Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 04:42:00 PM
-AMD Athlon XP 1800+, 1.55 GHz processor
-256 MB Ram (but 64 MB is shared with onboard video chipset) so only 192 MB Ram available
-Asrock K7S41GX motherboard
My soundcard, harddrives, and cooling are superb. It's a shame I'm using it all in a slower comptuer...
So anyways... I can run Halo PC decently. Not great, not good, not poor, decently... it's like a small step above poor. It's with it running at the lowest resolution with no shading, lol that's what it takes to get it to play at a decent fps without video lag.
I can play CS fairly well.
But I want to buy Half Life 2 and CS:Source. So in order to play decently, how should I upgrade my computer?
Would just adding 512/1024 MB of ram help? Or just a nice video card? (I'm looking at the Sapphire Radeon 9600XT 256MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card) Or would I need to upgrade my ram and video card both?
Or is my processor just not enough to handle Half Life 2 or CS:S very well no matter what video card or ram I have???
Thanks for your help,
-Danny
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 05:08:00 PM
And would this give me like decent results during gameplay and graphics? Or great results?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 14, 2005, 05:10:00 PM
Post by: SniperKilla on August 14, 2005, 05:30:00 PM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130220
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 05:52:00 PM
And about my cpu... will it constrict the video card to not work at full performance level?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 14, 2005, 07:22:00 PM
QUOTE(--DANNY-- @ Aug 14 2005, 08:03 PM)
And I really don't want to have to spend over TOPS $120 total for just my video card and ram.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 07:37:00 PM
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well... I'm not trying to run it phenomenally well. I would be satisfied with it at the lowest resolution and only medium for all graphics settings.
I don't want to spend more than $90-ish on a video card.
There are plenty of decent video cards in that range...
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814103165
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150094
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814102344
So none of those cards could decently handle Half Life 2? On a pc with 1gb ram (That's what I'm upgrading to)?
I know that they would be able to handle CS:S because I can play CS right now and it's fairly decent graphics...
Again... I don't want a kickass gaming pc... I want something that I can enjoy a game on... not have an absofuckinlutely phenomenal gaming experience, lol
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 14, 2005, 07:47:00 PM
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http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814153018
better then all 3 and worth the extra 20 bucks
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 08:47:00 PM
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Thanks for the suggestion, I deffinately may buy that one now.
I don't think you understand me here... I am not a pc gamer at ALL! I have played Counter Strike a total of like twice and Halo PC maybe 3 times total. I personally don't like pc games. But I thought that I should give em a try using my xbox controller as a gamepad on my pc, so I wired it up and it works in Halo PC. So then I kinda got into the whole pc gaming thing. So I want to see what all the fuss is about Half Life 2. I'm not going to be always playing the latest pc games, looking for the best video quality...
I am just looking for a video card that is fairly cheap and will run CS:S and HL2 "decently".
Thanks for the reply's and suggestions so far guys!
-Danny
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: Raver758 on August 15, 2005, 12:08:00 AM
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Danny listen, and I hope you really take what Im saying in consideration. When I got my pc, all I wanted to play was half life 2 and css because that only what I played. I didnt want no 6800 or x500, hell Im not down for spending more money on a video card then half my pc. Overtime I got into more games, with my new computer I realized that I should have got a better graphics card. Not only was I playing the games I only wanted to play but because of having a new computer and I saw the amazing graphics I wanted to play more games you know at least take advantage of my computer, and well I ended up paying for a bigger video card. If you want my honest advice, get yourself a nice 6600gt or par to ATI, It does not matter, I would go with NVIDIA though, and make yourself feel better about any games you do decide to play in the future other then half life and css because believe me it will draw you in.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 15, 2005, 12:37:00 AM
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Ya, I really understand your position on this. In fact, I take the same stand.
