New graphic card

[FooFighters]

Hi there fellow captains :arrgh!:

I want to upgrade my graphic card. Game was running smooth on 29 fps.
Now I use TM1.4 (which include Leo ocean mod).. This for me is a must have.
But my fps dropped to ca. 23 with some light stuttering.

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

Thanks,

Foo
p.s. I want to stay with nvidia !

[Misfit138]

Personally, I would recommend getting NVIDIA 8800 320Mb if you're not using very high resolution. Definately skip the 8600 series. Expensive and relative useless IMO

EDIT: Althought in this case, your CPU would be kind of a major bottleneck

[FooFighters]

Personally, I would recommend getting NVIDIA 8800 320Mb if you're not using very high resolution. Definately skip the 8600 series. Expensive and relative useless IMO

EDIT: Althought in this case, your CPU would be kind of a major bottleneck

Here's also something that is pretty important..

7900GS euro 109,00
7950GT euro 159,00
8800GTX (320) euro 299,00

All made by XFX..

I thought my cpu was pretty oke for now :p

[Misfit138]

I thought my cpu was pretty oke for now :p

Heh, nevermind about me then. I just have a tendency to think that if it's not a dual core, it's a bottleneck :p :lol:

[FooFighters]

I thought my cpu was pretty oke for now :p

Heh, nevermind about me then. I just have a tendency to think that if it's not a dual core, it's a bottleneck :p :lol:

I do agree with you that the 8800 serie maybe is a size to big for the rest of my rig.
The 7950 also seems to be a very good card for half the price of an 8800..

:hmm:

[Misfit138]

I do agree with you that the 8800 serie maybe is a size to big for the rest of my rig.
The 7950 also seems to be a very good card for half the price of an 8800..

:hmm:

But you'll do better with 8800. Besides, it makes upgrading your pc easier. Only need to get a new mobo, ram and cpu. I think you'll do just fine with 8800 with the DirectX10 games too

Wish I had bought that 8800 320Mb but didn't had the money so I had to buy this ATI 1950XT which is pretty ok for me. Hell, I play mainly two games only. The Silent Hunter 4 and Red Orchestra

[FooFighters]

I do agree with you that the 8800 serie maybe is a size to big for the rest of my rig.
The 7950 also seems to be a very good card for half the price of an 8800..

:hmm:

But you'll do better with 8800. Besides, it makes upgrading your pc easier. Only need to get a new mobo, ram and cpu. I think you'll do just fine with 8800 with the DirectX10 games too

Wish I had bought that 8800 320Mb but didn't had the money so I had to buy this ATI 1950XT which is pretty ok for me. Hell, I play mainly two games only. The Silent Hunter 4 and Red Orchestra

as far as I know, the 1950 XT is similar to the 7950GT
What is your fps and your rig ?

[Misfit138]

as far as I know, the 1950 XT is similar to the 7950GT
What is your fps and your rig ?

CPU Intel E6300@2,2Ghz
Mobo ASUS P5B Deluxe Wifi
RAM DDR2 G.Skill 2GBNQ CL5@ 4-4-4-14 733Mhz
MSI X1950XT 256Mb@Core 682Mhz, Mem 981Mhz

Everything maxed and on except volumetric fog. AA x4, AF x4, Resolution 1280x1024

When running the Navigation tutorial in RFB 1.31 I get about 33 FPS on bridge

My tweaks aren't excatly perfect at the moment. Used to get about 40-50 FPS on open sea in normal weather when there wasn't other ships around but now it's more like 35-43 but I'm not complaining, yet :lol:

Oh, and this is when running mods like Living Breathing Ocean and Hi-Res Skins

[switch.dota]

I'd rather have a 7950 over the 8800 or 7900, for the simple reason that DX 10 is useless right now and under DX 9 the 7950 is comparable to the 8800. By the time DX 10 will become needed, we'll have geforce 9 series.

[TDK1044]

Hi there fellow captains :arrgh!:

I want to upgrade my graphic card. Game was running smooth on 29 fps.
Now I use TM1.4 (which include Leo ocean mod).. This for me is a must have.
But my fps dropped to ca. 23 with some light stuttering.

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

Thanks,

Foo
p.s. I want to stay with nvidia !



My rig is almost identical with the same video card, and TM 1.4 had no effect on my fps at all?

[FooFighters]

Hi there fellow captains :arrgh!:

I want to upgrade my graphic card. Game was running smooth on 29 fps.
Now I use TM1.4 (which include Leo ocean mod).. This for me is a must have.
But my fps dropped to ca. 23 with some light stuttering.

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

Thanks,

Foo
p.s. I want to stay with nvidia !



My rig is almost identical with the same video card, and TM 1.4 had no effect on my fps at all?

Hmm strange.. :hmm:

But still I want to go to a mininum steady 40fps, preferably more :p
At this moment I am still leaning towards the 7950GT..

