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Denver, 5:12 AM
Sun Nov 15
21 posts in the last 24 hours
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09/02/09
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Best graphics card for $200 (give or take 50 bucks)?
09/02/09
If you're into gaming just throw in $100 more and buy a 360 or PS3. Any of them should last more than 3 years from now and you won't waste your time upgrading drivers and the like.
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Consider these benchmarks for my Radeon 4890 (also, E6550@2.6GHz, and 4GB of DDR2 @ 1000MHz): Run #1- DX10 1920x1080 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 21.73
Run #2- DX10 1920x1080 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 19.895
Run #3- DX10 1920x1080 AA=4x, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 19.09
Run #4- DX10 1680x1050 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 24.8
Run #5- DX10 1680x1050 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 22.71
Run #6- DX10 1680x1050 AA=4x, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 21.755
Run #7- DX10 1280x720 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 35.975
Run #8- DX10 1280x720 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 34.005
Run #9- DX10 1280x720 AA=4x, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~
Overall Average FPS: 32.935
I think my framerates will be a bit higher when I get my new Phenom II X3 720 and overclock the crap out of it. Hopefully, later on I can snag another 4890 (unless these 5000 series kick ass).
I don't consider Crysis conquered until we reach a steady 60fps at 1080p, and clearly this is not possible with even a 250$ card. Not to mention there are mods that make Crysis look even better, and of course have a significant performance impact.
09/02/09
09/02/09
A simple upgrade to similar 260 would do worlds of improvements for people with larger displays.
All in all, it's not that surprising. DX11 has been talked about for some time. Given that DX10 was 2 years ago, it makes sense that a new API is put out.
09/02/09
09/02/09
They sell 1gb 8800gt's, but the performance gain was so marginal, it was wasted money.
09/02/09
Even on my HDTV with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Now that's value right there.
09/02/09
And maybe I'm just out of the loop but I haven't heard of any dx11 game being announced yet.
EDIT: Ok there are a couple, notably BF:BC2 (although I doubt 11 will give it any new effects, just that it is confirmed as compatible with 11) and surprise surprise... Crysis 2.
09/02/09
I wouldnt go rushing for a first gen dx11 card though. I'd be looking for comparisons, noise levels, heat etc. There's not many to benchmark against on launch.
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I can run nearly every game bar crysis on absolute max. Its a good feeling, though it should be given the cost of the thing.
24" hIPS panel is probably the single biggest cost.
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Suppose I can reinstall Firefox, perhaps its a browser issue.
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That's not even mentioning windows 7 which quickly replaced Vista.
09/02/09
DX11 won't become the standard right away, and it definitely won't become mandatory any time soon. Also, a Core2 Duo or Phenom II will be more than enough for some time to come.
Again, it really all depends on your own standards - they can have you upgrading every month or twice a decade.
09/02/09
I'm just not good enough with PC's to know where and when I can upgrade to get the most out of them >
09/02/09
5 years is stretching it...
2 years is very realistic though for the base machine.
As for DX11... Look where we are, DX10 is still not "The letter of the law" for gaming.
09/02/09
And how many games are there that actually support more than one core? A few. Many don't get much of any performance boost from it.
Then you complain about price? You realise that the mid-end hardware is enough to run everything? The only reason you want the really highend stuff, where the really big CPUs aren't needed anyway, is if you own a 30" PC monitor, not a "HDTV", a 30" PC monitor is 2560x1600 res. That's where you start to need the really highend GPUs. For everything less, there's PLENTY of performance in a mid-range card.
And yes, something new will replace i7 for example when it's actually required. At which point the i7 will still be powerful enough to compete, but be old tech wiht lack of support for more modern things. So the only reason ot buy the highend would be if you really need that performance for something, like if you do 3D rendering etc..
You obviously have no clue about how to work with upgrading PCs, so how about you get that before you whine about something you don't know about?
