Graphics problems

[irish1958]

i agree with bybyx; just because a card is cheap doesn't mean it is a good buy. Also in the future, you will want to play the new games as they come out, and so you might be disappointed in your card.
4H_Ccrashh, thanks for the info; I also have found that the AA settings do better if kept low as it is really a frame rate killer.

[robbythesub]

Thanks for the updates guys- however I am not sure that vista is the problem since I run it on both machines, which both have the same RAM and in fact, the machine with the nvidea GS 7900 has less processor power (2.4GZ) than the one with the ATI Radeon card, which has a processor with 3GZ (both twin core).

Such a minefield knowing which card to go with!

[bybyx]

A good card for the money is a Ati 4850. It has support for dx10.1 and shader moder 4.1. If you buy one get it with a nonstandard cooler because it is way better.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/vid...s_3.html#sect0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%204850

Something from Nvidia's side:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...50,2172-2.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130464

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ce%20GTX%20260.

A word o caution when you buy a video card because the new ones are in need of some quality power supply

[robbythesub]

Thanks and prsumably by power supply- you mean mains power supply to the plug socket rather than power within the PSU?

I may go to nvidea as I prefer those, and do you know whether the GTS 250 will fit into my machine that has the ATI Radeon 2400 currently?

I am not that used to upgrading graphics cards, so dont want to buy one that doesnt fit obviously!

[Wreford-Brown]

Rubini has given some excellent advice over in the SH4 threads:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=128517

The advice is based on using nVidia cards but you should be able to apply the same or similar settings to your ATI which may improve the way the game looks.

Nothing ventured...

[JCWolf]

Advise...


NVIDIA

[robbythesub]

Thanks guys- blimey I am even more confused as to which one will fit and which to go for now!
Love the site JC Wolf and I am STILL playing u boat 1.2, and looking forward to the update!

I shall need to spend many hours trying to decide which card to go for, but wont need it until I go back to the other PC in France late in April, so have time to work it out.

Meantime, my nvidea GS 7900 is running the game beautifully here....!

Cheers

[Wreford-Brown]

Originally Posted by robbythesub

Thanks and prsumably by power supply- you mean mains

The PSU power is very important - my computer had a 280W PSU so when I upgraded my graphics card I had to upgrade my PSU as well.

Most cards have a recommended minimum wattage - most of the new nVidias need 400W+ and I assume that the ATIs are similar.

[bybyx]

Originally Posted by robbythesub

Thanks and prsumably by power supply- you mean mains power supply to the plug socket rather than power within the PSU?

I may go to nvidea as I prefer those, and do you know whether the GTS 250 will fit into my machine that has the ATI Radeon 2400 currently?

I am not that used to upgrading graphics cards, so dont want to buy one that doesnt fit obviously!

By power supply I mean the PSU. I have a Chieftec560W. If you want to know whether a new video card will fit, check your motherboard. Please give more details about your PC . For example:
CPU: Brand(Amd or Intel), model( Core2duo, Phenom, Athlon, Pentium Dual Core) , frequency(2.2GHz). This is important because you need to find a balance between cpu and videocard. A very slow cpu and a powerful video card it is not a good ideea as well as a powerful cpu and a very slow videocard.
MB: The way a post it earlier ( Gigabyte Ep43-ds3l). It is important in order to know what kind of slot you have for the videocard.
Ram: Type( ddr2 or ddr3, frequency) It always helps to have more Ram. 2gb it is minimal these days, 4gb it is great and 8gb it is fantastic.
PSU: like Antec, Corsair, Zalman or other brand and the power, like 500w or more, or less. The PSU is very important because it provides power to the components in your PC and all the modern videocard usually need another connector for power besides what they receive from the slot. Especially for a video card the most important thing is the +12volts rail or rails depending on the PSU and how many amps they have on that rail.
CASE: Your PC case is important because some of the big videocard of today are, well..., big and they don't fit in smaller cases.
If you are not sure what to do go to a computer store near you and ask for proper advice. An also if you have a friend who knows computers go with him. It is what I would do if I was in your place. However be careful because from my experience they will always try to persuade you to fool you especially when they smell that you don't know much about PC's.
PS:
Regarding the 250GTS please remember that this card is just a 9800gtx+ renamed GTS 250.

[robbythesub]

Thanks- and here is my spec copied from dxdiag with the only change now that RAM is 3MB not 2.5 as on this list.

Machine name: PC-DE-USER
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Édition Familiale Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Aspire M1600
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 2558MB RAM
Page File: 826MB used, 4507MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6001.18000 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x94C3)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_94C3&SUBSYS_E400174B&REV_00
Display Memory: 1140 MB
Dedicated Memory: 116 MB
Shared Memory: 1023 MB
Current Mode: 1440 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Moniteur Plug-and-Play générique
Driver Name: atiumdag.dll,atiumdva.dat,atitmmxx.dll
Driver Version: 7.14.0010.0549 (English)
DDI Version: 10
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 12/5/2007 03:43:52, 3117568 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-D783-11CF-DE76-0AC4A1C2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x94C3
SubSys ID: 0xE400174B
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C

I appreciate your assistance on this matter, and I will have to check with a local store as the machine is in France currently and I am in England!

[bybyx]

I looked over you data but I still can't find info about video card. Since it is a Ati do the following:
Go to Catalyst Control Center and look for the info like I posted in the screen shot:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1368/55180583.png
If it is a PCI express then you need one such card, and by looking at your Pc, I personally would not buy something more than a Ati 3850 ar something similar from Nvidia like the 9000 series. However it it is a AGP card the you choices are more limited.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%203850