Who knows about video card?

[Assassin]

im thinking about getting an xtasy 9200 SE 128mb pci video card.

its 99.99....so $100. but im not sure if its worth it or not. i wanted the geforce 5300 (or something) fx, but my crappy ass mobo doesn't have an agp slot.

anyway, i basically want to run doom 3, so if anyone can help me make a decision, i'd appreciate it.

plz keep in mind that, as much as i'd like to get the ATI radeon 9800, or something else as powerful, i really cant afford it. $100 is my limit at the moment, and i need somehting better tehn my sis 680 rev, 64 mb built in card.


thanx

[Mut]

the comp i run doom3 at was 2.8ghz, 1 gig of ram and gforce 256 or something like that... it ran it "decent." so make sure your comp is fast enough first.

[Koyuki]

Pick me. Me.. me me! I know i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif

I'd doubt that your pc would run Doom 3. If it hasn't a agp your doomed.
The best is if you could find a pci ati radeon 9100 or pci Geforce 4 mx 400
Or just wait and buy a new one

What your computer specs?

[Assassin]

well i've asked a friend of mine, and he said my crappy comp can be tweaked to run doom....dunno how good it'll be, but untill i cna get enuff cash to buy a new comp, it'll have to do i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif


but i wanna know about the video card....is it worth it for the price, and what are the pros and cons, if anyone knows them.

Edit:

naruto #1 : the card is "powered by" ATI, but its not a radeon. still it should work....hopefully.

my comp is p3, 1 ghz, 512 ram and hopefully the ati 9200 se video card.

[frexeze]

pci cards are the suck ;\

invest in a new mobo and save your money while you wait for the next gen of games and video cards i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif

[Kakafosha]

with pci you really can only use vid cards with limited power. 9200 even in agp (which i have) is not that good at all. oh, when you're talking about radeons (xtasy is running on radeon chipset) SE = BAD. im pretty sure i saw a xtasy 9200 256MB one for only 100 bucks. i know that i wanna play a lot of other games that needs a better system. the only real solution is to buy/build an up to date computer.

[complich8]

I'm gonna suggest that you don't waste your money.

Even if you can get video settings tweaked low enough to work on your system with doom3 and a pci graphics card, I think your cpu is a bit far below the bottom level of playability.

I'd recommend you work up about 600 bucks saved up, get yourself a motherboard that doesn't suck, a processor that doesn't suck, 512 megs of non-sucky ram, and a non-sucky video card. Alternately, get yourself all of that and a new case, and call it a whole new computer.

Seriously, on a 1ghz p3, that shit isn't gonna run anyway. I can't see you getting a playable experience out of that.

[stos289]

Yes, as suggested before, I suggest you by a whole new computer. Here are the minimal (and by minimal I mean BARE minimal) specs you need to run Doom 3 on you computer:

- 1.5 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor or AMD Athlon 1500

- 384 MB of RAM

- 2 GB of free hard drive space

- Either an nVidia GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 (or better).

There are different variations of this but I found this was directly from the CEO himself. Again as complich8 suggested before, upgrade/buy a new computer that has the specs he offered (or better). Hope I could help.

EDIT: This might help also. These are the specs needed to get the most out of Doom 3 (again this information is from the CEO himself):

- 3GHz P4 or Athlon equivalent

- 512MB to 1GB RAM

- Geforce 6800 FX/ATI 9800 or newer

Yet again, I suggest you by a whole other computer to play Doom 3.

[Raven]

Yeah, as mentioned before I don't think the processor will allow the game to even initiate, let alone run crappily. I believe there's an error message for anything under 1.5ghz.

[Krbadass]

No, ive seen it run on a 933, but it was horrible.

[Washuu-chan]

I agree with investing in a motherboard and just plain upgrading your computer first, before wasting money on a crappy video card.