BUT... I have been exposed to pc games for like 3 years now, I've played CS, like once a year for the past 3. I've played several pc games, and beat them. I just don't really ever get to the point where I want to pay more than $100 just to see better graphics or to play a game. I can guarantee that I'll never be an avid pc gamer. So I know that I'm not going to get too heavily into it.
I just want a video card that can play CS:S and maybe Half Life 2 at a decent quality. Not superb, or not decent for any games coming out in the future that will require a badass video card.
So thanks for your advice everyone, I think I know what I need and what I'm getting now,
-Danny
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 01:04:00 AM
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Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 07:37:00 PM
I don't want to spend more than $90-ish on a video card.
There are plenty of decent video cards in that range...
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814103165
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150094
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814102344
So none of those cards could decently handle Half Life 2? On a pc with 1gb ram (That's what I'm upgrading to)?
I know that they would be able to handle CS:S because I can play CS right now and it's fairly decent graphics...
Again... I don't want a kickass gaming pc... I want something that I can enjoy a game on... not have an absofuckinlutely phenomenal gaming experience, lol
Post by: SniperKilla on August 14, 2005, 07:47:00 PM
better then all 3 and worth the extra 20 bucks
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 14, 2005, 08:47:00 PM
QUOTE(SniperKilla @ Aug 14 2005, 07:58 PM)
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814153018
better then all 3 and worth the extra 20 bucks
better then all 3 and worth the extra 20 bucks
Thanks for the suggestion, I deffinately may buy that one now.
QUOTE(jaroc @ Aug 14 2005, 08:15 PM)
Do what you want, but you're gonna be back here like a year from now asking what to upgrade because your vid card is obsolete
I don't think you understand me here... I am not a pc gamer at ALL! I have played Counter Strike a total of like twice and Halo PC maybe 3 times total. I personally don't like pc games. But I thought that I should give em a try using my xbox controller as a gamepad on my pc, so I wired it up and it works in Halo PC. So then I kinda got into the whole pc gaming thing. So I want to see what all the fuss is about Half Life 2. I'm not going to be always playing the latest pc games, looking for the best video quality...
I am just looking for a video card that is fairly cheap and will run CS:S and HL2 "decently".
Thanks for the reply's and suggestions so far guys!
-Danny
Post by: Raver758 on August 15, 2005, 12:08:00 AM
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 15, 2005, 12:37:00 AM
QUOTE(Raver758 @ Aug 15 2005, 12:19 AM)
Danny listen, and I hope you really take what Im saying in consideration. When I got my pc, all I wanted to play was half life 2 and css because that only what I played. I didnt want no 6800 or x500, hell Im not down for spending more money on a video card then half my pc. Overtime I got into more games, with my new computer I realized that I should have got a better graphics card. Not only was I playing the games I only wanted to play but because of having a new computer and I saw the amazing graphics I wanted to play more games you know at least take advantage of my computer, and well I ended up paying for a bigger video card. If you want my honest advice, get yourself a nice 6600gt or par to ATI, It does not matter, I would go with NVIDIA though, and make yourself feel better about any games you do decide to play in the future other then half life and css because believe me it will draw you in.
Ya, I really understand your position on this. In fact, I take the same stand.
BUT... I have been exposed to pc games for like 3 years now, I've played CS, like once a year for the past 3. I've played several pc games, and beat them. I just don't really ever get to the point where I want to pay more than $100 just to see better graphics or to play a game. I can guarantee that I'll never be an avid pc gamer. So I know that I'm not going to get too heavily into it.
I just want a video card that can play CS:S and maybe Half Life 2 at a decent quality. Not superb, or not decent for any games coming out in the future that will require a badass video card.
So thanks for your advice everyone, I think I know what I need and what I'm getting now,
-Danny
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 01:04:00 AM
QUOTE(--DANNY-- @ Aug 14 2005, 09:48 PM)
I know that they would be able to handle CS:S because I can play CS right now and it's fairly decent graphics...
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 15, 2005, 08:28:00 AM
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If you just want to play with the Source engine a 9600 Pro or XT will be more than fine.
