NOTE: IF YOU FIND ANY ERRORS IN THIS GUIDE, FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ABOUT THEM AND CORRECT THEM.
I've seen many graphics newbies being completely lost when it comes to determining whether their video cards are good enough for H2V or any game. I have therefore decided to compile a list to make things easier.
Just a note: H2V is an unfair performance hog with no impressive visual features to show in return. On the low graphics settings, it looks approximately as good as the Xbox version. On the high graphics settings, it doesn't look much better apart from slightly improved texture resolutions and other crap that may not get noticed in a hectic firefight.
I therefore recommend running H2V at lower graphical settings if you have a less capable video card. You can still enable high resolutions and AA. to smooth out the game a little. If you bump up the visual settings, you get very minimal visual upgrades and the framerates will start to shed tears - certainly a poor tradeoff. However, if you've got a super duper video card (more on that later), go ahead and run at high settings.
Now, the video card analysis! The oldest card I will start from will be the Geforce FX 5200 and ATI Radeon 9500. Anything lower and fat chance of any modern gaming.
Nvidia offerings (There will be GT, Ultra, GS, whatever variants of each card - those are usually to be ignored, but if they are significant I will point them out)
Geforce FX 5100/5200 - Avoid
Geforce FX 5500/5600 - Avoid
Geforce FX 5700/5800 - May hit the game but still a poor choice
Geforce FX 5900 - same as above.
Geforce 6100/6150 - Avoid - this is an integrated video card. You shouldn't even be playing modern games if you have this card.
Geforce 6200/6400/6500 - Avoid, it is a poor performer.
Geforce 6600 - Here's where the good stuff comes in. Would not recommend high settings, but this card will do in a pinch.
Geforce 6600 LE - LE unofficially stands for Lame Edition. It's a sorely crippled 6600 - AVOID
Geforce 6800 - Very good
Geforce 6800 LE or XT - Have only 8 pipelines, will do but there are better choices.
Geforce 6800 GT or Ultra - have 16 pipelines as opposed to 12 in the 6800, stick with 'em if you already have 'em.
Geforce 7100/7200 - Avoid
Geforce 7300/7400 - If it's all you can afford, it'll do, but you're better off saving a little more and getting something better
Geforce 7300 GT - Same league as Geforce 6600, go for it if that's all you can get.
Geforce 7600 - Here's my video card. Not bad, good bang for the buck.
Geforce 7800 GT - Superb
Geforce 7900 GS - Same as 7800 GT - has 20 pixel pipelines instead of 24 in the other variants
Geforce 7800 GTX - has 24 pipelines, superb
Geforce 7900/7950 - Superb, same league as 7800 GTX but faster.
Geforce 7950 GX2 - this is actually two Geforce 7900 GT's in SLI on one single board. You know what to expect. By the way, two 7950 GX2's (quad sli) will not improve performance.
Geforce 8400 (laptop) - Adequate but there are better choices
Geforce 8500 - same as above.
Geforce 8600 - Pretty good, go for it if you can
Geforce 8800 GTS - Superb, blows the game away
Geforce
Geforce 8800 GTX/Ultra - Holy shit...the best of Nvidia's offerings. If you buy one of these, prepare to cut down on future expenses until you recoup the loss.
ATI offerings (The Pro, XT, whatever will be ignored unless they actually mean a difference)
Radeon 9500 - Not sure, but wouldn't recommend
Radeon 9600 - same as above
Radeon 9700 (laptop) - same as above
Radeon 9700 (desktop) - Good, though this card is discontinued. If you already have one, you might still want to upgrade
Radeon 9800 SE - avoid, only 4 pipelines
Radeon 9800 Pro - Same league as desktop 9700.
Radeon Xpress 200/1100/1150 - Avoid, they are integrated video cards.
Radeon Xpress 1200/1250 - Integrated again, try to avoid
Radeon X300 - avoid
Radeon X600 - barely hits it, but still not recommended
Radeon X700 - Good, grab a cheap one if that's all you can get
Radeon X800 - Very good
Radeon X1300 - Avoid, but it does manage H2V
Radeon X1550 - same as above
Radeon X1600/X1650 - Good, though the Geforce 7600, its main competitor, is a better choice
Radeon X1800 - I don't think these are available any more, but they're superb
Radeon X1900 - Superb
Radeon X1950 Pro - good bang for buck, plus there are AGP versions lying around...
