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2d speed and text clarity (2600xt and 8600gt)

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  •  02-08-2008, 9:00 PM 263291

    2d speed and text clarity (2600xt and 8600gt)

    Hello,

    I'm almost finally ready to pull the trigger and order my system but I'm stuck once again.  I'm going to be running a 20" monitor (1600x1200) and a 24" (1920x1200) with my system both via DVI.  I have no interest in 3d gaming, I'm purely interested in purchasing a video card that is going to give fast 2d performance and clear crisp text over DVI.  Eventually I'll probably be moving to quad monitor display but for now it is a dual monitor setup.

     Nearly every forum thread and card review only highlights gaming benchmarks and performance.  I haven't really seen any comparisons about which has sharper and crisper text when comparing the 2600XT (or 2600PRO) and the 8600GT cards.  I'm curious if anyone owns or has used both of these over DVI and could comment as to which would provide the better picture let's say for day trading usage.  The card needs to be PCI-E x16, DX10 capable for eventual migration to Vista, and silent (fanless).  More specifically these are the ones I'm looking at ...

    MSI RX2600Pro-T2D256EZ/D2 Radeon HD 2600PRO 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Silent Heatpipe Video Card - Retail

    GIGABYTE GV-RX26T256H Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

    MSI NX8600GT-T2D256EZ GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

    GIGABYTE GV-NX86T256H GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

    GIGABYTE GV-NX86T512H GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

     I've across several threads saying ATI is better for text because the Nvidia is more focused on graphics.  But then a lot of the sites that sell custom made day trading platforms offer Nvidia based cards in their systems.  I would just like to hear from someone who has seen both in action via DVI and could say whether there was a definite difference on text clarity or not.

     Thanks.
     

  •  02-09-2008, 2:43 AM 263383 in reply to 263291

    Re: 2d speed and text clarity (2600xt and 8600gt)

    zeke999:

     I've across several threads saying ATI is better for text because the Nvidia is more focused on graphics.  But then a lot of the sites that sell custom made day trading platforms offer Nvidia based cards in their systems.  I would just like to hear from someone who has seen both in action via DVI and could say whether there was a definite difference on text clarity or not.

    In Vista, text is graphics.. Tongue Tied
    Vista uses 3D hardware acceleration (pixel shaders to be exact) to accelerate the graphics..  So really you can't draw a line between 2D and 3D graphics anymore like you could in the past.. 

    I suggest you read up on how Aero works..  The performance of Aero depends on the pixel shaders on the card.. Since pixel shaders are also used extensively in 3D games, it's kind of hard to put yourself on one side or the other..   The answer to your question is in pixel shader performance.  Look for benchmarks and cards that have the best and you'll find your "2D" card that you're looking for, however it will also likely be a beast of a 3D card as well..  There's really no way around it as pixel shaders are a function performed by the 3D GPU chip itself.

     


    Onboard RAID vs. 3Ware RAID

    I never recommend people run RAID-5 with onboard chipsets.
  •  02-09-2008, 6:01 AM 263412 in reply to 263383

    Re: 2d speed and text clarity (2600xt and 8600gt)

    Okay, that is what I was thinking.  That is also why I wanted a DX10 capable card for my eventual migration to Vista.  I'm currently using Win XP and will be using it for some time until all of the applications I use become more Vista compatible (many are still not).  I'm sorry I forgot to mention that I will be using Win XP now.  I'll read up on Aero later today and see if I can find some general information about one card over the other in regards to Aero performance.

     Has anyone used both cards in a Win XP environment.  Opinions?
     

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