Which one of these cards is better for gaming and watching hd movies:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3606193&CatId=28 (8800gt/256mb gddr3)
OR
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3053792
(8600gts/256mb gddr3)
OR
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3642162&CatId=2306 (radeon 3650/1024mb gddr2)
sorry about the links (they seem to be dead), the cards specs are:
Diamond Radeon HD 3650
GPU/VPU: RADEON HD 3650
RAMDAC: Dual 400 MHz
Additional Features: HDCP Enabled
OpenGL 2.0
Vista Certified
DirectX 10.1
CrossFireX Ready
Maximum Resolution: 2560 x 1600 (Digital)
Video Memory: 1GB
Memory Type: DDR2
Core Clock: 725 MHz
Memory Interface: 128-bit
Memory Clock: 2000 MHz
Stream Processors: 120
Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0
Interface Speed: x16
Nvidia 8800gt:
GPU/VPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
RAMDAC: Dual 400 MHz
Additional Features: RoHS Compliant
HDCP Enabled
HDTV Ready
SLI Ready
OpenGL 2.0
DirectX 10
PCI Express 2.0
Vista Certified
Maximum Resolution: 2560 x 1600 (Digital)
Video Memory: 256MB
Memory Type: DDR3
Core Clock: 600 MHz
Memory Clock: 1400 MHz
Shader Clock: 1500 MHz
Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0
Interface Speed: x16
Connector(s): Dual DVI (Dual Link)
HDTV/S-Video
Multiple Monitors Support: Yes
Nvidia 8600gts:
GPU/VPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
RAMDAC: Dual 400 MHz
Fill Rate per Second: 10.8 Billion pixels
Additional Features: Vista Ready
RoHS Compliant
HDTV Ready
SLI Ready
OpenGL 2.0
DirectX 10
Maximum Resolution: 2560 x 1600 (Digital)
Video Memory: 256MB
Memory Type: GDDR3
Core Clock: 675 MHz
Memory Clock: 2000 MHz
Shader Clock: 1450 MHz
Stream Processors: 32
Memory Bandwidth: 32GB/sec.
Interface Type: PCI Express
Interface Speed: x16
Connector(s): Dual DVI
HDTV/S-Video
Multiple Monitors Support: Yes
again, this card will be used for moderate gaming and hd movies. the system will have windows vista, 4gb ram, 520gb hdd, and a 17" monitor (soon to be 22")
For gaming the 8800 is better, but for movies and rendering ATI wins hands-down. The 8600 is horrible, stay far away, what you are currently running may be better. I like the new 3000 series, as I use the card for gaming, movies, as well as 3D rendering. The ATI card also has integrated HD sound through the HDMI port. Sorry for the late reply, Mav.
The 8800GT is a really nice card, but you might want to look into the 9600GT, which is fairly cheap.
The 9600 is not a top end card, but for moderate gaming it'll be fine. I've never used any of these cards, just recycling what I've read others say so I'd recommend googling for some reviews before buying.
Sorry my answer's not really to your question... Just what came to mind when I read it.
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