Why?
Maybe because I used to have a 9500 Pro and it ran Half-Life 2 @ around 40 fps with 2xAA and 16xAF @1024x768. I now have a 9800XT and it runs @ around 50 fps with 6xAA and 16xAF.
There is no need for you to buy a Nvidia 6600GT or an ATI x800.
My old system that ran HL2 and Far Cry just fine was an AMD Athlon XP 2500+, Shuttle AN35/N Ultra, 1GB of pc2700 DDR333, Radeon 9500 Pro, SoundBlaster Audigy, ATA 100 2MB Cache 160GB IDE HDD.
Nothing in that old system was high-end and I could play all games just fine.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 09:16:00 AM
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Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 15, 2005, 08:28:00 AM
Why?
Maybe because I used to have a 9500 Pro and it ran Half-Life 2 @ around 40 fps with 2xAA and 16xAF @1024x768. I now have a 9800XT and it runs @ around 50 fps with 6xAA and 16xAF.
There is no need for you to buy a Nvidia 6600GT or an ATI x800.
My old system that ran HL2 and Far Cry just fine was an AMD Athlon XP 2500+, Shuttle AN35/N Ultra, 1GB of pc2700 DDR333, Radeon 9500 Pro, SoundBlaster Audigy, ATA 100 2MB Cache 160GB IDE HDD.
Nothing in that old system was high-end and I could play all games just fine.
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 09:16:00 AM
QUOTE(deftonesmx17 @ Aug 15 2005, 10:39 AM)
If you just want to play with the Source engine a 9600 Pro or XT will be more than fine.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 15, 2005, 09:30:00 AM
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More like 1024x768x32 @ High Settings.
With a 9800XT I can run Far Cry @ 1024x768x32, very high, water quality on ultra high, the AF setting on 4 and Medium-AA(4xAA) and it runs fine.
Oh and my current system is only an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice, MSI Neo2 Platinum, 1GB of PC3200 DDR400, SoundBlaster Audigy,and 3 SATA 8MB Cache 160GB HDD's.
Just because you are a PC enthusiast, doesnt mean everyone else that wants to play PC games should be. He just wants a cheap system that will play games on the default auto-detected graphical settings.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 15, 2005, 09:47:00 AM
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 10:00:00 AM
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Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 15, 2005, 09:30:00 AM
QUOTE(SniperKilla @ Aug 15 2005, 11:27 AM)
that system ran farcry fine? ha.. must have been 800x600x16 @ low settings.. farcry is taxing even on todays high end systems
More like 1024x768x32 @ High Settings.
With a 9800XT I can run Far Cry @ 1024x768x32, very high, water quality on ultra high, the AF setting on 4 and Medium-AA(4xAA) and it runs fine.
Oh and my current system is only an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice, MSI Neo2 Platinum, 1GB of PC3200 DDR400, SoundBlaster Audigy,and 3 SATA 8MB Cache 160GB HDD's.
Just because you are a PC enthusiast, doesnt mean everyone else that wants to play PC games should be. He just wants a cheap system that will play games on the default auto-detected graphical settings.
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 15, 2005, 09:47:00 AM
QUOTE(deftonesmx17 @ Aug 15 2005, 09:41 AM)
Just because you are a PC enthusiast, doesnt mean everyone else that wants to play PC games should be. He just wants a cheap system that will play games on the default auto-detected graphical settings.
FINALLY! Someone who understands what I want! THANK YOU!
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 10:00:00 AM
QUOTE(deftonesmx17 @ Aug 15 2005, 11:41 AM)
More like 1024x768x32 @ High Settings.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 15, 2005, 10:02:00 AM
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Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 15, 2005, 10:02:00 AM
QUOTE(--DANNY-- @ Aug 15 2005, 11:58 AM)
FINALLY! Someone who understands what I want! THANK YOU!