Radeon X1900 XTX - More than superb
Radeon HD 2400 - adequate but don't waste your money
Radeon HD 2600 - good
Radeon HD 2900 - Heh, I hope the bank account doesn't scream if you buy one of these. The games will rejoice though.
Intel's offerings
Any video card produced by Intel should never exist in the first place. Intel makes fabulous, breathtaking CPUs but their video cards do not meet the same standard as their CPUs. While the later ones (GMA 950, X3000) will run Vista's Aero mode, don't try H2V.
Edit: As for windows Vista, you don't need videocard muscle if you're content with a bland 2D interface that just looks like a differently skinned XP. Radeon 9200's and such will run Vista. However, Aero Glass, the translucent effect and all that which gives Vista a unique next-gen feel, requires a Radeon 9500/Geforce FX 5500 or better to run smoothly. The modern integrated cards will run Aero, but expect lag if you open multiple windows.
A word about video memory: 128 MB is now the minimum to run modern games comfortably, but 256 MB is really the way to go these days. 512 MB and up isn't necessary unless you want to run everything at 1920x1200 on max with 60 fps. Also, while video memory is important, more of it won't help the lower end cards. For example, a Radeon X1300 won't get any better with 512 MB of memory - a 256 MB Radeon X1600 will own it all the way, because the X1300 is a low end card with 4 pipelines. I don't even know why manufacturers waste resources by adding so much memory to the crappiest video cards because the crappy video cards can't take advantage of more than 128 MB.
With PCI express, some dedicated video cards can now steal memory from system RAM. Nvidia uses Turbocache and ATI uses Hypermemory to achieve both. Turbocache is faster than Hypermemory, but either should be avoided, since GPU RAM is much faster than system RAM. Don't worry, shared memory cards are usually limited to the super low end which you should be avoiding anyway.
RAM requirements
I'm not an expert on types and speeds of RAM, so I won't be mentioning DDR or DDR2 or anything like that. However, 1 GB (1024 MB) is recommended. Even Vista itself struggles with less than 1 GB. I use 1 GB myself and I'm feeling the need to double that. If you have the cash, go all-out for 2 GB.
CPU requirements
We're past the Pentium era, so the minimum system requirements can be confusing for owners of Core 2 Duos...
Intel Pentium 4/Pentium D - the Pentium D is a dual-core Pentium 4. If you're still using one of these, 2.5Ghz is what I would recommend at the minimum.
AMD Athlon 64 (X2) - I recommend at least an Athlon 64 3000+. The Athlon X2s are dual-core Athlon 64s.
AMD Athlon FX - All of these are monsters, go for them if you can afford them.
AMD Turion 64 - All the Turions are fast enough. Turions are only in laptops
Intel Pentium M (single core) - Get at least the 1.73 Ghz Pentium M 770. These are the first-generation Centrino processors, for laptops only.
Intel Celeron (D) - please avoid at all costs.
Intel Core 1 Duo for laptop - Most of these are good. The low-end ones are usually restricted to the ultraportable laptops, so you're safe.
Intel Core 2 Duo for desktops - Get any of them, but the best bang for the buck is the E6600. The X6800 is the super version that's limited to the rich spoiled kids.
(important edit) Some people think that just because a 2.00Ghz Pentium 4 is the minimum requirement, they must get the super Core 2 Duos with more than 2 Ghz. NO, THE GHZ RATIOS IN CORE 2 DUOS ARE NOT THE SAME AS THE PENTIUMS. To put it in perspective, a 1.8Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo completely and utterly trashes a 3.4Ghz Pentium D (dual-core Pentium 4). A 2.5Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo will own at everything but chances are you won't be able to afford it. A 3 Ghz and up Core 2 Duo is ridiculously powerful and would cost more than the rest of the PC.
therefore, a 1.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo would actually be more than enough for H2V.
Intel Core 2 Duo for laptops - Chances are that if your laptop is 14" or larger, you'll have the faster variants (1.66Ghz and above). Slow variants are again mostly limited to ultraportables. As with desktops, don't be fooled by the "low" Ghz ratios.
