3.0Ghz w/HT and which video card?

[Kermit de frog]

7600 or 7800 video card for me?

I have 1.5Gb of PC3200 ram.
2 HD at 7200rpms ATA133
3.0Ghz w/ HT Processor.
500W Power Supply


I currently have a Geforce 4 ti4400.  My framerates are acceptable for now while running at 4x.  Except when near the ground.  Trees bring my system to 8fps.

I'm hoping to run AA at 4x or higher and still maintain framerates above 24fps when near the ground.

I used to have a 2.4Ghz processor with no HT, and my framerates were at 6 fps.  Although I can minimize AH and my computer still runs fast, before HT, everything was slow while running AH.
Sliders in AH are set for quality all to the left, except ground detail, which is set to the middle.

[Krusty]

nVidia drivers are funny things... They enable things on older cards that shouldn't be enabled. For example, they enabled 3 types of FSAA on my Ge256 DDR (32MB) card waaay back. That card had no right running FSAA. Neither does the Ti 4000 series. I had a Ti4400 until semi-recently. Turn FSAA off on it is my suggestions.

For the upgrade, you need to be specific. AGP or PCIe? I see you've got a 4400 so I'm assuming you have AGP. The 7600GT keeps pace with the 7800GS for about half the price in normal situations. However the only 7600GT available in AGP is out of stock 99% of the time, driving the price up significantly. You can get a 7600GS for $120 or so I think.

Choosing between the 7600GS and the 7800GS: If price isn't the issue, then go for the 7800. It will perform better and last longer as newer games come out with more demanding graphics.

[TalonX]

What the heck is the difference between the BFG and XFX versions of the 7800 GS?

One is $210, the other $280.

Thanks.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Originally posted by TalonX
What the heck is the difference between the BFG and XFX versions of the 7800 GS?

One is $210, the other $280.

Thanks.

Umm.. price?

[38ruk]

on newegg the 7800gs wasnt that much  more than a 7600gt , If you want the best agp card out the x1950 is around 280 and is a noticiable improvment over the 7800 . Question is can that 3 gig P4 push it enought to notice the difference between them  . IF your going to stick with this rig and maybe update the cpu one more time before switching sockets . then the 1950 will extent the life longer .

Theres a 219 dollar powercolor x1950 on newegg , i just never liked them as a brand , the sapphier is 269


$209 7800gs

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

7600gt was 199 yesterday , its lower now

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150210

[Roscoroo]

a x1950 pro  agp card could be the trick here  for a huge gain ...

I have a x1950xtx pci-e card in my work pc and It gave me the biggest bling bling gain ive seen .... since the 9500pro came out ... Its an incrediably faster then hell card .

  so if the agp version performs near what the pci-e does this would be the cats meow for all us with agp .  I'll see if i can test drive one soon as its avail at my hole in the wall pc store  .



(insert donations for a 1950pro agp here )  

[38ruk]

Originally posted by Roscoroo
a x1950 pro  agp card could be the trick here  for a huge gain ...

I have a x1950xtx pci-e card in my work pc and It gave me the biggest bling bling gain ive seen .... since the 9500pro came out ... Its an incrediably faster then hell card .

  so if the agp version performs near what the pci-e does this would be the cats meow for all us with agp .  I'll see if i can test drive one soon as its avail at my hole in the wall pc store  .



(insert donations for a 1950pro agp here )  

Yep i must sat that the 1950 is really a great card for the AGP platform , it really was good decision on ATI's part . It will really breath some like into some of the amd 64's with agp among others. The agp benches show it clearly owns the 7800GS and 1650XT but it wasnt tested against that bastardized 7800gt agp gainward bliss , but i only think they made 1500 or so of those .

[Kermit de frog]

I'm looking at the 7800GS OC 256MB vs the x1950 Pro 256MB.  (AGP)

The 1950 is about $40 more than the 7800.

Which card should I get based on my current setup?

[MOIL]

The 7800

[OOZ662]

If you're just looking to play AH well, I recommend an XFX 6800, then unlock the pipelines with RivaTuner. It gives great frame rates.

[wabbit]

I say go with the BFG 7800GS also.  Check Newegg. They've got it for $159.00, (with a $50.00 rebate). I hate rebates, but the price seems real good, and you can read all the great reviews there, from people who bought them.

With the 7800GS, make sure you have a decent power supply, with at minimum, a 14amp draw on your 12V outputs, or you may have to upgrade your power supply. BFG reccomends at least 20amps, but of course they want to sell you their expensive power supply...  

Here's a link for a site that can help you determine how many amps your system is currently pulling.

Amp Calculator

The amount of amps being pulled will depend on how many devices you have sucking up amps. The calculator should help you decide if your current supply will work for the new card, as I believe both cards have similar power requirements.

Hope this helps,


Wabbit

[Kermit de frog]

Originally posted by MOIL
The 7800

You got it!

Now if I have a problem with this card.  I'll make sure to make your AH gameplay a living hell.  Can you say Lancstuka!!!!!!!!

j/k...



Thanks all.  After reading the entire thread twice.  I've come to the conclusion that the 7800GS OC 256MB AGP is for me.  I'll update this thread after I install the card.

[airspro]

That 7800 card is HUGE , make sure you have room for it .

Read those reveiws , some have to cut the memory tabs off to get that card to fit .

[Kermit de frog]

I went with the BFG 7800 GS OC 256MB AGP

I maxed out my AA and AS to 16x and 8xS.

Enabled trilinear and AA on alpha stuff.  Pretty much went down the line and maxed out all the settings there were in the 3d settings area of the nvidia control panel.

I maxed out the graphic settings in AH.  

Frame Rates are at 60.  They can drop to 34-40 when there are lots of people on the deck with trees around, but it's mostly topped out at 60.
My resoultion is set at 1360x768

I'm gunnery is back after a full year of poor framerates.  My k/d is back to +3.  Just look at my scores to see what a difference this card makes.  I've now had this card for over a week now.  It's got a cool LED on it too.

I'm very happy with this card.  I was alittle worred at first due to the card being OverClocked, but I just added another case fan to help reduce the heat inside on my case.  And BFG gives a lifetime warranty on their product so I trust it.

[Krusty]

Often I don't think people realize how important a good video card is. I used to play FPS games on a very inferior card. I got a 4400Ti and was actually able to compete (but still was behind the curve). The very day I got my current card (7600GT) I joined a server and totally kicked arse. This after a long period of not playing, as well. I openly admitted to myself that I'd never have been able to pull off the moves I did without this video card.

The smooth motion between frame 5 and frame 10 means all the difference. If you see somebody starting to turn, then turn back, you know they've just feinted and you can keep your aim steady. If you have poor FPS you just see them start to turn, you follow, THEN you see them start to turn back and you've just blown your shot.


Same goes for AH. When it's a slide show you have no hope of getting good hits. If you want a gaming experience that plateaus at your skill level instead of the hardware you own, then you need at least 60fps in most situations. 80 or more gives you even better gameplay (smoother motion everywhere, because the CPU isn't being bottlenecked by graphics).