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 02:24:00 PM
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well the cpu could very well limit it.. but if it does or by how much .. we wouldent know... if it does or dosent.. the performance would certainly be better then a 9600XT..
and if you think $30 is a waste for a far superiour card.. that is going to help him play games faster.. and continue to play games for alot longer in the future then the 9600XT.. if you dont think that is worth $30... then i dont know what to say.. you seem to be beyond help..
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 16, 2005, 08:37:00 AM
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Actually, we do know
The CPU will limit it very much. He has an AMD Athlon XP 1800+
All scores were taken with a Geforce 6800 Ultra 256MB
http://www.firingsqu...out/default.asp
If it will perform the same due to CPU limiting, then it will be a waste. There will be no advantage from the 9600 to the 9800 on an Athlon XP 1800+
I know this for a fact. The 9800XT I have now was a friends before he built a new PC. His old PC was an AMD Athlon XP 2600+, Radeon 9800XT, SoundBlaster Audigy xgamer, 1GB pc2700 DDR333.
My old PC was an AMD Athlon XP 2500+, Radeon 9500 Pro, SoundBlaster Audigy, 1GB pc2700 DDR333.
The difference was my Athlon XP 2500 was overclocked to a 3200 with 400Mhz FSB. His Athlon XP 2600 was at stock speeds with 333Mhz FSB.
I would get better framrates in all games with my 9500 Pro then he would get with his 9800XT........due to his being CPU limited..........
P.S. How many times are you going to spell wouldn't wrong? The word is not wouldent........there is no e.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 16, 2005, 11:27:00 AM
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ha what the fuck.. thats a 6800 ultra which is triple the performance of the 9800 pro.. of course its going to hit the bottlenecks there easily.. why not just take a 7800GTX and show its results with those processors too.. maybe it will be reflective upon the 9800pro performance... /me rolls eyes
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 16, 2005, 12:22:00 PM
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Hmmmm so the Geforce 6800 Ultra is triple the performance of the 9800 Pro?
The 9800 Pro gets 83.2fps, the 6800 Ultra gets 89fps. In case you don't know your math, thats only about a 7% increase. Then again, the only reason it is happening is because the game is CPU limited. The reason I posted what I did, was to show that with the same GFX card, the lower the CPU, the worse the performance will be. Now once again, in HL2 the 6800 Ultra only gets 5.8fps more than a 9800 Pro because the game is CPU limited.
Do you need more proof of CPU limiting? Well, here you go
1. This link is an AMD Athlon XP @ 1.6Ghz with a Radeon 9600. Overall Score 11648
http://service.futur...are?2k1=7140608
2. This Link is an AMD Athlon XP @ 1.58Ghz with a Radeon 9800. Overall score 12551
http://service.futur...are?2k1=8348013
3. This is my old AMD Athlon XP @ 2.18Ghz with a Radeon 9500. Overall score 13521
http://service.futur...are?2k1=8163635
4. This is the highest ranked 9800Pro with an AMD Athlon XP from 1.5-1.6Ghz. Overall score 14174
my 9500 was only 650 marks less, I bet the 9800 was CPU limited
http://service.futur...are?2k1=8152015
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: SniperKilla on August 16, 2005, 02:24:00 PM
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 21, 2005, 02:43:00 AM
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Well... the whole status of everything just majorly changed...
I just got $400... so I'm looking to spend about $240 tops on pc ish...
So what could I get to make my pc A LOT better?
I've been looking at This video card, and this stick of ram...
But now that my budget has been raised, could someone help me out with exactly what I should get to increase my overall pc performace and video gaming abilities?
Or should I just stick with that cheap ish and save some money?
