Decent upgrade?

[Ki11a_FTW]

By next week this 2 year old comp i have will be upgraded

Before:

Intel Pentium 4, 2.8 Ghz Processor

512 MB of ram (PC2)

Integrated Intel family chipset

OS:Windows XP

After:

Intel Pentium 4, 2.8 Ghz Processor

1.5 GB of RAM

ATI VisionTek 2400HD

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium


basically im trading comp's with my mom, since shes a teacher. Heres my current LAPTOP specs.

AMD Turion 64 x2 duo 1.6 Ghz

1 Gig of ram

ATI X200M Series

OS: Downgrading to Windows XP Media Edition


Im wondering if the comp im getting is going to be a good gaming machine, because i plan on getting Unreal Tourtament 2007, and Gears of War for
PC.

Any reccomenations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Mr Buckshot]

everything is fine for the new desktop. (laptop's video card is a lost case). However the Radeon HD 2400 is low end and weak, so if you want to push high settings, an upgrade is necessary. Go for the HD 2600 XT if you can.

[Ki11a_FTW]

i dont have any AGP slots i dont think, let me see if they have a PCE-E

[Abdurahman]

You can get an x1950GT pci/e for $115 at Newegg.

256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102034&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL090707-_-VideoCards&VideoDevices-_-E1M-_-14102034&CMP=EMC-IGNEFL090707&ATT=N82E16814102034

[Ki11a_FTW]

the 1950 is not that great with direct x10, i already looked at it in the store, if it was good with Dx10, i would get it

How about this card?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/VisionTek-256MB-HD-2600-PRO-Graphics-Card-A2600P256PX/sem/rpsm/oid/185287/catOid/-13043/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

[Abdurahman]

It's a good DX9 card, but you're right, most games are gonna be DX10, so this card wont work as good as the DX10 cards.

[Xetsuei]

X1950GT does not support DX10 at all. If you are going for DX10 gaming, don't even bother with the low-mid range cards. Get an HD2900 or a 8800. The only mid-range DX10 I'd EVER consider is the MSI RX2600XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127303&Tpk=2600XT).

[legionaire45]

Xetsuei™;157177']X1950GT does not support DX10 at all. If you are going for DX10 gaming, don't even bother with the low-mid range cards. Get an HD2900 or a 8800. The only mid-range DX10 I'd EVER consider is the MSI RX2600XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127303&Tpk=2600XT).
Get that or an 8600 GTS if you can. Obviously if you can spend the extra whatever amount and get yourself an 8800 or 2900 then do so, but I'd actually recommend you hold out until December/January and get a Geforce 9 series highend or mid-range card.

[Ki11a_FTW]

The only ones i would be aloud to get are

The Ge-Force 8600, ATI HD2600 Pro, or anything thatt coasts in that area

[Cortexian]

The only ones i would be aloud to get are

The Ge-Force 8600, ATI HD2600 Pro, or anything thatt coasts in that area
Go for the 8600 GTS then.

[FireDragon04]

Go for the 8600 GTS then.
Ditto thats a great card!

[Amit]

Go for the 8600 GTS then.

Actually, he'd get better DirectX 10 Performance out of the Radeon X2600XT, excuse me....HD 2600XT, which is way cheaper than those 8600GTS cards and requires no extra power cable.

[Xetsuei]

Actually, he'd get better DirectX 10 Performance out of the Radeon X2600XT, excuse me....HD 2600XT, which is way cheaper than those 8600GTS cards and requires no extra power cable.

This is why you should go with the 2600XT rather than the 8600GTS.

