10:46 PM

Allright, thanks BigB. May be I'll need to try my games at higher resolutions. Or may be, I need to return my card and move from Nvidia to ATI

. I just wanted to hear some educated opinions before I made a costly decision. If anyone still thinks he/she can contribute to this, I'll be checking for replies daily.
Thanks

harrack52 · 16-05-2004, 01:42 PM

If it's anything like the 9600/9800 thing, you will have to turn AA and AF on to see a big difference.

As far as ATI goes, there's really no need to own a 9800 if you're not gonna use AA. Might be the same with nvidia.

dannnyjos · 17-05-2004, 11:16 PM

Yes, Harrack; I figure that I won't see a difference unless I enable AA and AF. Also, I went to the website recommended by BigB and I found out that I didn't buy the real 5900. The 5900xt is an economic version of the 5900. It's a bit faster than the 5700, but slower than the 5900. No wonder it was so cheap :tired: ! By the way, thanks for the website BigB. I also found out that BFG is a respectable company, so the problem wasn't with their product, but actually Nvidia's "xt" version of the 5900.

Ok guys, thanks for replaying. I'll probably save some more and get the real deal (5900 or 9800).

Big B · 17-05-2004, 11:50 PM

That's the route to go. Or wait a few months and snag a GeForce 6800 or Radeon X800.

10-05-2004, 11:48 PM	#1 (permalink) Top
dannnyjos Big Geek Join Date: Sep 2003 Age: 30 Male Posts: 150 Times Helpful: 1 Status: Offline My Computer	5900 Question Hello: I recently upgraded my video card from an Nvidia FX 5700 to a 5900. I bought a "BFG" 5900, but the problem is that I haven't noticed any significant difference between the two. Am I doing something wrong? Is BFG a crappy brand? I was really excited when I bought the card at best buy at an incredible cheap price: 230 dollars. But now I'm kind of dissapointed . Can anyone shed some light on the subject? I removed the old drivers before installing the new card, and I have the latest drivers from Nvidia right now. Anyways, I'm posting my specs here and thanks in advance for any replies . OS: Win 2000 pro, SP3 MOBO: ASUS deluxe/Nforce2 chip CPU: Athlon 2600+ RAM: 1 Gig HD: Western Digital/Serial ATA (10000 Rpm) PSU: 400 W Video: BFG/Nvidia 5900xt (128) Sound: Sound Blaster 5.1 __________________ Ä§A

10-05-2004, 10:55 PM	#2 (permalink) Top
Big B HWF Godfather Join Date: Dec 2001 Age: 28 Male Posts: 9,673 Times Helpful: 585 My Mood: Devilish Status: Offline My Computer	Well, that depends on what you're playing and at what resolution. And then how much eye candy you have turned on. If you're playing at 800x600 with the eye candy turned off, you won't notice a thing because the card isn't being stressed enough. __________________ Hardware Forums\|HWF Rules\|My DVD's\|PSU FAQ\|HWF Folding Team

10-05-2004, 11:06 PM	#3 (permalink) Top
dannnyjos Big Geek Join Date: Sep 2003 Age: 30 Male Posts: 150 Times Helpful: 1 Status: Offline My Computer	Hey, thanks for replying. I run everything at 1024, no anti-alising or aniso. I was just getting suspisious because that price seemed too cheap for a 5900. Do you know anything about BFG ? I mean, I know that the chipset is the same, but do the different brands make a difference when buying an Nvidia card? By the way...I scored a 4340 on 3D mark. Is that good ? I'm asking this because I'm seriously thinking about returning the card; a lot of money for a little improvement. __________________ Ä§A

11-05-2004, 01:35 AM	#4 (permalink) Top
Big B HWF Godfather Join Date: Dec 2001 Age: 28 Male Posts: 9,673 Times Helpful: 585 My Mood: Devilish Status: Offline My Computer	I've seen them pimped by Kyle and co over @ [H]ard\|OCP. The speed of the 5900XT is pretty close to the 5700Ultra, and while the plain 5900 is faster, I doubt you'll notice it without a benchmark program. I've not personally used BFG yet, but they seem to be pretty solid from what Kyle says about them---and he doesn't just praise anyone. I do know that BFG came and filled the void when Visiontek went away. The 5700 isn't the fastest on the market, but if you want a speed boost for the money, look at a Radeon 9800 Pro. Newegg has 'em for around $220, and Directron has them for a little bit more. Those are two on-line retailers that are pretty reputable. __________________ Hardware Forums\|HWF Rules\|My DVD's\|PSU FAQ\|HWF Folding Team

11-05-2004, 10:46 PM	#5 (permalink) Top
dannnyjos Big Geek Join Date: Sep 2003 Age: 30 Male Posts: 150 Times Helpful: 1 Status: Offline My Computer	Allright, thanks BigB. May be I'll need to try my games at higher resolutions. Or may be, I need to return my card and move from Nvidia to ATI . I just wanted to hear some educated opinions before I made a costly decision. If anyone still thinks he/she can contribute to this, I'll be checking for replies daily. Thanks __________________ Ä§A

16-05-2004, 01:42 PM	#6 (permalink) Top
harrack52 Supreme Geek Join Date: Jan 2003 Age: 27 Posts: 1,638 Times Helpful: 16 My Mood: Sick Status: Offline My Computer	If it's anything like the 9600/9800 thing, you will have to turn AA and AF on to see a big difference. As far as ATI goes, there's really no need to own a 9800 if you're not gonna use AA. Might be the same with nvidia.

17-05-2004, 11:16 PM	#7 (permalink) Top
dannnyjos Big Geek Join Date: Sep 2003 Age: 30 Male Posts: 150 Times Helpful: 1 Status: Offline My Computer	Yes, Harrack; I figure that I won't see a difference unless I enable AA and AF. Also, I went to the website recommended by BigB and I found out that I didn't buy the real 5900. The 5900xt is an economic version of the 5900. It's a bit faster than the 5700, but slower than the 5900. No wonder it was so cheap :tired: ! By the way, thanks for the website BigB. I also found out that BFG is a respectable company, so the problem wasn't with their product, but actually Nvidia's "xt" version of the 5900. Ok guys, thanks for replaying. I'll probably save some more and get the real deal (5900 or 9800). __________________ Ä§A

17-05-2004, 11:50 PM	#8 (permalink) Top
Big B HWF Godfather Join Date: Dec 2001 Age: 28 Male Posts: 9,673 Times Helpful: 585 My Mood: Devilish Status: Offline My Computer	That's the route to go. Or wait a few months and snag a GeForce 6800 or Radeon X800. __________________ Hardware Forums\|HWF Rules\|My DVD's\|PSU FAQ\|HWF Folding Team

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