A big story

Ney · Aug 19, 2003, 01:05 AM

As you can see in the left, I live in Brazil. And as you can see down there (no signature) I'm not addicted in latest hardware.

I'm a very specific kind of gamer (at least I think so - makes me feel kinda unique, you know). I always single-play. Why?

Because:
- Ping, latency, etc, usually aren't that great here
- Subscription prices for online games, converted to our "Real" currency, get a little high. I don't even know if my country is vastly supported in multiplayer games either

And specially:
1 - I don't wanna fall in temptation (is there such an expression in English?)
2 - I need a greater goal

Let me explain these last two:
1 - I don't have the same amount of free time as I had years ago. I know multiplayer games are cool, but that's the problem.
2 - When I play my single player games, I usually have a goal, which keeps me going until I accomplish it. And then, I delete the game, knowing that I will never play it again (sadly, most of the times).
Who knows when I would delete a multiplayer game. Oh well, maybe I'm not a very competitive guy.

There's another thing: since I don't play that much anymore (I'm lying - I think I play a little too much sometimes), I also "don't wanna fall in tempation" (spoil myself is the expression, maybe), so I'm completely satisfied if I play a game with this configuration:

- 800x600, 32 bit
- Bilinear or Trilinear
- No Anisotropic, No AA
- Most settings at max (texture quality, blah blah)

Maybe I'm doing wrong. Maybe since I don't play that much, I should enjoy these unforgettable moments with all the eye candy I could get. Oh, let's move on.

No, let's not. I forgot to say that I've never seen a game running with anisotropic and/or AA, so I guess that helps (me).

System specs: Athlon XP 1600+ non overclocked, ECS KTVTA2 (266mhz), 512mb DDR PC2100, WinXP, Philips 107E 17" monitor, SB Live.

My video board is a XFX GeForce4 MX440SE 64mb. Yeah, that crippled one, with the 64-bit bus. So, here's the Problem 1: I wanna keep playing some new games. And I've already played some demanding ones, but I had to lower some options.

Problem 2: I wanna enter the world of shadows, pixel shaders, etc. I guess it's inevitable, though (fortunately): my next card will be a DX8 or DX9 one for sure.

Problem 3: Price. Let's keep it more or less low budget, ok?

So, what do you think? What I should buy to make Problem 1 go away and keep it away for some time?

Thanks a lot.

Data1232 · Aug 20, 2003, 03:31 AM

I would think that a video card upgrade would be best. It may offer the best price/perfomance ratio you can find. If you could get a Radeon 9600 Pro it's DX9, and i've found it for about 120USD at pricewatch.com, i'm not sure how that translates into your currency. It might help if you could list some of the games that you play or expect to play later this year. Good luck!

EDIT: I had to add what video card i was actually talking about....sorry.

toddsmack2k · Aug 20, 2003, 06:29 AM

Well 2 choices for a great budget card are either the 9500 Pro or the 9600 pro, depending on if you can find the 9500. I would recomend the 9500 non pro that you can mod but I do not believe that is what you are wanting to get into. Those 2 choices would get you into playing the new games with great results and very little cash. Although if you could stand it go for the 9700 pro and get ready for some awesome eye candy.

Bane the ECF · Aug 20, 2003, 06:42 AM

I don't know...he can squeeze a lot of performance out of that GF4-MX440 if he doesn't use antialiasing or anisotropic filtering. I bet he could get excellent performance out of a lot of games by just upgrading his CPU to a Athlon 2400+ 266MHz CPU. This upgrade alone should keep him going for some time. Of course, a moderate upgrade to a GeForce FX5600 or Radeon 9600 would be nice too...

Bane

toddsmack2k · Aug 20, 2003, 06:45 AM

Yes but if he wants to experience pixel shaders and shadowing then he will need alot more than that card can give him. He stated he already has had to turn down options so therefore I see him needing at least the 9600 or up to keep up with the latest games and to get the jaw dropping eye candy he wants.

Ney · Aug 20, 2003, 03:16 PM

Thanks! But what do you think about the GeforceFX 5200? Is it that bad? Would there be a significant increase in performance?

