Fao Pc Gamers

[ste_167]

I've not used my PC in a while but have had a renewed interest due to getting a new tft monitor. Could anyone tell me what the current top games are (I particularly like FPSs)?

I want to give my old PC a nice full-settings test on some new game to see if it's in need of an upgrade. It runs Half Life 2 at maximum settings at 1280x1024, but that was released quite a while ago. What are the current high performance games graphically?

Thanks!

 

[clarky2o2o]

x3:reunion

ALthough quite old now its very very powerfull (was on my system anyway) with all the latest pixel shaders etc.


Tomb raider legends i think requires a 3.2ghz cpu

but u could wait for white gold sequal to Boiling point

 

[ste_167]

x3:reunion

ALthough quite old now its very very powerfull (was on my system anyway) with all the latest pixel shaders etc.


Tomb raider legends i think requires a 3.2ghz cpu

but u could wait for white gold sequal to Boiling point

I'm still waiting for Duke Nukem Forever

Pixel-shaders has got me thinking.. my card is a DirectX 8 compatible GeForce4 Ti4800.. It runs great and is very overclockable but I'm behind the times at present. Is it worth me picking up a DirectX 9 compatible card, or should I wait?

 

[Javacat]

Buy, buy, buy! I'd just get a pritty decent GFX card, but don't spend stupid amounts of money on one.


You could give the Prey demo a go. The games not brilliant, but it looks amazing.

 

[ste_167]

Which card would you recommend? I'm even thinking of going the ATI route.. I've had Geforces for years!
I want it to be less than £100. I'm wondering if I'll get much benefit from one though, as my current card generally does the job in terms of speed. What new effects would I get? Soft shadows.. and..?

I'll give Prey a go. You can't beat PC FPSs! They're just not the same with a console controller.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

Some of the ones we have played recently to show off graphics have been:

Pariah
Quake 4
Fahrenheit
Gotcha
Rollcage Stage II (I had to use my Win98 boot for this)
Hexen (Using Doomsday, old but fun!)

Which card would you recommend? I'm even thinking of going the ATI route.. I've had Geforces for years!
I want it to be less than £100. I'm wondering if I'll get much benefit from one though, as my current card generally does the job in terms of speed. What new effects would I get? Soft shadows.. and..?

I'll give Prey a go. You can't beat PC FPSs! They're just not the same with a console controller.

I have used ATI for years, but have now moved over to NVIDIA. I got one of these: NVIDIA 6800 XT, And I haven't looked back. I'm extremely hapy with it indeed.

 

[ste_167]

Thanks, I'm now looking up those games! I downloaded a Quake 4 demo last night, but it was restricted to 640x480 at low detail levels. I liked the feel of it (although the initial outdoor scene did have the square area with walls Quake feel, if you know what I mean).

I've just looked up the going rate for my old card.. I can't believe how cheap it is now!

 

[BaDToaD]

If you want to stretch a card try Oblivion.

 

[ste_167]

Judging from the screenshots, I'd be looking at 10fps!

I've got an Asus A7N8X nForce2 motherboard. Anyone know the fastest processor I can get in it?
In fact, can you still get Socket A Athlons?? Looks like it would be easier to get a new AM2 motherboard.. although then that would mean new ram etc

 

[dsraa]

Judging from the screenshots, I'd be looking at 10fps!

I've got an Asus A7N8X nForce2 motherboard. Anyone know the fastest processor I can get in it?
In fact, can you still get Socket A Athlons?? Looks like it would be easier to get a new AM2 motherboard.. although then that would mean new ram etc

I know...I got the same problem...I have a nforce2 as well and the fastest cpu I got is a 3200, but ofcourse somehow my system isn't stable at that speed, and I still haven't rooted out why, without spending money on anything new. And of course if I do upgrade, I have to change motheroards, new cpu, new ram, new videocard, because almost none of the newer stuff is AGP anymore...., also I might as well get a new hdd for serial ata and a new power supply with the newer connecters.....so I'm looking at.....over a grand for my next upgrade.......

hell why don't I just get a new case as well.....throw out the whole thing...

DSR

 

[nubie]

Judging from the screenshots, I'd be looking at 10fps!

I've got an Asus A7N8X nForce2 motherboard. Anyone know the fastest processor I can get in it?
In fact, can you still get Socket A Athlons?? Looks like it would be easier to get a new AM2 motherboard.. although then that would mean new ram etc

Get an Nforce4 with PCI-E, and a new, boxed 939 (the prices just dropped in a big way) that way you can use your RAM and buy the cheaper PCI-E technology.

I think you could budget it in under £100 if you tried, I would buy Newegg.com, but they only sell to the USA.

The 7600GT is a great mid-range video card for $170 right now, includes GDDR3 as its ram technology and is basically Half the core of the 7900GT in design.

If I were you I would get an integrated 6100 board to start with, and a boxed Athlon64 3000+ or 3200+ or 3500+ because the prices just dropped out the bottom on those.

Re-use your Ram (btw, tests prove that unless you clock your AM2 proc, the DDR Dual Channel 400 RAM the 939's use is faster than the DDR2, unless you buy the fastest AM2 FX-series with integrated memory controller.)

Use the onboard geForce until you can sell your old mobo and CPU/HS and videocard on eBay or in the local paper, then decide if you need a 7600GT, or a 7900GT, the price difference is only a $100 or so and if you can hold out with the 6100 until you have the extra money the 7900 will knock your socks off.