Thanks,
-Danny
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: lebriznon on August 21, 2005, 02:54:00 AM
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save up and get a new pc altogether. upgrading what you have now isnt really worth it...
if youre satisfied with what you have, and just want halflife 2, well any card in the r9600 series will do it fine, and you can most likely get one really cheap. I play it with my 9600pro and 9600se and its perfectly acceptable.
but i would still save up even more and get a new pc altogether. more worthwile in the long run.
i was going to get a 6600GT to replace it for myself, but i decided i'd just wait and get a new pc in 2 years or so. right now its a p4 2.6GHz 1GB ddr400 with a 9600pro. I'm not a big gamer, and im sure this will easily last me several more years.
forget the benchmarks, and all the arguments that have passed. These guys are debating theoretical advantages you wont really notice. In practice, and in playing the game, you dont need to use anything as expensive as the cards in the graphs. those are for the more tech-savvy lol. I'd even say its a waste to buy one of those given your current pc.
edit: grammar
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 21, 2005, 03:22:00 AM
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Ya well... I'm not looking out for in the long run... I care about right now and only right now. I just want to be able to handle pc games better and have a faster computer...
So I'd say that I need ram and a video card... what should i get that's under like 200 total that would fix that?
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: lebriznon on August 21, 2005, 12:35:00 PM
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well if you really wanna cheap out, newegg has a refurb radeon9600 for like $40. Spend a few more bucks and get a 9600pro for $71. That'll work for sure, with practically every game now at medium settings. with a bit of tweaking i got doom3 to run quite well on that at 1024x768 medium details. You'd want 512, or even 1GB ram maybe. a 256MB stick is like $23.
$200 is a pretty big budget. Just check how many ram slots you have left, and get 1GB. The advantage over just 512 with your cpu isnt noticeable, or even really there, but its worth it. and get a cheap video card with 128MB. dont really need 256 for these lowenders. Not sure if you've checked this yet either, but make sure you have an agp slot for the new video card lol.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 21, 2005, 04:01:00 PM
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Haha, ya I've checked everything. I do have an AGP 8x slot, and I only have 2 DIMM slots for ram
So I'm thinking of getting either this 512 stick, or this 1 GB stick that comes with a heatspreader, so that's a bonus, or this 1 GB stick that is slightly cheaper...
As for a Video Card, I'm looking at either this 9600xt 256, or this 9600xt 128.
Any help with the choices would be great.
Just remember, I only have 2 DIMM slots, and they can only support up to DDR pc2700 184 pin. And I already have a decent stick of 256.
My processor is an AMD Athlon XP 1800+ 1.55 GHz. And I have an AGP 8x slot and plenty of pci slots.
Thanks in advance,
-Danny
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: lebriznon on August 22, 2005, 12:54:00 AM
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well either will do. 128MB more on a 9600 card wont make much of a difference if any. i dunno. tough call between those two. i trust sapphire more since they make the most ATI cards. But the other does have more memory...
your call. doesnt really matter. ive never bought from newegg personally (they dont ship here...) but i think they have a decent exchange/refund policy no? so u cant go wrong.
as for ram, the 512stick is fine. you'll have 768MB after that which is plenty.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 22, 2005, 03:01:00 AM
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Although I just had a friend ask me if I knew anyone who wanted to buy a pc, it has like a 2.2 GHz processor, 512 ram, 40 + 60 gb hd's, and a 256mb 9600xt. So I think I might just buy like... half of what he has, because he only wants $400 for everything all together...
Thanks for the advice!
-Danny
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 22, 2005, 04:05:00 PM
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I already have a stick of 256, and I only have 2 DIMM slots, so if I got 2 sticks of 512 then I'd be putting that 256 to waste. So I figure it'd be cheaper to get a 512 stick and I'd still have 768, and as Lebriznon said, that'd be fine for my system.
I took a look at the Nvidia6600 series and for a little less, the 9600xt has more/better features/specs. And I live in the US.
I don't really have money to upgrade my cpu, i'd need at least $200 for just the cpu to be happy with an upgrade, lol
So right now, I'm pretty set on getting the Saphire 9600xt 128mb for $88 and the a Rosewill 512mb stick of ram for $43.
