xfx GeForce 8500 GT 512 Mb

[psykotrol]

I recently had to replace my video card, but now after this one was installed, the graphics seemed worse than the former (256 mb 6800). I know this one must have better graphics, right?

If so, can somebody tell me how to get the graphics better? I already tried coolbits and atitool, but I couldnt figure out how to use coolbits and atitool doesnt work with nvidia apparently. aside from overclocking, is there any other way to get the graphics better?

intel p4 3.2 ghz
nvidia 8500 512 mb
2 gb ram
dell xps g5

[Broni]

If you have on-board video, did you disable it, before installing new card?

[psykotrol]

I didnt install the new card, I had it taken to a computer shop to be taken care of.

[Broni]

I recently had to replace my video card

I had it taken to a computer shop to be taken care of

Which one, then?

[psykotrol]

had to replace the 6800 with 8500.

had some dude do it at protech computers.

[Calum]

The 6800 is superior to the 8500.
Sorry, but you downgraded your video.

[soybean]

Calum, is this a departure, then, from the general pattern of cards with higher-number model numbers being the later models and having faster graphics chips? 

[Calum]

Not necessarily.
The first number denotes the series of the card, so the 8500 is two serieses (is that a word?) aove the 6800.
The second and third numbers denote how powerful it is within that series.
The 6800 was the top of the line from the 6 series, the 8500 is the second from bottom of the 8 series.  Even though it's a newer card, and therefore supports newer technologies, it's actually slower.
They keep changing though, so a card with second number 5 may be the middle card of one series, and in the next series the bottom.
It's all marketing tricks.

Hope that clears things up a little.

[soybean]

Good explanation.  Thanks.

[Broni]

Nice info, Calum

[psykotrol]

thats f*****g great, so I spend over 140 dollars to get something worse. what would I have to get to get something of equal graphics? a d**n 8800? thats b******t, I cant even afford the one I bought, let alone something like that. Im in debt now because of this f*****g video card. Im taking it back and demanding my money back. In fact I even told the *censored* that I wanted a better quality graphics card, so he lied to me.

[Deerpark]

Wow that really sucks dude. But I must admit that numbering scheme fooled me as well. I would have thought the 8500 was faster simply because it was 2 series "newer" than the 6800. But after looking at benchmarks I can see Calum (of course) is right and the 8500 is actually quite a bit slower than the 6800.
If you follow this link you can compare the two cards with a whole range of benchmarks.

[psykotrol]

this is so depressing... well christmas is coming up soon, I can only hope for an 8600 gts or 8800 lol. plus I have a $50 check I cant cash cuz my account is overdrawn, so I suppose I should get a job =P.

also, looking at that chart, it shows thats some 320 mb cards are faster than their 640 mb counterparts, as well as 256 and 512, why is this? it shows that their graphics are better yet their memory is less, does memory have nothing to do with graphics? if so, *censored* is does memory even do for a graphics card? the same thing RAM does?

[Deerpark]

The memory on a graphics card is used to store the graphics data the GPU is going to process. The RAM on a graphics card is a lot faster than the system RAM the rest of the computer uses. So by storing the data in video ram the GPU has a lot faster access to it compared to if it had to get it from the system RAM. So the amount of RAM determines how much data the GPU has fast access to but has no influence on how fast a GPU can process the data.
So more memory doesn't necessarily equals a faster graphics card.

[psykotrol]

so after hearing that, im assuming a larger amount of memory on a video card is more for things like 3d graphic design, but not optimized for use with games, right?