I am reading some articles, and lots of guys say that the 8800GTS is just slightly
better then a 7950GT on XP !
Next to that I don't know how this 8800 GTS will work with my AMD 64 3200+cpu. :hmm:

I hope it doesn't blow it up :88)

[Gunner]

Hi there fellow captains :arrgh!:

I want to upgrade my graphic card. Game was running smooth on 29 fps.
Now I use TM1.4 (which include Leo ocean mod).. This for me is a must have.
But my fps dropped to ca. 23 with some light stuttering.

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

Thanks,

Foo
p.s. I want to stay with nvidia !



My rig is almost identical with the same video card, and TM 1.4 had no effect on my fps at all?

Hmm strange.. :hmm:

But still I want to go to a mininum steady 40fps, preferably more :p
At this moment I am still leaning towards the 7950GT..

I am reading some articles, and lots of guys say that the 8800GTS is just slightly
better then a 7950GT on XP !
Next to that I don't know how this 8800 GTS will work with my AMD 64 3200+cpu. :hmm:

I hope it doesn't blow it up :88)

I have a 8800GTS and get a solid 72 FPS inside and outside sub.at 1280 x 1024 All ingame settings maxed Had to upgrade my power supply to 500w. You should have at least 26A on the 12v rail.

E6600 dual core
Asus P5LD2
Ram 667 2GB
8800 GTS 320 MB
win XP

[CaptRari]

Hi Foofighters, i just recently upgraded my video card from a Nvidia 6800 (256 mb) to a BFG 7950 GT OC (512 mb) made a hugh difference on my fps,from 30 fps to over 90 fps (1024x768)Perhaps not as good as the 8800 gts, but very close and less expensive with out having to upgrade your power supply as well IMHO. My Rig: P4 3.2 HT,2 gigs of ram(533)Windows XP Pro,and above mentioned card.Since there is no current DX 10 games out save you $ on 2ndGen. DX 10 cards when they come out in the near future:yep:

[FooFighters]

Hi there fellow captains :arrgh!:

I want to upgrade my graphic card. Game was running smooth on 29 fps.
Now I use TM1.4 (which include Leo ocean mod).. This for me is a must have.
But my fps dropped to ca. 23 with some light stuttering.

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

Thanks,

Foo
p.s. I want to stay with nvidia !



My rig is almost identical with the same video card, and TM 1.4 had no effect on my fps at all?

Hmm strange.. :hmm:

But still I want to go to a mininum steady 40fps, preferably more :p
At this moment I am still leaning towards the 7950GT..

I am reading some articles, and lots of guys say that the 8800GTS is just slightly
better then a 7950GT on XP !
Next to that I don't know how this 8800 GTS will work with my AMD 64 3200+cpu. :hmm:

I hope it doesn't blow it up :88)

I have a 8800GTS and get a solid 72 FPS inside and outside sub.at 1280 x 1024 All ingame settings maxed Had to upgrade my power supply to 500w. You should have at least 26A on the 12v rail.

E6600 dual core
Asus P5LD2
Ram 667 2GB
8800 GTS 320 MB
win XP

Power supply is no problem.. I bought a new Trust PW-5500 570W power supply a few months ago.
I am worried about the combo cpu (older AMD 64 3200+) and 8800 GTS.

@ captRari.. wow. Thats an impressive improvement.
More and more I think the 7950GT is a better upgrade for me :up:

[Misfit138]

Did some checking on prices here in Finland and you can get the GF8800 320Mb about 280 euros. GeForce 7950 GT 256Mb costs around 220 euros and the one with 512Mb has the same price as GF8800 320Mb

I guess if you're playing games with relative low resolution then the GF7950 GT 256Mb is pretty good choice. Personally, I'd still choose the GF8800 but that's just me

[Gunner]

Reason went with 8800 over 7950GT is memory bandwidth
7950Gt 44.8 GB per second
8800 GTS 320 MB 64 GB per second, plus has way more pipelines, better bang for yer buck

[stabiz]

I'd rather have a 7950 over the 8800 or 7900, for the simple reason that DX 10 is useless right now and under DX 9 the 7950 is comparable to the 8800. By the time DX 10 will become needed, we'll have geforce 9 series.

That is just wrong. I had a 7950GT 512MB, and now I have a 8800 GTS 320MB. The difference is staggering.

[simon11]

To get the most out of an 8800GTX you need a good power supply and a good cpu. Plus a good bank account.

[switch.dota]

A 7950GT will work miracles under XP. The advantages an 8800 provides over a 7950GT are minor in DX9 (aka windows XP). And by the time Vista is holding it's ground the 8 generation will be obsolete technology wise (first generation to support DX 10 - do you expect best performance off the bat?), so you'll need another upgrade anyway. Wheather it's from a 7950Gt or an average 8800 there's little difference.

