I upgraded the PC at last..
Discussion
Decided it was time for a PC upgrade, even though many of you have probably run similar specs to this for ages : p.
I had taken the old machine as far as it would go and despite it being a 3ish gig P4 cpu, 2 gig of decent ram, a nice motherboard and an x1950 512 meg AGP graphics card, it was starting to struggle in some games.I always had to lower shadow settings, turn off mirrors, disable aniso and fsaa filtering etc etc etc.It's not that it ran bad as such, i always found a balance between looking good and playing smoothly, but it was time to move on..
Enter a relatively cheap new machine.I sourced a second hand core 2 duo 6600 cpu, 2 gig of decent branded 6700 ram (40 quid), a B grade motherboard (comes with no cables etc etc but saved around 50 notes), grabbed another 250 gig hard drive and then lashed up on an Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card (300 quid!)
Oh lord, it has utterly transformed gaming!
My Samsung LCD monitor has a native res of 1680x1050, so i set all the games to that and maxed out everything possible.Not just all the usual graphics options either, but also ones hidden under advanced menus such as high res wheels and dashboards, swaying trees etc etc.I also put all the shadows and headlamp effects on max, draw distance and cars viewable etc on max, slapped around 20 to 30 cars on the grid and had a go..
It ran like a dream! The ONLY way i can make it have any form of stutter is if i choose a large grid on GTR2, have a night race and have it p*****g down with rain.Even then, as soon as the cars are off the starting line and are round the first corner, it's all smooth as silk again! The reflections and water spray effects are superb!
GT Legends..
GTR2..
Will pop some rfactor shots up later too, but if you enjoy racing games, (i also tried the Call Of Duty 4 demo at the same res and everything maxed and it ran super smooth!) - then you should seriously think about an upgrade.
I had taken the old machine as far as it would go and despite it being a 3ish gig P4 cpu, 2 gig of decent ram, a nice motherboard and an x1950 512 meg AGP graphics card, it was starting to struggle in some games.I always had to lower shadow settings, turn off mirrors, disable aniso and fsaa filtering etc etc etc.It's not that it ran bad as such, i always found a balance between looking good and playing smoothly, but it was time to move on..
Enter a relatively cheap new machine.I sourced a second hand core 2 duo 6600 cpu, 2 gig of decent branded 6700 ram (40 quid), a B grade motherboard (comes with no cables etc etc but saved around 50 notes), grabbed another 250 gig hard drive and then lashed up on an Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card (300 quid!)
Oh lord, it has utterly transformed gaming!
My Samsung LCD monitor has a native res of 1680x1050, so i set all the games to that and maxed out everything possible.Not just all the usual graphics options either, but also ones hidden under advanced menus such as high res wheels and dashboards, swaying trees etc etc.I also put all the shadows and headlamp effects on max, draw distance and cars viewable etc on max, slapped around 20 to 30 cars on the grid and had a go..
It ran like a dream! The ONLY way i can make it have any form of stutter is if i choose a large grid on GTR2, have a night race and have it p*****g down with rain.Even then, as soon as the cars are off the starting line and are round the first corner, it's all smooth as silk again! The reflections and water spray effects are superb!
GT Legends..
GTR2..
Will pop some rfactor shots up later too, but if you enjoy racing games, (i also tried the Call Of Duty 4 demo at the same res and everything maxed and it ran super smooth!) - then you should seriously think about an upgrade.
Edited by Digby on Sunday 14th October 22:09
Top work mate ! !
that black thing is so that you can connect two of them together
in SLI configuration
I've got 2 and there isn't one game i can't max out.
The cards are beastly , i've ordered two more and i'm awaiting a new motherboard and PC shell !
GTr2 is awesome ! ! how do you take pics ? ?
Who needs consoles !!
that black thing is so that you can connect two of them together
in SLI configurationI've got 2 and there isn't one game i can't max out.
The cards are beastly , i've ordered two more and i'm awaiting a new motherboard and PC shell !
GTr2 is awesome ! ! how do you take pics ? ?
