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The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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13. April 2009 @ 16:40 |
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Originally posted by harvrdguy:
So I take it by Kevin's comments - he stopped playing SA now that he has GTA4 - that there is something wayyy more immersive and interesting about the newer game. But since everybody likes SA, I guess I'll pick it up - there it is - $7.85 with free shipping on ebay :)
Rich
100% correct :D Yah, the graphics are so stunning on GTA IV, its hard to play anything less. Cant wait to get the 30" samsung now. I really hope they lower the cost of that baby! Not that its not worth a grand+ LOL!
The game so far only lacks a couple things that SA had. Rocketpack and Parachute. But who knows. I bet they could offer a plugin/patch for it.
Another thing, My Onboard Graphics could play SA on the MSI computer. It had 6200 onboard I believe. But I quickly upgraded to 8600GT. The 8600 played it like it was nothing. Now GTA IV, thats a different story LOL!
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 13. April 2009 @ 16:44
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AfterDawn Addict
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13. April 2009 @ 17:55 |
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On a 24", 4870 Crossfire is ample for all bar Crysis. It's only 2560 that anything more is required. By average, the scaling of Quad CF levels out such that the performance compared to standard CF at 1920 is similar.
I haven't played either GTA game much. I quite like how GTA4 looks maxed out (though I do encounter the occasional flickering texture), but it doesn't run that great to be honest. I might try cutting something back, but not sure what. The textures aren't quite crisp enough that dropping the res is very acceptable, and the other performance-relevant features are really irritating, less cars on the road or less draw distance.
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harvrdguy
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13. April 2009 @ 19:13 |
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Oh, Omega, so you're going for a 30" too.
You know, I bought a 24" samsung over the holidays for a relative - actually with an HD tuner in it (same price as the monitor-only version without the tuner) - and I was seriously considering the 30" samsung versus the dell (which I ended up getting new for $850 through ebay.) The two monitors employ a slightly different technology, and the samsung brightness varies greatly depending on your vertical position looking at the screen - however I don't know if that would really come into play when you are gaming!
I really can't tell you exactly why I ended up with the Dell - not a clear-cut decision as you can tell. Maybe Sam has some ideas about 30" Dell versus Samsung. There were plenty of people happy with their Samsung monitors, just as with the Dell. The online reviews of both were excellent. As I recall, the 30" Samsung didn't have a vertical height adjustment. But it seems that a later review showed it being adjusted vertically - maybe that was something that Samsung corrected soon after release of the earlier versions.
Well, when San Andreas arrives, I'll test it on the p4 and see what happens - the gpu 3850 is pretty solid and if that can carry its share of the load, maybe the game will be playable. I score just under 5000 3dmark6 these days overclocking the 3850 (and using faster than stock fan speeds courtesy of ati tray tools to keep the 3850 temps below 85 most of the time.)
Sam, we'll have to see what happens to your GTA4 if (or when) you bump to 8 gigs of DDR2. Kevin is enthusing so much over the game it reminds me of Jeff with Crysis - I'm salivating at the thought of what awaits if the i7 ever gets itself built, hahaha.
Rich
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13. April 2009 @ 19:27 |
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Heh, well there's going for, and wishing for... :P
The Samsung has rather varied brightness at vertical height in much the same way as the 3008, I don't think the panel is any better or worse. Ultimately the 3007's panel is the best. The 3008 panel isn't as good, but it's still good enough to warrant getting one over a 3007 if you want the extra inputs.
I will see about the 8GB of RAM. I'm still pushing it these days with the game and 4 gigs, but am really down on funds at the moment, it'd be no problem if I could land at the end of the term with an overdraft that could be paid off by a summer job, but in the current economic situation temporary summer jobs are very hard to find. For now, I'll be sticking with what hardware I bought up until Easter.
On the bright side, GTA4 runs better than Crysis maxed out, I can safely say that much, Up until the sart of the action they're about equal, but later on Crysis takes the nut, and Warhead is certainly more demanding. That said, sine Crysis uses less video memory than GTA4 in some areas, if AA could be applied (and it would make GTA4 look much better) we'll have to see.
Just installed Demigod, a Multiplayer (or AI Skirmish) only game based on a popular Warcraft 3 mod that I've played, but with high-tech graphics. Seems to play quite well, and runs flawlessly at 2560 with 8xAA from the off, always good to see! :)
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harvrdguy
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13. April 2009 @ 20:02 |
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Economy? I thought it was only us here stateside that had that problem. You tellin me that it truly is worldwide - I thought that was just hype lol.
Yeah, just returned from a small deposit at a bank - noticed a wells fargo branch over near Mervyn's that I never knew was there - practically around the corner. I went in and asked "When did you guys set up over here?" expecting her to say "Oh, about 6 months ago." Instead she said, "Oh, it's been about 5 years." Am I blind!!! Then getting back to the car - or do you call them lorries (:P - oh wait, from cod2, that's for trucks!) - I noticed that Mervyn's was all shuttered up - peering through the blinds I could see the wide aisles barren of merchandise. Interesting times!!
Demigod - you guys always with your new software titles!! Let me ask you then - estuansis just having remarked how he keeps his computer on 24/7 since he's such an FPS freak - I read a review recently regarding the 4890 and the benches included World in Conflict.
I saw some trailers and it looked interesting, but it's an RTS, not an FPS. Have any of you guys played it - would a die hard p90 first person shooter of a gamer find it worthwhile??? The graphics looked pretty awesome!
Rich
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 13. April 2009 @ 21:56
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AfterDawn Addict
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13. April 2009 @ 20:48 |
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It is far from worldwide, it's affecting us now as much as it is you pretty much, loads of people out of work, loads of businesses going bust, it's hard enough to keep a regular job, let alone be hired for a student placement. The local council who I used to work for over the summer axed its student placement scheme last year. I only made £276 last summer doing odd jobs. Back then that was the equivalent of nearly $500. Now it's only $375. That's how it's affected our country's currency.
Lol yes, cars are cars. Trucks used to be lorries, but the term truck is becoming more widespread now.
I keep my server on 24/7 in York, but never my gaming PC, no need, and I like the lack of noise, and lack of bright LEDs annoying me. It's on most hours of the day though as it's being used. No need for my server to be on 24/7 at home, as it bridges it's internet through my main PC (as only main PC has the Two network ports needed to bridge), so for my server to work, my PC needs to be on. I could buy a switch, but right now I can't afford it.
Haha yes Demigod is an RTS. Personally I think you should try getting into RTS games, especially Supreme Commander (though that's another one for the absolutely not before you have a dual or quad core club) as it can run well on modern hardware now, has much less limiting zoom ranges (i.e. whole map is on half your screen, or one tiny unit fills the screen, that's how comprehensive it is), it's a relatively simple concept and unit set, and the tactics are fairly intuitive. It's also a good looking and great sounding game. I like it because I prefer Sci-Fi strategy to older games, and I enjoy the freedom of movement that far eclipses any other RTS.
Demigod is made by the same developer Chris Taylor, but is more close-in, restrictive, and magical, on the spiritual succession of the heritage game Warcraft 3 it tries to follow.
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harvrdguy
Senior Member
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13. April 2009 @ 21:45 |
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Originally posted by sam:
Personally I think you should try getting into RTS games
Hmmmm. Well, that would be quite a change for me from the last - what - six years of gaming? Let's see - the guy who cleaned the buildings, Pedro, with whom I practiced my Spanish, asked me for games for his 9 year old kid Fernando, to whom I had given an old W98 200 mhz computer. I pulled out the Windows 98 disk, and found a futuristic marine game with jet packs, and another game based on giant truck derbies - trucks with huge wheels. For the kid's 10th birthday, summer of '03, I ended up getting the family two more used computers from my buddy Mo, the fastest a 400 mhz, and I LANed all three together to play the Monster Truck Madness game multiplayer!
My wonderful obsession was born!! No more dating!! LOL
But since then I would have to say that it's been FPS all the way, and I just don't know if an RTS would keep me interested.
However, the World in Conflict trailer looked really good, and the programmers and artists drew a lot of inspiration from the fps genre, particularly Call of Duty 4 and 5. So if I were to take your advice and give RTS a try, it might be better for me to start with something like that - it's set in 1989 - an alternate reality where the Soviet Union, instead of collapsing, invades Europe and the Western U.S.! LOL! The single player version focuses on an American Captain, as I recall, defending Seattle. How does that idea sound? Do you know anybody who ever played the game?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 13. April 2009 @ 21:55
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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14. April 2009 @ 00:05 |
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I salivate at the size of anything larger than 24"! LOL! Especially when its resolution smokes blu-ray! I still dont understand much of its terminology though. There's no need to try and explain. This is just something I have to experience and learn over time. :)
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AfterDawn Addict
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14. April 2009 @ 03:29 |
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@Sam
That's why I'm glad I got this screen when I bought my 8800GTX. It's big enough to be luxurious but not so big that newer cards can't handle games on it. The Pixel density is really good on a 24" as well so the IQ is great.
@Rich
World in Conflict is an Action/RTS gamer's dream and quite a visual treat as well. You can zoom in so close you can see your soldiers' faces and hear their conversations. Or you can zoom out far enough to have a decided advantage seeing almost the entire map. The story is fairly good and can touch bit on the emotional level. The strategy can be deep and has a multitude of options to tackle every situation. Not to mention several REALLY epic battles. I found the game to be fantastic in single player and enormously fun in multiplayer. Definitely recommended if you haven't played it yet.
I'm pretty much over Crysis though. Sure, it still murders everything to date. But it's old news now. Definitely in my "Legendary Games" list. But now that I've finished my tweaks, I just play it(actually quite well too). I'm done raving about it XD
BTW, has anyone tried the new Prince of Persia yet? The performance is above average for new games and the visuals are pretty sharp(It lets you use AA!!!) I'm really digging the new art style as well as the heavily improved gameplay. Mind you, the last POP I played was Sands of Time on my Gamecube. But I heard the sequels weren't really anything special.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14. April 2009 @ 03:58
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AfterDawn Addict
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14. April 2009 @ 09:25 |
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Well, you can still teach an old dog new tricks and all that, not that I'm implying that you're old... :P
Man, Monster Truck Madness takes me back.
World in Conflict is an interesting RTS as it's more direct unit command based, there's no base building, defense structures, and all that, you just choose your units then order them into the battlefield. If you prefer realism in current or past times to futuristic space-age stuff, then World in Conflict is probably a good place to start.
Omega: I'll show you how big a 1080p film comes up on my screen when I get back home if you like...
Estuansis: I first got a 30" when I had the X1900XT. It actually did rather well outside oblivion. Only the 2007 releases really hurt it, Episode Two, COD4, Supreme Commander, STALKER SoC and all those...
I've tried Prince of Persia a bit, it's OK, I'm working on getting accustomised to the art style, but the graphics are relatively good.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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14. April 2009 @ 14:08 |
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Quote:
Estuansis: I first got a 30" when I had the X1900XT. It actually did rather well outside oblivion. Only the 2007 releases really hurt it, Episode Two, COD4, Supreme Commander, STALKER SoC and all those...
I've tried Prince of Persia a bit, it's OK, I'm working on getting accustomised to the art style, but the graphics are relatively good.
Again I'm not surprised to hear that. The X1900XT was awesome for its time. A true high end card. But I got my 8800GTX and 2407WFP right after Crysis came out and games started to get more demanding again. So I made a good compromise between size and performance. 1920 x 1200 is perfect for my cards ATM as it lets me use eye candy. I can get good performance AND visuals :D
Prince of Persia is a fairly refreshing platformer, not to mention a pretty nice port. Again, the Xbox 360 controller is making itself extremely useful. The controls are smooth and the visuals are great IMO. The art style is interesting and detailed, but very clean. Nice performance as well.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14. April 2009 @ 14:13
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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14. April 2009 @ 14:09 |
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Interesting development, the price of the HD4890 has been cut from £200 to £190, and the £200 GTX275s have all disappeared in favoured of £220 ones. With a 15% price gap, I must say I find myself wavering towards favouring the Radeon. The GTX275 is the better card, but 15% better? I'm doubtful.
