Video Card Question

[Eaglesfan27]

I currently have a GeForce 2 MX 100/200 with 64 MB of RAM, but I'm experiencing significant slow down in the game play of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic usually 20 minutes or so into each play session which is making some of the combats unwatchable without exiting and reloading where everything is usually ok again. The game recommends 128MB of Video ram on my system, but 32 is the min requirement. If I get the lastest video card, would this likely solve my problem with the game? Also, which would you recommend: Radeon 9800 XT with 256 MB of SDRAM (would this be incompatible with my motherboard which I'm fairly sure has DDR RAM?) or the Verto GeForce FX 5900 with 256 MB DDR RAM, or the GeForce 5600, AGP, with 256 MB DDR RAM (which is 300 dollars cheaper then the other 2 at my local CompUSA.)

I'm doing research on all 3 of these cards now, but if anyone who knows more then me on this subject (which is probably most of you) could give me some input/advice I would appreciate it.

[Philliesfan980]

I'll tell you, and everyone else out there to get this card: The Radion All in Wonder 9700. Its a great card, 128 MEG of ram (which is enough right now), plus it has a built in TV Tuner.

The built in TV tuner doesn't sound that great on the surface, but when you dig a little deeper, its like having a personal Tivo for esentially free. It comes with awsome software that's very similar to Tivo (an onscreen guide). I tape all my favorite programs, and then burn them to a inexpensive CD-RW, and plop it in my DVD player. And if I like the show, I'll put it on a CDR and keep it for a long time!

[Eaglesfan27]

Most of the cards come with the TV tuner... I wonder if they all come with that software? How does it work? Specifically, what sort of cord do you need to connect your computer to your TV? Is it regular cable wire?

[Calis]

The RAM on your video card will work regardless of what your Motherboard uses, different things all together.

Another thing, what motherboard are you using? I've heard that the game has some serious issues with some Intel Chipsets, so it might not just be your graphics card. Don't know if you've already checked that.

In regards to your actual question though, I'd highly recommend the Radeon. I moved over from the nVidia base when the 9700 came out, and am loving it. You'll see through your studies that the 9800 is sticking it to the 5600 pretty hard in most cases, and the tables seem to have turned as of late, with nVidia having the driver problems ATI was notorious with. Anyway, the 9800 will be a lot better for ya once the DX9 games start hitting the shelves, so if you're looking ahead, another reason.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm somewhat ignorant on the most recent computer technology. So, I'm not sure if this is what you were asking about my mother board but here it is: I'm using a Compaq 6024 Pentium 4 with 1.8 GHz. Norton states my processor is GenuineIntel Family 15 Model 1 1.8 GHz Stepping 2. My BIOS is COMPAQ - 20020115 686Y2 v2.10, 01/15/02 according to Norton.

Hmmm.. If my motherboard might be the problem: then this is a much more difficult decision. Eventually I will want to upgrade my video card, but the only reason I would do it now is to correct the problems I'm having with this game. Also, there are some sweet game deals being offered by ATI due to the problems with Half-life 2.

[Philliesfan980]

Originally posted by Eaglesfan27
Most of the cards come with the TV tuner... I wonder if they all come with that software? How does it work? Specifically, what sort of cord do you need to connect your computer to your TV? Is it regular cable wire?

Not sure if they all come with that software, or whether or not that software was written specifically for the Radion series cards. Its really easy to setup and hook up. All you do is Hook up the CoAX (regular TV CABLE) into the video card. Then on the video card, there's a "LINE OUT" that you simply plug into your "line in" or even "mic in" on your soundcard, and wala, you have a tivo.

[Eaglesfan27]

The TIVO-like function is nice as I often use movie footage or TV footage in presentations I give. This would make the process of getting TV footage for the presentations much easier.

[Philliesfan980]

Originally posted by Eaglesfan27
The TIVO-like function is nice as I often use movie footage or TV footage in presentations I give. This would make the process of getting TV footage for the presentations much easier.

Yeah, it really makes things alot easier. Easy to edit too since its all in MPEG or AVI format. You can choose the quality level that you want also.. VCD for everyday viewing , or DVD quality for good stuff.

[FloridaFringe]

You will need to check with Compaq to verify if that Motherboard can handle a 4x AGP at 1.5 volts and/or an 8x AGP at 0.8 volts. If it cannot handle either then you are looking at a motherboard upgrade prior to using a new video card. If it doesn’t support the 8x AGP at 0.8 volts then you will be wasting money on a top of the line card since you will never get to use its full capacity.

As was already mentioned, nVidia is having driver problems that have caused all sorts of trouble for them. They even lost the contract with Microsoft for the Xbox 2, which is now signed by ATI. There has been a reversal of positions in the past year since ATI has joined forces with the old Voodoo company to make one superior card manufacturer. Also, the ATI cards are currently the only ones on the market that fully support DirectX 9 so that is just one more reason to go with them instead.

The 1.8ghz chip should be enough to power a good video card but if you plan on putting in the top of the line then you better start thinking about upgrading to the 2.4c for the simple sake of power. Also, make sure that your power supply is no less than a 350-watt or expect system shutdowns without notice.