Who needs consoles
!!Edited by C5L on Sunday 14th October 19:21
FourWheelDrift said:
C5L said:
Top work mate ! !
that black thing is so that you can connect two of them together in SLI configuration
I think he meant the extra 2 inches of flat plastic board at the end not the two sockets on the side that black thing is so that you can connect two of them together
in SLI configuration
F12 to take pics in GTR2, in fact i think it is F12 in rfactor too.They get stored in the game folder, just press F12 during replays or races, it's as simple as that.I convert them to jpeg mind as BMP's are huge!
Digby said:
Yeah that's the thing, it was an OEM card so no idea what it's for.It's held in with three small screws.It makes a great handle though, or possibly a trowel for when the card is worth £1.40 (which it probably will be in 6 months time) : p
I've got the same thing, more or less, on my OEM 7800 GTX's. It's for fitting in to a full length slot - some good cases and some server cases follow the ATX specs fully, and provide a bracket with slots at a specified distance from the rear of the case for full length cards to slot in to, for additional security. It's a hold over from the days where things like memory expansion boards and the like came with 512Kb on a card damn near the size of modern motherboards.My 7800's were the first cards I'd seen in 7 or 8 years that had them, every other board was getting so miniturised and so short that they would have been ludicrous.
JimJim - thank you for that info! Nice to know it can serve a purpose!
C5L - can't believe people buy two of these things lol.Well, i can i was an upgrade-a-holic for
15 years of my life Must be a damn fine rig that
Just been spanking the caterhams in rfactor (RACE ones)..will try Mr Drifts thumbnail suggestion..
And one of the GTL cars in rfactor...
C5L - can't believe people buy two of these things lol.Well, i can i was an upgrade-a-holic for
15 years of my life
Must be a damn fine rig that Just been spanking the caterhams in rfactor (RACE ones)..will try Mr Drifts thumbnail suggestion..
And one of the GTL cars in rfactor...
LukeBird said:
Very nice!
I can't wait because I'm just about to order an 8800GTX as well.
The graphics look mega!!!
I've just done the rest of my upgrade, Athlon 6000+, Gigabyte board and 2Gb PC6400 Corsair RAM.
A temporary upgrade until the Phenom's are a reasonable price!
Looks ace!
I have the 8800GTX (768mb) and the card is phenomenal!I can't wait because I'm just about to order an 8800GTX as well.
The graphics look mega!!!
I've just done the rest of my upgrade, Athlon 6000+, Gigabyte board and 2Gb PC6400 Corsair RAM.
A temporary upgrade until the Phenom's are a reasonable price!
Looks ace!
This card also turned RACE 07 into one of my fave racers.Spanking the caterhams or radicals in the
rain is just something else.
The water beads up and slides off the visor superbly! The radicals also sound superb!
This card also turned RACE 07 into one of my fave racers.Spanking the caterhams or radicals in the
rain is just something else.
The water beads up and slides off the visor superbly! The radicals also sound superb!
rain is just something else.
The water beads up and slides off the visor superbly! The radicals also sound superb!
This card also turned RACE 07 into one of my fave racers.Spanking the caterhams or radicals in the
rain is just something else.
The water beads up and slides off the visor superbly! The radicals also sound superb!
Edited by Digby on Tuesday 23 October 18:16
C5L said:
Top work mate ! !
that black thing is so that you can connect two of them together in SLI configuration
I've got 2 and there isn't one game i can't max out.
The cards are beastly , i've ordered two more and i'm awaiting a new motherboard and PC shell !
GTr2 is awesome ! ! how do you take pics ? ?
Who needs consoles !!
I think i have the same MOBO as you =Dthat black thing is so that you can connect two of them together
in SLI configurationI've got 2 and there isn't one game i can't max out.
The cards are beastly , i've ordered two more and i'm awaiting a new motherboard and PC shell !
GTr2 is awesome ! ! how do you take pics ? ?
Who needs consoles
!!Edited by C5L on Sunday 14th October 19:21
except im running a GTS not the GTX, gonna get another one for SLI Config plus some more ram and i should be blazing =D
at the moment the GTS is good enough on its own, all my games can be run with maxed out settings included full screen AA and Antitropic(sp?) filtering override on, running dual screen too.
i guess if i SLi it i could get quad screen on the go =D
I've just upgraded to an Intel Q6600 (quad core) overclocked to 3.4GHz and an 8800GTS 640MB and it rocks!. I pondered the GTX but I seem to be allergic to spending that much on a graphics card. I only have a 19in 1280x1024 monitor anyway and the GTX really shines are resolutions higher than this.
