Upgrading my graphics card

[cobrabase]

Just in case you guys don't know... I have an old system. I want to upgrade my card one more time before I think about buying a new system.

I have a Radeon 9800 Pro right now with 512.

Anyone willing to tell me a good card to update to that is AGP based?

I thought I heard a long time ago that if you HAVE an AGP slot you should USE it.

Sorry, the X1950 Pro is out of my league. Power restraints and cooling issues.

Someone willing to share which AGP card is beneath the X1950 Pro and is better or as good as the X1800?

Anyone with an X1800 want to tell me your specs and average framerates in Pro?

Thanks!

[RecceDG]

For AGP, consider a GeForce 7800GS.

BFG makes one, about $200 at NewEgg.

DG

[cobrabase]

For AGP, consider a GeForce 7800GS.

BFG makes one, about $200 at NewEgg.

DG

Christ you read my mind! I was just going to ask you all

What about the NVidia 7800 GS?

Think I'll see an improvement in graphics framerates with one?

[Hub]

Can I have your old card?

[cobrabase]

Can I have your old card?


If the new one works it's yours for $50.

I'm looking at purchasing on the 28th.

[congo]

You'll be happy with any of the Nvidia 7000 series cards. I'm running a Asus 7600GT in my system and I am extremely pleased with the performance though it is a pci express.

[tankenator]

I run a 7800 GSOC in mine. Works pretty well considering i run at 1600x1200 natively.....

[Hub]

Verifying that it is an ATI Radeon 9800 PRO with 512 mb of VRAM onboard, then you have a deal.

If you wouldn't mind contacting me at sabot_up AT telus DOT net, we can hammer out the details.

I guess I'm a bit flummoxed by why you want to ditch your card. I have the same thing except with 128 mb of VRAM. So far, it's been the best video card I've ever had.

[cobrabase]

Card runs great but I get framerates of around 18-20 in wooded areas. Open plains and she runs like a dream, 38 FPS.

I'm working on affording the new card now. I'll be in contact when I've got it and verified she works all right.

The 9800 pro is 512 yes. Only had it for about 4 months now.

If you have not heard from me by March 13th about selling then shoot me a PM or a heads up thread to smack me into waking up.

:)

[cobrabase]

I run a 7800 GSOC in mine. Works pretty well considering i run at 1600x1200 natively.....

Whats your processor power and your average framerate?

[MajorMagee]

Here's some numbers for my system to put your AGP choices in context.

3DMark03:
6800 - 5445
6800OC - 6061
7600GS - 6485
7600GSOC - 6970
7600GT - 11255
7600GTOC - 12390

My last upgrade was to the XFX 7600GT PVT73AUDE3 after being disappointed in the BFS 7600GSOC 512. The XFX was easily overclocked with RivaTuner from 580/1500 to 660/1600, and blows away all of its recent predecessors. I'm now running at max FPS in most situations, and can turn up the FSAA while maintaining playable rates. Things like antenna flickering against the background are a thing of the past. :)

Athelon 3200+ 2.2 GHz
Windows XP Home Edition 2002 with Service Pack 2
1.5 Gig RAM
GeForce 7600GT AGP 8X 660MHz GPU, 12 Pixel Pipelines, and 5 Vertex Shaders with 256K video memory clocked at 1600MHz
Nvidia 93.81 drivers

[tankenator]

i run an athlon64 venice cored 3000+ on a 939 based mb (msi k8n neo 2 platinum) with 1 gig of generic ram dual channeled at 400mhz (2Ttiming) Frame rates are hard to determine, but typically an F8 view will give me around 30 with no dips below 25. Have seen prolonged periods (i suppose depending on numbers of units etc) where the framerate is 40ish with spikes into very low 50's. I sometimes run into issues (cpu bound, i believe)with numbers of units and with smoke where the framerates dip below 25 (my personal threshold of viewability) at which point ill adjust the sliders downward, even to 0)

I think that most of the framerate issues I notice are due to the relatively slow system i have anymore. would love to have a 4600X2, perhaps will upgrade sometime in the future......