[Ki11a_FTW]

HD 2600 it is then, +rep to you^

[X3RO SHIF7]

8600GTS>HD2600
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/2600-8600%20roundup/fear.php (http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/2600-8600%20roundup/fear.php)
8600 GTS outpreforms the 2600XT in nearly every game

[Amit]

8600GTS>HD2600
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/2600-8600%20roundup/fear.php (http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/2600-8600%20roundup/fear.php)
8600 GTS outpreforms the 2600XT in nearly every game

In my previous post I stated thr HD 2600 Series would outperform the Geforce 8600 series in DIRECTX 10 games. Yeah the HD 2600 Suck for DirectX 9 but that isn't the problem anymore, if you cared about DirectX 9 you would go for the Radeon X1950PRO. Where the HD 2600XT beats the 8600 is in Counter-Strike: Source. Although at higher resolutions the advantage is gone but most people play at 1280x1024 anyways.

That is a pretty sick 3D "Vista-like" benchmark, though.

Check out Call of Juarez in DirectX 10, the HD 2600 takes the upper hand. See I provide proof:

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/2600-8600%20roundup/flashers/call%20of%20juarez/1024.jpg


When it comes to HD video playback the card truly shines and especially with HD-DVD playback the nVidia cards don’t even come close. Another area where the HD2600XT dominates is the DX10 performance. In Call of Juarez the card simply blew away the competition, which indicates that while the card may not be the best for DX9 gaming, it has a lot of hidden potential for upcoming games.

Radeon X2600XT is the better choice for future gaming.

[X3RO SHIF7]

yeah and if you look at the other DX10 game it benches the 8600 GTS wins dur. uh oh it beats the 8600 in one dx10 game OMG h4x!?!?!*cough ati fanboy* the 8600 GTS beats out the hd 2600 ct in 98% of benchmarks even the 8600 GT usually beats it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/MoTi0n/dx10.jpg

soo yea instead of buying an ati card that can only do dx9 or an ati card that can only do *some* dx10 games well id just get the 8600 GTS that can do both well >.>

[demonmaster3k]

dude the xpress 200m series is horrible
i have a xpress 1100 on my laptop, it cant play Guild Wars (verry choppy framerate)
but ironically, it can play battlefield2142 and HL2 on med settings
(i hate how my card has px shader 2.0)
you on the other hand should go for the upgrade

i really suggest staying with the Vista os (you'll need it for gears and halo 2 anyways)
and get an nvidia geforce 8600-8800 go instead

sides you can't even run dx10 in xp anyways

[Amit]

yeah and if you look at the other DX10 game it benches the 8600 GTS wins dur. uh oh it beats the 8600 in one dx10 game OMG h4x!?!?!*cough ati fanboy* the 8600 GTS beats out the hd 2600 ct in 98% of benchmarks even the 8600 GT usually beats it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/MoTi0n/dx10.jpg

soo yea instead of buying an ati card that can only do dx9 or an ati card that can only do *some* dx10 games well id just get the 8600 GTS that can do both well >.>

I won't argue where the benchmark speaks, although the HD 2600XT does have better performance in mostly every other DirectX 10 game.


dude the xpress 200m series is horrible
i have a xpress 1100 on my laptop, it cant play Guild Wars (verry choppy framerate)
but ironically, it can play battlefield2142 and HL2 on med settings
(i hate how my card has px shader 2.0)
you on the other hand should go for the upgrade

i really suggest staying with the Vista os (you'll need it for gears and halo 2 anyways)
and get an nvidia geforce 8600-8800 go instead

sides you can't even run dx10 in xp anyways

He said he's only allowed to get the HD 2600XT or 8600GTS. I'd say go with the HD 2600XT for future-proofing your machine. He can buy Vista later. Or better yet, wait for the HD 2950PRO series to come out. The X1950PRO series has been critically acclaimed as one of the best High-end video cards for an extremely low price. I'm sure the HD 2950PRO will live up to it's legendary predecessor.

EDIT: PLZ DELETE MY PREVIOUS POST!

[X3RO SHIF7]

He said he's only allowed to get the HD 2600XT or 8600GTS. I'd say go with the HD 2600XT for future-proofing your machine. He can buy Vista later. Or better yet, wait for the HD 2950PRO series to come out. The X1950PRO series has been critically acclaimed as one of the best High-end video cards for an extremely low price. I'm sure the HD 2950PRO will live up to it's legendary predecessor.

