The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread

Yah, I like the Phenom a lot. Its a multi tasking freak!

 

omegaman: Either Gamespot or IGN produced a video called 'RIP NikoBellic' or something along those lines shortly after the game was released on the consoles, and showed them killing the main character in all sorts of humourous ways, I think you'll like it.
Your CPU usage graph looks similar to mine did when running the benchmark. Not that the benchmark is any useful indication, it runs much better than the game does.
Estuansis: His GPU is up to the task, but you forget about the single core P4. They're a lot slower than I ever remember them being at running even old games. When I dug out my old Athlon XP 3000+ system I was surprised to see I was CPU limited to 25-35fps at any detail setting.
Funny you mention the fan speed, the HD4890 runs the fan about 600rpm faster than the HD4870, and has an extra heatpipe, and as a result runs about 22-23ºC cooler than the HD4870. By contrast, the HD4870X2 runs the fan 1200rpm faster than the HD4870 and runs 5ºC hotter...
Ironic you guys are turning your fan speeds up for lower idle temps. IMO Idle temps are never going to kill a GPU off, so I actually lower them further than default and suffer higher speeds. When PowerPlay is bugged 30% is as low as I can go without reaching 95ºC and the fan briefly rising to 100% and then dropping back. When Powerplay is working I can go down to 26% and get around 77ºC on the hottest GPU.

I was beginning to think I Was the only one... haha

 

No no. Just seeing how much the fan increase would effect it. It effected it during gameplay quite a bit too. Where I saw it hit 72C before, its now only hitting 60+/- My settings are higher as well.

 

Yeah I'm always wary about temps. Sure the chips can take those temps but if I can keep them much cooler without much sacrifice, works for me. The 4890 is sweet but not much of an upgrade incentive. I have Crossfired HD4870s. What more do I need? lol

 

You have no further needs. Two 4870s zappin along - your beautiful Dell with vibrant colors, better than that cr*p at Best Buy! - no chick stomping on your heart with 5" stiletto heels! Life is good. That's just how I feel. (Now let's all start chasing babes and get totally messed up again, LOL!)

So I take it by Kevin's comments - he stopped playing SA now that he has GTA4 - that there is something wayyy more immersive and interesting about the newer game. But since everybody likes SA, I guess I'll pick it up - there it is - $7.85 with free shipping on ebay

Sam's pretty much right, Jeff - the p4 just barely gets me by on the games I'm playing through again on the big Dell. I just finished Brothers in Arms Road to Hill 30, the first one, frames in the high 30's with everything maxed at 2560x1600, then I switched to the second one, Earned in Blood, and saw my frames drop to around 28-32 - and not much is going on right now at the beginning of the game. (So on Wednesday I'll go back and look at a few of the settings, maybe turn "projected" shadows into "blobs", etc.)

But if you think I could actually get GTA SA to run on my p4 right now, I could give it a try. There - I just pressed the BUY button! Ain't the internet grand!!

Rich

 

100% correct Yah, the graphics are so stunning on GTA IV, its hard to play anything less. Cant wait to get the 30" samsung now. I really hope they lower the cost of that baby! Not that its not worth a grand+ LOL!

The game so far only lacks a couple things that SA had. Rocketpack and Parachute. But who knows. I bet they could offer a plugin/patch for it.

Another thing, My Onboard Graphics could play SA on the MSI computer. It had 6200 onboard I believe. But I quickly upgraded to 8600GT. The 8600 played it like it was nothing. Now GTA IV, thats a different story LOL!

 

On a 24", 4870 Crossfire is ample for all bar Crysis. It's only 2560 that anything more is required. By average, the scaling of Quad CF levels out such that the performance compared to standard CF at 1920 is similar.
I haven't played either GTA game much. I quite like how GTA4 looks maxed out (though I do encounter the occasional flickering texture), but it doesn't run that great to be honest. I might try cutting something back, but not sure what. The textures aren't quite crisp enough that dropping the res is very acceptable, and the other performance-relevant features are really irritating, less cars on the road or less draw distance.

 

Oh, Omega, so you're going for a 30" too.

You know, I bought a 24" samsung over the holidays for a relative - actually with an HD tuner in it (same price as the monitor-only version without the tuner) - and I was seriously considering the 30" samsung versus the dell (which I ended up getting new for $850 through ebay.) The two monitors employ a slightly different technology, and the samsung brightness varies greatly depending on your vertical position looking at the screen - however I don't know if that would really come into play when you are gaming!

I really can't tell you exactly why I ended up with the Dell - not a clear-cut decision as you can tell. Maybe Sam has some ideas about 30" Dell versus Samsung. There were plenty of people happy with their Samsung monitors, just as with the Dell. The online reviews of both were excellent. As I recall, the 30" Samsung didn't have a vertical height adjustment. But it seems that a later review showed it being adjusted vertically - maybe that was something that Samsung corrected soon after release of the earlier versions.

