Red pill or Green pill? ATI GPU or NVidia?

[DarioSamo]

Hello folks from RPS, I'm currently looking into doing a PC upgrade soon, and my target is a new GPU at the moment.

After googling and reading some reviews, and checking what's available on local hardware stores, my options fall into these three.

NVidia GTX 460 1GB GDDR5 EVGA 273.08U$S
NVidia GTX 460se EVGA 1GB GDDR5 237.22U$S
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product...tx-460-us.html

ATI Radeon HD6850 1GB DDR5 XFX 239.08U$S
http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...verview.aspx#2

I've been told that an upgrade to an ATI card might have the risks of ATI's careless work with their drivers, leaving unresolved bugs as such with OpenGL(which I use mainly for development). But the price difference is quite a big gap compared to the GTX I linked, which I think is similar on performance.

Then it falls under the other choice the cheaper GTX 460se, with a claimed lower performance.

Which of these would be the best bang for the buck, also considering safe drivers, low noise, and good temperature? Potential for overclocking is considered too, but I'm not really into that.

I use this system mainly for gaming, at a screen resolution of 1600x900, and it won't be upgraded in the near future.

[CuriousOrange]

I would also check out the 6870 as it's going at a pretty good price at the moment. In my experience ATIs drivers aren't as good, but Nvidias like to blow up. They both have their pros and cons. Best bet is to go for the best performing card in your price range no matter what brand it is.

I'm currently looking at GPUs at the moment and am thinking of going for the 6870 as it's the best bet in my price range of £150 I think (could be wrong).

[Wolfenswan]

Might want to read this.

After my experience with ATI cards i'd always pick NVIDIA but if you don't intend on playing the newest stuff or other areas were you are really dependent on the drivers always being up-to-date and working then ATI is just fine.

[CuriousOrange]

Might want to read this.

After my experience with ATI cards i'd always pick NVIDIA but if you don't intend on playing the newest stuff or other areas were you are really dependent on the drivers always being up-to-date and working then ATI is just fine.

Outside of RAGE I haven't had any issues with drivers and my ATI, which is a 4850 and is only just passed it's prime. Amazingly reliable and sturdy card for the price. It replaced my second 8800 after it popped yet again.

I'm not even certain RAGE is because of the drivers.

[Alex Bakke]

ATI have a history of bad drivers.

However, the cost-to-performance ratio is much better than what you'd get with an Nvidia card, and they tend to last longer.

[CMaster]

There's always this article series too.

I've generally been hapier with my Radeons than my GeForces, but I think that's mostly down to the timing of the purchases.

[DarioSamo]

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll go for 6870 atm, since the performance seems up on par with a GTX 560 and is on my budget as well. Now I just gotta search for a PSU for it. Thanks again. :)

[duff]

Often the ATI drivers for a new game are worse than Nvidia but they usually catch up over time, so bear that in mind if your the kind of gamer who likes to pick up games at release.

[Heliocentric]

Like to downloading drivers to squeeze out performance with specific games? You might like ATI, but i cant help but feel nVidia is the user friendly option.

[DigitalSignalX]

I've always had Nvidia up to late last year when I got a HD6870. It was a great card, and the low heat/power and high performance especially with over clocking has made it a winner. My only issue ever has been with RAGE, but that's the developer's fault IMHO. I still can't get it to function correctly. Well, I did have one other issue with ATI, I initially went with a 6850, but had 2 bad ones in a row (hardware issues) before I upgraded to a 6870 which has worked fine.

[JiminyJickers]

I have an AMD HD 6870 at the moment, it a lovely card and works great. But my next card will be an nVidia because I'm worn out with all the driver issues that I have experienced with AMD.

[Edawan]

My current card is an HD5850, and from the first day I installed it I regretted that choice.
I've had more trouble with that ATI than with all four GeForces I've had before combined.

So yeah ATI has better performance/price, but you pay it in usability.

[slick_101]

I have a Nvidia 450 SLI and well. I love it, can play most games out on max with 8x MSAA BF3 on the highest settings in the demo I had a constant 50+ FPS on Caspian border

[bazookavortex]

6850 is faster than gtx460/460se. Overclocked could match 6870/gtx560, awesome card. Also those prices are rip-off, you should search for another dealer.

[Alex Bakke]

My current card is an HD5850, and from the first day I installed it I regretted that choice.
I've had more trouble with that ATI than with all four GeForces I've had before combined.

So yeah ATI has better performance/price, but you pay it in usability.

Hey, don't knock the reputation of every card just because you've had a bad experience with one.

[Edawan]

Hey, don't knock the reputation of every card just because you've had a bad experience with one.

Most of my troubles have come from the drivers, so I doubt it would be better with another ATI, but yeah sure I haven't tried any other.