If you've got a decent ASUS motherboard (which it looks like you do) you should look at overclocking - it's so easy! You can overclock an E6600 to 3.2 on the standard cooler no problem. I have an Asus P5K-Premium and used this guide:
http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardware/110267-c2d-...
The quad core runs a bit hotter so I invested in one of these:
http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.ht...
It's currently running at 3.42GHz on a 380MHz FSB and my RAM (PC6400 Corsair XMS2) is running at 912MHz on a 5:6 divider and it's all nice and stable.
If you've got a decent ASUS motherboard (which it looks like you do) you should look at overclocking - it's so easy! You can overclock an E6600 to 3.2 on the standard cooler no problem. I have an Asus P5K-Premium and used this guide:
http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardware/110267-c2d-...
The quad core runs a bit hotter so I invested in one of these:
http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.ht...
It's currently running at 3.42GHz on a 380MHz FSB and my RAM (PC6400 Corsair XMS2) is running at 912MHz on a 5:6 divider and it's all nice and stable.
mackie1 said:
I've just upgraded to an Intel Q6600 (quad core) overclocked to 3.4GHz and an 8800GTS 640MB and it rocks!. I pondered the GTX but I seem to be allergic to spending that much on a graphics card. I only have a 19in 1280x1024 monitor anyway and the GTX really shines are resolutions higher than this.
If you've got a decent ASUS motherboard (which it looks like you do) you should look at overclocking - it's so easy! You can overclock an E6600 to 3.2 on the standard cooler no problem. I have an Asus P5K-Premium and used this guide:
http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardware/110267-c2d-...
The quad core runs a bit hotter so I invested in one of these:
http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.ht...
It's currently running at 3.42GHz on a 380MHz FSB and my RAM (PC6400 Corsair XMS2) is running at 912MHz on a 5:6 divider and it's all nice and stable.
My set-up is fairly similar to yours, except I have a Samsung 22 and was worried about running games at 1680x1050 so I paid a bit more for a GTX.If you've got a decent ASUS motherboard (which it looks like you do) you should look at overclocking - it's so easy! You can overclock an E6600 to 3.2 on the standard cooler no problem. I have an Asus P5K-Premium and used this guide:
http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardware/110267-c2d-...
The quad core runs a bit hotter so I invested in one of these:
http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.ht...
It's currently running at 3.42GHz on a 380MHz FSB and my RAM (PC6400 Corsair XMS2) is running at 912MHz on a 5:6 divider and it's all nice and stable.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prod...
The only difference from the link above is mine is the GO version and is running @ 3.4ghz.
Digby said:
Decided it was time for a PC upgrade, even though many of you have probably run similar specs to this for ages : p.
I had taken the old machine as far as it would go and despite it being a 3ish gig P4 cpu, 2 gig of decent ram, a nice motherboard and an x1950 512 meg AGP graphics card, it was starting to struggle in some games.I always had to lower shadow settings, turn off mirrors, disable aniso and fsaa filtering etc etc etc.It's not that it ran bad as such, i always found a balance between looking good and playing smoothly, but it was time to move on..
Enter a relatively cheap new machine.I sourced a second hand core 2 duo 6600 cpu, 2 gig of decent branded 6700 ram (40 quid), a B grade motherboard (comes with no cables etc etc but saved around 50 notes), grabbed another 250 gig hard drive and then lashed up on an Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card (300 quid!)
Oh lord, it has utterly transformed gaming!
My Samsung LCD monitor has a native res of 1680x1050, so i set all the games to that and maxed out everything possible.Not just all the usual graphics options either, but also ones hidden under advanced menus such as high res wheels and dashboards, swaying trees etc etc.I also put all the shadows and headlamp effects on max, draw distance and cars viewable etc on max, slapped around 20 to 30 cars on the grid and had a go..
It ran like a dream! The ONLY way i can make it have any form of stutter is if i choose a large grid on GTR2, have a night race and have it p*****g down with rain.Even then, as soon as the cars are off the starting line and are round the first corner, it's all smooth as silk again! The reflections and water spray effects are superb!
