Anyone Have a Geforce 7800 GS?

[WolfyBrandon]

I'm looking at getting a new graphics card this winter and it will probably be the Geforce 7800 GS OC since my motherboard has 8x AGP. Does anyone here have this card and if so how does it run SH3?

http://www.bfgtech.com/7800GS_256.html

Thanks
Wolfy

[spork542]

I use a 7800GT which should perform about equally. It runs SH3 on all possible settings maxed out, including AA and AF, at 1280x1024.

[John Channing]

I have had the exact same card for about 3 weeks and I am very happy with it. I traded up from a 9800 Pro and the difference is impressive.

No more stuttering in ports or around convoys... everything is smooth as silk.

JCC

Oh.. you are going to read some whining about the noise level of this card. It really is not noisy at all, but you will need a big case to hold it. It is a big card!

[stabiz]

It is a really good card, the best available to AGP. (And there will probably never be a better card to AGP)

[Tonnage_Ace]

I'm not really sure what your budget is, but the 8800 line of cards from Nvidia just came out and they support DX10, so if you want to wait a bit and save up some cash, you'll 'future-proof' yourself if you go that route. It's a couple hundred dollars more for the cheaper 8800GTS:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Category=38&N=2010380048+1305520548+106791921+1067924922&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48

You'll be ready for vista when it comes, I'm positive SHIV will have some patch in the future giving it DX10 functionality...I'm building a new system when Vista comes out, they'll probably have something better than the 8800GTX when Vista does show it's head, so I'm being patient right now...

[stabiz]

Yes, but to get that one he would have to change motherboard, RAM, CPU and probably PSU too. The entire computer, in other words. (the 8800GTX is rumored to use 300 watts on its own!)

Besides, I would not get the new DX10 cards anyway, the first gen is usually overprized and replaced quickly.


(And Vista is allready in heavy need of a service pack, I read somewhere)

[GT182]

Check here at eWiz.... https://www.ewiz.com/query.php?categry=68 AGP cards seem to be a little cheaper here than over at Newegg.

Take a look at this one at the top of page 1... XFX nVidia GeForce 7800GS OC 256MB DVI/TV-out AGP Video Card. This is a good card and not too bad on price. The only thing is, it doesn't have dual DVI.

I bought a XFX GeForce 6800XTreme last month fo\rom them and love it. Dual DVI, 256mb DDR3 and 256bit. Those 3 things alone make it a great card, but I don't see it listed anymore.... must have sold out.

[WolfyBrandon]

Thank you for all your replys, you guys are the best.

Card Retails for well around $300 and over. Just bided on a New, In The Box, Factory Sealed Geforce 7800 GS OC on ebay last night and won for $202! :rock:

Take a look at this one at the top of page 1... XFX nVidia GeForce 7800GS OC 256MB DVI/TV-out AGP Video Card. This is a good card and not too bad on price. The only thing is, it doesn't have dual DVI.
I just use a 17'' moniter with my PC so I really don't need the dual DVI, I actually like that the GS OC has a moniter plug instead of the 2 DVI's.

They just shipped it out this morning and I cannot wait! Considering im upgrading from a Geforce FX 5200, I hope this performance boost dosent give my compter a heart attack! (it shouldnt im well above the system requirements for it)

16km mod here I come! :D

Thanks Again
Wolfy

[nightdagger]

You should get a DVI to VGA adapter with your card-that's what I use with my CRT.

The 7800GS is the best AGP card, though, but what you were saying about replacing everything...you'd probably only be replacing the motherboard and maybe get a new PSU to get PCIe capability. If you CPU is socket 939, AM2, or LGA775, you can find a motherboard with PCIe and your old RAM will work fine.

[WolfyBrandon]

You should get a DVI to VGA adapter with your card-that's what I use with my CRT.

The 7800GS is the best AGP card, though, but what you were saying about replacing everything...you'd probably only be replacing the motherboard and maybe get a new PSU to get PCIe capability. If you CPU is socket 939, AM2, or LGA775, you can find a motherboard with PCIe and your old RAM will work fine.

Ya thats just one thing I dont want to do at this point. My current machine is a P4 3.2ghz overclocked to a 3.4ghz. Really the only thing holding back my PC was the graphics card and I think I have a fast enough processor that I should just stick with my current machine with the best graphics card I can get for it. That should atleast hold me over for a while untill all the DX10 stuff comes out. When they get that all sorted out ill plan on building a new PC from there, and will go PCI-Express next time to give me more video card options.