EDIT: PLZ DELETE MY PREVIOUS POST!
ATI has a habit of making somthing good, waiting to long to release so by the time they release it nvidia has somthing better for 20 bucks cheaper lol

[Xetsuei]

yeah and if you look at the other DX10 game it benches the 8600 GTS wins dur. uh oh it beats the 8600 in one dx10 game OMG h4x!?!?!*cough ati fanboy* the 8600 GTS beats out the hd 2600 ct in 98% of benchmarks even the 8600 GT usually beats it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/MoTi0n/dx10.jpg

soo yea instead of buying an ati card that can only do dx9 or an ati card that can only do *some* dx10 games well id just get the 8600 GTS that can do both well >.>

Lost Planet sucks.


ATI has a habit of making somthing good, waiting to long to release so by the time they release it nvidia has somthing better for 20 bucks cheaper lol

X1950 is still one of the best bang for the buck DX9 cards.

[X3RO SHIF7]

Xetsuei™;159546']Lost Planet sucks.



X1950 is still one of the best bang for the buck DX9 cards.
thx for the negative rep for posting a bench bud ;D
and your personal opinion of a game really means nothing, its still a directx10 game - it just proves the 2600 is not good at every direct x10 game, and it doesent matter if the 1950 is a good directx9 card, maybe he will eventually run directx10 games?

HD 2600 - inferior preformance compared to 8600 series on directx9 Games
- Beats the 8600 series in *some* directx10 Games
8600 GTS - Overall good preformance in Directx9 Games, superior to the HD 2600 XT
- Beats the HD 2600 in *some* Directx10 Games


so your trying to get him to either get a x1950 which cant run directx10, or a hd 2600 which both suck in one area, the 1950 not even able to run dx10, when he can get an 8600 run directx10 and run great on directx9 too...doesent make sense to me.

[Xetsuei]

thx for the negative rep for posting a bench bud ;D
and your personal opinion of a game really means nothing, its still a directx10 game - it just proves the 2600 is not good at one direct x10 game, and it doesent matter if the 1950 is a good directx9 card, maybe he will eventually run directx10 games?

HD 2600 - inferior preformance compared to 8600 series on directx9 Games
- Beats the 8600 series in *most* directx10 Games
8600 GTS - Overall good preformance in Directx9 Games, superior to the HD 2600 XT
- Beats the HD 2600 in *one* Directx10 Game


so your trying to get him to either get a x1950 which cant run directx10, or a hd 2600 which owns in DX10 but is not as good in DX9, the 1950 not even able to run dx10, when he can get an 8600 run horrible on directx10 and run great on directx9 too...doesent make sense to me.

ftfy.

Also, you say he will be wanting to run DX10, so he should get the 8600GTS but which you say is better than 2600XT in DX9 performance, which it is. But you also said maybe he will eventually run directx10 games? Which means if he wants to future proof he should get the 2600XT. The 2600XT doesn't have bad performance in DX9, it's just not as good as the 8600GTS in terms of DX9 performance.

[X3RO SHIF7]

yea you still fail, the 8600 GTS runs directx10 games fine,the 2600 can run one game better then the 8600 ooooo thats amazing /sarcasm, and that can easily change with a driver update - right now hes using XP which 8600 will run pretty much any XP game on high- and in ur terms the 8600 "owns" the 2600 on directx10 games too (see benchmark above) soo yeaaaa

[Amit]

ATI has a habit of making somthing good, waiting to long to release so by the time they release it nvidia has somthing better for 20 bucks cheaper lol

Actually, the X1950PRO is cheaper and has better performance than the 7900GS


thx for the negative rep for posting a bench bud ;D
and your personal opinion of a game really means nothing *WRONG!, The customer's opinion is always valuable.*, its still a directx10 game - it just proves the 2600 is not good at every *I said most DX10 games* direct x10 game, and it doesent matter if the 1950 is a good directx9 card, maybe he will eventually run directx10 games?