[Assassin]

thanx for all the suggestions guys....in the end i did buy the video card. as much as id like to do a full upgrade im currently unemployed, and uni starts in 2 weeks, so i'll need to dish out around 7-8 grand for that. i just can't afford to get a new comp rite now.

anyway, i did manage to run doom 3, and the graphics weren't all that horrible. however it only goes up untill u get control of the character. as soon as i try walking thru the door, teh damn thing freezes. oh well.....guess i'll have to stick to UT for now.

once again, thanx for all the input. appreciate it

[DB_Hunter]

Err... since this topic is up I might as well ask... my PC spec is P4 2.GHz, 640 333MHz RAM BUT..... no graphics card and worst of all NO AGP SLOT! With specs like that can I salvage the situation with a PCI graphics card?

[complich8]

cpu is high enough that it might be able to make up for it .... you might be able to get by with a pci geforce 4 mx or something .... I dunno though. Maybe? AGP is definitely on the "very desirable" list for features for the game, at least.

So .... maybe give it a try. If nothing else, it'll give ya the ability to run dual monitors, maybe i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif

[Locke]

I built my cousins system, and trust me he's made it 100x worse than it should be (my expectancys for any system I build are that they will always run as they did on the test run). His computer, which is shitty for 1 reason and 1 reason only (because he don't know how to use it and downloads a buttload of worthless junk). Well, anyways... His computer can run Doom 3 on high and here are his settings (take into mind this was made for $600 2-3 years ago).

1.4ghz AMD athlon (3?)
512 DDRam
256mb Geforce 4, Gainward
old gigabyte motherboard
AND WE PLAY IT ON HIS TV (which is the only reason it lags as it runs perfect on a computer monitor).

We play it on high.

[Raven]

Ok that's odd, I have slightly higher specs than yours (except I have a GF3 instead) and I can only barely play it on Medium. Go figure. :S

[Stoopider]

VooDoo's the best for ID games! i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif

[Assertn]

Originally posted by: CmDr_RavEn
Ok that's odd, I have slightly higher specs than yours (except I have a GF3 instead) and I can only barely play it on Medium. Go figure. :S

well......video cards are very crucial in the gaming industry these days......so having the older generation card might be the bottlecap in itself

[DB_Hunter]

Sorry I meant to say my processor was 2.8Ghz P4, not 2GHz.

[Uchiha-Itachi]

Keep saving untill you can buy at least a Radeon 9800 PRO, if you invest in a 100 dollar videocard atm you will regret you did it within 2 months..

Because with the heavy Doom 3 engine, upcomming HL 2 and the Unreal 3 engine, you seriously need at least a Radeon 9800PRO

But it's your decision, buy a 100 dollar card now and be able to play Doom 3 "descently" (cuz i have to be realistic no 100 dollar cards will work good with Doom 3)

Or wait till you got around 200 dollar and play all the new generation games good..

just my 2cc

P.S 99 Dollar for a Radeon 9200SE ?? That's a rip off`dude, besides that a Geforce FX5200 128MB, would have been a better choice.. so if you really cant wait i would go for a Geforce FX5200 wich is around 45 Dollar, untill you got enough money for a 9800PRO or a next gen videocard (preferrable Radeon x800xt)..

[iminyourbrain]

u have serious cpu and ram power, u shoudl match it with the vid card. pci won't do. my suggestion is get a new mobo that will work with what u got now that has agp 8x and get a new vid card too.

[Raven]

If you wanna be really future-proof, PCI-Express is the way to go now. AGP is old technology, it'll be phased out eventually.

[Buffalobiian]

If you wanna be really future-proof, PCI-Express is the way to go now. AGP is old technology, it'll be phased out eventually.

Well, you're right about that.

I'm looking at a passively cooled Geforce 8800 GT. I've never heard about the brand called Sparkle, so don't know about quality or anything. More worried about the heat factor though, but it shouldn't be too bad...hopefully. Probably more interested in pricing but it's not released yet.