I checked the prices here, take a look (converted to US dollars):

VGA AGP 128MB FX5200 DDR/TV/DVI XFX AGP 8X PVT34KNAH6 ==> 98
VGA AGP 128MB GeForce4 Ti4200 AGP8X - Prolink ==> 134
VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9100 TV-OUT/DVI OEM SAPPHIRE ==> 108
VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9200 TV-OUT/DVI BOX SAPPHIRE ==> 113
VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9500PRO BBA BOX ==> 249

Games I would like to play, for example:
- Half Life 2
- Splinter Cell
- Max Payne 2
- Silent Hill 3

Matth · Aug 20, 2003, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ney
Thanks! But what do you think about the GeforceFX 5200? Is it that bad? Would there be a significant increase in performance?

I checked the prices here, take a look (converted to US dollars):

VGA AGP 128MB FX5200 DDR/TV/DVI XFX AGP 8X PVT34KNAH6 ==> 98
VGA AGP 128MB GeForce4 Ti4200 AGP8X - Prolink ==> 134
VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9100 TV-OUT/DVI OEM SAPPHIRE ==> 108
VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9200 TV-OUT/DVI BOX SAPPHIRE ==> 113
VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9500PRO BBA BOX ==> 249

Games I would like to play, for example:
- Half Life 2
- Splinter Cell
- Max Payne 2
- Silent Hill 3

If you MUST have DX9, the FX5200 is cheap - but it gets completely stormed by the Geforce 4 Ti4200 in all tests - even in 3DMark2003, where the Geforce 4's lack of DX9 means it can only do 3 out of 4 tests.

Out of the Radeons you list, onnly the 9500 is DX9, the others are DX8 (don't ask me if it's DX8.0 or DX8.1 though!)
http://www.nordichardware.com/review...udget_Roundup/
Try this review.... a bunch of FX5200's up against a Radeon 9200, and a Geforce 4 Ti4200

All but the poorly performing ABIT beat the Radeon 9200, so perhaps the FX5200 isnt that bad, but the Geforce 4 Ti4200 has a clear lead

http://www.nordichardware.com/review...ndex.php?ez=14
The paragraph after the scores just about sums it up - the FX5200 is quite good for a budget board, but (as many already say) won't be up to driving heavy-duty DX9 at worthwhile frame rates...

Interesting to note in that test, using lots of AA/AF puills even the Geforce 4 to a miserable level, and drops the Radeon 9200 altogether.

At the price compared to the others you mention, the Geforce 4 Ti4200 is pretty hard to beat!

Aug 19, 2003, 01:05 AM	#1
Ney DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Brazil Posts: 89 Rep Power: 0	A big story As you can see in the left, I live in Brazil. And as you can see down there (no signature) I'm not addicted in latest hardware. I'm a very specific kind of gamer (at least I think so - makes me feel kinda unique, you know). I always single-play. Why? Because: - Ping, latency, etc, usually aren't that great here - Subscription prices for online games, converted to our "Real" currency, get a little high. I don't even know if my country is vastly supported in multiplayer games either And specially: 1 - I don't wanna fall in temptation (is there such an expression in English?) 2 - I need a greater goal Let me explain these last two: 1 - I don't have the same amount of free time as I had years ago. I know multiplayer games are cool, but that's the problem. 2 - When I play my single player games, I usually have a goal, which keeps me going until I accomplish it. And then, I delete the game, knowing that I will never play it again (sadly, most of the times). Who knows when I would delete a multiplayer game. Oh well, maybe I'm not a very competitive guy. There's another thing: since I don't play that much anymore (I'm lying - I think I play a little too much sometimes), I also "don't wanna fall in tempation" (spoil myself is the expression, maybe), so I'm completely satisfied if I play a game with this configuration: - 800x600, 32 bit - Bilinear or Trilinear - No Anisotropic, No AA - Most settings at max (texture quality, blah blah) Maybe I'm doing wrong. Maybe since I don't play that much, I should enjoy these unforgettable moments with all the eye candy I could get. Oh, let's move on. No, let's not. I forgot to say that I've never seen a game running with anisotropic and/or AA, so I guess that helps (me). System specs: Athlon XP 1600+ non overclocked, ECS KTVTA2 (266mhz), 512mb DDR PC2100, WinXP, Philips 107E 17" monitor, SB Live. My video board is a XFX GeForce4 MX440SE 64mb. Yeah, that crippled one, with the 64-bit bus. So, here's the Problem 1: I wanna keep playing some new games. And I've already played some demanding ones, but I had to lower some options. Problem 2: I wanna enter the world of shadows, pixel shaders, etc. I guess it's inevitable, though (fortunately): my next card will be a DX8 or DX9 one for sure. Problem 3: Price. Let's keep it more or less low budget, ok? So, what do you think? What I should buy to make Problem 1 go away and keep it away for some time? Thanks a lot.