HD 2600 - inferior preformance compared to 8600 series on directx9 Games
- Beats the 8600 series in *MOST* directx10 Games
8600 GTS - Overall good preformance in Directx9 Games, superior to the HD 2600 XT
- Beats the HD 2600 in *only 2 or 3* Directx10 Games


so your trying to get him to either get a x1950 which cant run directx10, or a hd 2600 which both suck in one area, the 1950 not even able to run dx10, when he can get an 8600 run directx10 and run great on directx9 too...doesent make sense to me.

I didn't tell him to buy an X1950PRO, I told him to wait for the X2950PRO.



yea you still fail, the 8600 GTS runs directx10 games fine,the 2600 can run one game better then the 8600 ooooo thats amazing /sarcasm, and that can easily change with a driver update - right now hes using XP which 8600 will run pretty much any XP game on high- and in ur terms the 8600 "owns" the 2600 on directx10 games too (see benchmark above) soo yeaaaa

How fucking ignorant can you get, you barely even read the posts that Xet and I have made. We said he can buy Vista later. The X2600 can run MOST DirectX10 games better than the 8600GTS. 8600GTS runs about 2 or 3 games better. Look at ALL the benchmarks, not just one! Read and REGISTER all the damn facts into your brick headed brain before you try to start an argument.

Zeph is right, the trash does need to be taken out of this forum.

[X3RO SHIF7]

umm first off, i wasnt talking to you, and second, Xet is one of the most "fucking ignortant" people ive seen post - and for your the custimors opinions is always valuble thing lol ok then, i say jericho sucks, and any game that the 2600 can run with directx10 better then the 8600 sucks then i guess?? with your logic i guess i win?? yay.

i still stand by my suggestion the 8600 GTS is a better all around video card then the HD 2600 XT, so yeah

[Amit]

umm first off, i wasnt talking to you, and second, Xet is one of the most "fucking ignortant" people ive seen post - and for your the custimors opinions is always valuble thing lol ok then, i say jericho sucks, and any game that the 2600 can run with directx10 better then the 8600 sucks then i guess?? with your logic i guess i win?? yay.

i still stand by my suggestion the 8600 GTS is a better all around video card then the HD 2600 XT, so yeah

It doesn't matter if you weren't talking to me, the same points applied to what Xet was saying. I respect your choice for what you think is right. lol ya, Xet is ignorant but he isn't being a bitch in this thread. We're just trying to make sure Killa gets the best for how much he spends.

[X3RO SHIF7]

the only thing the 2600 has going for it is the price, thats it, its an inferior card, but its cheaper

[Amit]

the only thing the 2600 has going for it is the price, thats it, its an inferior card, but its cheaper

Inferior for the time being.

[X3RO SHIF7]

theres no solid evidence that it will in the future either, benches for unreleased games dont count, nvidia hasnt had the chance to adapt there drivers for unreleased games

[Xetsuei]

umm first off, i wasnt talking to you, and second, Xet is one of the most "fucking ignortant" people ive seen post - and for your the custimors opinions is always valuble thing lol ok then, i say jericho sucks, and any game that the 2600 can run with directx10 better then the 8600 sucks then i guess?? with your logic i guess i win?? yay.

i still stand by my suggestion the 8600 GTS is a better all around video card then the HD 2600 XT, so yeah

Your logic is a horrible failure. Also, the 8600GTS isn't a "better all around video card." All it has going for it is it has good DX9 performance, and beating the HD2600XT in some DX10 games.


the only thing the 2600 has going for it is the price, thats it, its an inferior card, but its cheaper

Ignorant as hell. Also, stop being such an nVidia fanboy.

[X3RO SHIF7]

Xetsuei™;159792']Your logic is a horrible failure. Also, the 8600GTS isn't a "better all around video card." All it has going for it is it has good DX9 performance, and beating the HD2600XT in some DX10 games.
lol and thats bad?