About laptops: If you need to use a laptop for gaming, cooling and power requirements mean that good video cards can only be found in 14.1" laptops and larger. True super-end laptop video cards (i.e. Geforce Go 7950) are limited to 17" and higher. If you want to use an ultraportable or tablet laptop, forget gaming altogether.
July 14th, 2007, 01:40 AM
bleach
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
[Shield your eyes, bad grammar ahead :eek:] You need the ATI 9200 LE, 9550 AGP, 9250 PCI, and the Intel GMA 950, maybe the Intel Extreme Graphics 2. :) +REP! Helpful, so I'm getting an AGP 8x Motherboard, 400 watt PSU, and maybe the Visiontek Radeon X1650 (Lower priced than the ATI model.)
EDIT: Never mind, sorry for asking about the Intel cards. I will put any other video cards there might be:
Geforce 8500
July 14th, 2007, 01:08 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
I am not listing any video cards lower than the Radeon 9500 or Geforce FX 5200 because anything lower lacks support for DirectX9 and should not even be considered for running H2V or any new game.
The Radeon X1650 is the X1600, just a little faster, but I'll add that in, thanks. I'll add in the 8500 too.
July 14th, 2007, 01:33 PM
Pooky
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
You didn't mention memory and processor speed requirements
July 14th, 2007, 01:33 PM
0m3g4Muff1n987
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
How about the Geforce Go 7700? It's got 512MB of dedicated memory so I would expect H2V would run good, but what's your opinion? I might get a laptop with that card.
EDIT: Metroid's right.
July 14th, 2007, 01:59 PM
P13F4C3
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
I'm just wondering what do you think would be better to get because there both the same price, So what's better a Radeon X1650 or a Radeon HD 2600?
July 14th, 2007, 02:10 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0m3g4Muff1n987
How about the Geforce Go 7700? It's got 512MB of dedicated memory so I would expect H2V would run good, but what's your opinion? I might get a laptop with that card.
EDIT: Metroid's right.
The 7700 is a refreshed 7600, go for it - superb.
July 14th, 2007, 02:35 PM
bleach
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
So, I can just sit H2V out today right? Until I have done something heroic or was an extremely good angel at school to buy this gaming computer from Tiger Direct for 754.24 dollars.
Intel Pentium D Dual Core 3.2 GHz, 2 GB DDR2 533 MHz RAM, Geforce 8500, DVD/CD 20x drive, 585 PSU, 250 GB HDD 7200 RPM, 22 in 1 Media Card Reader, etc. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...609&CatId=1886
I think this Visionman gaming computer can play Halo 2 with Anti-Aliasing, 1280 x 1024 Resolution, and at High settings.
July 14th, 2007, 02:52 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
I will add the CPU and RAM recommendations later.
July 14th, 2007, 02:56 PM
bleach
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Mr Buckshot again." :(
July 14th, 2007, 04:19 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by P13F4C3
I'm just wondering what do you think would be better to get because there both the same price, So what's better a Radeon X1650 or a Radeon HD 2600?
The Radeon HD 2600, of course. It supports DirectX10 so it's better. In terms of DirectX 9 performance, though, the X1650 and HD 2600 are not too far apart.
July 14th, 2007, 04:25 PM
bleach
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
sorry for the double post but, what other available option(s) is (are) there if I want to at least play Halo 2 at low-medium settings, no AA, and just a little bit above 800 x 600 resolution?
July 14th, 2007, 08:10 PM
InnerGoat
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Meh. It'll barely be an upgrade from that 2.8Ghz P4. It would be more than playable though, with that 8500GT. I don't see 699 dollars' worth of computer there though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bleach
sorry for the double post but, what other available option(s) is (are) there if I want to at least play Halo 2 at low-medium settings, no AA, and just a little bit above 800 x 600 resolution?
See above.
July 14th, 2007, 08:46 PM
0m3g4Muff1n987
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Does the 7700 support DX10? The reviews on notebookreview.com (or whatever it's called) said it doesn't, but it's old and had XP on it, so IDK...
July 14th, 2007, 08:56 PM
InnerGoat
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
7 series cards are all DX9.
July 14th, 2007, 09:50 PM
Con
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
:smith:
July 15th, 2007, 01:03 AM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0m3g4Muff1n987
Does the 7700 support DX10? The reviews on notebookreview.com (or whatever it's called) said it doesn't, but it's old and had XP on it, so IDK...