Thanks again guys,
-Danny
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: lebriznon on August 22, 2005, 06:36:00 PM
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actually, the 6600GT will outpeform the 9600 through the roof if used to its full potential. I just didnt suggest it because its more expensive and not really worth it at this point. its an awesome value card for a new pc you get now though.
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Title: What Do I Need To Run Half Life 2 Decently?
Post by: foreverporkchop on August 24, 2005, 08:28:00 PM
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I just built a new computer and I got my 9600XT video card laying around. Its about 2 months old with barely any use. I will let it got for 80 shipped. Let me know if your intrested. I can provide pics if needed.
Post by: SniperKilla on August 15, 2005, 02:24:00 PM
and if you think $30 is a waste for a far superiour card.. that is going to help him play games faster.. and continue to play games for alot longer in the future then the 9600XT.. if you dont think that is worth $30... then i dont know what to say.. you seem to be beyond help..
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 16, 2005, 08:37:00 AM
QUOTE(Sniperkilla)
well the cpu could very well limit it.. but if it does or by how much .. we wouldent know... if it does or dosent.. the performance would certainly be better then a 9600XT..
Actually, we do know
The CPU will limit it very much. He has an AMD Athlon XP 1800+
All scores were taken with a Geforce 6800 Ultra 256MB
http://www.firingsqu...out/default.asp
QUOTE(Sniperkilla)
and if you think $30 is a waste for a far superiour card.. that is going to help him play games faster.. and continue to play games for alot longer in the future then the 9600XT.. if you dont think that is worth $30... then i dont know what to say.. you seem to be beyond help..
If it will perform the same due to CPU limiting, then it will be a waste. There will be no advantage from the 9600 to the 9800 on an Athlon XP 1800+
I know this for a fact. The 9800XT I have now was a friends before he built a new PC. His old PC was an AMD Athlon XP 2600+, Radeon 9800XT, SoundBlaster Audigy xgamer, 1GB pc2700 DDR333.
My old PC was an AMD Athlon XP 2500+, Radeon 9500 Pro, SoundBlaster Audigy, 1GB pc2700 DDR333.
The difference was my Athlon XP 2500 was overclocked to a 3200 with 400Mhz FSB. His Athlon XP 2600 was at stock speeds with 333Mhz FSB.
I would get better framrates in all games with my 9500 Pro then he would get with his 9800XT........due to his being CPU limited..........
P.S. How many times are you going to spell wouldn't wrong? The word is not wouldent........there is no e.
Post by: SniperKilla on August 16, 2005, 11:27:00 AM
Post by: deftonesmx17 on August 16, 2005, 12:22:00 PM
QUOTE(SniperKilla @ Aug 16 2005, 01:38 PM)
ha what the fuck.. thats a 6800 ultra which is triple the performance of the 9800 pro...of course its going to hit the bottlenecks there easily.. why not just take a 7800GTX and show its results with those processors too.. maybe it will be reflective upon the 9800 Pro performance... /me rolls eyes
Hmmmm so the Geforce 6800 Ultra is triple the performance of the 9800 Pro?
The 9800 Pro gets 83.2fps, the 6800 Ultra gets 89fps. In case you don't know your math, thats only about a 7% increase. Then again, the only reason it is happening is because the game is CPU limited. The reason I posted what I did, was to show that with the same GFX card, the lower the CPU, the worse the performance will be. Now once again, in HL2 the 6800 Ultra only gets 5.8fps more than a 9800 Pro because the game is CPU limited.
