Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Dago on July 08, 2005, 05:48:50 PM
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Looking to pick up a better video card, my son wants to run a game or two that dont make it on my current card.
Truth is I need to rebuild the system pretty soon, but would rather just get a decent card until then.
Looking to spend maybe $150.
If anyone can make a suggestions, I would be glad to hear it.
thanks
dago
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have you looked at newegg
newegg (http://www.newegg.com)
theyve got it all
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Tomshardware just recently put up a review of AGP graphics card performance for various games: http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20050705/index.html. (Assuming the mobo is AGP).
You'll note that most games run fine on cheaper mid range cards as long as you don't go to very high resolution or turn on FSAA or AF. (AH2 is in that category- it benefits more from increased CPU power than graphics card power. For example: with my 2.8GHz P4 system, AH2 graphics performance is essentially the same from a 9600XT at 1600x1200 4X FSAA 8X AF to an X800XT at 800x600 no FSAA or AF and every combination in between.)
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go for the best you can and swap it when you build your new one....unless you're planning on pci-e
btw...my sapphire 9600xt was $138 when i got it and less than $100 the last time i checked newegg.com
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I just ordered a 6600 GT 128mb AGP from NewEgg for 130bucks, plus 12 buckeroos for 2 day delivery.
Great prices.
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My man its I have the ATI X850XTpe PCIe & it cost a chitload. I know your not looking at top end stuff but if you where then its between the one I have & Nvidia 6800 Ultra, soon to be demoted by the new Nvdia 7***.
The Nvidia 6200-6600-6800/maybe should be right up your street. I love Nvidia as there a great make. !
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BTW why dont you try OCing your old card (overclocking) It can work wonders but can only go so far, BTW keep it cool.
P.S you can find some software on the net but dont go too far as you may damage it. Oh & the ATI 9800 is mean to be real good for the price !
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ive been looking at the ati xt800 xt
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Originally posted by 68DevilM
ive been looking at the ati xt800 xt
a friend of mine has a x800xt on the lanparty board....and it is the best running rig i've ever personally used:aok
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great!!!
now im even closer to dropping the bucks!!!
thankx buzkill
:rolleyes:
:rofl
:aok
have to blame someone right?:lol
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Originally posted by Dago
Looking to pick up a better video card, my son wants to run a game or two that dont make it on my current card.
Truth is I need to rebuild the system pretty soon, but would rather just get a decent card until then.
Looking to spend maybe $150.
If anyone can make a suggestions, I would be glad to hear it.
thanks
dago
What are the system specs for your machine, its hard to make a suggestion without knowing what your putting it in, 38
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715 that link gives a 404 error.
I would like to check out that article in Tom's but can't find the one you were talking about.
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I think I found it.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20050705/index.html
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get a used 9800
lotta techno geeks gettin rid of 9800's opting for 800's
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http://graphics.tomshardware.com/index.html then click on "VGA Charts VII: AGP". Apparently tomshardware.com is flaky when it comes to direct link URLs; they probably don't want you going straight to the article and passing up all those wonderful advertisements.
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Hey, 715, are you the same 715 from Air Warrior ages ago (like 1988)?
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Originally posted by Brooke
Hey, 715, are you the same 715 from Air Warrior ages ago (like 1988)?
Yep- I go back to version 1 of AW on the Amiga via CRIS. Are you the same Brooke?
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Wow! 715! Yep, I'm the same Brooke. Jeez. I haven't talked to you in about 15 years. It's great to see you again! You should come say "hello" on the following thread:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128754
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Hello! I'll check out that thread.. thanks. Oh.. and it was GEnie first, then CRIS (both $6/hr plus another $6/hr in long distance charges to reach them ;)
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Remember that AH is a super CPU intensive game so a super-hot video card is only going to help so much. I have an X850 and I'm CPU limited with my AMD64 3500+. Frame rates are very good but still things get bogged down with ground-mode view on. I think alot of guys are getting better performance with more CPU and only a "good" videocard.
-Soda
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I don't know if anyone else would agree but... ATI Radeon 9600XT would probably give you the most bang for the buck. Its around 150.
Im using that card at the moment... works well.
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Originally posted by Mak333
I don't know if anyone else would agree but... ATI Radeon 9600XT would probably give you the most bang for the buck. Its around 150.
Im using that card at the moment... works well.
the 9600Xt is a decent card if you can get one for 70 or 80 bucks , but ive seen 9800pros going for 125 or so , and in my opinion are far better . Ati is releasing a x800GT , That is going to compete in the 150 range . The reviews ive seen so far are very good for the price range . 38
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Originally posted by Soda
Remember that AH is a super CPU intensive game so a super-hot video card is only going to help so much. I have an X850 and I'm CPU limited with my AMD64 3500+. Frame rates are very good but still things get bogged down with ground-mode view on. I think alot of guys are getting better performance with more CPU and only a "good" videocard.
-Soda
Soda , i couldnt agree more . I get absolutely no improvement in my fps if i over clock my X800, Now if i bump the Fsb on the cpu it is a marked improvement . I wonder if the X2 AMD 64 guys are even making the the higher end video cards the bottleneck yet 38
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Originally posted by Mak333
I don't know if anyone else would agree but... ATI Radeon 9600XT would probably give you the most bang for the buck. Its around 150.
Im using that card at the moment... works well.
so am I....sapphire 9600xt, cost $138 6 mos. ago. i know it's a bottleneck to the rest of my comp. but i can run anything. the only games i see my frames drop into the 30's with are AHII and doom 3 (in a real frag-fest)
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Remember that, according to skuzzy in some thread in here somewhere, AH uses different rendering paths that take advantage of newer generation card features for more advanced effects. So while you may get almost the same framerates with a 9800 and an x800, chances are you're also seeing a slightly different and better image with the x800. It's also been my experience (with a 6800GT) that with the newer vid cards you can turn on anti-aliasing which significantly improves image quality, and use the larger texture sizes which also has a dramatic effect on image quality.
3dfx learned the hard way that framerate isn't everything, and AH2 seems to prove it. 40 fps with a 4200 and 40 fps with an x850 or 7800gtx are not at all equal in image quality. This is true almost regardless of what cpu you are using.
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Originally posted by eagl
.... It's also been my experience (with a 6800GT) that with the newer vid cards you can turn on anti-aliasing which significantly improves image quality, and use the larger texture sizes which also has a dramatic effect on image quality...
True enough, the overhead on my x850 allows me to crank things (AA) up a bit before I match the CPU limitations. Just a balancing act.