Are ATI Radeon graphics cards any good compared to nVIDIA cards?

I've never used an ATI Radeon card. Are they as good as nVIDIA cards? If I buy 2 cards of similar price from both brands, will they perform similar? Or is nVIDIA more solid compared to ATI?

Are ATI Radeon graphics cards any good compared to nVIDIA cards?
I use both Radeon and Nvidia card depending on whichever is cheaper at the moment.





If you were to compare say the base model 8400GS and HD2400Pro they both sell for about $40. The Nvidia 8400GS is a little faster, but the HD2400Pro uses less energy and has better output to HDTV....pretty much works out in the end.





If you were to look at the ATI 3850 vs the Nvidia 8800GS (both about $150 cards) again they will perform somewhat similar in gaming with the ATI being a little better choice for TV output because it is a quieter card.





However, ATI cards can have some more obvious driver issues. I've always found I have to work harder with the drivers to get the ATI ones to work properly. The Nvidia drivers tend to be a little more stable.
Reply:In my experience Nvidia performs better but ATI doesn't burnout as easily. Especially if you're into OCing. I only use ATI now because of reliability.
Reply:Yes, they can be as good a NVidia's cards. They are competing with each other for a reason.





Yes, similarly prices video card usually perform the same.





As for being solid, yes, both of them are solid, and they also break when you smash them to the floor/wall hard enough.





Joking aside, they last the same due to being made on similar process (Like Silicon and metal.)





However, ATI video cards should be slightly more cheaper than equivalent NVidia cards.
Reply:well i know nvidia is a good card, i hear it depends on different games, radeon will be better for some nvidia for others, id go with nvidia as i know its a good one and has always done me well

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