[stabiz]

:rotfl:Have you even tried an 8800? The 7950Gt is dwarfed by it.

[cali03boss]

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

If you're dead set on your AMD (it was my old one and very nice) then I'd say the 640 8800GT. If you're flexible on the processor/mobo i'd switch to a socket with a higher transfer rate. LGA 775 is great for games. Plus it supports AMD single, intel single, and intel multi core processors (very upgradeable). ALSO...be sure that the card you are buying does not project in DX10. Unless you're willing to upgrade to vista, some people make the mistake of buying a card with Vista drivers on it(who knows why).

If you need anymore more help, or want system specs on how to max out the game, just message me. I've been testing SH4 and SH3 on video cards all year.

[FooFighters]

I see that that the opinion vary..

I know that the 8800 is a super card, but also twice the money of a 7950GT (euro 299->159).
Is it also twice te value in a XP DX9 enviroment..

If I was sure that the 8800 works perfect on my pc it's no problem.
But I still don't how my cpu will work with the 8800 ?

[cali03boss]

psh...my 8800GTX was 400...

the CPU should have no problem. I was running the exact CPU on my older motherboard for SH3 with a similar card chipset and it ran good...not perfect...but good. In the end you can always do a compatability report from NVidia. But I don't see why it would have a problem.

[FooFighters]

My rig now consist of..
AMD 64 3200+ on Asus K8N socket 754
2 GB ram DDR (400mhz)
XFX 7600 GT 256mb
Windows XP (1280x1024)

I think the vid. card is the (small) problem here.
I have already looked around. The new 8600 series looks crap so far..
I want a card which has good results with AA & AF !

So it's gonna be a 7900 GS (256mb), 7950GT (512mb) or maybe a 8800GT
(still pretty expensive)

The 8800GT is also available in 320mb and 640mb versions.
Is there a lot of difference between those 2 (640 is also 100 euro more expensive)

What would you buy ? or should I upgrade something else ?

If you're dead set on your AMD (it was my old one and very nice) then I'd say the 640 8800GT. If you're flexible on the processor/mobo i'd switch to a socket with a higher transfer rate. LGA 775 is great for games. Plus it supports AMD single, intel single, and intel multi core processors (very upgradeable). ALSO...be sure that the card you are buying does not project in DX10. Unless you're willing to upgrade to vista, some people make the mistake of buying a card with Vista drivers on it(who knows why).

If you need anymore more help, or want system specs on how to max out the game, just message me. I've been testing SH4 and SH3 on video cards all year.

For now I am pretty much fixed.. I have socket 754 which is pretty much out of the market. No real big upgrades are available. So for now the processor stays.
I don't have the money to change all..
The 640 8800 GTS is real nice, but also expensive (300 euro is really max)

What is your thought on the 7950GT ?
I was thinking of buying that one, and replace the cpu, mobo, memory and an 8800 in about 18 month. For now the upgrade is only for SH-IV.

I think the 8800 will be a lot cheaper then.

:up:

[orangenee]

^^^The 8800 will be ancient news by then, at least in DX10 terms anyway.

[FooFighters]

^^^The 8800 will be ancient news by then, at least in DX10 terms anyway.

That means that it will be cheaper :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[cali03boss]

For now I am pretty much fixed.. I have socket 754 which is pretty much out of the market. No real big upgrades are available. So for now the processor stays.
I don't have the money to change all..
The 640 8800 GTS is real nice, but also expensive (300 euro is really max)

What is your thought on the 7950GT ?
I was thinking of buying that one, and replace the cpu, mobo, memory and an 8800 in about 18 month. For now the upgrade is only for SH-IV.

I think the 8800 will be a lot cheaper then.

Honestly man, I say wait on the upgrade. In high school I used to do the single upgrade thing just cuz thats what I could afford. In the long run it hurts you because you end up buying a bunch of components made from different eras with different technology....and it just won't run the BEST it can. If you can wait 18 months, then make sure you sell your current card and buy just a cheap 512 to get you by. Buying a good motherboard(200), good processor(350-400), good video card(400-1000) all together with similar technology makes WORLDS of a difference. Plus gaming motherboards are upgradable up the wahzu. That's my 2 cents. Sorry if it is disappointing. But you'll LOVE gaming life if you just save up.

[FooFighters]

For now I am pretty much fixed.. I have socket 754 which is pretty much out of the market. No real big upgrades are available. So for now the processor stays.
I don't have the money to change all..
The 640 8800 GTS is real nice, but also expensive (300 euro is really max)

What is your thought on the 7950GT ?
I was thinking of buying that one, and replace the cpu, mobo, memory and an 8800 in about 18 month. For now the upgrade is only for SH-IV.

I think the 8800 will be a lot cheaper then.