Will pop some rfactor shots up later too, but if you enjoy racing games, (i also tried the Call Of Duty 4 demo at the same res and everything maxed and it ran super smooth!) - then you should seriously think about an upgrade.
My Pc currently contains:I had taken the old machine as far as it would go and despite it being a 3ish gig P4 cpu, 2 gig of decent ram, a nice motherboard and an x1950 512 meg AGP graphics card, it was starting to struggle in some games.I always had to lower shadow settings, turn off mirrors, disable aniso and fsaa filtering etc etc etc.It's not that it ran bad as such, i always found a balance between looking good and playing smoothly, but it was time to move on..
Enter a relatively cheap new machine.I sourced a second hand core 2 duo 6600 cpu, 2 gig of decent branded 6700 ram (40 quid), a B grade motherboard (comes with no cables etc etc but saved around 50 notes), grabbed another 250 gig hard drive and then lashed up on an Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card (300 quid!)
Oh lord, it has utterly transformed gaming!
My Samsung LCD monitor has a native res of 1680x1050, so i set all the games to that and maxed out everything possible.Not just all the usual graphics options either, but also ones hidden under advanced menus such as high res wheels and dashboards, swaying trees etc etc.I also put all the shadows and headlamp effects on max, draw distance and cars viewable etc on max, slapped around 20 to 30 cars on the grid and had a go..
It ran like a dream! The ONLY way i can make it have any form of stutter is if i choose a large grid on GTR2, have a night race and have it p*****g down with rain.Even then, as soon as the cars are off the starting line and are round the first corner, it's all smooth as silk again! The reflections and water spray effects are superb!
Will pop some rfactor shots up later too, but if you enjoy racing games, (i also tried the Call Of Duty 4 demo at the same res and everything maxed and it ran super smooth!) - then you should seriously think about an upgrade.
Edited by Digby on Sunday 14th October 22:09
AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core 4200+
2GB Geil PC3200 RAM
ATI Radeon X1800XT 512MB PCIE
Asus A8N32-SLi Deluxe nForce4 m/b
On my widescreen monitor I like to run all my games in the same res. as you: 1680x1050
I tried the Race07 demo and it stutters quite a bit, runs a lot worse than the original Race does.
GTL & GTR2 run ok.
Puts me off playing the latest driving games on the Pc and I've been playing Forza2 on the XBOX360
Do you think changing to a Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card will be worth doing and make a big improvement?
I'm trying to guess which is the weakest part of my current rig and what I should upgrade for the smallest outlay.
Yes. The 8800 series are the fastest Nvidia cards ever produced and this is born out by the fact that the 8800 Ultra is still on top of the graphics chart as undisputed fastest card of all time for some six months now and that is a long time in the Graphics Card world. I have built hundreds of fast, powerful games PC's and the performance gained going from a 7800GTX to a pair of the same was noticeable. One 8800 GTX is faster in BF2 than the previous pair in SLi; and one 8800Ultra was faster than 2 8800GTX's in SLi. I had two 8800 Ultra's in our test machine but there was no point as one was plenty - the only time you get the benefit of two 8800 Ultra's in SLi is when running 2048x1536 and above, and even then our benchies avereaged out about 28% improvement, but this is irrelevant if you are still getting 100fps with one card at this res, and with all the settings maxed out and a refresh of 75hz!
I would advise going for a 768meg GTX not the 320meg one, as it will suffer on the larger textures. I have seen second-hand GTX's going for £100. The only other weakpoint to your system is the CPU; althought the Dual Core AMD are a stonking cpu for the money, this will become the bottle-neck after you change the card. To change the cpu would require a new mobo and a software rebuild so I would just go with the 8800GTX. Either way you will not be disapointed. Go for an XFX model because they clock well and have a lifetime warranty so you can buy secondhand
I would advise going for a 768meg GTX not the 320meg one, as it will suffer on the larger textures. I have seen second-hand GTX's going for £100. The only other weakpoint to your system is the CPU; althought the Dual Core AMD are a stonking cpu for the money, this will become the bottle-neck after you change the card. To change the cpu would require a new mobo and a software rebuild so I would just go with the 8800GTX. Either way you will not be disapointed. Go for an XFX model because they clock well and have a lifetime warranty so you can buy secondhand
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