I'm gonna do it....Buy new Video...So how about a little advice?

[Chief of the Boat]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but here's what the UBI current FAQ for SH4 says...

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

Now, knowing that, would YOU put out a few hundred smackers for something NOT on the list ?

COB

[Hans Schultz]

Originally Posted by Chief of the Boat

I hate to sound like a broken record, but here's what the UBI current FAQ for SH4 says...

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

Now, knowing that, would YOU put out a few hundred smackers for something NOT on the list ?

COB

yes.

[StandingCow]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

It's hard to go wrong by trusting Tom's Hardware. They're a great site, and here's a good article that I'm using to determine my next video card:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/03/...ney/index.html

This page, specifically, will give you an idea of the video card hierarchy and what nvidia product is equivalent to what radeon product and vice versa: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/03/...ney/page7.html

Beat me to it Tomshardware.com is the best site for this sort of research.

So far my 7950 GTKO from evga has done well with this game, full graphics with post processing and it runs smooth, and I haven't had any of these graphical issues I keep hearing about.

[theluckyone17]

I'll pipe up, simply 'cause I'm looking at grabbing a new video card myself.

I do most of my purchasing through newegg.com, simply 'cause I've yet to have a problem with them and they seem to have reasonable (or more than reasonable) prices.

Originally I was going to grab a GeForce 7950GT that was running around $220 off their site... until I noticed the 8800GTS (320MB) card they had from eVGA listed for $280 w/ a $20 mail in rebate.

The $60/$40 difference in price more than makes up for the difference in performance, from the reviews I've read. I couldn't stand to go with something cheaper, since I played that "well, if I only spend a little bit more, then I get a faster card", until I reached the level of the 8800GTS.

Seeing as all of the reviews out there stated that the 320MB version beat everything except the 640MB (and higher) versions, and the price jumps an incredible amount for the higher RAM cards, I figured the 8800GTS 320MB card was about my limit. It should handle anything I throw at it right now (Oblivion, SH4, X3 Reunion).

I gave ATI a thought, but I've had issues with their drivers in the past. Not that it affects most of us, but I run Linux, too. ATI's track record on Linux has been less than stellar. No ATI for me.

Just my two cents.

[Onkel Neal]

Chief, if it helps, I grabbed a Radeon X1650 Pro with 512MB ram, pixel shader 3.0. Got it for $120 at Circuit City. Mine is AGP, so I am a step behind you, but it runs SH4 well.

[StandingCow]

Keep in mind, the 8800 cards.. while awesome (or will be) may still have some issues with the drivers, since they are so new.

However, if I were going to spend more than 200 bucks, those are exactly what I would go for nowadays.

[XanderF]

Originally Posted by Chief of the Boat

I hate to sound like a broken record, but here's what the UBI current FAQ for SH4 says...

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

Now, knowing that, would YOU put out a few hundred smackers for something NOT on the list ?

COB

I think we can guarantee the GeForce 7900GS or Radeon X1900 or X1950 will work fine for the game. It's just that these cards were released within the past year, and (apparently, somehow) after the box art with hardware specs was finalized for the game.

As to your motherboard - I just looked up your case on HP's support site, and it looks like you are golden. Indeed, a PCI-E 16x slot. You can put in it basically anything you want....with one caveat.

You DO only have a 300W power supply. That's going to be...very limiting.

I'll also second (?third?) the recommendation to buy from Newegg. Their customer service is great (indeed, better than most Best Buy's, according to the Better Business Bureau), and return policy is no-hassle (if it comes to that). It's just that we are 'between generations' with video cards, and so the slower-to-adjust "brick and mortar" retail prices are OUTRAGEOUS compared to reputable online dealers. I've seen cards in Best Buy easily TWICE as expensive as Newegg sells them for (to the order of hundreds of dollars).

[NefariousKoel]

Yes, I can heartily recommend Newegg too.

And you will definitely need a new power supply for a high-end video card. Preferably one with a PCI-E power plug. Of course, Newegg has all the tech specs such as that for power supplies too.

Do not get a Power supply with two separate 12 volt rails. Get a single one with high amp output.

[nhall70]

Some good advice has been posted here already but I'll weigh in as well.

If money is no object, the 8800GTX boards are simply the fastest graphics boards on the market at this time. These boards are not "bang for your buck"...they're just "bang".

I've not yet run SH4 on mine because I don't have the game but at least one user on this forum has already reported running SH4 on an 8800GTX without any problem. I can say that I have yet to throw a game at this board that it can't handle, all settings maxed with performance to spare.