Well, when San Andreas arrives, I'll test it on the p4 and see what happens - the gpu 3850 is pretty solid and if that can carry its share of the load, maybe the game will be playable. I score just under 5000 3dmark6 these days overclocking the 3850 (and using faster than stock fan speeds courtesy of ati tray tools to keep the 3850 temps below 85 most of the time.)

Sam, we'll have to see what happens to your GTA4 if (or when) you bump to 8 gigs of DDR2. Kevin is enthusing so much over the game it reminds me of Jeff with Crysis - I'm salivating at the thought of what awaits if the i7 ever gets itself built, hahaha.

Rich

 

Heh, well there's going for, and wishing for...
The Samsung has rather varied brightness at vertical height in much the same way as the 3008, I don't think the panel is any better or worse. Ultimately the 3007's panel is the best. The 3008 panel isn't as good, but it's still good enough to warrant getting one over a 3007 if you want the extra inputs.

I will see about the 8GB of RAM. I'm still pushing it these days with the game and 4 gigs, but am really down on funds at the moment, it'd be no problem if I could land at the end of the term with an overdraft that could be paid off by a summer job, but in the current economic situation temporary summer jobs are very hard to find. For now, I'll be sticking with what hardware I bought up until Easter.
On the bright side, GTA4 runs better than Crysis maxed out, I can safely say that much, Up until the sart of the action they're about equal, but later on Crysis takes the nut, and Warhead is certainly more demanding. That said, sine Crysis uses less video memory than GTA4 in some areas, if AA could be applied (and it would make GTA4 look much better) we'll have to see.

Just installed Demigod, a Multiplayer (or AI Skirmish) only game based on a popular Warcraft 3 mod that I've played, but with high-tech graphics. Seems to play quite well, and runs flawlessly at 2560 with 8xAA from the off, always good to see!

 

Economy? I thought it was only us here stateside that had that problem. You tellin me that it truly is worldwide - I thought that was just hype lol.

Yeah, just returned from a small deposit at a bank - noticed a wells fargo branch over near Mervyn's that I never knew was there - practically around the corner. I went in and asked "When did you guys set up over here?" expecting her to say "Oh, about 6 months ago." Instead she said, "Oh, it's been about 5 years." Am I blind!!! Then getting back to the car - or do you call them lorries P - oh wait, from cod2, that's for trucks!) - I noticed that Mervyn's was all shuttered up - peering through the blinds I could see the wide aisles barren of merchandise. Interesting times!!

Demigod - you guys always with your new software titles!! Let me ask you then - estuansis just having remarked how he keeps his computer on 24/7 since he's such an FPS freak - I read a review recently regarding the 4890 and the benches included World in Conflict.

I saw some trailers and it looked interesting, but it's an RTS, not an FPS. Have any of you guys played it - would a die hard p90 first person shooter of a gamer find it worthwhile??? The graphics looked pretty awesome!

Rich

 

It is far from worldwide, it's affecting us now as much as it is you pretty much, loads of people out of work, loads of businesses going bust, it's hard enough to keep a regular job, let alone be hired for a student placement. The local council who I used to work for over the summer axed its student placement scheme last year. I only made £276 last summer doing odd jobs. Back then that was the equivalent of nearly $500. Now it's only $375. That's how it's affected our country's currency.
Lol yes, cars are cars. Trucks used to be lorries, but the term truck is becoming more widespread now.
I keep my server on 24/7 in York, but never my gaming PC, no need, and I like the lack of noise, and lack of bright LEDs annoying me. It's on most hours of the day though as it's being used. No need for my server to be on 24/7 at home, as it bridges it's internet through my main PC (as only main PC has the Two network ports needed to bridge), so for my server to work, my PC needs to be on. I could buy a switch, but right now I can't afford it.
Haha yes Demigod is an RTS. Personally I think you should try getting into RTS games, especially Supreme Commander (though that's another one for the absolutely not before you have a dual or quad core club) as it can run well on modern hardware now, has much less limiting zoom ranges (i.e. whole map is on half your screen, or one tiny unit fills the screen, that's how comprehensive it is), it's a relatively simple concept and unit set, and the tactics are fairly intuitive. It's also a good looking and great sounding game. I like it because I prefer Sci-Fi strategy to older games, and I enjoy the freedom of movement that far eclipses any other RTS.
Demigod is made by the same developer Chris Taylor, but is more close-in, restrictive, and magical, on the spiritual succession of the heritage game Warcraft 3 it tries to follow.

 

Hmmmm. Well, that would be quite a change for me from the last - what - six years of gaming? Let's see - the guy who cleaned the buildings, Pedro, with whom I practiced my Spanish, asked me for games for his 9 year old kid Fernando, to whom I had given an old W98 200 mhz computer. I pulled out the Windows 98 disk, and found a futuristic marine game with jet packs, and another game based on giant truck derbies - trucks with huge wheels. For the kid's 10th birthday, summer of '03, I ended up getting the family two more used computers from my buddy Mo, the fastest a 400 mhz, and I LANed all three together to play the Monster Truck Madness game multiplayer!