I wouldn't go ATI unless it was a X1900 whatever (and at $600 that is never going to happen) I think nVidia has the mid-range covered with good cards, just don't buy a 7800, they are power-sucking heat generators that are priced too high.

The 7600 and 7900 are based on the new core that uses a smaller circuit path technology, and they are priced very well.

Judging from the screenshots, I'd be looking at 10fps!

I've got an Asus A7N8X nForce2 motherboard. Anyone know the fastest processor I can get in it?
In fact, can you still get Socket A Athlons?? Looks like it would be easier to get a new AM2 motherboard.. although then that would mean new ram etc

Get 939, its upgrade path looks just fine, and plenty cheap too.

I know...I got the same problem...I have a nforce2 as well and the fastest cpu I got is a 3200, but ofcourse somehow my system isn't stable at that speed, and I still haven't rooted out why, without spending money on anything new. And of course if I do upgrade, I have to change motheroards, new cpu, new ram, new videocard, because almost none of the newer stuff is AGP anymore...., also I might as well get a new hdd for serial ata and a new power supply with the newer connecters.....so I'm looking at.....over a grand for my next upgrade.......

hell why don't I just get a new case as well.....throw out the whole thing...

DSR

Don't spend so much money, I am torn between 939 upgrade for $140 and AM2 upgrade for $250.

I notice that unless you have a $400+ AM2 processor, DDR dual-channel is just as fast (and even those fast AM2's don't have all that much going for them, they barely edge out the DDR Dual in RAM bandwidth).

The main thing to concentrate on is getting a nForce4 and a PCI-E x16 slot (don't bother with SLi, it isn't worth it, even if you want it you can buy a single-slot, dual card solution in the future if you do get the money), then you are set for gaming.

The 64 x2 dual cores are down to $169 for a 3800+ btw, if you need dual core.

 

[dsraa]

Don't spend so much money, I am torn between 939 upgrade for $140 and AM2 upgrade for $250.

I notice that unless you have a $400+ AM2 processor, DDR dual-channel is just as fast (and even those fast AM2's don't have all that much going for them, they barely edge out the DDR Dual in RAM bandwidth).

The main thing to concentrate on is getting a nForce4 and a PCI-E x16 slot (don't bother with SLi, it isn't worth it, even if you want it you can buy a single-slot, dual card solution in the future if you do get the money), then you are set for gaming.

The 64 x2 dual cores are down to $169 for a 3800+ btw, if you need dual core.

yeah....I guess.....I could do that.....but I like the smell of all new stuff.... kinda like the smell of a new car.

DSR

 

[nubie]

yeah....I guess.....I could do that.....but I like the smell of all new stuff.... kinda like the smell of a new car.

DSR

I buy all new, Newegg.com is cheaper than eBay, always.

It is brand new stuff, just not the fastest. I figure if I pay half as much and get 90% of the performance I just got away with something, the feeling gives me a rush .

 

[refractor]

The 64 x2 dual cores are down to $169 for a 3800+ btw, if you need dual core.

Just to say that I've been really disappointed in the number of games that use more than one core. There really aren't many. For gaming right now I'd pick the fastest MHz single core over spending more money on a dual core, and put the extra cash towards a better gfx card.

 

[nubie]

The 64 x2 dual cores are down to $169 for a 3800+ btw, if you need dual core.

Just to say that I've been really disappointed in the number of games that use more than one core. There really aren't many. For gaming right now I'd pick the fastest MHz single core over spending more money on a dual core, and put the extra cash towards a better gfx card.

I am more interested in dual-core than gaming.

And one of the guys who bought that newegg.com x2 3800+ says it clocked to 2.7Ghz for him.

Keep an eye out for AMD's anti-hyperthreading, which is said to make multiple CPU's look like one cpu .

 

[refractor]

I am more interested in dual-core than gaming.

And one of the guys who bought that newegg.com x2 3800+ says it clocked to 2.7Ghz for him.

Keep an eye out for AMD's anti-hyperthreading, which is said to make multiple CPU's look like one cpu .

Looks very interesting. I'll be great for me so long as they support 939 Opterons

 

[clarky2o2o]

I am more interested in dual-core than gaming.

And one of the guys who bought that newegg.com x2 3800+ says it clocked to 2.7Ghz for him.

Keep an eye out for AMD's anti-hyperthreading, which is said to make multiple CPU's look like one cpu .

Looks very interesting. I'll be great for me so long as they support 939 Opterons

Intel made that....its called conroe

Finally a peice of kit that shouldnt stutter on Vista

 

[sam fisher]

Ands its all of very expensive. The desktop core duo, conroe, is released today, is it not?

 

[ste_167]

Not sure, Sam. When I'm not at a buying stage I tend to lose track of what's going on, and then when I want to upgrade I spend a week reading up!

Thanks, Nubie. That's very helpful, I'll have a look at the 939s. I entirely emphasise with your 90% analogy.
You mention that you're more interested in dual core than gaming. I'm more interested in graphics than gaming. I can never bring myself to lower settings to increase performance. If it doesn't run looking the best it can, I won't play it.. I'm constantly tweaking settings whilst playing a game. I don't actually play games, I fiddle about with them!

I see that 939's use DDR1 ram and performance benefits of DDR2 seem to be insignificant unless you have a cutting edge processor. It seems that I may be able to use my existing ram. I seem to remember it running at 333Mhz (does that sound right??). edit>> It's DDR PC2700. What is the difference between the processors you can use on 939s and AM2s? Is there a benefit for me short-term in getting a dual core chip over a Sempron?

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

Don't forget if you're getting a new motherboard to make sure it is Dual Channel DDR.