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Hagatha
King of the Realms
Joined: 10 Feb 2002
Posts: 456
Location: Burnaby, B.C. |
| Best Video CArd for RPG/Action Adventure Games? |
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I bought a new computer last year and I think the card I had installed is not not up to the job - it runs most games reasonably well, but I have to say that the new SPlinter Cell is impossibly slow.
I'm running a Nvidia Geforce FX 5600XT card, which is being pooh-poohed a lot, and certainly can't run the newer games very well.
What's the best card these days? I'm willing to drop some good cash for a card that will play my games well. Also, should I be doing some upgrading on my computer?
I'm running an AMD Athlon XP 2800 2.0 GHz and 1 GB RAM. |
Sat May 07, 2005 8:27 pm |
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Gorath
Mostly Harmless
Joined: 03 Sep 2001
Posts: 6327
Location: NRW, Germany |
Before you can make a decision you have to understand two things:
1. No up-to-date graphics card is compatible to every game. Driver problems here and there are inevitable.
2. Your CPU limits the speed of the fastest graphics cards. It canīt provide the data as fast as the graphics chip can process them.
Due to (2) itīs quite logical that it doesnīt make much sense to buy a card which is much better than your CPU.
A good choice would be a Radeon 9800 Pro with 256bit memory interface (important!) or a GeForce 6600GT. This is current middle class. Both manufacturers also offer high-end chips, but these are only faster in resolutions above 1024*768*32.
The Radeon 9800Pro is proven technology. Fast, reliable and completely silent if you want to spend a few bucks more.
The GeForce 6600GT is ~10% faster but also a bit more expensive (Price: ~150$). The early products had quality issues which are hopefully solved by now.
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Webmaster GothicDot |
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Sun May 08, 2005 1:07 am |
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Hagatha
King of the Realms
Joined: 10 Feb 2002
Posts: 456
Location: Burnaby, B.C. |
Many thanks for the kind advice. There's nothing worse than gleefully installing a new game, only to find it won't play properly. |
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Sun May 08, 2005 6:27 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
Just thought I'd echo Gorath's comments. The 9800 Pro is difficult to get in my local market so the 6600GT is the "value for money" card of choice here. Higher end cards primarily offer advantages in higher resolutions and/or if you use advanced features like antialiasing.
Just be careful of different suffixes - I often see disappointed people beause they didn't realise a 9800se has half the performance of a 9800 Pro or XT (same for 6600TD vs 6600GT).
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Editor @ RPGDot |
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Sun May 08, 2005 8:46 am |
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Gorath
Mostly Harmless
Joined: 03 Sep 2001
Posts: 6327
Location: NRW, Germany |
Just bought a Sapphire 9800 Pro today for our mini-PC. Works like a charm. 
_________________
Webmaster GothicDot |
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Mon May 09, 2005 8:04 pm |
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