The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread

This amused me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7r9RqWBdl8&feature=player_embedded

 

I lol'd.

 

I had no problems with it at all, except as sam mentioned the controls. Everything is so much scarier when it takes 4s to respond to everything that happens.

lol best CoD ever XD

 

Second that. Bookmarked it

 

Radeon high-res tests from GameGPU.
These are actually 3840x1080 figures, but since nobody uses 3840x1080, and 2560x1600 is essentially the same pixel count (4096K vs. 4147K) they're being used as proper 30" charts.

Crysis
2560x1600 H0
M10: HD4770, HD4850, HD4870, HD4890, HD5750, HD5770, HD5830, HD6850
M20: HD4870X2, HD5850, HD5870, HD6870, HD6950
M30: HD5970, HD6970, HD6850CF
M40: HD6990, HD6870CF
M50: HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M60: HD6950TCF

2560x1600 VH0
M10: HD4870X2, HD5850, HD5870, HD6850, HD6870, HD6950
M20: HD5970, HD6970, HD6850CF, HD6870CF
M30: HD6990, HD6950CF
M40: HD6970CF, HD6950TCF
M50: HD6970TCF
M60: HD6970QCF

2560x1600 H8 [2GB cards only]
M20: HD5870E6, HD6950, HD6970
M30: HD5870E6CF
M40: HD6990, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M50: HD6950TCF
M60: HD6970TCF

2560x1600 VH8 [2GB cards only]
M10: HD5870E6, HD6950
M20: HD6970, HD5870E6CF
M30: HD6990, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M40: HD6950TCF
M50: HD6970TCF
M60: HD6970QCF

Just Cause 2

2560x1600 M0
M10: HD4830, HD4770, HD4850, HD4870, HD4890, HD5750, HD5770, HD5830
M20: HD4870X2, HD5850, HD5870, HD6850, HD6870, HD6950
M30: HD6970
M40: HD5970, HD6850CF, HD6870CF, HD6990
M50: HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M60: HD6950TCF

2560x1600 VH0
M10: HD4770, HD4850, HD4870, HD4890, HD5750, HD5770, HD5830, HD5850, HD6850
M20: HD4870X2, HD5870, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970
M30: HD5970, HD6850CF
M40: HD6990, HD6870CF, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M50: HD6950TCF
M60: HD6970TCF

2560x1600 M8
M10: HD4870, HD4890, HD5770, HD5830, HD5850, HD6850
M20: HD4870X2, HD5870, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970
M30: HD5970, HD6850CF, HD6870CF
M40: HD6990, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M50: HD6950TCF, HD6970TCF
M60: HD6950QCF, HD6970QCF

2560x1600 VH8
M10: HD4870X2, HD5830, HD5850, HD5870, HD6850, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970
M20: HD5970, HD6990, HD6850CF, HD6870CF, HD6950CF
M30: HD6970CF, HD6950TCF
M40: HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF
M50: HD6970QCF
M60: N/A

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

2560x1600 M0
M10: HD2900XT, HD3850, HD3870, HD4670, HD5570, HD5670
M20: HD4830, HD4770, HD4850, HD5750
M30: HD4870, HD4890, HD5770
M40: HD5830, HD6850
M50: HD5850, HD6870
M60: HD4870X2, HD5870, HD6950, HD6970

2560x1600 VH0
M10: HD4830, HD4770, HD4850, HD5750
M20: HD4870, HD4890, HD5770, HD5830
M30: HD4870X2, HD5850, HD5870, HD6850, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970
M40:
M50: HD5970, HD6850CF
M60: HD6870CF, HD6950CF

2560x1600 M8
M10: HD3870, HD4830, HD5570, HD5670
M20: HD4770, HD4850, HD4870, HD5750, HD5770
M30: HD4890, HD5830, HD6850
M40: HD4870X2, HD5850, HD5870, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970
M50:
M60:
M70: HD5970, HD6850CF

2560x1600 VH8
M10: HD4770, HD4850, HD4870, HD5750, HD5770
M20: HD4890, HD5830, HD5850, HD6850
M30: HD4870X2, HD5870, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970
M40:
M50: HD5970, HD6850CF, HD6870CF
M60: HD6990, HD6950CF, HD6970CF


Metro 2033

2560x1600 MAAA
M10: HD4890, HD4870X2, HD5830, HD5850, HD5870, HD6850, HD6870, HD6950
M20: HD5970, HD6970, HD6850CF, HD6870CF
M30: HD6990, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M40: HD6950TCF
M50: HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF
M60: HD6970QCF

2560x1600 HAAA
M10: HD4870X2, HD5850, HD5870, HD5970, HD6870, HD6950, HD6970, HD6850CF
M20: HD6990, HD6870CF, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M30: HD6950TCF, HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF
M40: HD6970QCF
M50: N/A
M60: N/A

2560x1600 VHAAA (2GB HD5, or 1GB+ HD6 series only)
M10: HD6970, HD6850CF, HD6870CF, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M20: HD6950TCF, HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF
M30: HD6970QCF
M40: N/A
M50: N/A
M60: N/A

