Graphics Card Thread

As Doom 3 approaches, the boards are being filled with threads containing the same topics. In an effort to organize some of this, and to get a few of my own questions answered, I bring you the graphics card thread *please hold applause until the end of the post*
To start off, here is my question:

I am looking to purchse the Verto GeForce 6800 Video Card, 8x AGP, 128MB DDR... not the absolute best I know, but it's as much as I can afford and anything is better than my Geforce 3.

My question is: my motherboard supports only up to 4x, and the card is 8x. How will this affect the performance of the card?

Try this:-

http://www.techimo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71927&page=1&pp=20

The cards mentioned are a little dated, but it might help with the 8x/4x issue.

I don't know about the 4x vs. 8x issue, but the card should be quite sufficient for doom 3, if you thought otherwise. My geforce fx 5900 128mb can run Far Cry w/ almost all settings on high at 800x600 with medium anti-alacing, and that game is not optimised much.

There is virtually no performance difference between 8x agp and 4x agp, they are nearly the same, down to about a 1-2% difference. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, they're talking out of their ass.

Thanks guys : ) As of tomorrow my sys specs won't be as shitty!

if you dont mind me asking scabbed, could you tell me where u were planning on getting your new card and how much it costs? im in almost the same situation as you, being that i have a gforce4mx and don't want to spend a bundle on a card that will run D3 decently. thanks

The standard price for the 128mb model is 299.95, for the 256mb GT 399.95, and the 256mb ULTRA model is 499.95. I'm getting mine from comp usa.

EDIT: Do you guyes think there'll be a huge difference between the 128mb model and the 256mb models?

You didn't ask me, but for reference, I found my geforce fx 5900se w/128mb at compusa for about $220.

Edit to my reply: the only game I've seen that currently can use a 256mb card is Far Cry. I need to keep environmental quality at medium, because my card runs out of ram. I dought that doom 3 needs 256, considering how unoptimised Far Cry seems to be. Hope this helps.

I think you should get a 9800 pro. It'll do the job and it's only $230

Is is 128mb? Are there any bennifits of it over the 6800?

BlackFish said:

I think you should get a 9800 pro. It'll do the job and it's only $230

Uh, I got mine for $170. Granted, it was the 128 meg version, not the 256 meg version.

I already posted, but I only got a couple replies (however I trust these replys are correct, so no offense repliers) and I wanted a couple other opinions.

ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB DDR

Everyone thinks that's good enough, and I'm inclined to agree. However, any thoughts, or if I do get a new one what it should be?

Three questions

1. What is the nvidia equivalent to an ati radeon 9600? I'm thinking about buying the nvidia geforce fx 5700 128mb card unless you can convince me otherwise.

2. Will an agp 8X card work with an agp 4x slot?

3. Do initials at the end of the vid cards mean a lower clockspeed?

oh, i don't care about getting past 60fps. All I want is a constant 30-40 fps.

alexz721 said:

Uh, I got mine for $170. Granted, it was the 128 meg version, not the 256 meg version.

256 meg gfx cards are useless even for games like Doom 3.

Alientank said:

256 meg gfx cards are useless even for games like Doom 3.

Oh, you just helped me with a vid card purchase without knowing :D

Yes, the extra 128 megs will only give you a very slight performance boost, and for the extra price, it just isn't worth it.

Then they only make em because it's a SCAM! :-O

Radeon 9800 pro 128, here I come...

Alientank said:

256 meg gfx cards are useless even for games like Doom 3.

I don´t want to spoil the fun, but in a thread here there was talk about a special "ultra quality mode" that requires a 512 MB card. Now, everyone nows such a card doesn´t exist. But I don´t think 256 MB are oversized for Doom3.

insertwackynamehere said:

I already posted, but I only got a couple replies (however I trust these replys are correct, so no offense repliers) and I wanted a couple other opinions.

ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB DDR

Everyone thinks that's good enough, and I'm inclined to agree. However, any thoughts, or if I do get a new one what it should be?

it IS plenty good for doom3!!!! basicly the same chip as the 9800 and 9800 pro. infact i dont think you would really see a difference. over clock it if you still are not happy

Nah, if it's that good, I don't want to overheat it by overclocking it.

Got a radeon 9800 pro coming soon... :)

Deathmatcher said:

I don´t want to spoil the fun, but in a thread here there was talk about a special "ultra quality mode" that requires a 512 MB card. Now, everyone nows such a card doesn´t exist. But I don´t think 256 MB are oversized for Doom3.

That's where you'd be wrong. They are new but I have seen them. As soon as I find it again I'll post a link.

-E

Endureth said:

That's where you'd be wrong. They are new but I have seen them. As soon as I find it again I'll post a link.

-E

Yes, aren't there some 3DLabs cards that have 512MB RAM?

hmmm lots of ati buyers here... im looking to buy an nvidia geforce fx 5700

Endureth said:

That's where you'd be wrong. They are new but I have seen them. As soon as I find it again I'll post a link.

-E

With "doesn´t exist" I mean, that you not able to practically buy the cards. They may have been announced already but your local vendor will tell you to wait another month and then another month and then another month and so on...

Here's a stupid question: As of an hour ago, I am the proud owner of a new Nvidia GeForce 6800 128mb card. With no installation/driver software. I am in the process of downloading the latest drivers from Nvidia, do I even need the installation cd it didn't come with?

Deathmatcher said:

I don´t want to spoil the fun, but in a thread here there was talk about a special "ultra quality mode" that requires a 512 MB card. Now, everyone nows such a card doesn´t exist. But I don´t think 256 MB are oversized for Doom3.

I don't want to spoil the fun but the pcgamer review guys are idiots. They say "256 mb video memory makes no difference over 128" however, all of a sudden 512 makes a difference and is what you should use for high quality mode? Why the hell would 256 not make a difference then? They contradict themselves.

Scabbed Angel said:

Here's a stupid question: As of an hour ago, I am the proud owner of a new Nvidia GeForce 6800 128mb card. With no installation/driver software. I am in the process of downloading the latest drivers from Nvidia, do I even need the installation cd it didn't come with?

i dont think so. you have to uninstall your old drivers to install the new ones and i think all that is on the cd is old drivers

I'm thinking of putting a GeForce 6800GT in my machine, because it beats the Radeon X800Pro in OpenGL, and stays even with it in Direct3d, and they're both a similar price.
(full specs here.)

Alientank said:

I don't want to spoil the fun but the pcgamer review guys are idiots. They say "256 mb video memory makes no difference over 128" however, all of a sudden 512 makes a difference and is what you should use for high quality mode? Why the hell would 256 not make a difference then? They contradict themselves.

Too bad Robert Duffy was the one who said this, and not PCG. Did you even read the article, or are you just calling them idiots because you obviously know everything? No, they're not the idiots here, but you are for flaming them in the first place (for something they never said, no less).