Do you need more proof of CPU limiting? Well, here you go
1. This link is an AMD Athlon XP @ 1.6Ghz with a Radeon 9600. Overall Score 11648
http://service.futur...are?2k1=7140608
2. This Link is an AMD Athlon XP @ 1.58Ghz with a Radeon 9800. Overall score 12551
http://service.futur...are?2k1=8348013
3. This is my old AMD Athlon XP @ 2.18Ghz with a Radeon 9500. Overall score 13521
http://service.futur...are?2k1=8163635
4. This is the highest ranked 9800Pro with an AMD Athlon XP from 1.5-1.6Ghz. Overall score 14174
my 9500 was only 650 marks less, I bet the 9800 was CPU limitedhttp://service.futur...are?2k1=8152015
Post by: SniperKilla on August 16, 2005, 02:24:00 PM
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 21, 2005, 02:43:00 AM
I just got $400... so I'm looking to spend about $240 tops on pc ish...
So what could I get to make my pc A LOT better?
I've been looking at This video card, and this stick of ram...
But now that my budget has been raised, could someone help me out with exactly what I should get to increase my overall pc performace and video gaming abilities?
Or should I just stick with that cheap ish and save some money?
Thanks,
-Danny
Post by: lebriznon on August 21, 2005, 02:54:00 AM
if youre satisfied with what you have, and just want halflife 2, well any card in the r9600 series will do it fine, and you can most likely get one really cheap. I play it with my 9600pro and 9600se and its perfectly acceptable.
but i would still save up even more and get a new pc altogether. more worthwile in the long run.
i was going to get a 6600GT to replace it for myself, but i decided i'd just wait and get a new pc in 2 years or so. right now its a p4 2.6GHz 1GB ddr400 with a 9600pro. I'm not a big gamer, and im sure this will easily last me several more years.
forget the benchmarks, and all the arguments that have passed. These guys are debating theoretical advantages you wont really notice. In practice, and in playing the game, you dont need to use anything as expensive as the cards in the graphs. those are for the more tech-savvy lol. I'd even say its a waste to buy one of those given your current pc.
edit: grammar
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 21, 2005, 03:22:00 AM
So I'd say that I need ram and a video card... what should i get that's under like 200 total that would fix that?
Post by: lebriznon on August 21, 2005, 12:35:00 PM
$200 is a pretty big budget. Just check how many ram slots you have left, and get 1GB. The advantage over just 512 with your cpu isnt noticeable, or even really there, but its worth it. and get a cheap video card with 128MB. dont really need 256 for these lowenders. Not sure if you've checked this yet either, but make sure you have an agp slot for the new video card lol.
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 21, 2005, 04:01:00 PM
QUOTE(lebriznon @ Aug 21 2005, 12:46 PM)
well if you really wanna cheap out, newegg has a refurb radeon9600 for like $40. Spend a few more bucks and get a 9600pro for $71. That'll work for sure, with practically every game now at medium settings. with a bit of tweaking i got doom3 to run quite well on that at 1024x768 medium details. You'd want 512, or even 1GB ram maybe. a 256MB stick is like $23.
$200 is a pretty big budget. Just check how many ram slots you have left, and get 1GB. The advantage over just 512 with your cpu isnt noticeable, or even really there, but its worth it. and get a cheap video card with 128MB. dont really need 256 for these lowenders. Not sure if you've checked this yet either, but make sure you have an agp slot for the new video card lol.
$200 is a pretty big budget. Just check how many ram slots you have left, and get 1GB. The advantage over just 512 with your cpu isnt noticeable, or even really there, but its worth it. and get a cheap video card with 128MB. dont really need 256 for these lowenders. Not sure if you've checked this yet either, but make sure you have an agp slot for the new video card lol.
Haha, ya I've checked everything. I do have an AGP 8x slot, and I only have 2 DIMM slots for ram
So I'm thinking of getting either this 512 stick, or this 1 GB stick that comes with a heatspreader, so that's a bonus, or this 1 GB stick that is slightly cheaper...As for a Video Card, I'm looking at either this 9600xt 256, or this 9600xt 128.
Any help with the choices would be great.
Just remember, I only have 2 DIMM slots, and they can only support up to DDR pc2700 184 pin. And I already have a decent stick of 256.
My processor is an AMD Athlon XP 1800+ 1.55 GHz. And I have an AGP 8x slot and plenty of pci slots.