Wolfy

[GT182]

SW.. get a 19 inch LCD or even a 20, it'll make a big difference. Especially reading fine print on websites. My step daughter has a 17" LCD upstairs I use once in awhile. When I get back on this one there is a very big difference between the 2. I'm running my res a 1152x864 right now and cqan do away with my reading glasses. Do get a DVI plug and hook it to the VGA cord, or your new card might just have one with it. DVI is digital and makes a big difference.

Nightdagger, after having an LCD screen I'd never ever go back to a CRT. The improvement is just unreal... and no glare either. I can sit with the sun shining indirectly on my screen and still see everything, and the same with a desklamp shining on it. Plus it takes less power to run and gives off very little heat, unlike a CRT. I think most others here will agree with all that. ;)

[nightdagger]

I have a CRT at my mom's, where I usually am, but my dad has a nice LCD display (and a 36" HDTV with DVI-in...mwahaha. Actually I guess it's better for you guys when Bernard is smaller) that I use over there. They're both @ 1600x1200 so it's not too big of a difference and Vista does a good job of compensating anyway.

[WolfyBrandon]

GT182,

I havent had much luck with LCD to be honest. I have found CRT to be better from my expierences (higher frame rates and visuals). Only problem ive had with a CRT was after having a NEC for about 3 years I would hear a faint pop noise in the back of it and my screen would flicker, I think it was because it was dusty and hot from gaming... but something coulda been wrong with it. I actually compared a 17'' CRT aganst a 17'' LCD when I was shopping for a new moniter and found when using the LCD the textures in games where a bit blurry where as the CRT was more crisp. Im not saying this is always the case, maybe it was a crappy LCD, but is just what I've seen + I hurd CRT's were better for gaming. I have a Viewsonic A72-f (Perfect Flat Screen) and I love it, it does have a bit of glare if there is light or a window directly behind me but thats not a big deal. I like the big hulky CRT moniters because when you carry one out of the store it makes you feel like you actually bought something! :lol: I'm a CRT man and I aint changing! ( I actually have a 21'' CRT in my bedroom not even pluged into anything) I don't use it cause its an older moniter and this Viewsonic looks wayyy better. Anyway thats enough I dont wanna argue, its a matter of preference :)

I have a question though. When I do get this video card and I install it, will I be required to re-install all of my games to make them work correcty with the new card? I use forceware drivers for my geforce card so I was kinda hopeing that I could just plug-and-play the new card. Since all geforce cards use the same forceware drivers. Anyone have to re-install their SH3 when they upgraded their graphics card?

Wolfy

[stabiz]

You will have to reinstall graphics drivers, but thats all. No reinstalling of any games or programs, its just plug n play. :D

(Dont forget the extra power cable to the graphics card, many forget that and starts complaining about poor performance :rotfl:Like I did once)

Oh, and uninstall the old drivers first.

[Mad Foxes]

Get the bfg tech 7800gs, I used to have a 9800 pro radeon. Everything works just fine and I'm very satisfied but make sure you have the right amount of psu watts. At least 400. Don't get the evga even though it's cheaper I saw in their forum about the parts falling apart. And as for vista don't upgrade yet wait maybe for a couple years, I 've heard a lot of stuff that's not really good about it, one of these is a higher spec pc.

[nightdagger]

Use Driver Cleaner Pro to uninstall drivers.

Go to www.guru3d.com (http://www.guru3d.com) to get the most recent Forceware drivers. You'll probably see an increase compared to the ones bundled with the card.

[peterloo]

Well, I own a 7600GS and I am satisfied w. it

But if you wanta a new Display Card, be patient and wait for 8800. (actually released. just for the price to drop) That supports DX10

[WolfyBrandon]

Well, I own a 7600GS and I am satisfied w. it

But if you wanta a new Display Card, be patient and wait for 8800. (actually released. just for the price to drop) That supports DX10

To late I already have the 7800 GS OC on its way. I have 8x agp and I think the 8800 is PCI Express isnt it?

Wolfy

[stabiz]

Thats right.

[nightdagger]

In any case, you'll enjoy your new card quite a bit.

[GT182]

Check this out..... http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_fsx_techtips.html#
Just so you know, it's for nVidia cards and with setting for running FSX. Go to the bottom of the page and click "For a More Detailed List". It will at least give an idea on what your card can and can't do with the ones listed in the More Detailed List.