Honestly man, I say wait on the upgrade. In high school I used to do the single upgrade thing just cuz thats what I could afford. In the long run it hurts you because you end up buying a bunch of components made from different eras with different technology....and it just won't run the BEST it can. If you can wait 18 months, then make sure you sell your current card and buy just a cheap 512 to get you by. Buying a good motherboard(200), good processor(350-400), good video card(400-1000) all together with similar technology makes WORLDS of a difference. Plus gaming motherboards are upgradable up the wahzu. That's my 2 cents. Sorry if it is disappointing. But you'll LOVE gaming life if you just save up.

I agree, but this XFX 7950GT 512mb is only euro 159
Not that much money if it removes the stuttering in SH-IV

[cali03boss]

then you should be fine. AMD will run it.

[xboxer]

I'm using a Athlon 3200 (Socket 754) and a 7600GT as well but with only 1.5 GB of RAM.

I think it runs fine now.

But to answer your question, definitely skip the 8600 cards. There are almost no difference between a 7600GT and a 8600GT.

The best choice will be a 8800GTS since it is pretty affordable nowadays.

[xboxer]

Another thing you might want to note is, ask yourself what kind of games do you play all the time?

If it is just SH4, I say save your money and keep your 7600GT.

If you enjoy playing the latest power hungry games like GRAW2, R6 Vegas and SC DA, then get an upgrade.

Couple of hundred bucks for eye candy just one game(SH4), isn't very friendly on the pocket and neither will you get a bang for your buck. Besides, the requirements for SH4 to play on a relatively high setting is child's play compared to the games I mentioned above.

[UnSalted]

MIght want to spend some time thinking about upgrade cycle times. Is it a good buy often depends on how often you will need to upgrade to keep running newer games with the eye candy people love. Personally I can't see spending bucks to ulgrade to an already out of date technology like a card built for Direct9. I'd rather wait an extra month or two and save a little longer to avoid investing behind the curve.

Just me. Good luck with your choice.

BTW I'm running a 7900GT with an AM2 4600 Dual Core and love it. Great bang for the buck and I'll keep the graphics until the 8900 series shows up which will most likely happen around the same time as Vista gets SP1. I love Christmas toys for myself. :)

[rls669]

I thought the K8N motherboard had an AGP slot, not PCI-e. If so, forget about the 8800 series because that is PCI-e only. The best performance for AGP is probably the ATI X1900XTX but that is quite expensive and also very loud. The Geforce 7950 is probably your best bet. Either will outperform the 8600 series, though I'm not sure that's available in AGP either.

[FooFighters]

I thought the K8N motherboard had an AGP slot, not PCI-e. If so, forget about the 8800 series because that is PCI-e only. The best performance for AGP is probably the ATI X1900XTX but that is quite expensive and also very loud. The Geforce 7950 is probably your best bet. Either will outperform the 8600 series, though I'm not sure that's available in AGP either.

K8N does have PCI-e versions, I have one :up:

[GT182]

I hope the nVidia 9000 series comes out very soon. Then the prices on the 8800GTX will drop so I can afford one for a new pc build. ;)

[Canonicus]

BTW I'm running a 7900GT with an AM2 4600 Dual Core and love it. Great bang for the buck and I'll keep the graphics until the 8900 series shows up which will most likely happen around the same time as Vista gets SP1. I love Christmas toys for myself. :)

Looks like you'll be waiting longer than you think. im afraid...
SP1 for Vista probably won't be available untill sometime in '09, at the earliest.

Heres a link to more info...
//http://www.guru3d.com/news.php?cat=&perpage=15&pagenumber=3/#5666 (http://www.guru3d.com/news.php?cat=&perpage=15&pagenumber=3/#5666)

[rls669]

I hope the nVidia 9000 series comes out very soon. Then the prices on the 8800GTX will drop so I can afford one for a new pc build. ;)High end video cards never come down in price much, they just get phased out and replaced. :p

[OldFrenchy]

I too have an AMD 3200+, 2 6600GTs running in SLI and 2 gigs of memory on a socket 939 mobo. I don't want to buy a new comp either, so my solution is to up the cpu to 4000 and add an 8800gts. The vid card will transfer to a new machine down the line.
The AMD 4000 is available used on e-bay for around $40, and the 8800gts can be obtained for about $266 with a rebate:

8800gts:

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A9602833&cmp=OTC-pricewatch

[UnSalted]

BTW I'm running a 7900GT with an AM2 4600 Dual Core and love it. Great bang for the buck and I'll keep the graphics until the 8900 series shows up which will most likely happen around the same time as Vista gets SP1. I love Christmas toys for myself. :)
Looks like you'll be waiting longer than you think. im afraid...
SP1 for Vista probably won't be available untill sometime in '09, at the earliest.