2560x1600 M4 (2GB cards only)
M10: HD5870E6, HD6950, HD6970
M20: HD5870E6CF
M30: HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M40: HD6950TCF, HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF
M50: HD6970QCF
M60: N/A

2560x1600 H4 (2GB cards only)
M10: HD5870E6, HD6950, HD6970
M20: HD5870E6CF, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M30: HD6950TCF, HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF
M40: HD6970QCF
M50: N/A
M60: N/A

2560x1600 VH4 (2GB cards only)
M10: HD5870E6CF, HD6950CF, HD6970CF
M20: HD6950TCF, HD6970TCF, HD6950QCF, HD6970QCF
M30: N/A
M40: N/A
M50: N/A
M60: N/A

 

Aha glad to see my own cards doing well in the numbers game, especially at 2560 res. Also noticed the same thing with Metro 2033: ie upping from AAA to 4xAA takes a nosedive Crysis-style signaling a memory shortage...

Just had an lol moment today. Was playing BC2 and noticed my FPS weren't quite there. Thought it was Crossfire scaling going onky again but I was still performing well which told me it was at least scaling. Well long story short I was running with 8xAA for about 3 hours without noticing it. Really impressed myself when I realized the settings I had been running. Not my ideal 60-70 average but was a very playable 50-60. So yeah LOL good times

 

Yeah my 6970s can take 4xAA with HBAO, but at 8x they often drop into the not so nice area of 45-50fps which in multiplayer, is quite infuriating.

 

Yep same here Dx11 maxed with HBAO and 4xAA. Runs silky smooth even in the heaviest sh*t. I mean, I can't say minimum of 60. But 60-70 average, mid 50s minimum in heavy scenes(barring the fireworks at the opening of the Canal level), I find it exceptionally smooth and playable. Also 11.1 has my goddammit crossfire scaling working properly again, matching if not beating the 5850s on average. Would also say they seem to handle AA even better(a reoccurring theme for ATi) than my 5850s. Very slightly less of a hit when using higher levels ie 8x and up. CoD4 in particular runs a bit better with 16xMSAA.

 

Well, I hope to see what all the BF:BC2 fuss is about - I had to go up to LA to fix a laptop last weekend, so maybe gaming this weekend - taking BF:BC2 out for the first spin.

Hey Sam, your 2560x1600 BF:BC2 chart was very interesting, but I could use a little help with some of the V0, H0 stuff - what do your abbreviations on that chart mean?

Back to a week or so ago:

Thanks guys - my current system, which as Sam pointed out is a Q9450/8800GTX, will soon, hopefully, be upgraded to a Q9450/6970, one single 6970 not crossfire. With that setup, would more memory help? But I think both of you have already answered "NO" - leaving Warhead/Crysis out of the equation.

Also, I'm like you, Jeff, I don't run ANY background apps when I am gaming, lol. So with that input, I will NOT be spending the $152 on DDR2 dead-end memory for my current platform - very helpful, thanks.

Interesting Jeff, that Crysis is "transformed" with the extra memory. I'll just leave that game, and Warhead, in the closet, until Sandy Bridge time.

Kevin, a close family member bought a used Ford Explorer about 5 years back. Man! can you ever stuff a lot of boxes in it when you're doing a local move! Anyway, his name is Frank, and he likes the car a lot. You probably already know, however, that the center of gravity is kind of high - so careful on cornering. Also, we found that some of the tow places, like Uhaul, specifically would not rent trailers for a Ford Explorer, if memory serves me right, maybe because of some of the reported flipovers, I really never found out the exact reason. But anyway, the Explorer has held up well for Frank.

The part above in bold was kind of humorous, but of course it's not a laughing matter.

I have started listening to my Anthony Robbins tapes again - he's the firewalking guy with the NLP training - neuro linguistic programming. He used NLP to cure himself of biting his nails, a fierce habit he absolutely could not break, until he discovered NLP. He stopped the nail biting by setting anchors - which engaged when he started the nail biting and brought him into intense conscious awareness of what he was about to do. That allowed him to control and kill the unconscious habit.

I have a feeling, Kevin, that you have developed some kind of a pattern of anxiety, which just takes hold, kind of like nail-biting. NLP is about how we communicate to ourselves, both verbally and non-verbally. For example, how we create pictures in our minds to motivate ourselves - light pictures or dark, near or far away, with talking, or not, in color, or not, etc. etc.

What you might try, is to go to a library and borrow one of his tape series. I think the one I am listening to - an old series - is Unlimited Power, maybe like the title of the first book he wrote. Just a thought - you might want to try that first before you think about spending on a doctor, unless you have insurance that would cover it. Just google Tony Robbins, or Anthony Robbins, and you'll find out a lot about it. Possibly, with NLP, the guy in The King's Speech could have learned to get a grip on his stammering, without needing the voice coach.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anyway, you guys will hear from me after gaming weekend, if I get to it this Saturday. I already have logged about 650 hours on L4D 1 and 2 combined, and I could probably just play those two games forever. Now that COD4 is back in the mix and I'm trying to regain my former glory (5 star general) I'll be adding a lot of hours on that, but nothing like Shaff's - was it 1500? MAN! But I probably DO have 1500 hours on counter strike. I seriously have to throttle myself back - and this gaming weekend once a month thing is an attempt to do that - or I could spend ALL my time on gaming, lol.