Seeing I have only a 6800XT I don't feel too bad. The settings I could use aren't too far off the mark for the 8800 and 7600GT+. Even my 5600 is listed and shows a big big difference from the 6800+. But then again, I don't have FSX yet. Oh Santa, can you hear me? LOL

[nightdagger]

6800's and 7600's are about equivalent, performancewise. The 7600's perform slightly better at all games but those utilizing the memory on the card a lot.

[GT182]

Seeing most cards are 128bit, even with 256mb of memory, I grabbed this 6800XT fast. It's the 256bm/256bit one. So that's why I think it's a wee bit above par over most others. I can say graphics are amazing in SHIII, FS9, COD2 and MOH Pacific Assault. With the graphics and physics in MOH PA, the 6800XT really shines. I can only imagine what an 8800 would be like.

[nightdagger]

128-bit just means that it takes longer to load textures to/from the memory, but in any case, even though they're getting pretty old, the 6800 series has held up extremely well.

[AS]

Hi all, as much as I´d love to upgrade from my GeForce6600, I´ll be patient and won´t buy anything before Vista and DirectX have been on the market for a while and got rid of what we call "Kinderkrankheiten" ("child´s deseases")... My two cents AS

[AVGWarhawk]

Hi all, as much as I´d love to upgrade from my GeForce6600, I´ll be patient and won´t buy anything before Vista and DirectX have been on the market for a while and got rid of what we call "Kinderkrankheiten" ("child´s deseases")... My two cents AS

I agree with AS. Unless they are giving these cards away at fantastic prices, I'm sticking with my GeForce 6200 OC/256mb. Works just swell for me. It has the 3.0 Shader for anything coming out in the next year. Not until Vista and DX10 get their crap together will I be looking to change.

[Jimbuna]

I'm after upgrading my graphics in the new year and with that in mind I spoke to Gibs online just yesterday and he advised exactly as stabiz says in his first post :

It is a really good card, the best available to AGP. (And there will probably never be a better card to AGP)


:up:

[WolfyBrandon]

Follow Up Post...

I finally got my Geforce 7800 GS OC and installed it. Install was smooth all I had to do was plug and play and load into XP and then re-install the forceware drivers for geforce.

I decided to give the card a test, I loaded up SH3 and loaded the "Happy Times" mission. (Before when I played this mission when viewing my sub from the external view when looking at it and the open ocean it was smooth but when i circled around and it was pointed toward the convoy i could see the screen slow down and jerk a few times as it loaded all the convoys information. With the new card... OMFG... smooth as silk as i spin that camria in a circle as fast as i can absolutly no lag at all, though i did get a slight jerk upon a big explosion of a tanker, but as for the efects and smoke etc.. no problems at all.

There is one thing i notised though, its hard to explain but its almost like if i move the camria around in the command room up and down really fast i can see the screen split like the actual frames per second... I dont know if i need to mess with the refresh rates or something... but its very minor and even with the slight glitch its smooth.

Anyway, i need to learn about all these settings and what to tweak to get the best performace but so far, im very happy with this card! :rock:

Wolfy

[Jimbuna]

Thanks for that Savages_Wolf...def goin for that one in the new year :yep: :up:

[WolfyBrandon]

Thanks for that Savages_Wolf...def goin for that one in the new year :yep: :up:

Id recommend it. I did a few more tests with Quake 3 on maximum graphics and doing a demo test I clocked in at an average rate of 286ish+ frames per second. :D

I also bought a new game released a few days ago "Rainbow Six Vegas" to push my card even further since it requires all the new 3.0 shader models and what not and runs on the Unreal 3 engine. At the start of the game your inflight in a chopper over mexico city where you can see out the chopper door for a good mile or further with fully renderd buildings, terrain, shadows and everything. I couldnt believe I was actually running something like that with smooth frame rates! I didnt max out the graphics on it though, I just left it at the settings it had when it installed which were still amazing and probably on high. I have to do a few more tests on it but it kinda feels like if I would push the card any further than what Rainbow Six demands ill probably notise some slow downs... maybe... cause just the detial in Rainbow Six looked very demanding on system performance.

As for the person who said the card is loud... upon bootup yes the fan speed gets pretty high and it does puts off a good "hum" to it, but when the machine loads the OS and settles in... the fan speed slows down and is no louder than the fan on the back of your machine (power supply fan). Even with the slow fan speed and the card being overclocked it runs at a stable 42 degrees C. Thats about what my other card ran at which I found the fan to be coverd in dust and filth from never being cleaned out. :p

(and yes I did polished it up and put it away for possible future use)

Wolfy

[stabiz]

There is one thing i notised though, its hard to explain but its almost like if i move the camria around in the command room up and down really fast i can see the screen split like the actual frames per second... I dont know if i need to mess with the refresh rates or something... but its very minor and even with the slight glitch its smooth.