Heres a link to more info...
//http://www.guru3d.com/news.php?cat=&perpage=15&pagenumber=3/#5666 (http://www.guru3d.com/news.php?cat=&perpage=15&pagenumber=3/#5666)

I was figuring November-December based on this report but it's really no biggie if it takes longer. I've spent almost 20 years learning to wait for MS to fix it's mistakes so I'm used to it. :know:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134748-pg,1/article.html

[PepsiCan]

And what about the new ATI 2600? Seems to put the 8800GTS cards to shame, while being in the same price category.

Edit: had the number wrong. I meant the new 2900 XT

[shakkie]

And what about the new ATI 2600? Seems to put the 8800GTS cards to shame, while being in the same price category.
I think you mean 8600 GTS:roll: ... HD2600 and 8800 aren't same price category:huh:
Also HD2600 doesn't look better than 8600 on paper, though in practice it may happen to be better in some situations.

p.s hi to all captains:D

[switch.dota]

The nvidia cards are usually better overclockers than their ATi counterparts. Usually, because I never tinkerd with the 8 series much.

My advise: stick with a high end DX9 card and buy a DX 10 native in 6-10 months from now (by that time the 9 series... mayeb even 10).

[PepsiCan]

And what about the new ATI 2600? Seems to put the 8800GTS cards to shame, while being in the same price category. I think you mean 8600 GTS:roll: ... HD2600 and 8800 aren't same price category:huh:
Also HD2600 doesn't look better than 8600 on paper, though in practice it may happen to be better in some situations.

p.s hi to all captains:D

Sorry, I meant the ATI 2900 XT

[shakkie]

2900XT is good when someone has strong PSU...but yes it outperforms 8800GTS, sometimes even ultra (in very rare situations), and have some reasonable price.

[fair_weather]

I have a similar system setup as the OP.

AMD64 3200+
1 gig ram
ASUS Nvidida Geforce 7600GT
K8N PCI-e motherboard
etc. etc. etc.

and I'm going the insane route. I'm getting a whole new computer. $1,600 price tag, for the tower alone.

what I'm getting:

AMD64 X2 5600+ Dual Core
2 gig ram
ASUS Nvidia Geforce 8800GTX
ASUS motherboard with onboard Quadro (if I wanted to have more than two monitors set up)
250 gig HDD
Windows Vista 32 bit

And no I will never get windows Vista 64 bit edition. Not with the problems they've been having with it.

And this will be mostly a next-gen gaming/rendering system. Which will be able to play most of the upcoming DX10 titles (Bioshock, Crysis, etc.)

And no I don't mind that Vista has a few faults, they're mostly with drivers and that's why I'm going with onboard for sound and networking. So I don't have to put up with some of the beta driver crap that the companies are putting out there.

I can't wait :)

[cali03boss]

$1,600 price tag, for the tower alone.
what a blatent waste of money. 1,600 dollar tower? Is it made of solid gold?

And this will be mostly a next-gen gaming/rendering system.

It will play the games at bae minimum to medium sure....but not max quality. Especially if you're gonna buy a 64 bit dual core processor but only use a 32 bit windows...whats the point? 2 gigs of ram won't run bioshock perfect, and for crysis unless you have a 780MB or higher video card you're gonna need SLI(multiple video cards connected via an nVidia translator.

I'm using 64 bit vista, and there are no problems. I have offboard everything and there wasn't a single issue except for reinstalling the system. The only issues come with server software and networking. But I'd like to know how you plan on using this as a "next gen gaming machine" when your processor can outperform the software (limiting the processor) and no multi-card connection ports.

[Stealth Hunter]

I concur. I paid $400 for mine. Here are the specs:

Intel Core Duo AMD 64 4200+ Processors
2048 MB DDR2 RAM
360 GB HDD
Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS (256 MB RAM)
Windows XP Home Edition

Your machine is good, better than mine, but the price tag isn't for what you're getting.:D I'm happy with mine because it was new.

8600 GTS is the best mid-range card on the market. All I had to do was pay a total of $300 bucks for a new 600 WATT power supplier, the graphics card, a full tune-up, a new 22" monitor, and a new game... $1,600 for the tower is WAY TOO HIGH. Oh, and have fun with Vista, which is Satan's OS. Have fun spending days trying to get your old games to work on it... I did, but I went back to XP about a week after that (and I was also using Vista 32 bit).

Sorry, but I really don't care for your system, IMHO.:shifty:

[fair_weather]

It's costing that much because I'm in Canada, nuff said.

And I don't do 64 bit Vista because I have a bunch of old games that use 16 bit and have 16 bit installers, 64 bit Vista got rid of 16 bit processing. Plus, there isn't enough software out there that uses 64 bit processing to warrant getting 64 bit vista.

Cali03boss, show me where it says that Bioshock needs more? Cause from what I've seen of the requirements, Bioshock will run fine.

Stealth hunter: I will have fun with Vista, cause that's where things are going. And I don't see why you got the 8600GTS if you're not getting vista...you're better off getting a 7900GS or the like if you're not going to be getting Vista and DX10.