09/02/09
Ofcourse I complain about price if I think it's going to cost more to get the desired results I want. All I'm asking for is a PC that lasts as long as my console and can run new games well but mid-range PC's aren't guaranteed to run all new games for 5 or 7 years so that's why the price point comes into factor. I can see I don't need the higher end GPU's as you pointed out though as I'd just run it on a lower resolution to get more frames per second and slightly higher graphics settings.
I never said I did know but who cares? If you in your mighty wisdom can show me a UK rig that costs less than a 360 and will run new games for 5 to 7 years then do so and I'll be happy and you'll have proved me wrong. IF you can't then I'll ignore your words as fools talk.
I'll make it easier too. I don't need a new mouse, screen or desk so just a tower that can run games for 5 to 7 years with medium settings as that's what I'm wanting otherwise I'd not be getting a better result than my console. And yes 1280x720 along with 30fps or more is fine by me so long as it's not dropping below 30fps by too much.
09/02/09
09/02/09
I could probably make you a PC that could run games for the next 5-7 years if we're not particular about what we mean about "games" for the cost of an Xbox, but an Xbox won't last you 5-7 years from today. If on the other hand we say the price of the Xbox at launch, then we could set up a system that would no doubt be able to run games for the next 5 years, at declining levels of visual fidelity relative to the game of the future.
There may be games that you won't be able to run at all, because of the lack of hardware level support, but that's how technology works. This is the same for consoles, of course, and you'd need a new one to overcome that obstacle. But that's also the beauty of the PC, then you can upgrade your PC for a very small sum, as the current price vs performance of PC hardware is manyfold higher than it ever was before.
And you say it's expensive? Well, let's say you buy 10 new console games a year. The price difference between those console titles and the same titles on PC will easily save you the money every year for a sizable upgrade to your graphics card.
So... your point? That you can't buy a PC for the tiny cost of the current Xbox? No, you can't buy anything very decent for that, but the Xbox 360 is over 3 years old and has had a sizable price reduction over its lifetime. The visual fidelity on it has not received much of any increase either in the last long time, and you would be hard pressed to say the same thing for the PC.
09/02/09
So, you think I'm pretentious? Well, I think you're an ignorant prick.
09/02/09
So you think I'm ignorant? Well, that's what pretentious people call folks. So we're in agreement.
09/02/09
So if it's not running game games then what is it your expecting me to run on a PC? I mean what's these other kind of games that we're talking about when we get particular on the matter? Yeah launch price is what I meant as it is unfair on the PC if I was judging it by current prices.
I agree on that subject about the PC games being cheaper (currently buying around 15 games a year on 360) but that would only be an upgrade to the graphics card and it may need more down the line.
I'm not talking about the current price, I'm talking about launch price. But I'll let you go above that so it can be £400 for just the tower and if that's still not possible then I think I proved my point why I don't bother with PC's. A mix of price, needing to upgrade and having a console be able to do it just fine if I'm not willing to pay for the max settings etc. of PC's.
So like I said recommend me the hardware that'll last 5 years (we'll forget the up to 7 years thing) you could get for £400 or I'll consider it false info.
09/02/09
Games that are easy to run in 5-7 years could be something that wasn't new and triple A, for instance.
[snake-oil.eu] is an example for a build I made for some guy in the US who didn't believe you could get a good PC for about 500$. I don't know where you would look for hardware prices in Britain, but you can look at that list and find the same parts. You may want to look for a decent power supply unit instead of the one in that tower, since that was just an exercise in finding something that would run... but I am pretty sure that same build would be pretty cheap in the UK as well.
If by "400£ for just the tower" you mean the case and all the hardware inside, then well, that's what a PC is... a keyboard and mouse are cheap so I didn't bother including those, as most people also have some lying around. And you need a monitor? Well, if that's included in the price, then a HDTV is included in the price of a Xbox 360 as well, is it not? And you could just use your TV for the PC if all you want to do is game.
09/02/09
So, if you want to make sense, please do so. Otherwise, don't post at all, you contribute nothing, and only prove my point of ignorance.
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I am sorry if I came off a bit crass. Still working my way through the first pot of coffee at the office :p
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