Bottom line: Has any one every had a passively cooled middle/high end graphics card? I've got a passive 8500 GT. Hardly medium, but offloads h264 encoding well enough. Point is, it's quite. :D.

Link to Sparkle
http://www.sparkle.com.tw/News/SP8800GTpassive/news_SP8800GT_passive_EN.html

[Animeniax]

You guys are fools who like to waste their money. Just buy the biggest baddest card out there and you'll be good for the next year or two. Quit wasting money on videocards that are already obsolete or will be within 1 month. Sheesh.

[darkshadow]

I dont think you read around alot, the 8800GT is the newest gen card nvidia has to offer with even pcie 2.0 support, its almost as fast as a 8800gtx 768 mb, and costs only 200-250$
its also a single slot card and draws about 70watts less power then a gtx

[Animeniax]

I dont think you read around alot, the 8800GT is the newest gen card nvidia has to offer with even pcie 2.0 support, its almost as fast as a 8800gtx 768 mb, and costs only 200-250$
its also a single slot card and draws about 70watts less power then a gtx
The extra X makes all the difference. The average non-techie will judge your GT to be inferior, and in the case of PC parts, as with everything in life, the greater specs will bring greater glory.

[Buffalobiian]

The extra X makes all the difference. The average non-techie will judge your GT to be inferior, and in the case of PC parts, as with everything in life, the greater specs will bring greater glory.

If performance was all there was to worry about, then there wouldn't be a middle/low end video card market, let alone on board graphics. High end graphics cards aren't cheap. That's where you have to balance your cash and performance to best serve your interests. The 8800GT seems very appealing for the reasons darkshadow has outlined. Nvidia has even enabled full H264 hardware decoding on it, which was previously non-existent in their high-end cards, since they reserved the best h264 decoding ability for thier middle/low range HDPC type cards.

The silent factor in the Sparkle card is also another plus I'm interested in.
Now all that's left is the price (unannounced, I suppose), and reliability of passively cooled high end cards, for which I'm asking opinion.

It's the same reason why not everyone drives Ferraris.

edit: the average non-techie will also wonder at your 8800GTX price tag like 0.o

[Animeniax]

edit: the average non-techie will also wonder at your 8800GTX price tag like 0.oAnd that's all that matters.

[Buffalobiian]

And that's all that matters.

The non-techie won't know what makes you card so good. They may not appreciate it the way an enthusiast would. On the other hand, they may just grab a card that's cheaper and not much poorer in performance from one look at the price. It doesn't take much depth in knowledge to google and understand a review, especially since most have a conclusion/final thoughts section to sum it all up.

Anyway, the "average non-techie" isn't probably going to go all out on a video card. Those who do, from my experience, don't quite fit the description of "average no techie." They ask the opinion of a tech anyway.

[David75]

The non-techie won't know what makes you card so good. They may not appreciate it the way an enthusiast would. On the other hand, they may just grab a card that's cheaper and not much poorer in performance from one look at the price. It doesn't take much depth in knowledge to google and understand a review, especially since most have a conclusion/final thoughts section to sum it all up.

Anyway, the "average non-techie" isn't probably going to go all out on a video card. Those who do, from my experience, don't quite fit the description of "average no techie." They ask the opinion of a tech anyway.
Animeniax is just playing with you around "Size Does Matter"

Then for vid cards, everything depends on what you play. A sparkle 8800 passive
would perfectly fit my needs as I can"t stand any noise, and high end non passive video cards tend to be as noisy as hair driers.
That would be enough for me to play GTR2 for hours, and then switch to an all new system when GTR3 arrrives, because every other pieces of my comp wil then be quite obsolete (since it was built 3 years ago)

[mage]

I just got a new comp 2 weeks ago. e6750 (2.66ghz@3.6), 8800gts 640mb, and 2GB ram. Runs Crysis on high quite well.

[Animeniax]

You lie mage, Crysis isn't even out yet.

My system:
Q6600
8800GTX 768MB
2GB RAM
WD Raptor 150

Runs everything well.