My wonderful obsession was born!! No more dating!! LOL

But since then I would have to say that it's been FPS all the way, and I just don't know if an RTS would keep me interested.

However, the World in Conflict trailer looked really good, and the programmers and artists drew a lot of inspiration from the fps genre, particularly Call of Duty 4 and 5. So if I were to take your advice and give RTS a try, it might be better for me to start with something like that - it's set in 1989 - an alternate reality where the Soviet Union, instead of collapsing, invades Europe and the Western U.S.! LOL! The single player version focuses on an American Captain, as I recall, defending Seattle. How does that idea sound? Do you know anybody who ever played the game?

 

I salivate at the size of anything larger than 24"! LOL! Especially when its resolution smokes blu-ray! I still dont understand much of its terminology though. There's no need to try and explain. This is just something I have to experience and learn over time.

 

@Sam

That's why I'm glad I got this screen when I bought my 8800GTX. It's big enough to be luxurious but not so big that newer cards can't handle games on it. The Pixel density is really good on a 24" as well so the IQ is great.

@Rich

World in Conflict is an Action/RTS gamer's dream and quite a visual treat as well. You can zoom in so close you can see your soldiers' faces and hear their conversations. Or you can zoom out far enough to have a decided advantage seeing almost the entire map. The story is fairly good and can touch bit on the emotional level. The strategy can be deep and has a multitude of options to tackle every situation. Not to mention several REALLY epic battles. I found the game to be fantastic in single player and enormously fun in multiplayer. Definitely recommended if you haven't played it yet.

I'm pretty much over Crysis though. Sure, it still murders everything to date. But it's old news now. Definitely in my "Legendary Games" list. But now that I've finished my tweaks, I just play it(actually quite well too). I'm done raving about it XD

BTW, has anyone tried the new Prince of Persia yet? The performance is above average for new games and the visuals are pretty sharp(It lets you use AA!!!) I'm really digging the new art style as well as the heavily improved gameplay. Mind you, the last POP I played was Sands of Time on my Gamecube. But I heard the sequels weren't really anything special.

 

Well, you can still teach an old dog new tricks and all that, not that I'm implying that you're old...
Man, Monster Truck Madness takes me back.

World in Conflict is an interesting RTS as it's more direct unit command based, there's no base building, defense structures, and all that, you just choose your units then order them into the battlefield. If you prefer realism in current or past times to futuristic space-age stuff, then World in Conflict is probably a good place to start.

Omega: I'll show you how big a 1080p film comes up on my screen when I get back home if you like...

Estuansis: I first got a 30" when I had the X1900XT. It actually did rather well outside oblivion. Only the 2007 releases really hurt it, Episode Two, COD4, Supreme Commander, STALKER SoC and all those...
I've tried Prince of Persia a bit, it's OK, I'm working on getting accustomised to the art style, but the graphics are relatively good.

 

Again I'm not surprised to hear that. The X1900XT was awesome for its time. A true high end card. But I got my 8800GTX and 2407WFP right after Crysis came out and games started to get more demanding again. So I made a good compromise between size and performance. 1920 x 1200 is perfect for my cards ATM as it lets me use eye candy. I can get good performance AND visuals

Prince of Persia is a fairly refreshing platformer, not to mention a pretty nice port. Again, the Xbox 360 controller is making itself extremely useful. The controls are smooth and the visuals are great IMO. The art style is interesting and detailed, but very clean. Nice performance as well.

 

Interesting development, the price of the HD4890 has been cut from £200 to £190, and the £200 GTX275s have all disappeared in favoured of £220 ones. With a 15% price gap, I must say I find myself wavering towards favouring the Radeon. The GTX275 is the better card, but 15% better? I'm doubtful.


Hehe, the X800 Pro/XT, X1900XT, 8800GTX, 8800GT and HD4850/HD4870 were all groundbreaking cards.

 

Yes it's nice to see AMD/ATi competing well again. Both the 4800 series and the Phenom II, while not as fast as Intel/Nvidia, still offer a powerful system. The Phenom II is the biggest surprise for me as the Phenom 1 was terrible and left me disappointed. But the 4870 was really expected after such a strong return with the 3870. It was all a matter of improving on the newer architecture for both. Good going AMD/ATi

 

The Phenom II is a massive improvement on the old one, but AMD still need to do more. The maximum cut-off for AMD CPUs is slightly below a popular pricing point for gaming PC systems, a price point that now just covers i7s.
The ATI comeback has been astounding though, from the pathetic 2000 and 3000 series, I'd consider the 4800 series world-leading.

 

Yeah but the Phenom II does offer a fast, powerful quad core for us AMD fanboys. It can only get better from here and the price is actually not terrible given how cheap the rest of the system was(relatively speaking of course) with high end components. i7 is still more expensive to build with.