Thread: Graphics

  1. #1
    The Defective GRAPE Lurker's Avatar
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    Graphics

    Before I say anything, I must admit to this: I'm not really much of a hardware guy. Software, yes, but hardware, no. So this question might come easily to many of you .

    Alrighty....I'm thinking about getting a video card, but I really don't know where to start. Right now I use my processors graphics, and that works ok. However, I do know that when a feature requested by a game is not on hardware, it is created by software. Right now my computer runs fine with games that are relatively high powered, such as Warcraft III (I mostly play strategy games). However, if I do get a multiplayer shooter, it'll need some more processing power, not easily done by the processor itself. So would you recommend my getting a graphics card, and, if so, which one? Does it really play and look better than normal? Thanks for any comments, input, or answers !
    Do not make direct eye contact with me.

  2. #2
    Its not rocket science vasanth's Avatar
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    Yes.. graphics cards do make a hell a lot of difference... but only if you play high end games.. i see the difference between my PC and my friends with different graphics cards.. SOme games freeze when they play..(high end ones)...


    Fist have a check weather you have an AGP slot... if not you will have to go for a PCI based graphics card which i wouldnt recommend.. better upgrade your Mother Board then... If you have an AGP slot then you have to check its bus speed (1x,2x,4x or 8x)....

    If you hvae an 4x or above AGP slot and you have some money to burn i would suggest you buy an Nvidia GForce 4 FX 5000 series card... not sure which one is the latest.... even herd great reviews about the ATI 9800.. Herd it beats Nvidia.. but that wouldnt matter.. both of these will give you top performance....

    If you are going for anything less than this.. i suggest you keep your old graphics chipset as it is...

  3. #3
    The Defective GRAPE Lurker's Avatar
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    By the way - I also want plenty of extensions (especially OpenGL ones ). Can I safely say that this computer has a AGP slot if it is less than 2 years old? How can I check the bus speed? Thanks !
    Do not make direct eye contact with me.

  4. #4
    Its not rocket science vasanth's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Lurker
    By the way - I also want plenty of extensions (especially OpenGL ones ). Can I safely say that this computer has a AGP slot if it is less than 2 years old? How can I check the bus speed? Thanks !
    I cant really say... If you have your motherboard make and model number i might be able to look it up for you...


    You can usually find this information during boot up....

  5. #5
    l'Anziano DavidP's Avatar
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    if your computer is less than 2 years old, then yes, it SHOULD have an AGP slot. I have a motherboard that is about 5 years old with an AGP slot in it.

    Get a GeForce 4 for one of the newer Radeons (I never know what the numbers are...there are too many...Radeon 7000, Radeon 9000, Radeon 9800....so many of them...)
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    "Circular logic is good because it is."

  6. #6
    Much older and wiser Fountain's Avatar
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    Blimey-lets face it, any will be better than none.

    Take the work away from the CPU and see the difference.

    Dont waste your cash on the latest-pick a year to 18 month old card and you will be fine.
    Such is life.

  7. #7
    Wen Resu
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    Ok open case, check if it has a big slot normaly at top of PCI, should be logner then a PCI slot also palced a bit further back.

    I use a raedon 9600pro. I play Shooter <Planetside, Max payne> all at highest detail. works for me
    Oh cept in max payne i can't do 1200x1600 with everything on cause it needs 184 megs of memory on card to do so

  8. #8
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    Man my cheap dell sounds nice now. It's a 4300 with no mods on it, and it runs great on any game with best graphics running. I think I have a GForce 3 or something.
    "When I die I want to pass peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather did, not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car."

  9. #9
    The Defective GRAPE Lurker's Avatar
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    Ooh, I want this one .
    Do not make direct eye contact with me.

  10. #10
    Senor Member nomi's Avatar
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    umm....


    The fire gl is relatively new.....get the radeon 98000

  11. #11
    The Defective GRAPE Lurker's Avatar
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    Sorry, forgot the [/sarcasm] after that post........
    Do not make direct eye contact with me.

  12. #12
    Registered User TravisS's Avatar
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    Originally posted by vasanth
    If you hvae an 4x or above AGP slot and you have some money to burn i would suggest you buy an Nvidia GForce 4 FX 5000 series card... not sure which one is the latest.... even herd great reviews about the ATI 9800.. Herd it beats Nvidia.. but that wouldnt matter.. both of these will give you top performance....
    I think I've told you this before... can't remember for sure if it was you though

    It's NOT GeForce 4 FX. It is either GeForce 4 or GeForce FX. The GeForce FX is essentially the GeForce 5.... anyway, nitpicking aside...


    On the nVidia side the FX 5700 Ultra and 5900 XT are good midrange cards, both costing approx $200. Their top dog card is the FX 5950, with the FX 5900 ultra being just a little bit slower. These cards are VERY expensive though, way more exensive that is worth it. The low end card is the FX 5200 models, these should seriously be avoided like the plague...

    On the ATI side the Radeon 9600 models is their good midrange card, with the Pro and XT both being excelent cards. These can be had for also around $200, but you can get a free copy of HalfLife 2 The 9700 Pro is their "old" top dog (it's about 2 years old now) but is VERY worth the money. The 9800 series is their uppercrust, the 9800 pro and XT are both faster than the nVidia FX 5950, though the difference is rather small...

    Anyway, going back to OpenGL. If you want to have a serious OpenGL card, it's going to be nVidia. While ATI no doubt supports it, OpenGL support is totally in nVidia's court.

    My reccomendation would be a nVidia GeForce FX 5700 ultra

  13. #13
    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    Get a lower end FX ultra 5200 @ walmert for 50 bux

  14. #14
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    IT depends on how much money you want to spend on a Graphics card, i fyou wanna spend 350+ then get a radeon 9800 or the highest fx but if u want medium graphix for like 100 dollars, get a 9600 pro or 9700 or geforce 4. My 9700 (not pro) gets like 100 fps on counterstrike

  15. #15
    Registered User TravisS's Avatar
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    Originally posted by RoD
    Get a lower end FX ultra 5200 @ walmert for 50 bux


    Seriously, NOOOOO!

    If you want to spend less than $100 just get a used (or refurbished) GeForce 4 Ti4200. Like I said in my previous post, avoid the 5200 like the plague!

    Oh, and you won't be getting a 5200 ultra for $50. For that kind of cash it will be the castrated non-ultra with the 64 bit memory bus.

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