Is there any real dif in video cards?

Dr. Merc · 03-24-13, 08:33 AM

Greetings, all -

I just picked up this marvelous game a few weeks ago, and, like apparently many people, it gets real sluggish at times, especially when speeded up.

After reading forum comments on the matter, it appears it all boils down to the video card. I just have a stock onboard chip in my Lenovo. It does, however, have an x16 slot, which is what I believe is required for a 'hot' video card.

Digging through the UbiSoft 'requirements' page, I came up with this:

*Supported Video Cards:
ATI RADEON 9600 / 9700 / 9800, X300 - X850, X1300 - X1800
NVIDIA GeForce 6200 / 6600 / 6800 / 7800

Almost all of these are available on Amazon, some of them 'used' for as low as fifteen bucks.

The question for the group is, are any of these particularly better when it comes to game play, or is it really just a matter of "either you have one of these or you don't"?

If the latter, I'll just go ahead and buy one of the cheap used cards, but if some of them are definitely better than the others, I wouldn't mind spending the bucks to get it.

Much thanks for any info,
Doc

fireftr18 · 03-24-13, 12:36 PM

Welcome aboard.

Check the screen door. I thinks it's a little loose.

There is a difference between video cards. To make it simple, the more money the better. I have an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6370 with 256mb dedicated video RAM. It is a mid level card and I can run the game at full settings without any problem. My old computer had an onboard card with shared RAM and I had to have the settings set low. There are others on this forum that are able to give much more information on different cards.

More RAM also helps the game run smoother.

Dr. Merc · 03-24-13, 12:53 PM

Thanks for the info. I have four gigs of mem on a 64-bit system. One of the first experiments I tried was lowering all the graphic settings and it didn't make any dif. I also tried various game resolutions, including changing the Hertz, as well as some background tests, like closing down every running Windows program and reducing the screen res to 640 x 480 to reduce video memory usage, but none of it made any dif.

In other news, I sank my first airplane this morning. And the game didn't even give me any tonnage credit for it! It was a big 8-engine seaplane located in some harbor I was raiding, Taipei. Even at the shallowest depth setting, the torp I threw at it went under.

So I rammed it.

It was actually pretty cool. The wing kind of got hung up on the conning tower for a bit so I was actually dragging it along as it slowly disintegrated. Everybody on deck had a terrific time.

Like I said, I didn't get any points for it, but it sure felt good.

les green01 · 03-24-13, 03:27 PM

can't help you on the card issue but wanted to say welcome aboard

03-24-13, 04:27 PM

short answer is yes there is but the harder question is if the differences will be that noticeable or if they will matter to you and the way you use it.

in most cases any decent quality card will give you all you are looking for from it

Dr. Merc · 03-24-13, 04:57 PM

I decided to go through Amazon and price every card on the list. Here are the ultra-bargains:

ATI Radeon:
X850 - $15 (used)
X1300 - $17 (used)
X300 - $20 (new)
9600 - $20 (used)

The NVidia cards were too crossreferenced and such and were hard to track down. Besides, I've had ATI cards in the past and they worked fine, so one of the above should do.

Any thoughts, gentlemen?

Doc

Fifi · 03-24-13, 05:13 PM

SH series seems designed for ATI cards...
I own good Nvidias, but have troubles running SH4 or SH5.
Go for an ATI if you are SH fan...
Other games are great on Nvidias though!

les green01 · 03-24-13, 05:19 PM

if it was me I would buy new on everything on computer stuff when you buy use your asking for trouble,unless it was from a person from subsim

03-24-13, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Merc

I decided to go through Amazon and price every card on the list. Here are the ultra-bargains:

ATI Radeon:
X850 - $15 (used)
X1300 - $17 (used)
X300 - $20 (new)
9600 - $20 (used)

The NVidia cards were too crossreferenced and such and were hard to track down. Besides, I've had ATI cards in the past and they worked fine, so one of the above should do.

Any thoughts, gentlemen?