The 7700 is a refresh of the 7600.
The only video cards to support DX10 are the Geforce 8 series and the Radeon HD series.
July 15th, 2007, 06:20 AM
someone
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Nice guide. +rep for that!:D
BTW you forgot to add the geforce 8800 ultra.
July 15th, 2007, 10:25 AM
Amit
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Buckshot, you forgot to add the Radeon X1950PRO! It's probably the best bang for the buck high end card. The price is unbelievable since it's also cheaper than most GeForce 7900GS cards and gives better performance most of the time.
July 15th, 2007, 01:01 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Thanks guys, I just added the Ultra and the X1950 Pro, also I believe the Ultra isn't too different from the GTX (like I said, if it's just clock speed tweaks, I ignore those following words, so I don't list a 7900 GT and GTX).
Running H2V on low settings has been good for me because I've been able to bump up the resolutions (up to my native 1680x1050 res) without too much lag. Like I said, you won't miss much if you tone down the settings, but you will have much better framerates and more resolution/AA options.
And a helpful tip: Nvidia's cards allow you to maintain the aspect ratio if you run a game at a resolution lower than the monitor's native res - the game will stretch to fill as much of the screen as possible, but the aspect ratio remains the same and black bars will be projected on the sides to cover the desktop. This prevents fullscreen games from looking "stretched and fattened" on a widescreen monitor. ATI, unfortunately, requires you to jump through many hoops to do that.
July 16th, 2007, 09:03 AM
xhedgehogx
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
I was able to run Halo 2 in 640x480, all low settings at a solid 10-20 fps on my 6100. But, I recently upgraded. :D
July 17th, 2007, 05:39 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
These modern IGPs (radeon x1250, geforce 6100) will run Halo 2 - in fact COMPATIBILITY with most games is flawless with these integrated cards. However, playability is another story...
good to hear you upgraded, hedgehog! I used to have a 2003 HP laptop that ran Halo 1 on fixed function with under 10 fps.
July 17th, 2007, 06:00 PM
bleach
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
buckshot, what do you suggest me to do about my PCI Graphics Card Solution if "worse becomes worst"?:(
July 17th, 2007, 08:55 PM
Resinball
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Good stuff, however laptops and ultra-portables are great for emulating roms!
July 19th, 2007, 12:11 PM
flibitijibibo
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Wait, why hasn't this been stickied again?
July 20th, 2007, 06:08 PM
Cat Megex
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Buckshot
And a helpful tip: Nvidia's cards allow you to maintain the aspect ratio if you run a game at a resolution lower than the monitor's native res - the game will stretch to fill as much of the screen as possible, but the aspect ratio remains the same and black bars will be projected on the sides to cover the desktop. This prevents fullscreen games from looking "stretched and fattened" on a widescreen monitor. ATI, unfortunately, requires you to jump through many hoops to do that.
(I'm new to the forum, so, hi, everyone!)
Anyway, Buckshot: what video card do you have? I have a Geforce 7600 GT, and when I try to set it to "force aspect ratio" (i.e. keeping the resolution at the same aspect ratio), it resets when I close the driver window and then reopen it. In fact, if I set it but keep the driver window open, and then start an application that would be affected by it (such as WarCraft III), it reverts back to the default stretching. Is it my drivers?
July 20th, 2007, 06:34 PM
Cortexian
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
You may want to add in the "Geforce 4 Ti" grapgics cards for Nvidia, technically they are worst then the GeForce 5200 series, but they perform better then the default GeForce 5200's.
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
While the Geforce 4 Tis are better, I said I will not list any video cards that do not support DX9 hardware-wise.
July 21st, 2007, 03:34 PM
Cortexian
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
pffft, it's still better, even without DX9 hardware ;).
August 2nd, 2007, 05:31 AM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
sorry for the bump, but I forgot to state this important fact:
If a video card does not support DX9 hardware-wise, forget about running H2V at all. So, the Geforce 4 Ti > Geforce FX 5200, but I won't list it.
December 15th, 2007, 01:27 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Sorry for thread bump, but with so many newbies asking whether their Intel GMA 950 cards can run H2V, I figured a thread like this would be very helpful, especially once they start asking what they should upgrade too.
December 23rd, 2007, 03:59 PM
Sel
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Wait, Im lost.