By the way, as I caught up, I liked all the interesting electrocution stories, from DDP getting it in the gut, to Jeff finding out what 22,000 volts from a crt feels like, lol, to Kevin feeling "12" volts from a transformer through his skin, which had to have really been a great deal more than that - no wonder it fried the amp.

The only way you can feel 12 volts DC is to briefly touch the two terminals to your tongue, and then you will feel your tongue muscle convulse, and you'll taste the acidity - it isn't dangerous - we used to do it all the time to see if we were wiring our motorcycles properly if we didn't have a little test light handy. So anything you feel through your skin, is definitely more than 12 volts.

My funny electrocution story is when I worked in a supermarket in high school, and one day I happened to notice that part of a plug was protruding from a wall outlet - it had broken off - maybe from a floor waxer or some such electrical device. I thought to myself - "Well that shouldn't be there" and I grabbed it vigorously with a metal pair of pliers intending to yank it out. I then had a very dramatic lesson about the difference between DC and AC, and how it didn't matter that I wasn't touching both parts of the outlet - the one part with the metal sticking out was doing a wonderful job, thank you very much, of conducting through my vibrating body into the floor! Escaping with my life, barely, I didn't mention anything to anybody. The store manager was on my case enough as it was - I was always getting into some kind of trouble in that job!

I'll report in on BF:BC2 soon - hopefully I won't get pawned by Jeff and his squad mates!

Rich

 

M = Medium Detail
H = High Detail
VH = Very High Detail


AAA = Adaptive Anti-Aliasing [applies to Metro 2033 only]
0 = No Anti-Aliasing used
4 = 4x Anti-Aliasing [standard Multi-sample] used
8 = 8x Anti-Aliasing [standard Multi-sample] used

 

I may try those tapes rich. Thanks. But as you may or may not know, UPS has some of the best medical coverage available. I believe working for the railroad is the best. UPS doesn't fall too short though I can pretty much get 90% of anything covered.

Provided I get my tax return deposited, I'll be stretching my GTX 260's legs this weekend. I've been itching to play, but feeling guilty taking a moment for myself. I say to hell with it! LOL! It's play time! And I'm leaning toward dirt.

Sam, how well do you think integrated 4200 ati will handle "Driver: Sanfrancisco"(Releases 2/22/2011). Coupled with an Athlon 3800 x 2 2.0Ghz.

 

I couldn't say as it's too long before the release date to have any system requirements, but the HD4200 is below the minimum requirements for the majority of new games, so I doubt it would perform well if it even played at all. No matter what you may read in marketing blurb, integrated graphics chips are not designed with any games in mind.
The best performing 7 series (not sure how the 890GX fares, don't think there's much more than a 20% difference) can muster a reasonable 45fps in Left 4 Dead, at 1024x768 medium detail. This might seem pretty good, but remember a lowly 9600GT can manage more than this at 1680x1050 on maximum details with 4x MSAA.

 

I believe the site I found the system requirements on, is currently down. To be posting it early, is probably simply a guesstimate too. I know my brothers HTPC has 4200 integrated, and it handles GTA San Andreas. I suppose that isn't a very demanding game though. If the board and CPU can handle 30+ frames, my buddy will probably be ok with it. It'll no doubt have to be ran at low low settings though

Is there no demo we can use to get an approximation?

 

The game's potentially not out for another 15 months, so no, I think it's a bit early for that!

 

15 months?!?!?! Newegg shows the release to be February 22nd.

 

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/275739/news/ghost-recon-driver-delayed/

 

Unfortunate I've been looking forward to trying that game.

 

There's obviously a possibility it could still be out as early as April, but usually if a developer states 'next financial year' it usually means it's not close to release

 

rich, just remember, sandybridge currently is on recall. You are looking at mid march/april for restovking.

the p67 chip was degrading the sata 3Gb/s ports, till they could read a device, in some boards. Their 2 sata 6Gb/s ports were fine though. But intel have recalled all, and will be posting a 1 billion dollar loss, if not more.


so till that's don't, no mobos for you or anyone really. But the CPUs are fine.

by then, you might aswell wait for the Z67 chipset to come out.

 

$700 million is how much Intel have allocated to recall/replace the chipsets. A large blow, but only a mere 6% of Intel's total profits for last year.
I believe the chipset you're referring to is the Z68. I'm not really sure why it's worth waiting for it, there's no advantage to be had in terms of S-ATA ports, DIMM slots or PCIe bandwidth, so it doesn't really offer anything new to a gamer. Overclocking is a moot point, as it's now completely isolated to the CPU with Sandy Bridge.