Doc

in reference to my other post, I was not talking about the minimum game listed requirements I was referring to a mid level video card in the $100 range vs spending $200-$300 for one.

if you go with the ones you listed then those cards will be not very good and the game will look very bad for you but it "may" run "ok" with them.

its like saying you can get around town on a bicycle but if you get a car your life will be so much better for it.

if you cant possibly spend $100 on a decent video card then you wont be happy with anything you buy on your list.

buy the way what video do you have right now?

Armistead · 03-24-13, 09:58 PM

I still use a 9800gt, works fairly good, at high settings get about 40 FPS, enough that it all looks smooth.

Dr. Merc · 03-25-13, 04:12 AM

Webster - Why would it run worse with one of the recommended cards?

fireftr18 · 03-25-13, 06:36 AM

A lot of these recommendations are for minimum specs. They'll work, but only if your video settings are set low. Like les green stated, I suggest buying new and at least going with a mid level card.

Dr. Merc · 03-25-13, 06:51 AM

FF - Well, the question is, why would it be worse with a dedicated video card than a stock onboard chip? It's just a medium-grade Lenovo, so I wouldn't expect there to be anything 'special' about it.

Bilge_Rat · 03-25-13, 07:10 AM

I use a ATI 6950 1 gb card. SH4 looks great, even at 8xFSAA/8xAA although I usually play at 4xFSAA/AA. FPS is always in the 60-70s except in the conning tower where it is in the 30s, but I use Nisgeis 3d TDC mod which is a notorious resource hog.

Dr. Merc · 03-25-13, 07:44 AM

BR - Hey, we both have 'bilge rat' in the sidebar! I guess that makes us brothers somehow.

The real question here is why this thing needs any kind of help at all. For a game where the only on-screen action is a ticking stopwatch and a little boat icon moving in a straight line, you'd think this thing would work flawlessly on a Tandy TRS-80. I'm guessing the Romanians just weren't up to speed on their coding techniques.

03-24-13, 08:33 AM	#1
Dr. Merc Seaman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 33 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Is there any real dif in video cards? Greetings, all - I just picked up this marvelous game a few weeks ago, and, like apparently many people, it gets real sluggish at times, especially when speeded up. After reading forum comments on the matter, it appears it all boils down to the video card. I just have a stock onboard chip in my Lenovo. It does, however, have an x16 slot, which is what I believe is required for a 'hot' video card. Digging through the UbiSoft 'requirements' page, I came up with this: *Supported Video Cards: ATI RADEON 9600 / 9700 / 9800, X300 - X850, X1300 - X1800 NVIDIA GeForce 6200 / 6600 / 6800 / 7800 Almost all of these are available on Amazon, some of them 'used' for as low as fifteen bucks. The question for the group is, are any of these particularly better when it comes to game play, or is it really just a matter of "either you have one of these or you don't"? If the latter, I'll just go ahead and buy one of the cheap used cards, but if some of them are definitely better than the others, I wouldn't mind spending the bucks to get it. Much thanks for any info, Doc

03-24-13, 12:36 PM	#2
fireftr18 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 2,528 Downloads: 77 Uploads: 0	Welcome aboard. Check the screen door. I thinks it's a little loose. There is a difference between video cards. To make it simple, the more money the better. I have an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6370 with 256mb dedicated video RAM. It is a mid level card and I can run the game at full settings without any problem. My old computer had an onboard card with shared RAM and I had to have the settings set low. There are others on this forum that are able to give much more information on different cards. More RAM also helps the game run smoother. __________________ Of all the forms of Martial Arts, Karaoke causes the most pain!