Im browsing the internets looking for a new laptop, and I found one with an X1200, it says its not integrated, and has 128MB dedicated graphics RAM, but on your list it says integrated and avoid, should I avoid this, or go for it, since its probably the most I can afford?
December 23rd, 2007, 04:29 PM
343guiltymc
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by selentic
Wait, Im lost.
Im browsing the internets looking for a new laptop, and I found one with an X1200, it says its not integrated, and has 128MB dedicated graphics RAM, but on your list it says integrated and avoid, should I avoid this, or go for it, since its probably the most I can afford?
Urh a X1200 is integrated you must (or the computer manufacturer) be retarted.
December 23rd, 2007, 04:38 PM
Sel
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
X1200 is DEFINITELY integrated, so the store is retarded...
And also, I guess it's a below low-end card, so no way in hell you can even play CS:S@minimum requirements well let alone Halo 2.
December 23rd, 2007, 09:36 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by selentic
Wait, Im lost.
Im browsing the internets looking for a new laptop, and I found one with an X1200, it says its not integrated, and has 128MB dedicated graphics RAM, but on your list it says integrated and avoid, should I avoid this, or go for it, since its probably the most I can afford?
HP/Compaq ship ATI integrated cards with dedicated RAM, but this doesn't stop the cards from being integrated. They perform slightly better than IGPs with shared RAM, but not much better.
December 24th, 2007, 02:08 AM
supersniper
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Stickied, congrats Mr Buckshot! :D
December 24th, 2007, 08:08 AM
Sel
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Okay, thats helpful, thanks.
December 24th, 2007, 10:12 AM
Syuusuke
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
You can always google the card and find out if it's integrated or not, if it's below low-end, mid-range, and high...etc.
December 24th, 2007, 12:01 PM
Sel
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Syuusuke
You can always google the card and find out if it's integrated or not, if it's below low-end, mid-range, and high...etc.
Even though Ill probably get flamed for this, Im gonna save my money, since h2 or any of the new games look that interesting, theres an acer laptop with a 2GHZ, 1 gig ram, and Intel GMA 950 :( for 400$ so Ill probly go with that, and save up for a desktop so I can customize that.
December 26th, 2007, 12:07 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by selentic
Even though Ill probably get flamed for this, Im gonna save my money, since h2 or any of the new games look that interesting, theres an acer laptop with a 2GHZ, 1 gig ram, and Intel GMA 950 :( for 400$ so Ill probly go with that, and save up for a desktop so I can customize that.
LOL, you don't deserve to be flamed - that's actually a good laptop for $400 (at that price level, you can't expect to find a dedicated video card so go figure). On the contrary, I congratulate you on finding a laptop like that for the price. Sure, you can't play games (still you can run Halo 1 on full settings albeit with incorrectly rendered surfaces, and you can run Source games) but you'll still have a very fast computer for productivity.
Still, what a pity. The Radeon X1200 actually can run Halo 2, FYI - the performance will just be so bad even at lowest possible settings. In fact, I believe all ATI and Nvidia integrated chipsets can run the game, but the ATI parts lack hardware vertex shaders so Nvidia wins out in this case (the 6150 can actually run it playably if you use Windows XP, and the 7150 can still get at least 20 fps on Vista).
December 29th, 2007, 04:28 PM
aaronson2012
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
I have a nvidia geforce 8600 GT OC and i can even run crysis okay. Its the best card ive ever had!
December 29th, 2007, 06:35 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronson2012
I have a nvidia geforce 8600 GT OC and i can even run crysis okay. Its the best card ive ever had!
Correct, the 8600 is a midrange card and can handle almost every game at high settings with a good framerate. Although the GTS would be a better buy than the GT.
December 29th, 2007, 09:37 PM
johnnyblaz20
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
ATI is the way to go!!!! J/K, Dont want to anger all the Nvidea groupies.
1950xt X2 Crossfire. No lag on highest settings.
December 30th, 2007, 07:56 PM
Xetsuei
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by selentic
Wait, Im lost.
Im browsing the internets looking for a new laptop, and I found one with an X1200, it says its not integrated, and has 128MB dedicated graphics RAM, but on your list it says integrated and avoid, should I avoid this, or go for it, since its probably the most I can afford?
X1200 and X1250 are high end integrated chips, but in terms of actual performance they're low end.