Also, stop being such an nVidia fanboy.
i dont have a problem with ati, my only problem is the 8600 is better then the 2600 lol

[Xetsuei]

lol and thats bad?

i dont have a problem with ati, my only problem is the 8600 is better then the 2600 lol

The 8600GTS is not better than the HD2600XT.

[Amit]

theres no solid evidence that it will in the future either, benches for unreleased games dont count, nvidia hasnt had the chance to adapt there drivers for unreleased games

Company of Heroes is unreleased? Shadowrun is unreleased? Bioshock and Call of Juarez are unreleased? MY GOD GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr Buckshot]

It's quite difficult to determine just "how well" the 8600 and HD 2600 perform in DX10 tests, because Lost Planet and Call of Juarez have horrendous DX10 performance, and BioShock is like the only DX10 game that runs acceptably under it. We should wait for a few more DX10 games before truly judging the power of these DX10 cards. I mean, it's not like Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 took much advantage of SM3.0 (first introduced by the Geforce 6800)

[X3RO SHIF7]

woops, thought ut said jericho not juaraz - and i havent seen benches for most those games
but heres some more benches
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/18/0,1425,i=180632,00.gif
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/18/0,1425,i=180640,00.gif
if you only look at the bars it looks like the 2600 pwns the 8600 but in reality neither of them are able to run at a playable framerate with the 2600 ahead by around 5 fps
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2151756,00.asp

Pros:Quiet; power efficient; decent performance for the price.
Cons: Terrible performance in DX10 games.


apparently for the 2600 or 8600 wether they beat each other or not they dont usually either play at a tolerable framerate

im having trouble findiing benches for all the games you posted though - but i do know i run bioshock with dx10 enables maxxed out on my 8600 GTS with no lagg

[Ki11a_FTW]

Wow, this thread got busy when i left, anyway im mostly using the card t play halo 1, halo 2, rainbow six:vegas, CSS, Gears of War, UT07, and BF2142

so really i need it to be ok at both DX9 and 10

[Xetsuei]

Don't even bother with rainbow six vegas, 8800's only get 30 or so fps on it.

[Ki11a_FTW]

On low settings?

[Amit]

woops, thought ut said jericho not juaraz - and i havent seen benches for most those games
but heres some more benches
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/18/0,1425,i=180632,00.gif
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/18/0,1425,i=180640,00.gif
if you only look at the bars it looks like the 2600 pwns the 8600 but in reality neither of them are able to run at a playable framerate with the 2600 ahead by around 5 fps
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2151756,00.asp


apparently for the 2600 or 8600 wether they beat each other or not they dont usually either play at a tolerable framerate

im having trouble findiing benches for all the games you posted though - but i do know i run bioshock with dx10 enables maxxed out on my 8600 GTS with no lagg

Finally some sense. You've figured otu that neither are good for DirectX 10 right NOW but they will be in the future(drivers, etc.)


On low settings?

Yes on low settings.....NO! Now why the hell do you think a 8800GTX would get 30 FPS on low settings, surely it could do better, they want to make the game playable and look good so they set it to high. There's no point to playing the game if it doesn't look the way it's meant to be playable or just below what it's supposed to look like.

[Mr Buckshot]

Wow, this thread got busy when i left, anyway im mostly using the card t play halo 1, halo 2, rainbow six:vegas, CSS, Gears of War, UT07, and BF2142

so really i need it to be ok at both DX9 and 10

rainbow six vegas is a horrible port. The console version is better in terms of performance.

Source-engine games will run very well on a wide range of cards, though of course you'll need at least a midrange card for them to show their true colors.

Don't judge the DX10 performance of current cards based on current DX10 games, as there are too few of them. And you have to note that Vista running in the background is more demanding than XP. As technology improves, DX10 games will be better optimized and then it's time to judge. I mean, when the Radeon 9700 Pro released in late 2002, there were next to no DX9 titles, and those few like Morrowind and so on were fairly demanding.