03-24-13, 03:27 PM	#4
les green01 Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Freeman Missouri Posts: 1,784 Downloads: 1405 Uploads: 0	can't help you on the card issue but wanted to say welcome aboard __________________ I'll tell you what bravery really is. Bravery is just determination to do a job that you know has to be done. Audie Murphy

03-24-13, 05:13 PM	#7
Fifi Navy Seal Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: France Posts: 6,093 Downloads: 466 Uploads: 0	SH series seems designed for ATI cards... I own good Nvidias, but have troubles running SH4 or SH5. Go for an ATI if you are SH fan... Other games are great on Nvidias though! __________________ https://www.mediafire.com/file/rfw2h...N_V7.8.7z/file

03-24-13, 05:19 PM	#8
les green01 Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Freeman Missouri Posts: 1,784 Downloads: 1405 Uploads: 0	if it was me I would buy new on everything on computer stuff when you buy use your asking for trouble,unless it was from a person from subsim __________________ I'll tell you what bravery really is. Bravery is just determination to do a job that you know has to be done. Audie Murphy

03-24-13, 12:53 PM	#3
Dr. Merc Seaman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 33 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the info. I have four gigs of mem on a 64-bit system. One of the first experiments I tried was lowering all the graphic settings and it didn't make any dif. I also tried various game resolutions, including changing the Hertz, as well as some background tests, like closing down every running Windows program and reducing the screen res to 640 x 480 to reduce video memory usage, but none of it made any dif. In other news, I sank my first airplane this morning. And the game didn't even give me any tonnage credit for it! It was a big 8-engine seaplane located in some harbor I was raiding, Taipei. Even at the shallowest depth setting, the torp I threw at it went under. So I rammed it. It was actually pretty cool. The wing kind of got hung up on the conning tower for a bit so I was actually dragging it along as it slowly disintegrated. Everybody on deck had a terrific time. Like I said, I didn't get any points for it, but it sure felt good.

03-24-13, 04:27 PM	#5
Webster Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	short answer is yes there is but the harder question is if the differences will be that noticeable or if they will matter to you and the way you use it. in most cases any decent quality card will give you all you are looking for from it

03-24-13, 04:57 PM	#6
Dr. Merc Seaman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 33 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I decided to go through Amazon and price every card on the list. Here are the ultra-bargains: ATI Radeon: X850 - $15 (used) X1300 - $17 (used) X300 - $20 (new) 9600 - $20 (used) The NVidia cards were too crossreferenced and such and were hard to track down. Besides, I've had ATI cards in the past and they worked fine, so one of the above should do. Any thoughts, gentlemen? Doc

03-24-13, 09:58 PM	#10
Armistead Rear Admiral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: on the Dan Posts: 10,880 Downloads: 364 Uploads: 0	I still use a 9800gt, works fairly good, at high settings get about 40 FPS, enough that it all looks smooth. __________________ You see my dog don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

03-25-13, 04:12 AM	#11
Dr. Merc Seaman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 33 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Webster - Why would it run worse with one of the recommended cards?

03-25-13, 06:36 AM	#12
fireftr18 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 2,528 Downloads: 77 Uploads: 0	A lot of these recommendations are for minimum specs. They'll work, but only if your video settings are set low. Like les green stated, I suggest buying new and at least going with a mid level card. __________________ Of all the forms of Martial Arts, Karaoke causes the most pain!

03-25-13, 06:51 AM	#13
Dr. Merc Seaman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 33 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	FF - Well, the question is, why would it be worse with a dedicated video card than a stock onboard chip? It's just a medium-grade Lenovo, so I wouldn't expect there to be anything 'special' about it.

03-25-13, 07:10 AM	#14
Bilge_Rat Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: standing watch... Posts: 3,856 Downloads: 344 Uploads: 0	I use a ATI 6950 1 gb card. SH4 looks great, even at 8xFSAA/8xAA although I usually play at 4xFSAA/AA. FPS is always in the 60-70s except in the conning tower where it is in the 30s, but I use Nisgeis 3d TDC mod which is a notorious resource hog. __________________

03-25-13, 07:44 AM	#15
Dr. Merc Seaman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 33 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	BR - Hey, we both have 'bilge rat' in the sidebar! I guess that makes us brothers somehow. The real question here is why this thing needs any kind of help at all. For a game where the only on-screen action is a ticking stopwatch and a little boat icon moving in a straight line, you'd think this thing would work flawlessly on a Tandy TRS-80. I'm guessing the Romanians just weren't up to speed on their coding techniques.