[David75]

You lie mage, Crysis isn't even out yet.

My system:
Q6600
8800GTX 768MB
2GB RAM
WD Raptor 150

Runs everything well.

isn't that system a bit noisy?

[darkshadow]

You lie mage, Crysis isn't even out yet.

My system:
Q6600
8800GTX 768MB
2GB RAM
WD Raptor 150

Runs everything well.
uhh crysis has been out since yesterday or so, ive been playing it aswell

[Animeniax]

isn't that system a bit noisy?
I can't hear it over the sound levels of whatever game I play, so I'm ok.

I'm thinking of water-cooling to reduce the noise, but that would deem my Tuniq Tower a wasted expenditure. It's not that bad; it helps drown out the noise from the test firing range.


uhh crysis has been out since yesterday or so, ive been playing it aswell Really? How come gamestop and amazon show a release date of 11/13?

[Board of Command]

I'm using a Radeon HD3850 Mobile right now. It owns. Performance isn't that great but it's purely slot powered, meaning it draws less than 75W at max load and runs super cool and quiet (with a Zalman VF900). That's incredible efficiency.

[LaZie]

I envy you BoC and your job at AMD. You get to try all these new toys before they come out!

[David75]

I can't hear it over the sound levels of whatever game I play, so I'm ok.

I'm thinking of water-cooling to reduce the noise, but that would deem my Tuniq Tower a wasted expenditure. It's not that bad; it helps drown out the noise from the test firing range.

Really? How come gamestop and amazon show a release date of 11/13?

Well from what you describe, it's too much... Wife won't be pleased :o
I really need a silent system...
Everyone has their own criteria ;)

[Board of Command]

I envy you BoC and your job at AMD. You get to try all these new toys before they come out!
Too bad it's ending at the end of December. Hopefully I'll be back again for the May-August term.

[Animeniax]

What happens between Jan and Apr? You gonna be in a coma?

I want to get a tech workstudy job when I go to uni, but I feel bad taking a job from some college student who needs it, considering I've been working 10 years and have savings.

Isn't the ATi 3950 coming out soon? Everyone should wait for that, then buy the 2950 for cheap.

[Board of Command]

What happens between Jan and Apr? You gonna be in a coma?
I'll be back in school. My terms alternate between school and work.


Isn't the ATi 3950 coming out soon? Everyone should wait for that, then buy the 2950 for cheap.
As far as I know, 3950 doesn't exist. 2950 Pro and XT don't exist... they were the "rumored names" for 3850 and 3870.

[darkshadow]

Really? How come gamestop and amazon show a release date of 11/13?

darkstain? Thats real mature for a 42 year old man.

2007-11-11 PC Game ISOs Crysis (c) EA *DVD9* RAZOR1911 65x100 MB.

Guess in all of your 42 years of age you never heard of warez. :eek:

[Animeniax]

Nah, I knew about the leak of Crysis via warez, I just didn't want to broach the topic and encourage that behavior. I think the game developers deserve to be paid for their hard work, and too many tools like yourself will never spend a dime because your allowance only covers school lunch.

[aarathi]

A video card, also referred to as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, graphics card, and numerous other terms, is an item of personal computer hardware whose function is to generate and output images to a display.

[Animeniax]

Wow this kid is good. His definition is straight out of wikipedia. Cheer for bots.

[Board of Command]

A video card, also referred to as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, graphics card, and numerous other terms, is an item of personal computer hardware whose function is to generate and output images to a display.
No, I'd have to disagree with that.

[Animeniax]

No, I'd have to disagree with that.
How do bots handle that sort of confrontation?

I think everyone should spend as much money as they can for a great videocard. So what if you have to eat ramen a few more times a week for a couple months. A high end videocard maximizes the enjoyment of the newer titles like Crysis, Bioshock, CoD4, etc. Basically if you play those games at lower settings, you're wasting money on them, so might as well spend it on the better videocard.