[Mr Buckshot]

Wow, this thread got busy when i left, anyway im mostly using the card t play halo 1, halo 2, rainbow six:vegas, CSS, Gears of War, UT07, and BF2142

so really i need it to be ok at both DX9 and 10

rainbow six vegas is a horrible port. The console version is better in terms of performance.

Source-engine games will run very well on a wide range of cards, though of course you'll need at least a midrange card for them to show their true colors.

Don't judge the DX10 performance of current cards based on current DX10 games, as there are too few of them. And you have to note that Vista running in the background is more demanding than XP. As technology improves, DX10 games will be better optimized and then it's time to judge. I mean, when the Radeon 9700 Pro released in late 2002, there were next to no DX9 titles, and those few like Morrowind and so on were fairly demanding.

[Amit]

Yes, source engine games run extremely well on midrange series cards. On my other PC I have a Powercolor Radeon X1600PRO 256MB card running Counter-Strike: Source set to maximum ultimate high settings with a constant 40 FPS. Same thing goes for Day of Defeat: Source. The only problem with that card is that it starts lagging at Half-Life 2 and Garry's Mod 10 if the resolution is set above 1024x768 but everything else is set to the maximum still. On my X1950PRO which I'm running right now, there is no game I slow down on except for some of the newer games if I set the settings to very high.

[343guiltymc]

Yes, source engine games run extremely well on midrange series cards. On my other PC I have a Powercolor Radeon X1600PRO 256MB card running Counter-Strike: Source set to maximum ultimate high settings with a constant 40 FPS. Same thing goes for Day of Defeat: Source. The only problem with that card is that it starts lagging at Half-Life 2 and Garry's Mod 10 if the resolution is set above 1024x768 but everything else is set to the maximum still. On my X1950PRO which I'm running right now, there is no game I slow down on except for some of the newer games if I set the settings to very high.
Funny, I run a X1300 PRO (still am!:lol:) and above 1024x768 res fine. My processor sucks too it's a Pentium D so I don't see why you're experiencing lag.

[X3RO SHIF7]

pentium D's arent too too bad, still better then Older P4's and athlon XP's, and certain semprons lol

[Xetsuei]

Negative. Pentium D's are terrible and always will be.

[Amit]

Funny, I run a X1300 PRO (still am!:lol:) and above 1024x768 res fine. My processor sucks too it's a Pentium D so I don't see why you're experiencing lag.

Well I'm using a Pentium 4 HT 3.02GHz CPU. And it's only Half-Life 2 that I run at 1024x768, I use 1280x1024 for everything else.

[X3RO SHIF7]

Xetsuei™;160469']Negative. Pentium D's are terrible and always will be.
Never said they were good, just said there better then the above - so go crawl back in your hole

[Xetsuei]

Clearly you are the one who should crawl back into your hole. And yes, they are that bad.

[Amit]

Never said they were good, just said there better then the above - so go crawl back in your hole

The Pentium 4 HT were great for the time of single core processors, the Pentium D were inefficient and buggy. Not much better than the P4's.

[X3RO SHIF7]

Not much better than the P4's.
so they were still a little bit better lol, im not trying to say there awsome or anything,but there still a little bit better then what some people have, even though yeah there pretty flawed

Clearly you are the one who should crawl back into your hole.
Terrible comeback

[Amit]

I request a moderator to lock this thread with Killa's consent because this is going way off-topic now.

[Xetsuei]

All thanks to xero.

[X3RO SHIF7]

Xetsuei™;160755']All thanks to xero.
what did i tell you about leaving your hole?

[Xetsuei]

what did i tell you about leaving your hole?

Absolutely nothing, stop trying to make come backs.

[X3RO SHIF7]

ummm what you just typed would be considerd as a comeback, so - be the bigger man and stop posting k?

[SnaFuBAR]

in b4 jcap