Anyway, i need to learn about all these settings and what to tweak to get the best performace but so far, im very happy with this card! :rock:

Wolfy

What you experience there can be killed by turning on vertical sync in the nvidia control panel, but I never use it, as vertical sync limits you to 30fps, I think. I dont remember, but I`m sure there is a reason why I`m not using it.:D

[WolfyBrandon]

What you experience there can be killed by turning on vertical sync in the nvidia control panel, but I never use it, as vertical sync limits you to 30fps, I think. I dont remember, but I`m sure there is a reason why I`m not using it.:D

Thanks for the reply stabiz,

I was looking around in the SH3 options and there is an option to Sync something but I havent tried it yet, and im not sure I wanna limit my fps to 30 so ill stick will you and not use that option. Its wierd though cause the frame glitch only seems to happen while inside the sub. Is there an actual FPS counter I can enable in sh3? id like to see what im running it at...

Wolfy

[bigboywooly]

IIRC its ctrl and F8
Or something like that :rotfl:
Tis late and fuelled by alcohol

[Deep-Six]

I have one, though it now overheats. But I remedied that w/ a PCI fan card.:D

[WolfyBrandon]

Some screenshots I took from Rainbow Six Vegas if you dont mind me shareing...

(Medium Settings)
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3198/vegas1qi8.jpg
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7739/vegas2pb8.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1629/vegas6xs9.jpg
The character detail is just awesome... and the animations in the game were made useing motion capture like in movies so its super realistic

Wolfy

[Jimbuna]

Thanks for that Savages_Wolf...def goin for that one in the new year :yep: :up:

Id recommend it. I did a few more tests with Quake 3 on maximum graphics and doing a demo test I clocked in at an average rate of 286ish+ frames per second. :D

I also bought a new game released a few days ago "Rainbow Six Vegas" to push my card even further since it requires all the new 3.0 shader models and what not and runs on the Unreal 3 engine. At the start of the game your inflight in a chopper over mexico city where you can see out the chopper door for a good mile or further with fully renderd buildings, terrain, shadows and everything. I couldnt believe I was actually running something like that with smooth frame rates! I didnt max out the graphics on it though, I just left it at the settings it had when it installed which were still amazing and probably on high. I have to do a few more tests on it but it kinda feels like if I would push the card any further than what Rainbow Six demands ill probably notise some slow downs... maybe... cause just the detial in Rainbow Six looked very demanding on system performance.

As for the person who said the card is loud... upon bootup yes the fan speed gets pretty high and it does puts off a good "hum" to it, but when the machine loads the OS and settles in... the fan speed slows down and is no louder than the fan on the back of your machine (power supply fan). Even with the slow fan speed and the card being overclocked it runs at a stable 42 degrees C. Thats about what my other card ran at which I found the fan to be coverd in dust and filth from never being cleaned out. :p

(and yes I did polished it up and put it away for possible future use)

Wolfy

Thanks for that mate...really helpful/much appreciated :up:

[Generis71]

I got a Bliss Geforce 7800GS (Gainward) 512 Mb and it runs SH3 Gwx nicely. Not been in a combat situation yet but the harbor scene at the beginning runs fine, getting about 30 fps. Zipping about with the external camera looking at all the new detail and its not giving any problems.

Definetly recommend it.

[Jimbuna]

Apparently either manufacturer BFG or XFX come with a lifetime warranty :rock:

[WolfyBrandon]

Apparently either manufacturer BFG or XFX come with a lifetime warranty :rock:

Yep thats true Jimbuna, says right on the box Lifetime Warranty! :up:

Wolfy

[Jimbuna]

Apparently either manufacturer BFG or XFX come with a lifetime warranty :rock:

Yep thats true Jimbuna, says right on the box Lifetime Warranty! :up:

Wolfy

Good...then that's my choice hehe :up:

[SubConscious]

Just a FYI - NewEgg has the BFG card for $229.99 with a $60 mail-in rebate, for a final cost of $169.99:

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

If I were gainfully employed, I'd buy one. Anyone want to buy me a late Christmas present? ;)

[Jimbuna]

Anyone know a decent site in the UK ?

[Deep-Six]

I bought mine for $149.95 USD. This was at Fry's.

[Jimbuna]

Thanks guys...but a was hoping for a price in £'s in the UK to alleviate the need for importing...much appreciated nonetheless :up: