Author Topic: What good video cart in the 200-250$ range ? (Read 734 times)

38ruk · « **Reply #15 on:** March 31, 2006, 12:19:16 PM »

Eagler , what are your system specs, your cpu socket , speed , ram . There are alot of options depending on those .
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Eagler · « **Reply #16 on:** March 31, 2006, 12:42:17 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by 38ruk
Eagler , what are your system specs, your cpu socket , speed , ram . There are alot of options depending on those .
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asus 8vA 939 pin
amd 64 3400
2 gig ram
ati 9800 pro
sata raid with two 80gig wd's

38ruk · « **Reply #17 on:** March 31, 2006, 04:32:32 PM »

Sweet , you have a 939 , so going to pci express will be alot easier . I bought the eVGA 133-K8-NF41 sli and 7800GT PCI-e for $360 back in november, i saw one about a month ago that was 339 . I'll look aroung tiger direct and see if they still have it going . Since you have a 939 , you might want to look around for combo deals . Just an idea 38

Eagler · « **Reply #18 on:** April 02, 2006, 11:50:27 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by eagl
Use that gift card soon, as many stores have a fine-print statement that lets t....

So use that card fast before they steal your money

just ordered the e-vga 7800GS CO, the gift card was still worth $100 ..

where can I find a good benchmark tool which would relate to AH performance so I can compare between my rig with its current ati 9800 pro and the new card when it arrives?

Eagler · « **Reply #19 on:** April 03, 2006, 02:18:48 PM »

which driver should I try with the 7800 for best results in AH when it arrives?
tia

38ruk · « **Reply #20 on:** April 03, 2006, 04:46:28 PM »

From all the drivers i have tested with my 7800gt , 81.98's seem the smoothest .

For benchmarks , i usually up a bomber formation offline , with all the ingame sliders maxed , then destroy all the fighter and bomber hangers along with fuel and ord using the destroy objects button . I then hop into the last planes top turret and check my frame rates , it will usually give you a good idea of performance gained . 38

eagl · « **Reply #21 on:** April 04, 2006, 06:24:56 AM »

I've actually found that the old 3dmark2001SE is a good estimate of AH performance. In general, the PREVIOUS generation of 3dmark benchies always give more consistent real-world performance results than the latest version. Give 3dmark2001 and 2003 a try, and I think you'll see that sort of perf increase with the new card.

The last 2 3dmark versions, 2005 and 2006, seem pretty much worthless to me. A 7800 will crush my 6800GT in 3dmark2006 even with the same cpu, but in AH a 7800 will probably show less than a 10% framerate increase over my 6800 because AH is somewhat cpu limited.

The intangible thing you get with the newer vid cards, especially with AH, is that you can turn the resolution and antialiasing waaaay up, even if you can't move the in-game sliders any more. That's why 3dmark2001 and 2003 are still decent performance indicators for AH... Their scores aren't inflated by card features that AH doesn't use.

Remember, AH still runs on GF2 era hardware, so just about the only things that increase AH fps are pure fill rate and cpu power. The newer vid card features only get you eye candy like antialiasing and that's why buying a brand new but lower-end video card can give disappointing results in AH. Because the low-end cards really don't see much of a pure fill rate or "pixel pushing powr!" increase even if they support the latest accelerated standards.

Brooke · « **Reply #22 on:** April 04, 2006, 03:31:50 PM »

Also, there is something that needs to be pointed out regarding all of this: Spider Man's not gay. (This is a joke regarding Eagl's avatar, which is awesome, by the way.)