Hehe, the X800 Pro/XT, X1900XT, 8800GTX, 8800GT and HD4850/HD4870 were all groundbreaking cards.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14. April 2009 @ 14:12
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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14. April 2009 @ 15:09 |
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Yes it's nice to see AMD/ATi competing well again. Both the 4800 series and the Phenom II, while not as fast as Intel/Nvidia, still offer a powerful system. The Phenom II is the biggest surprise for me as the Phenom 1 was terrible and left me disappointed. But the 4870 was really expected after such a strong return with the 3870. It was all a matter of improving on the newer architecture for both. Good going AMD/ATi :)
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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14. April 2009 @ 15:11 |
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The Phenom II is a massive improvement on the old one, but AMD still need to do more. The maximum cut-off for AMD CPUs is slightly below a popular pricing point for gaming PC systems, a price point that now just covers i7s.
The ATI comeback has been astounding though, from the pathetic 2000 and 3000 series, I'd consider the 4800 series world-leading.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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14. April 2009 @ 18:37 |
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Yeah but the Phenom II does offer a fast, powerful quad core for us AMD fanboys. It can only get better from here and the price is actually not terrible given how cheap the rest of the system was(relatively speaking of course) with high end components. i7 is still more expensive to build with.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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harvrdguy
Senior Member
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14. April 2009 @ 19:11 |
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Sands of Time!!!!!! Estuansis!!!
That kid Fernando could play Prince of Persia like nobody's business, but I had to show him how to get through that big fight with all the sand warriors (we didn't even realize that you got more life by running over to the end of the hall and drinking the water - duhh!) Also, as I played the game myself later, I thought the fight with the bikini clad sand women was pretty sexy. And the music was nice - especially when you were fighting! But later in the game, I couldn't figure out how to successfully flip off one bar to a bar immediately above it, by bouncing off the wall behind, and kid Fernie had no problem. That's where I ended and he took the game home with him.
I might just be a little too clutzy for games like that, hahaha.
Thanks for the nice review of World in Conflict. With your literary skills, and sam's push, you sold me.
"old dog new tricks" hahaha. That's a good one Sam (you SOB) - just kidding!
I guess I shouldn't go around saying things like "monster truck madness!" hahahaha!! (what would russ and creaky have to say about monster truck madness over on the builder forum - "monster truck WUT??")
Alright, betwen you and jeff, I'm gonna get that RTS World in Conflict - satisfied? I've got one bid going right now. LOL
Regarding Crysis, like anything, (even women haha) the best of things can get old after a while - that's human nature for you. But I'll leave it uninstalled until my system is powerful enough to run it on high settings - the memory of you being dazzled by the eye candy drives me forward!! :D
Rich
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AfterDawn Addict
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14. April 2009 @ 19:22 |
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i7 is indeed more expensive to build with, but the whole architecture (CPU, RAM, Mobo) with 6GB RAM vs. an AMD with 4GB costs about 26% more, I worked it out. I'm willing to bet you get more than 26% extra performance for that.
Still, as you say, now AMD fanboys at least don't have laughable PCs any more.
Frankly I have no need for Crysis just yet, though I do want to finish Warhead at some point. It will most definitely be dragged back when hardware advances again though, to see just how close I can come to running it maxed out on a 30". That will truly be a sight to behold.
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harvrdguy
Senior Member
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14. April 2009 @ 19:45 |
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That is a very good point.
What you just said tells me that with hardware as it is right now, sure - I'll play crysis when I can run it fairly high - but it would be better if I didn't play it so much, at this point in time, that I got tired of it. Leave some freshness in it. Makes sense.
Then, in a year of so, when we think we REALLY have "crysis-raping" technology, drag it out again, dust it off, and CRANK IT UP TO THE MAX -- 45-50 fps 2560x1600 all the way (with occasional dips to 30.) :D
Good Plan!!
