"BC" wrote in message
. com...
wrote:
I'm about to lay down some money on building a gaming rig.
Which is the *best* combination?
A motherboard with an ATI-chipset with a Radeon?
A motherboard with an nForce chipset with an nVidia graphics card?
By all means, please commence discussion and provide suggestions.
I would vote for Nvidia chipset, NF4, and Nvidia card, just on the basis
of what I have read about stability, compatibility. Have been burned by
VIA chipset in the past not being compatible with soundcards, occasional
random crashes, etc. Seems like the ATI chipsets are not great for
gamers, either, in terms of speed, etc.
I'm afraid you've been misinformed. Nvidia is not necessarily more stable or
compatible than the equivalent ATI component in terms of chipsets or GPUs or
drivers. Some have propagated the notion that ATI products are instable;
this is just not the case. I've owned NVidia and ATI (and many other
pre-NVidia brands) and can testify to the quality of ATI parts. I currently
own an X1900XTX and the card is stable as a rock. Previous to that card I
had an X1800XT which also worked perfectly fine but which I sold on ebay to
pay for the X1900XTX. Previous to both I used a 9800 Pro which was nothing
but a joy for about 3 years. Now it's in my closet and collecting dust but
still in the same working condition as when I bought it.
There was a time when ATI drivers were not up to par, but that time is long
gone. ATI's catalyst driver team has delivered on there promises.
The crossfire chipsets have also come a long way. Check out the review of
the Asus A8R-MVP "http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2617" . Half
the price of it's NForce equivalent, just as stable, and a much better
overclocker. For all intents and purposes, an X1900XTX coupled with an
A8R-MVP is the fastest consumer based 3D solution available. ATI are "are
not great for gamers, either, in terms of speed, etc." ??
If you're gonna be brand loyal then be brand loyal. Nothing wrong with that.
But please don't post inaccurate information to a person trying to make
their own decision. Let them make there decision based on accurate
information.
Another possiblity: Intel 955X or 975X chipset, and Nvidia
graphics...also super stable, compatible...AMD CPU overall better for
gaming. Runs games better, smoother, and, runs cooler.
HTH,
BC