[Doggie]

I would suggest to wait for a month. Nvidia is going to release a DX10 version for AGP, that would be your best buy!

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37790

[Ssnake]

By the time that a DirectX 10 game will actually be released (not the first one... the first that you want to play) the card will be outdated already. Plus, it seems doubtful that Microsoft will release DirectX 10 for XP, so you'd have to either upgrade to Vista or buy a new PC anyway.

I think it's a pointless waste of money to invest in a DirectX 10 card just yet. But it along with the first DirectX game that you want, and by that time you'll either get a faster card for the same money, or the same card for less.

[cobrabase]

I would suggest to wait for a month. Nvidia is going to release a DX10 version for AGP, that would be your best buy!

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37790

Not enough money or time for that matter. Silent Hunter IV is coming out and I want to run Pro better and faster.

I bought the Geforce 7800 GS tonight. It will be my last upgrade.

[tankenator]

hows it running in your system??? I have been busy with work and family issues, too busy to get into a dedicated game....but soon ill be able to....

[tankenator]

Speaking of upgrades, ive been mulling over the idea (not seriously, i have other major purchases that require my financial consideration at the moment, and frankly, my machine is quite adequate for what i do) and I love amd processors. Thing is, Intel absolutely pwns the market for perfomance and is likely for at least the next year to 2 in the future, what would the peanut gallery suggest for a just under top of the line system currently built? (meaning reasonable high performance but want the processor to remain less than say 400 bucks by itself....

[Enrage]

Speaking of upgrades, ive been mulling over the idea (not seriously, i have other major purchases that require my financial consideration at the moment, and frankly, my machine is quite adequate for what i do) and I love amd processors. Thing is, Intel absolutely pwns the market for perfomance and is likely for at least the next year to 2 in the future, what would the peanut gallery suggest for a just under top of the line system currently built? (meaning reasonable high performance but want the processor to remain less than say 400 bucks by itself....

Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4 Ghz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003)
Abit Il9 Pro Mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127015)
Mushkin 2GB RAM kit (2x1gb) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146057)
EVGA 8800 GTS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071)
Xclio 450w PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817189003)
Coolermaster Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119077)

Price = $1109

I'll assume your just going to reuse the Hard Drive and CD/DVD Drive and monitor from your current computer.

[tankenator]

well considering that i have a dvd rw and sata 160gig drive thats and affirmative. As well as having a 20ish inch crt sgi monitor that is absolutely tits..but no $$$$$$ :(

[MajorMagee]

Cobrabase,

If you get a chance, I'd be interested in seeing what 3DMark03 score you get with the 7800 GS.

[cobrabase]

Cobrabase,

If you get a chance, I'd be interested in seeing what 3DMark03 score you get with the 7800 GS.

Sir, Yes sir.

It's ordered and should be here in a week.

[JamesT73J]

I've been happily gaming away with an PCI-E Geforce 6600 for a while now. No complaints with it. My main gaming (don't have much time these days) is on ProPE, Dangerous Waters, and SHIII with the GWX mod.

I've always had a big soft spot of Operation Flashpoint though, and I have to say Armed Assault is the first title I've played that really highlights the 6600's weakness, especially in areas with alot of foliage. Curiously, I experience the same thing in some maps with Pro PE. Think I'll pick up a better spec card soon.


James

[stalintc]

For all you gents still on AGP like myself, the ATi X1950 AGP version is a good buy, it runs SB perfect, I can now have a bit less trouble in urban areas and heavily forrested maps.

Not a bad price either.

[Raploc]

I've been happily gaming away with an PCI-E Geforce 6600 for a while now. No complaints with it. My main gaming (don't have much time these days) is on ProPE, Dangerous Waters, and SHIII with the GWX mod.

I've always had a big soft spot of Operation Flashpoint though, and I have to say Armed Assault is the first title I've played that really highlights the 6600's weakness, especially in areas with alot of foliage. Curiously, I experience the same thing in some maps with Pro PE. Think I'll pick up a better spec card soon.


James

Armed Assault will bring (in it's present state) any card down to it's knees (FX8800 included). Please don't take this "sim" as a benchmark for your current card.


