Author Topic: Best AGP card? (Read 288 times)

Greebo · « **on:** August 25, 2005, 02:35:31 PM »

The recent AHoptest discussions have got me thinking about improving my gaming rig. Currently I run a P4 2.8, 1MB RAM, Asus P4C800-E and a Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB. I get good performance with this setup, but I like to turn down or off some of the eye candy online to get better FPS in low alt furballs. I play at 1600 by 1200 res.

With 1024 res textures enabled, the game stutters due to my 9800 Pro's 128 mb of video ram. It runs fine with 512mb res textures but I'd like to be able to use the 1024s and maybe get some more FPS. So I'm thinking of getting a 256mb video card to fix the stutters, an AGP one as I'm not looking at upgrading my MB at the moment.

Apart from the video memory improvement, would either the X850 or 6800 Ultra based card represent a worthwhile increase in performance over the 9800 Pro or would I be CPU limited? Also, is there any advantage to one over the other for AH play? I don't use the PC for anything else that would tax the video card.

whels · « **Reply #1 on:** August 25, 2005, 03:03:13 PM »

Greebo,

if u want to play @ 1600x1200 1024 texture, with a AGP card, and be able to get good FPS. your probably looking at
a Nvidia 6800 ulta 512 meg video card, @ the above settings
you would be over powering a 256 card.

i think nvidia is the only 1 with a 512 AGP card, if you want to
stay ATI then id look at 1 of the 850 256meg cards.

AH is very very CPU dependant, just look at the Optest results. guys with same CPU speed but 1 a 9800 and 1 a 850xt dont show that much difference in fps, atleast not worth the extra
$$ for the 850. you would see more fps and turn on more eye candy, but not a huge increase i dont think.

126 meg is holding u back .

paulieb · « **Reply #2 on:** August 25, 2005, 03:15:53 PM »

there is an ATI 512 meg card.... the 850 I think. However, Maximum PC is saying stay away from the 512 meg cards. No appreciable performance increase. I have a 6800 GT, and think it does just fine. My Athlon 64 3500+ is the limiting factor as far as I can tell.

eagl · « **Reply #3 on:** August 25, 2005, 03:19:58 PM »

skuzzy is saying that if you want to run AH at 1280x1024 with 1024 textures and still use FSAA, you need more than 256 meg on the vid card. Apparently it's memory limited with those settings. Either an 850 or 6800 ultra should be fast enough to run AH at those settings if matched to a fast cpu, but according to some stuff skuzzy's posted regarding the speed test in the general forum, the game gets video memory limited with the big textures and FSAA so you gotta give up one or the other unless you have 512 meg on the card.

That said, I haven't heard of anyone who's actually tried those settings with a 512 meg card, so who knows if it's really playable or not.

Greebo · « **Reply #4 on:** August 25, 2005, 08:21:42 PM »

Many thanks for the feedback guys. I don't use AA but from what you say it's looking like it isn't worth upgrading the video card. Probably better to wait until I upgrade the whole rig; get a better CPU, PCI Express and SLI.