Aug 20, 2003, 03:31 AM	#2
Data1232 DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Right. Behind. You. Posts: 180 Rep Power: 0	I would think that a video card upgrade would be best. It may offer the best price/perfomance ratio you can find. If you could get a Radeon 9600 Pro it's DX9, and i've found it for about 120USD at pricewatch.com, i'm not sure how that translates into your currency. It might help if you could list some of the games that you play or expect to play later this year. Good luck! EDIT: I had to add what video card i was actually talking about....sorry. __________________ Windows XP Pro 32-bit Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 2 GB DDR2-800 eVGA 680i XFX GeForce Ultra 8800 () Creative X-Fi Gamer Last edited by Data1232; Aug 21, 2003 at 12:12 AM.

Aug 20, 2003, 06:29 AM	#3
toddsmack2k It Never..... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,173 Rep Power: 0	Well 2 choices for a great budget card are either the 9500 Pro or the 9600 pro, depending on if you can find the 9500. I would recomend the 9500 non pro that you can mod but I do not believe that is what you are wanting to get into. Those 2 choices would get you into playing the new games with great results and very little cash. Although if you could stand it go for the 9700 pro and get ready for some awesome eye candy. __________________ [color=blue]*Bleeding From the Inside Pouring Out, The* *DriverHeaven* Spiral, We Shall Never Let Go Of.[/color]

Aug 20, 2003, 06:42 AM	#4
Bane the ECF DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 220 Rep Power: 0	I don't know...he can squeeze a lot of performance out of that GF4-MX440 if he doesn't use antialiasing or anisotropic filtering. I bet he could get excellent performance out of a lot of games by just upgrading his CPU to a Athlon 2400+ 266MHz CPU. This upgrade alone should keep him going for some time. Of course, a moderate upgrade to a GeForce FX5600 or Radeon 9600 would be nice too... Bane __________________ ASUS K8N-E Motherboard Athlon 64 3200+ 10x200MHz Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu Heatsink & Fan 2x512MB Mushkin Black Level 2 PC-3500 ATi Radeon X800 SE 256MB 100GB Western Digital SE 8MB 7200RPM 320GB Seagate 8MB 7200 RPM Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Sony 19" E400 Trinitron Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A All-Aluminum Logitech Z-5300 5.1 Surround Sound

Aug 20, 2003, 06:45 AM	#5
toddsmack2k It Never..... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,173 Rep Power: 0	Yes but if he wants to experience pixel shaders and shadowing then he will need alot more than that card can give him. He stated he already has had to turn down options so therefore I see him needing at least the 9600 or up to keep up with the latest games and to get the jaw dropping eye candy he wants. __________________ [color=blue]*Bleeding From the Inside Pouring Out, The* *DriverHeaven* Spiral, We Shall Never Let Go Of.[/color]

Aug 20, 2003, 03:16 PM	Thread Starter #6
Ney DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Brazil Posts: 89 Rep Power: 0	Thanks! But what do you think about the GeforceFX 5200? Is it that bad? Would there be a significant increase in performance? I checked the prices here, take a look (converted to US dollars): VGA AGP 128MB FX5200 DDR/TV/DVI XFX AGP 8X PVT34KNAH6 ==> 98 VGA AGP 128MB GeForce4 Ti4200 AGP8X - Prolink ==> 134 VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9100 TV-OUT/DVI OEM SAPPHIRE ==> 108 VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9200 TV-OUT/DVI BOX SAPPHIRE ==> 113 VGA AGP 128MB ATI RADEON 9500PRO BBA BOX ==> 249 Games I would like to play, for example: - Half Life 2 - Splinter Cell - Max Payne 2 - Silent Hill 3