And everyone has their preferences...Me...I think of both gaming and rendering. That's why I'm getting the 8800GTX and the dual core.

[cali03boss]

Cali03boss, show me where it says that Bioshock needs more? Cause from what I've seen of the requirements, Bioshock will run fine.
that was my point. It will RUN the game, but not at top quality. Your specs will probably be limited somewhere around 60% gaming performance....mostly due to the 64 bit processor on 32 bit software. I'm not saying you should get 64 bit windows or abandon your old games...I'm telling you to be compatable. Just save money and get a 32 bit processor then you can buy a beefier card or something else.

Plus...even if you're in canada...1600 is a waste of money on any tower. 400 dollars is a waste on a tower.

That's why I'm getting the 8800GTX and the dual core.

And just so you know, the GTX is not SLI compatable for 3+ cards....but I don't know if you care about that.

[fair_weather]

No, I don't care about SLi, if I was going to get SLi I would've gotten an SLi compatible motherboard.

Maybe next year...

[FooFighters]

Hey guys..

Just to let you know.. (know some people are thinking of changing GPU)

I've ordered my new MSI 8800 GTS 320mb.

My system now :
AMD 64 3200+
Asus K8N4
XFX 7600 GT 256mb (pci-e)

Framerates now with TM1.5 and several hi-res skins.
All options except underwater rays and fog, no v-sync :
Bridge 24/27 fps
inside 50/60 fps
Outside 25/28 fps

As soon as I installed my new 8800GTS (aprox 1 week), I will post new framerates.

:up:

[TopcatWA]

If you are looking at upgrading & want a good gaming set-up with very good performance video graphics then go for a SLI setup. If you shop around, you can get 2 x GeForce 8500GT PCI Express 256 meg SLI video cards (or something similar) for much less then what you would pay a single 512meg card. Couple the 2 of them together & you've got a good 512meg video setup for at least half the cost of a single 512meg card. I'm getting 60-90+ fps with SHIV running at max resolution.
My setup is:

Motherboard : Gigabyte S-Series GA-M55SLI AMD x 64 Dual Core
CPU : AMD Athlon 5000+
RAM : 2.0GHz
Video Card : 2 x NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT 256/PCI Express DirectX 10 compatable (AU$340)
Power Supply : 600 Watt

That lot I managed to get for under AU$800

[FooFighters]

If you are looking at upgrading & want a good gaming set-up with very good performance video graphics then go for a SLI setup. If you shop around, you can get 2 x GeForce 8500GT PCI Express 256 meg SLI video cards (or something similar) for much less then what you would pay a single 512meg card. Couple the 2 of them together & you've got a good 512meg video setup for at least half the cost of a single 512meg card. I'm getting 60-90+ fps with SHIV running at max resolution.
My setup is:

Motherboard : Gigabyte S-Series GA-M55SLI AMD x 64 Dual Core
CPU : AMD Athlon 5000+
RAM : 2.0GHz
Video Card : 2 x NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT 256/PCI Express DirectX 10 compatable (AU$340)
Power Supply : 600 Watt

That lot I managed to get for under AU$800

one 8800 GTS is faster then 2 8500 GT cards in sli.
And it only 289,00 euro here in holland..

[gg5056]

I am using XFX 7900GS 256mb. I have very little problems with video card.
runs about $200.00

[FooFighters]

I am using XFX 7900GS 256mb. I have very little problems with video card.
runs about $200.00

I agree.. both 7900 and 7950 are very good cards.
Only the 320mb versions of the 8800 GTS are just a few bucks more now.

[rodan54]

Alright, now since my computer finally quit on me, I've recently started shopping around for a new system. Now I've most everything picked out, except I'm a bit unsure about the GPU.

For starters here are the other components I'll be purchasing:

Intel C2D E6850 3.0Ghz
2 GB Corsair XMS DDR2
Creative X-Fi Fatality
Ultra-X 700 Watt PSU
And lastly a Viewsonic 20" Widescreen (SH4 is as good an excuse as any :D)

Now so far I'm currently looking at an EVGA 8800 GTS 640Mb to round out this 'puta'. But will this GPU be enough to run SH4 at the absolute maximum graphical quality (1680x1050/AA/AF/Fog enabled, etc.) with good performance or would the GTX be the better choice.

So for anyone out there with this moniter/GPU setup, how's your performance (FPS) and what detail settings do you use in game.

Oh, and BTW this will be running on a Vista 32bit OS.

[JSLTIGER]

I don't have that monitor, but that card should be plenty to run SH4.

