Graphics Card

[Rhyotion]

Im in sort of a dilema here. I was thinking of purchasing a new graphics card, but my parents think that my computer wont support it.(which it will) Plus they dont want me wasting money on a new one that wont improve performace.(which it will)

Here are my specs.

• P4 2.4
• 512 PC2700
• Win XP Pro
• 200W PSU
• Shuttle XPC: SS51G
• GeForce 4 Ti 4600

I had gotten an 9600 for christmas but it didnt seem to improve performance. (i was stupid back then) Well anywho, so now ive decided to purchase an 9600XT from newegg and they dont think i should get it.

So your help is to explain why I should or shouldnt get it.... Have fun.

 

[[x]Steben[x]]

Two ways to make that better. Get rid of XP, get rid of Pentium. AMD 64 and Linux would make for a better computer.

 

[Rhyotion]

Lol. I dont believe thats going to happen.

 

[jd-inflames]

Erm...Athlon 64's are pointless, and Linux only helps if you know what your doing...so your advice did him nothing.

If you are going from a GF4 ti 4600, I wouldn't waste your money on anymore less than top of the line right now. A 9600XT probably won't do you any more than a few frames anyway. Unless you are just that desperate for a DX9 card (I don't believe the GF4 series were..and I'm not certain if the 9600 is either for that matter)

To sum it up, stick with your card now unless you want to shell out about 400 bucks.

 

[x42bn6]

Same. The Ti4600 is still an OK card on the market. But I see no idea why your card that you want can't be supported.

Just make sure you have 128MB and you should be fine.

 

[WQ87]

You won't notice much in performance since the TI4600's fps nearly matches the 9600's, however. The 9600xt has DX9 support, oppose to the Ti4600 which has DX8.1, thus you would probably see better graphics (probably better water quality). But this only applys to DX9+ games. You won't notice much in DX8.1 games and lower.

Examples of DX9 games which would take advantage of the 9600xt's Pixel Shader 2.0:

-Farcry
-Halo
-Battlefield Vietnam
-Half Life 2 (coming soon)

DX9.0c Games that would make DX9 cards obsolete:

-Farcry with PS3.0 patch
-Unreal 3 (coming out in 2005)
-Doom 3? (coming soon)

Unreal 3 utilizes Pixel Shader 3.0, which the only game you would see in is Farcry + PS3.0 Patch. Only video card that has DX9.0c support and Pixel Shader 3.0 are the nVidia 6800 series.

Cards i would recommend, at the exact price or lower, inorder for you to notice a difference between your TI4600:

-Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb of "256-bit" memory($200)
-Radeon 9800xt with DDR2 memory (under $200 on ebay only!)
-GeForce FX 5950 Ultra (under $200 on ebay only!)
-Radeon X800 Pro ($400)
-Radeon X800xt ($500)
-GeForce 6800 ($300)
-GeForce 6800 GT ($400)
-GeForce 6800 Ultra ($500)

Cards that i did not list, should not be bought!!!... for a reason!!!

Edit: when buying a ATI video card, always buy ATI-made cards, no OEM brands. This will ensure you that you won't get a defective card! Trust me.

 

[Sly]

get a Radeon 9800xt. its good and cost little for good performance, but save ur money if u wnat the best. and yes, ur pc is good enough for a new card

 

[Rhyotion]

Thanks, guys. I Bealive I well just wait till the x800 resides to the purchasable prie of 200(which is kinda hard to believe) and the all powerfull newer versions come out. Thanks guys for your help. (And for helping me save money)

 

[RoaCh of DisCord]

Originally posted by jd-inflames
Erm...Athlon 64's are pointless, and Linux only helps if you know what your doing...so your advice did him nothing

Actually linux is really simple to learn.

...but yeah, athlon won't make that much of a differnece

 

[WQ87]

Originally posted by Rhyotion
Thanks, guys. I Bealive I well just wait till the x800 resides to the purchasable prie of 200(which is kinda hard to believe) and the all powerfull newer versions come out. Thanks guys for your help. (And for helping me save money)

X800 Pro is quite good, if you only care about performance and no lag. If you want better graphics, you should look forward into the 6800 series, as it offers something the X800 doesn't offer, which is it's ability to support DirectX 9.0c and Pixel Shader 3.0, something you would find quite attractive in future DX9.0c games like Unreal 3. The X800, however, only supports DirectX 9 and Pixel Shader 2.0. What does that mean? You won't notice much difference in terms of graphics between the X800 and the 9600.

 

[Rhyotion]

Yeah by the time the x800 is 200, theyll be a new ATI card that supports it. Graphics are so orgasmic.