Raploc

[stalintc]

Armed Assault will bring (in it's present state) any card down to it's knees (FX8800 included). Please don't take this "sim" as a benchmark for your current card.


Raploc

I quite agree with you, I believe OFP was in a similar state when that first came out IIRC. I seem to remember lots of issues getting the damn thing to run efficiently.

So no dont benchmark using ARMA it will only bring sadness :Crash:

[Jester_UK]

I assume you mean running ArmA at very high settings.

I've got an OLD rig (p4 2.4 (133MHz FSB), 1024MB PC2700 RAM and a 9800Pro 128MB)

Low settings, 1400m vis range. ArmA (ver1.04) runs like a dream. No slow downs or stuttering under any circumstances. Looks suprisingly good on low settings as well.

[JamesT73J]

I assume you mean running ArmA at very high settings.

I've got an OLD rig (p4 2.4 (133MHz FSB), 1024MB PC2700 RAM and a 9800Pro 128MB)

Low settings, 1400m vis range. ArmA (ver1.04) runs like a dream. No slow downs or stuttering under any circumstances. Looks suprisingly good on low settings as well.

Hmm..interesting. Sempron 2800, 1024mb DDR400 Ram, Nvidia 6600, also on low settings. Very smooth, but I do get some slowdown using iron sights in wooded areas - I'm pretty certain it's the GPU, largely because (back in the day) OFP would do the same thing to my old MX440 card. I've had to turn of shadows though - they really stuffed the FPS; according to some forums this is a known issue.

James

[Jester_UK]

Sorry, my mistake, I should have mentioned I turned shadows off as well. They are the one thing that really do look crap on low settings though, so I don't miss them.

Thanks for the reminder, James.

[cobrabase]

I don't think ARMA is arriving in the states anytime soon. Some sims and games simply can't find publishers in the states and are stillborne here.

[JamesT73J]

I don't think ARMA is arriving in the states anytime soon. Some sims and games simply can't find publishers in the states and are stillborne here.

It's getting a North American release, can't quite remember when - a couple of months perhaps. One board I read seems to have a lot of our American cousins buying the UK version and shipping it over!

[Alan323]

It's getting a North American release, can't quite remember when - a couple of months perhaps. One board I read seems to have a lot of our American cousins buying the UK version and shipping it over!

It is being published by Atari and should be released in May of 2007. At least that's what I've read on the net.

[ShoutingDog]

...Silent Hunter IV is coming out and I want to run Pro better and faster.

I bought the Geforce 7800 GS tonight. It will be my last upgrade.Please, please tell me that SHIV is not going to be for DX10 only...:shocked:

[Txema]

Which card is faster for an AGP mainboard:

1) ATI X1950 Pro

2) GeForce 7800GS

What is the power of the PSU recommended for those cards?

I am also thinking about upgrading my AGP graphics card !!!

Thank you very much for your help,

Txema

[cobrabase]

First of all, the new 7800GS appears to be runnig fine.

I had to upgrade to 500 watts of power last night. I am still testing it but framerates for Pro are way up. Zooming into trees with the the sites are not a problem at all - not a SINGLE slowdown!

I'm going to test out high rez Abrams along with higher resolutions tonight. I'm glad that I upgraded as I see a considerable difference.

Yo Hub! You still want to buy my 9800 Pro?! Check your PMs!

[Hub]

Yes, I am. I will contact you tonight when I get home from work.

I do have one question now that you might be able to answer: is this card the same as the other 9800 PRO's, in that it uses a 256 bit data bus and has 12 pixel pipelines?

[stalintc]

Which card is faster for an AGP mainboard:

1) ATI X1950 Pro

2) GeForce 7800GS

What is the power of the PSU recommended for those cards?

I am also thinking about upgrading my AGP graphics card !!!

Thank you very much for your help,

Txema

I couldnt give you an honest answer that question buddy, ive only ever used ATI cards (tho ive just fitted on of the two 8800GTXs of the new comp im building)

I also wouldnt like to say if I think either is better, since through my experience saying such a thing sadly turns a thread into a flaming meatgrinder :)

But I think both cards are on eqaul ground performance wise anyhow.