[Gunner]

EVGA 8800GTS comes in three flavors, one stock settings and 2 factory overclocked versions. Went for inbetween factory overclocked version and am very happy with it. Paid $320.00 Canadian for it. All ingame settingss maxed with 8 x Af and 16 x AA manage 72 FPS vertical sync locked to refresh rate at 1280 x 1024. Unlock V sync and 100 FPS although FPS bounces around a fair bit. Switched from AGP to PCI express with 8800GTS will at least double your FPS if not more pending on yer rig specs.:arrgh!:

E6600 Dual core
Asus PL5D2 MB
2 GB OCZ Ram
EVGA 8800 GTS factory superclocked
EXtreme gamer 550W PS

[Misfit138]

What kind of temperatures you people got with 8800GTS? Based on a few reviews I've read, it's not as bad as with X1950XT for example but I would like to hear more about this. This is something really important for me. My ATI used to turn my pc into a fecking sauna every time I had Silent Hunter 4 running so I'm kind of hoping to avoid this with my next GPU

[bunkerratt]

although i run an ati based system i have a crossfired set of x1950 pro's oc'd to 601 core and 695 memory they run @about 75 .f. under load
intel p-4 775 3.4ht em64t oc'd to 3.75 thermaltake big typhoon cpu cooler
asus p5w dh deluxe motherboard
twin 100 gb hdd's raid 0 sata
ati x1950pro 256pcie x2 crossfired
creative x-fi extreme music soundcard
enermax 600 watt psu
dvd r=rw dldf x 2
floppy
11 in 1 usb card reader
2gb ocz crossfire edition pc2 6400 800mhz memory/6gb pagefile
cooler master musketeer 2
logitec 5.1 surround speakers
saitek eclipse keyboard
logitec tracman rollerball mouse cordless
xp pro sp2
20inch hd viewsonic vx2035wm
thermaltake armor va8000bws black steel case
lcd ambeient temperature readout x2
turtle beach earforce hpa 5.1 headset

[Gunner]

What kind of temperatures you people got with 8800GTS? Based on a few reviews I've read, it's not as bad as with X1950XT for example but I would like to hear more about this. This is something really important for me. My ATI used to turn my pc into a fecking sauna every time I had Silent Hunter 4 running so I'm kind of hoping to avoid this with my next GPU

I hear ye mate. This is my theory, start with your case, what kind of cooling. I have a 9 inch fan on side of mid size case, my power supply provides 2 fans and no can't afford water cooling system, few here can ? MB is factor, some require additonal cooling, have none on my Asus.CPU dumped intel stock fan and bought Arctic Cooler. What I can say is with this setup she runs 39C under full load after 8 hrs gameplay, suprizingly with this honk'n fan on my case with standard case fans and PS fans plus a decent sized fan on 8800 GTS you would thing my rig sounds like a fighter jet cranked, not the case, , just a lot better performance over my AGP old AGP rig.:arrgh!:

[Misfit138]

I hear ye mate. This is my theory, start with your case, what kind of cooling. I have a 9 inch fan on side of mid size case, my power supply provides 2 fans and no can't afford water cooling system, few here can ? MB is factor, some require additonal cooling, have none on my Asus.CPU dumped intel stock fan and bought Arctic Cooler. What I can say is with this setup she runs 39C under full load after 8 hrs gameplay, suprizingly with this honk'n fan on my case with standard case fans and PS fans plus a decent sized fan on 8800 GTS you would thing my rig sounds like a fighter jet cranked, not the case, , just a lot better performance over my AGP old AGP rig.:arrgh!:

Mid size case with 5 80mm different sort of fans. Althought those additional fans do seem kind of pointless cause the temperatures are just the same even with 3 fans

Intel stock fan also does it's job nicely even when dealing overclocked CPU. Temperature is about 32 celsius idle and about 40 when on load with E6300@2,2Ghz

MB temp is from 28 to 34. All of these numbers were about 3-5 celsius greater with X1950XT which IMO was way too much. Heck, that ATI card itself ran about 90 celsius with Silent Hunter 4 and even with the stock clocks!

[Der Graf Von Rudklide]

To get the most out of an 8800GTX you need a good power supply and a good cpu. Plus a good bank account.

I just bought a new PC with a 8800GTX 768 mb videocard. And Core 2 CPU (6700) 2 x 2,66 Mhz. 2 Gig DDR3 ram. First thing installed was SH4 and woa eyecandy, i came from a 1,8 Ghz with a 6700 256mb videocard and 1 gig old ram.

I can highly recommend it :up:

[The General]

Whoah! That's a good system there Skipper. I'm looing to upgrade soon too.

[rls669]

I'm going more than a little insane with impatience waiting for my new stuff to arrive so I can play this game. It's a total no-go on my Radeon 8500 . . . I intended to just cheaply upgrade to a better agp card to eke some more life out of this old system, but I sort of blanked out when I was looking at stuff online and when I regained consciousness I had a Core2 Quad Q6600, EVGA 8800GTs, Abit IP35 mobo, 2gb OCZ ram and 500gb hard drive on the way. I'll be down to half rations for a while to pay for all that :D

[FooFighters]

I finally got it.. my XFX 8800 GTS (320mb) and it kicks ass :rock:

My FPS went up from 23 to 50+ (outside the boat F12 and conning tower F4), also I now have fog and underwater rays enabled. It runs great !