February 5th, 2008, 06:43 AM
`Abias
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Spent $130 on video card thinking I was set to play H2V and was only getting 23FPS lowest setting /Cry
February 5th, 2008, 11:08 AM
beele
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by `Abias
Spent $130 on video card thinking I was set to play H2V and was only getting 23FPS lowest setting /Cry
And what card might that be?
February 6th, 2008, 12:42 AM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
He obviously bought it from a physical retail store...the cards there are grossly overpriced.
Only last year, Futureshop was selling PCI-based Radeon 9250s for $100 and above. They sell Radeon X1300s for over $150, and market them as "cutting edge cards that provide the best gaming experiences." And their Geforce 8800 GTX's cost more than some of their entire PCs.
February 6th, 2008, 08:41 AM
Abstract.Error
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Will a Nvidia Quadro NVS 290 run H2V?
February 6th, 2008, 07:57 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abstract.Error
Will a Nvidia Quadro NVS 290 run H2V?
Yes, it'll run it with acceptable performance. However, it uses the same core as a low end video card (the Geforce 8400 I believe), so it's not ideal.
Why do you want to buy a Quadro card anyways? Those are meant for big business workstations. If you just want to play games or make 3D models for a game, a Geforce is all you need (or a Radeon). If you're animating the next Pixar movie, then a Quadro (or ATI FireGL) is what you need, but I don't think you're in that field.
February 23rd, 2008, 02:43 PM
Kiwibird
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
My friend is getting a laptop and he is asking me what is good for it. Could a Core 2 Duo 2.5 ghz last 4 years for college? Or should he get the 2.8 ghz but that costs $650 more. The video card my friend is getting for the laptop is a 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX. And what I mean by "last" is, will it still be good enough to run games in 4 years?
February 23rd, 2008, 04:23 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwibird
My friend is getting a laptop and he is asking me what is good for it. Could a Core 2 Duo 2.5 ghz last 4 years for college? Or should he get the 2.8 ghz but that costs $650 more. The video card my friend is getting for the laptop is a 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX. And what I mean by "last" is, will it still be good enough to run games in 4 years?
A mobile Geforce 8800M? That'll only fit in a laptop that's 17" or larger...which totally defeats the purpose of a laptop. If your friend really wants that much graphical prowess, he should get a desktop.
But yes, it is a great card and will run all games at high settings with no problem, and he should go for it if he has the cash.
The 2.5Ghz Core 2 Duo is already excellent for games. 2.8Ghz is even better but is it really worth $650 more? It depends on what he does.
February 23rd, 2008, 04:29 PM
Kiwibird
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
According to the website the 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX is running on a 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) screen.
February 23rd, 2008, 04:31 PM
Mr Buckshot
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwibird
According to the website the 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX is running on a 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) screen.
Ah, for once I've been proved wrong when it comes to laptops. I just googled it, and sure enough, Alienware had the good stuff.
Then go for it, all the way.
Speaking of laptops, I'm changing mine to an ASUS laptop with similar specs (2.4Ghz C2D, 2 GB RAM, etc...) but with a Geforce 8600M GT instead...I don't mind sacrificing some graphical capability in exchange for extended battery life.
Quote:
One of the novelties in this laptop is Alienware’s BinaryGFX technology. The dedicated graphics card operates in conjunction with an integrated graphics processor. The onboard GPU reduces power consumption during low intensity tasks, while switching to the GeForce 8800M GTX unleashes full graphics capabilities.
(off topic) hmm...they copied from Sony. My dad's 13.3" laptop was the first to have a hybrid gfx system, with a GMA 950 for non-intensive tasks and a Geforce 7400 for the tougher stuff. (end off topic)
November 30th, 2009, 02:08 AM
UNazo
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
I can run Halo 2 high specs on a Intel card with no lag :D
no I'm not lying
November 30th, 2009, 02:17 AM
AAA
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Oh my God.
YOU CAN DO DAT!?!?!
November 30th, 2009, 04:49 AM
UNazo
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Yes i can with only 1% of lag
November 30th, 2009, 11:24 AM
=sw=warlord
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UNazo
Yes i can with only 1% of lag
pix of fps or no proof.
November 30th, 2009, 12:05 PM
UNazo
Re: Not sure if you can run Halo 2 Vista? Read here.