Lastly, it is usually recommended by most gamers that the top of the line cards are not worth the money. You will end up spending $300 on something that will be half the price in 4 to 6 months. Try to look for a good card in the $150 range and you should do just fine. The ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 4x/8x AGP 128mb video cards are on sale at CompUSA for $130 and worth every penny.

Link (http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?sid=3FB80F803579617F&product_code=303800&pfp=BROWSE)

Sale ends today but there are usually video card rebates everyweek at either CompUSA or BestBuy.

I just picked up one of these cards for one computer and the Xtasy Radeon 9600 8x AGP 256mb card for another. Well worth the $270 spend in total for both.

[sabotai]

"it is usually recommended by most gamers that the top of the line cards are not worth the money."

Best advise in the whole thread. You do not need to pay $400 for a video card. A $100-$150 one is easily enough for the most recent releases.

And based on the problem you describe, I'm not so sure it has to do with your hardware, it sounds like a memory leak in the game. Going with a card with more RAM could fix it, though. (Since you'll have a lot more RAM, it'll take a lot longer for the leak to cause a slowdown).

Did you check their forums to see if other people are having problems with a memory leak?

[Eaglesfan27]

I did check their thread.. and everything seems to be going well according to their forums even for people who have similiar video cards to my own. I just realized that since I play mostly text sports sim games on this computer, I haven't updated my drivers in a while. Therefore, I'm going to try updating drivers. If that doesn't fix the problem, I'm going to turn options down below the games recommened levels (It's recommending medium level quality selections for most of the adjustable graphic options.) Hopefully, one of those things will fix it. If not, then I'm going to go with one of the recently recommended video cards such as the ATI Radeon 9600, but I guess I better make sure my motherboard can handle even that?

If one of the two aforementioned processes fixes my problems, I'm just going to play the game at this time with the current video card, and wait til either Christmas or my Birthday to ask my wife for a new video card. The game is so good that I'm positive I won't mind playing through it again with another character type and a better video card when I eventually get it.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well this post is somewhat of a moot point as I now see the patch is available and FOF2004 is going to return to the forefront of my attention today, but here are my thoughts about my problems with SW:KOTOR (PC ver.) It seems I'm not freezing up on a time basis at all. Actually, the freezup/slowdown problems which result in my character having jumpy movements (including halfway around a circular hallway) all appear to be having in various apartment complexes which inhabit the game. I also have problems when I exit these apartment areas which require a save and quit. These apartment areas seem to be the only area so far that trigger this problem. I can spend a long time in the Cantinas and the arena with no problem. I've also spent some time exploring other areas. So, I think it is the game itself that is a problem, and I'm wondering if anyone else has this game for the PC has noticed similar problems in the apartment complexes or if I possibly bought a bad CD (although I see no scratch).

Any feedback is appreciated. By the way, I'm going to hold off on the video card until Christmas as I'm fairly convinced that is not the cause of my problem anymore.

[Calis]

KotOR Beta Patch 1.01 (http://swforums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=280284&forum=80)

Check that out, sounds like it fixes some issues with lag. Worth a shot at least.

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks for the link to the beta patch (despite my intention to get into a serious FOF 2004 dynasty - I keep wanting to play SW:KOTOR today) Question: How do I find out if I have an intel i845 or i850 chipset. Since they say to only download the patch for those two issues (one being those chipsets the other being the ATI Radeon 9600 card), I don't want to download if I might mess up the game. Then again, I guess I could always just reinstall.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Calis, thank you so much for that link. I still don't have the game working quite right in those areas, but now I know I'm not alone in having problems specifically in the apartment area and I know a workaround for the problem now. Also, I know that it looks like they are working on a patch for the problem in an expedient manner.

Knowing a patch is coming, I can immerse myself in FOF 2004 while waiting for it :)

[Eaglesfan27]

A little update: I decided to take a chance on the beta patch as the game still wasn't running correctly without it and I wanted to play yesterday. Well, after applying the patch, everything in the game seemed smoother, particularly the apartment complexes. Thank you so much for the patch, and now I can wait til Christmas or my Birthday for a new videocard :) This game is so good and I ended up playing for about 6 and a half hours yesterday (I also played FOF2004 for 3 or 4 hours so yesterday was a gaming marathon when I wasn't watching the Eagles beat the Saints.)

Not to go off on too many tangents, but: Anyone else ever find their loyalty divided like mine was yesterday? I grew up with my grandfather watching the Eagles and we rooted for them for 18 years together. I've been in New Orleans for almost 4 years and I like and root for the Saints now.. However, yesterday my earlier programming took over and I was rooting for the Eagles. I imagine most people root for their earliest team above a more recent adopted team, but I'm curious: Do some people root for their new team over their "old team" that they grew up watching?

[Ryan S]

Originally posted by sabotai
Best advise in the whole thread. You do not need to pay $400 for a video card. A $100-$150 one is easily enough for the most recent releases.

To be honest with you, even if he upgrades to the cheapest Radeon or GeForce FX cards (which seem to be around $70, though I am not too sure of the prices in the US), he will notice a massive performance increase from his GeForce 2 MX card.

[thetrilogy]

I have a Gainward Gefore FX 5600 128mb ddr
and it is great on a P4 1.9 Ghz system w/512 ram.

This card cost me $126.00 at zipzoomfly.com + free ship.

Don't get anything less than a Geforce FX 5600 though.