So my old and rusty AMD 3200+ is hanging in there quit good !
This was a 100% good decision :up:

p.s. for max options should all sliders be on the right ?

[Misfit138]

Damn, I want my PNY GF8800 GTS NOW! :arrgh!: Gonna have to wait untill the next thursday...

p.s. for max options should all sliders be on the right ?

That's correct

How is the temperatures with your card?

[FooFighters]

Damn, I want my PNY GF8800 GTS NOW! :arrgh!: Gonna have to wait untill the next thursday...

p.s. for max options should all sliders be on the right ?

That's correct

How is the temperatures with your card?

Motherboard 45 'C (113)
CPU 34 'C (101)
GPU 59 'C (138)

[FooFighters]

Small addition..

I now played around this evening.. and I must say what a difference :up:
Everything cranked up and the lowest I got was 29 fps (with everything enabled) in a big storm with fog and rain. Disabling fog boosted my fps back up to 50+

I can say that the older cpu's work just fine with the 8800's

SH-IV rocks :rock:

Some shots of the storm I mentioned

http://www.oldsmobile1958.com/extra/storm1.jpg

http://www.oldsmobile1958.com/extra/storm2.jpg

http://www.oldsmobile1958.com/extra/storm3.jpg

[bookworm_020]

They reckon the nvidia 9 series could be out as soon as November! I wonder what they will do for price on other cards:hmm:

[FooFighters]

They reckon the nvidia 9 series could be out as soon as November! I wonder what they will do for price on other cards:hmm:

The prices are already dropping.. My new 8800GTS dropped price from 300 to 259 euro here in holland. Maybe the the 9 series will drop it even lower :p

[FAdmiral]

I just read an article about MS possibly making DX10 available for XP.
Now that would make lotsa sense in my opinion....

JIM

[cali03boss]

Now that would make lotsa sense in my opinion....

Why does that make sense? They would loose money by not forcing people to upgrade.

[rls669]

There is a 3rd party project underway to port dx10 to xp. Can't remember the name but I'm sure google can find it :)

[FAdmiral]

Now that would make lotsa sense in my opinion....

Why does that make sense? They would loose money by not forcing people to upgrade.

I didn't say it make sense to ole Bill, only to the minions who buy his products....

JIM

[FAdmiral]

After doing a couple of days research on video cards along with
what MS is considering doing with DX10, I settled on the cheapest
card I could find that would run MOH:A. I got a GeForce 7600GT
with 256megDDR3. At only $69.95, the card runs MOH:A demo
just fine. Also my frame rates and what I can now see in SH4
really makes the upgrade worthwhile. Frame rates were doubled from my old ATI X600 pro card running 256meg of std memory. Will wait
& see about the next DX10 upgrade (maybe for XP)....

JIM

[Misfit138]

Finally got this GF8800 GTS today! Phew, thank god for that. I should have already gotten this yesterday after 4.00 pm but since I live in relatively small town, the postal service doesn't work like that in here. Another thing was that I woke up at 5.00 am and had to wait till 9.00 post office to open :damn:

But the long wait is over. Just plugged this puppet into my pc :yep: :rock:

[FooFighters]

Finally got this GF8800 GTS today! Phew, thank god for that. I should have already gotten this yesterday after 4.00 pm but since I live in relatively small town, the postal service doesn't work like that in here. Another thing was that I woke up at 5.00 am and had to wait till 9.00 post office to open :damn:

But the long wait is over. Just plugged this puppet into my pc :yep: :rock:

You will love it !
I am shure :p

I shure do :up:

[Misfit138]

You will love it !
I am shure :p

I shure do :up:

Oh man, I AM loving this card :/\\k:

Sun glare is there, better image quality, no texture flickering at all! Definately was worth of the money and the long wait :up:

Feels just kind of strange having Nvidia card. My previous one was GF440 MX 128Mb, which kind of really sucked :88)

[FAdmiral]

What has improved in SH4 with my change from ATI X600 pro to the
GeForce 7600 GT:

1. Frame rates improved by triple or quad in most cases
2. I see color eyeballs instead of black spots
3. I see torpedo wakes when I had none before
4. All colors much more vibrant
5. Clouds now look real, not just white globs
6. Water is more real with very good color
7. Sub & ships detail much more pronounced
8. Everything is just sharper in detail

And this is the cheapest card I could find to upgrade at this time.
The 7900, 7950, 8800 should all be much better than this but
I just did not want to spend the $$$ at this time. Too many ifs
about MS will do with DX10, Vista and XP....

JIM

[longam]

Always loved the Nvidia series, congrats folks. :rock: