[AMD6415]

ok i know that ATI is just as fast as Nvidia but what I don't get is how Nvidia cards says they have like 24-48 pixel pipelines on there high end cards and ATI most have 12-16 on there high end cards at least I think it is pretty close to that anyways. So if someone could just tell me how these cards compare to each other when it looks like Nvidia should be the clear winner.
sorry if this is a dumb question

[M733mhz]

From my understanding it's just like the whole AMD Vs. Intel thing. AMD processors always operated at a lower frequency but did just the same amount if not more than intel's processors. I think it's the same with ATI's cards, they have lower clock speeds but do the same amount of work or more than an Nvidia card. I've heard Nvidia's drivers usually are less buggy though. Well, that's my take on it, I'm sure I'm not 100% correct but just my two cents.

[b1gapl]

Yea the high-end ATI's have like 16 pipelines which in parenthesis next to it says (48 pixel shader processors). Thats like the equivalent of a 24 pipeline nvidia, I think. Yea I also hear about ATI's driver issues, which is why, I was always behind nvidia.

[vaderpro]

All that matters is how they perform in benchmarks and games...forget the specs, just check the benchmarks and pick a card that performs the best for your buck. They are both good cardmakers.

[Oreo]

He's right | ^ |do what vader pro says.

The clock speeds and PU speeds pipelines ect ect, are nothing if its slow. Just get a car dthat performs best not sounds best.


Thanks

[Ethereal_Dragon]

Here is an excerpt from an article over at Tom's Hardware.......

Graphics Beginners' Guide, Part 2: Graphics Technology (Pipelines)

Pipeline is a term used to describe the graphics card's architecture, and it provides a generally accurate idea of the computing power of a graphics processor.

A pipeline isn't formally accepted as a technical term. There are different pipelines within a graphics processor as there are separate functions being preformed at any given time. Historically, it has been referred to as a pixel processor that is attached to a dedicated TMU. Graphics cards like the Radeon 9700 had eight pixel processors, each attached to a single TMU, and as such it was considered an eight-pipeline card.

The term pipeline no longer accurately describes some of the newer graphics processor architectures. Processors have a fragmented structure compared to past designs. ATI, with its X1000 series graphics card, was the first to deviate from this norm in order to achieve performance boosts through substructures optimizations. Some units are used more than others, and in an effort to increase the processor's entire performance, they attempted to find a "sweet spot" in the number of units needed for optimum efficiency without the need for excess silicon. In this architecture the name pixel pipeline lost its meaning as pixel processors were no longer attached to single TMUs. For example, ATI's Radeon X1600 graphics processor has 12 pixel shader units and only four TMUs. It can not accurately be described as either a 12-pipeline architecture, nor can it accurately be described as a 4-pipeline architecture, although it is often referred to as either.

As such, the number of pipelines in a graphics processor is usually used to compare two different cards (other than ATI's X1x00 series). For example, when comparing a card with 24 pipelines and a card with 16 pipelines, it is reasonable to assume that the graphics card with 24 pipelines will be generally faster.