Graphics Card

[Juiceless]

Hi I'm wondering which graphics card should I get? I've heard that some Nvidia cards have had some problems with the game but I don't really want to get another ATI card, I want something that supports shaders better. So if I would get an Nvidia card, which one should I get thats not tooo expensive and runs Oblivion nicely, maybe at 15-18 FPS average outdoors or something like that because at the moment my ATI 9550 Radeon runs Oblivion at 5-8 FPS outdoors and then 3-5 close to an Oblivion gate or when theres NPC's around.

 

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum section.

[Dark0ne]

What is your maximum price?

[Marxist ßastard]

...My ATI 9550 Radeon runs Oblivion at 5-8 FPS outdoors and then 3-5 close to an Oblivion gate or when theres NPC's around.

Well, yes, that's to be expected. The Radeon 9550, at a basic level and without going into the finer parts of computer component manufacture, is the name given by ATi to the Radeon 9600 parts that didn't pass performance testing.

 

In other words, you have in your computer an assembly-line reject of a part that was already mid-range to begin with at the chip family's introduction in 2003. To be honest, I'm surprised that Oblivion starts.

 

I'm afraid to say that if you're looking for something at a Radeon 9550 price range ($US44-60) to replace the part, you'll find that pickings are slim, at best. If you want to keep up the search, then I can recommend this much:

• A GeForce 4 Ti or GTS, Radeon 85XX / 90XX / 91XX / 92XX, or Matrox Parhelia 512 are all one generation behind your current card; a GeForce 4 MX is three generations behind.
  
• All Radeon 9XXX cards except the aforementioned are in the same generation as your current card, but can perform marginally better --- the Radeon x300, x550, and x600 series (where 'x' is part of the product name) are also in the same generation. The 9500, 9700, and 9800 cards are all made from the same basic set of chips with varying degrees of quality, and make up the upper-end of ATI's offerings that generation.
  
• While ATi was working on that generation, nVidia was doing GeForce FX series cards. These are rubbish across the board, and I wouldn't advise you to take one if someone gave it to you for free.
  
• nVidia was rolling out GeForce 6XXX-series cards for the next generation, while ATi produced x7XX and x800 cards. For the generation after that, nVidia made GeForce 7XXX cards, while ATi did x1XXX models. For these two generations, nVidia had an advantage in general. If you decide that this is the price range you want to look at, I can provide you with more detailed comparisons if you want.
  
• nVidia's current-generation offering is the GeForce 8800 GTS / GTX / Ultra. AMD/ATi's card to match is the Radeon HD 2900 XT. The latter performs a bit better than the 8800 GTS, but is about the same against a model of that card with slightly more memory. The 8800 GTX and Ultra soundly defeat the 2900 XT.
  

In general:

• Check to see whether the graphics card connects to the mainboard via AGP or PCI Express. It's very unlikely that your mainboard supports PCI Express, so if you find a graphics card from the GeForce 6XXX or x7XX on up, you'll need to look for the AGP variant --- if it's even available.
  
• Be aware of what your power supply can handle, especially on the 12V rail. If you install a graphics card that your power supply can't keep up with, it's as good as useless.
  
• SLi and Crossfire enable you to hook two video cards up in the same computer and have them cooperate in processing the same image. They're really only useful to boost the power of your already top-of-the-line graphics card. If you win the lottery, these are options. If you win the lottery.
  
• Lastly, keep in mind the physical dimensions of your case. Higher-end cards extend well beyond the slot that you seat them in, and may trespass into space used by your hard drives, or they may not fit inside the case at all.
  

Last but not least, if keeping up with graphics cards makes your head spin and/or your wallet empty, you can always remember that Morrowind is a better game than Oblivion anyways. If you tire of that, reacquaint yourself with classics --- you'd be surprised how modern Deus Ex seems after exploring some of its more overlooked features. Maybe develop a healthy interest in Nethack, or Kingdom of Loathing... And for God's sake, read a book or two.

[Juiceless]

Thanks alot Marxist, I was never sure about some of the ATi's x series cards. I somehow knew that they just weren't made at the generation but it kept on confusing me which one was the newer one and which one was the older one.

 

Is it true that ATi aren't the best cards to support shaders? As from what I've heard, thats the case. Also someone once told me the ATi is mostly just to make the game look good while Nvidia is more of a perfomance card.

 

I always thought that the 9550 was better than the 9600 because I've seen lots of other people have problems with that card in other games (Which I can't remember).

 

So yeah, my mind is set, I'm converting into an nVidian. The 7XXX range that you mentioned... would you mind telling a bit more about it and a comparison with the ATi cards from the same generation, just to see if you might stop me from converting. Oh yeah I got AGP slot(s) just to let you know.

 

Edit: I found a GeForce 7600GS 256MB DDR2 AGP 8x on this British computer store. £84.99. Quite like the price but it's close to the price of my 9550, which scares me. Should I or should I not?

[Juiceless]

Someone please? I'm totally lost with which graphics card would perform the best or at least good enough to make Oblivion have a playable FPS.

[demoncum]

I use NVIDIA GEForce 8900 and that runs perfectly with Oblivion settings set to max. The only problem I have is when I'm out in the open and flying around on Akatosh the game loads the area about every 5 secs.

[thanateros]

The problem you're facing with buying an AGP card is that the data transfer rate is not going to be nearly as efficient as the newer PCI-E cards. AGP is an older technology introduced in the middle-late 1990's, practically the dark ages with the rapid rate of technological advancement. The card you're looking into boasts, at best, 8x AGP, or a 533Mhz processor power with memory transfer rate of 2GB/s. While this might sound fast, for games such as Oblivion, which have set the benchmark for graphics processing power needed to run new games (although the engine is heavily inefficient); PCI-e transfer rates dwarf AGP and are now the standard used in almost all gaming boxes that run newer games.

 

However since you're obviously opperating on a budget I think for the price you're paying the 7600 is a great choice. It's a solid card and not horribly old, and you'll deffinitely experience an FPS boost in Oblivion, however you won't be able to run it on the highest settings (the machine I'm borrowing right now has a Geforce 7300 PCI-e card and can't run oblivion on the highest settings).

 

If you're considering playing a lot of new games you might want to consider saving up some money and replacing you're motherboard with one that is PCI-e compatible.

 

you can always remember that Morrowind is a better game than Oblivion anyways. If you tire of that, reacquaint yourself with classics --- you'd be surprised how modern Deus Ex seems after exploring some of its more overlooked features.

 

If only all games were as brilliantly developed as Deus Ex there would be little that gamers would have to complain about.

[Juiceless]

Thanks alot guys! I'm just not sure if my rig is that... modifiable. I bought it cheap from Acer and it got alot of space inside but if I get a new motherboard, wouldn't that mean me getting a new processor, power supply and whatnots?

[Abramul]

Not necessarily. As long as you get a board with the same socket, your existing CPU ought to work.

 

Since you're upgrading your graphics card, you should at check whether you're near max power for your power supply. There's a topic about them somewhere.

[Juiceless]

How do I check my power supply specs? I tried to use CPU-Z but it doesn't say nought about my power supply.