Thanks in advance,
-Danny
Post by: lebriznon on August 22, 2005, 12:54:00 AM
well either will do. 128MB more on a 9600 card wont make much of a difference if any. i dunno. tough call between those two. i trust sapphire more since they make the most ATI cards. But the other does have more memory...your call. doesnt really matter. ive never bought from newegg personally (they dont ship here...) but i think they have a decent exchange/refund policy no? so u cant go wrong.
as for ram, the 512stick is fine. you'll have 768MB after that which is plenty.
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 22, 2005, 03:01:00 AM
QUOTE(lebriznon @ Aug 22 2005, 01:05 AM)
whoa. the 256MB card is cheaper
That's exactly what had me, lol. So I'm thinking about going with the 128 because it's probably higher quality.QUOTE(lebriznon @ Aug 22 2005, 01:05 AM)
well either will do. 128MB more on a 9600 card wont make much of a difference if any. i dunno. tough call between those two. i trust sapphire more since they make the most ATI cards. But the other does have more memory...
Ya, I didn't think it'd make much of a difference on a 9600xt. And ya, Saphire does tend to be a lot better of a manufacturer.Although I just had a friend ask me if I knew anyone who wanted to buy a pc, it has like a 2.2 GHz processor, 512 ram, 40 + 60 gb hd's, and a 256mb 9600xt. So I think I might just buy like... half of what he has, because he only wants $400 for everything all together...
QUOTE(lebriznon @ Aug 22 2005, 01:05 AM)
your call. doesnt really matter. ive never bought from newegg personally (they dont ship here...) but i think they have a decent exchange/refund policy no? so u cant go wrong.
Ya, NewEgg kicks serious ass, EXTREMELY fast delivery and a GREAT return policy. You can talk to a representative 1 on 1, and even if it works and everything, you can just want to return it after a month because a better deal came out, and they'd be happy to have you ship it back in return for a different one! I love NewEgg!QUOTE(lebriznon @ Aug 22 2005, 01:05 AM)
as for ram, the 512stick is fine. you'll have 768MB after that which is plenty.
Ya that's what I though, and a GB probably wouldn't even be fully used with my processor. But then again... I do tend to do a LOT of video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro 7.0, and it takes fucking forever to completely encode and save the videos...Thanks for the advice!
-Danny
Post by: --DANNY-- on August 22, 2005, 04:05:00 PM
QUOTE(Arvarden @ Aug 22 2005, 07:51 AM)
Get two sticks of 512 and a GFX card worth taking a look at is the Nvidia6600 series. In the UK you can pick one up for (max) £99, cheapest i've seen £69 and you get a free game thrown into the budle. The card is X8 AGP and has 256 ram, it plays all current new releases with ease.
If you can I'd reccomend updating your CPU depending on your motherboard. I had a 1.8xp CPU and upgrading it to a AMD2.4xp CPU made a massive difference in perfermance.
If you can I'd reccomend updating your CPU depending on your motherboard. I had a 1.8xp CPU and upgrading it to a AMD2.4xp CPU made a massive difference in perfermance.
I already have a stick of 256, and I only have 2 DIMM slots, so if I got 2 sticks of 512 then I'd be putting that 256 to waste. So I figure it'd be cheaper to get a 512 stick and I'd still have 768, and as Lebriznon said, that'd be fine for my system.
I took a look at the Nvidia6600 series and for a little less, the 9600xt has more/better features/specs. And I live in the US.
I don't really have money to upgrade my cpu, i'd need at least $200 for just the cpu to be happy with an upgrade, lol
So right now, I'm pretty set on getting the Saphire 9600xt 128mb for $88 and the a Rosewill 512mb stick of ram for $43.
Thanks again guys,
-Danny
Post by: lebriznon on August 22, 2005, 06:36:00 PM
Post by: foreverporkchop on August 24, 2005, 08:28:00 PM