PSU wise your thinking of 500W and up, I have a 650W in this current machine I use just to have a safety margin.

Hope this is helpful, hope you can find a good card at a good price!

Cheers

[cobrabase]

Yes, I am. I will contact you tonight when I get home from work.

I do have one question now that you might be able to answer: is this card the same as the other 9800 PRO's, in that it uses a 256 bit data bus and has 12 pixel pipelines?


Sorry, 8 pixel pipelines.

Beware! This is AGP!

256 MB of DDR memory provides increased performance when rendering high resolution textures, characters, and environments

Featuring highly programmable cinematic shader engines and support for the latest Microsoft DirectX 9.0 and OpenGL feature sets

128-bit full floating-point precision enables billions of color variations to render the same lighting and effects as Hollywood studios

System Requirements: RADEON 9800 Series of products requires connection to your PC's internal power supply for operation. Consult your system builder or OEM to ensure your system has an adequate power supply. Otherwise, ATI recommends a 300-Watt power supply or greater to ensure normal system operation where a number of other internal devices are installed; Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon or higher with AGP 8X (0.8v), 4X (1.5V) or Universal AGP 3.0 bus configuration (8X/4X); 128 MB of system memory; Installation software requires CD-ROM drive; DVD playback requires DVD drive
Operating Systems Support: Windows XP, 2000, Me

[Hub]

Damn.

Even though it has more VRAM than my present card, having less pipes and running at 128 bits, it probably won't yield any performance increase over my current card. Afraid I'll have to pass. Sorry about that.

[MajorMagee]

Cobrabase,

I'm happy to hear you're past living with slow-downs. I'm still interested in your new 3DMark03 score when you get a chance. My research on the 7800GS didn't promise as much performance for the money as the 7600GT AGP that I ended up with.

[cobrabase]

Cobrabase,

I'm happy to hear you're past living with slow-downs. I'm still interested in your new 3DMark03 score when you get a chance. My research on the 7800GS didn't promise as much performance for the money as the 7600GT AGP that I ended up with.

Tell me where to go and what to do and I'll perform the tests you need.

[MajorMagee]

The best place to get 3DMark03 is at Guru3D.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=576

Just download, run, watch the show, and get your score. :)

[cobrabase]

I'll do it in the next hour.

I REALLY put it through its paces tonight. I played "take the town" and it rocked! I took brads and M-1s into the center of town and the frame rates were 100% steady at around 18. Frankly I wonder if the framerate counter is right because there was ZERO delay. ZIP!

Next I loaded up an old Korean scenario that takes place in winter with forest after forest that KILLED my framerate with my Pro.

Damn! It ate it up! Smoke doesn't bother it and I was zooming into the damned trees! Thank you Geforce!

[cobrabase]

The best place to get 3DMark03 is at Guru3D.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=576

Just download, run, watch the show, and get your score. :)

Whoah. Had no idea it was 178 MB. I don't have the time tonight man. Tornadoes in the area, bad DSL connection. I'll try tomorrow for you ok?

[tankenator]

I downloaded and ran the 3dmark, settings as follows (defaulted actually as i dont know about the program etc.)

resolution: 1024x768
Pixel Processing: None
Testure Filtering: Optimal
Max Anisotropy: 4
Vertex Shaders Optimal
Repeat Tests: Off
Fixed Framerate: Off

3dMark gives my AMD64 3000+ venice core chip with 1024MB generic ram, 7800GSOC vid card combo 11756 for whatever its worth (oh, and windows X(tra)P(oopie) 64 bit edition, that may have slowed me down a bit. Not too shabby as its probably the slowest submitted to their servers, and im not the slowest score.....although not the best score, not too bad for a system initially put together 2 years ago....

[MajorMagee]

Well, that confirms that the 7600GT is about equivalent to the 7800GS. Thanks for the feedback. :)

[tankenator]

keep in mind that the drivers for 64 bit xp can be a bit dodgy.....although ive not gotten problems with them, it supposedly can be an issue with regards to framerates....