A couple of caveats...as already pointed out in this thread, you will definately need a better power supply and this can be a tricky thing to pick out. Another issue not already mentioned is that the 8800GTX has a longer form factor than most video boards and clearance can be a problem inside a tight chassis like the ones from HP.

[XanderF]

FWIW, Sh4's limitations may well serve you alright. No FSAA option, and limited to 1024x768 means that it's just not going to be THAT hard on a video card.

Look into the GeForce 7600GT. No external PCI-E power connector needed, should run on that PSU just fine (they are REALLY low power), and shouldn't have a problem with anything Sh4 *can* throw at it.

[Spectre-63]

Chief -

The suggestions to examine Tom's Hardware's list of "Best Videocards for the Money" are great advice. I just picked up a Sapphire X1950XT 256MB PCI-E card to go into my latest system build and I've been very impressed with it's performance so far. It was $219 from NewEgg with a $20 rebate. If this is the last one you plan on buying, I'd strongly recommend it. Of course, the real deciding factor is your budget.

Since I live in the area, feel free to contact me via PM if you'd like some more help.

Best of luck

[Chief of the Boat]

Good Morning, All.. [0630-Local]... Been reading as the coffee grows. Thank you all for such good stuff. I was sorta afraid the power supply would be a weak link. I had a few ATX jobs around, but nothing that has SATA capability...and...it is always good to have a spare. The stock one with the stock ATI video would make 'it work again' if anything makes the Blue Flash, down the line.

I will be ordering such a purchase from somebody that doesn't charge Washington Socialist State Sales Tax...[8%+].

I'm going to cool my heels and do my shopping as a little time goes by and some of you gain more knowledge of how SH4 works for you. One of you commented on the game only running in 1024 x 768; on my gear it also runs 1152 x 864 and 1280 x 786...the latter which looks pretty nice, given no Four or Two Sample A-A.

It may sound silly to so taylor a computer to play ONE GAME. And I don't play anything else, other than Falcon 4 and F/A-18...when the Spirit moves me. But, in The Big Blackout Bingo Game of Life it would be nice to have "ONE super computer owned" filled in !

I truly appreciate the efforts you made; it is not lost.

COB

[RedHammer]

If you want, as you said in first post, the best card, I dont want to make some bragging here so I`d just recommend 2 cards which I have no experience in, but of which I have heard has Tremendous performance, The Ati Radeon X1950XT Pro, which is said to be working very good at XP gaming, and the GeForce 8800 GTX 768 MB XXX from XfX which, will work for Vista (Direct X10 support.) and as far as I know, SH4 will support Vista eventually

Ur friend in the pacific

S!

Red Hammer

[DaMaGe007]

I went looking for this thread but couldnt find it...so i made another..but this is a better spot...

I have a new system on the horizon but Im thinking of getting a new card for my current machine, just to prolong its life for a bit.

Its an Agp slot so Im kinda limited

The machine is a 2.8g P4, with 1 gig of ram, and about the best card I can find at my supplier here in Australia is a

Nvidia 7600GS 512 MB DDR2 AGP Video Card

Its a resonable price at $228 dollars AUD

What do you guys think of this card and should I be able to run the game ok on this machine with this card ?

also is it worth the extra ram the 256 version is even cheaper...at $169...

[Immacolata]

Originally Posted by Chief of the Boat

Good Morning, All.. [0630-Local]... Been reading as the coffee grows. Thank you all for such good stuff. I was sorta afraid the power supply would be a weak link. I had a few ATX jobs around, but nothing that has SATA capability...and...it is always good to have a spare. The stock one with the stock ATI video would make 'it work again' if anything makes the Blue Flash, down the line.

I will be ordering such a purchase from somebody that doesn't charge Washington Socialist State Sales Tax...[8%+].

Pff. You call THAT socialist?

/drops 25% danish VAT on table.

NOW how was your sales tax again? 8% sounds virtually free to me!

I'm going to cool my heels and do my shopping as a little time goes by and some of you gain more knowledge of how SH4 works for you. One of you commented on the game only running in 1024 x 768; on my gear it also runs 1152 x 864 and 1280 x 786...the latter which looks pretty nice, given no Four or Two Sample A-A.

It may sound silly to so taylor a computer to play ONE GAME. And I don't play anything else, other than Falcon 4 and F/A-18...when the Spirit moves me. But, in The Big Blackout Bingo Game of Life it would be nice to have "ONE super computer owned" filled in !

Forget it Just go for whatever will make SHIV tick nicely. Stevens advice was good, the x16xx pro card is nice, you dont need 512 MB really, but if it is at no extra cost, knock yourself out. Do be careful of the power supply demands however. I had to get a 450watter to run my X1900XT, but I think the X1600 ones are much more moderate in their power consumption.

Good luck.