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15. April 2009 @ 03:12 |
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Evening all, been a little while since I've posted lol. Been busy with stupid uni work. Anyway, I'm depinning my 24pin connector - when I put it back together it doesn't matter if I cross cables of the same colour, does it? AFAIK all orange connections are +3.3V, all reds are +5V, and all black are COM... I just don't want to have to put 23 individual labels on...
Gigabyte 3d Aurora 570 | Coolermaster Real Power M1000 | Core i7 920 @ 4.0ghz w/ Coolermaster V10 | DFI LanParty DK-X58-T3EH6 | Evga GTX275 SLI @ FTW clocks | 3x2GB Patriot 1600mhz | Seagate 500GB x2, 1.5TB, FreeAgentPro 500GB | Dell 2408WFP | Windows 7 Professional x64
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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15. April 2009 @ 06:37 |
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Not especially, but I'd try and keep ones in the same group together.
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15. April 2009 @ 07:29 |
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Alright will do. By the way, I bought two gtx275s, just waiting for them in the mail - seen any sli reviews yet?
Gigabyte 3d Aurora 570 | Coolermaster Real Power M1000 | Core i7 920 @ 4.0ghz w/ Coolermaster V10 | DFI LanParty DK-X58-T3EH6 | Evga GTX275 SLI @ FTW clocks | 3x2GB Patriot 1600mhz | Seagate 500GB x2, 1.5TB, FreeAgentPro 500GB | Dell 2408WFP | Windows 7 Professional x64
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4 product reviews
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15. April 2009 @ 07:55 |
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Not much. Overall their 3D performance is excellent, they're just cut back by the lower memory at the highest settings.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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15. April 2009 @ 22:27 |
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And even then you'd need an extreme case to limit those cards. They are both more powerful than a GTX260 and they WILL perform like it in SLI. The only games that might give you any trouble are Grid, Far Cry 2, and Crysis. Those are the only games I know that will really suck video memory. And, seriously, you still shouldn't have many problems if any at all.
OMG I'm having one of those moments. Elika in the new Prince of Persia is so damned beautiful. I'm falling in love with a video game, WTF. Maybe I really do need to start dating again >.< For now I'm play some CoD2 to get the ole' Geekosterone flowing again :P
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 16. April 2009 @ 00:46
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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16. April 2009 @ 02:58 |
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I posted this in the building thread as well. Though I think it pertains MORE to this thread LOL!
Well...now that the DSL is back up and running...Im curious if anyone can give me an explanation for this. Its something thats always had me curious. It seemed to disappear from one of my computers, with a simple RAM upgrade. However, I doubt thats the case with this one. Is it simply graphics drivers, or XP drivers, video memory, etc that cause this? Extremely Technical explanations welcome LOL! Sometimes it does it, other times it doesnt. Seems to depend on the program. Im curious, if this sorta thing exists EVEN in sli/CF systems...SAM! LOL!
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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16. April 2009 @ 03:25 |
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No clue LOL. It might be that the program doesn't agree with SLI. Try disabling SLI and see what it does. I've had that happen to me at times. Though I'm not sure if CF caused it. ATi has a technically superior video engine.
In other news I've been playing through CoD and United Offensive again. They're surprisingly even more awesome than I remember them. CoD still surprises me as the graphics are way beyond any other Quake 3 engine game ever made. The archaic health system is now gaining a little appreciation though as I'm finally going through on hardened difficulty :P They actually place health in strategic spots so you can move through somewhat scripted events while retaining a lot of excitement. And it makes the battles really tense as you move from cover to cover. Knowing you can't just hunker down and wait for your health to charge ala Halo.
United Offensive is also another impressive achievement on the Quake 3 engine. It actually looks closer to CoD2 than CoD1. They use the same smoke and explosion effects from CoD2 plus much higher res textures and higher poly models than CoD1. That and they use large-scale battles to awesome effect. United Offensive is actually glorious when you turn all the options all the way up.
I'm really surprised because the last time I played through both was with my X800GTO XD I didn't remember them being this great :P
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 16. April 2009 @ 03:28
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