Compatibility

[Thierry 0]

I'm going to buy myself a new PC (my old one simply doesn't cut it anymore). For my video I was thinking Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB. But I've heard that Radeon isn't very compatibel with Generals. ( or any C&C)

A friend of mine has Radeon 9200 128 MB and the graphical errors are really terrible. Half missing tanks , dissapearing landscape etc. Now his Generals works with my old PC so it ain't anything about requirements.

If Radeon isn't compatibel I can go for ASUS V9950 256 MB.

If anybody knows if Radeon doesn't work with Generals put it here.

[Guest Joeb2000]

I have heard the same thing and not only for generals but a couple of other games. I have a friend who couldnt play half of his games when he went ati. He thought it was just a bad card but went through 2 others and had the same problems. He REALLY started having problems when he installed their new drivers but before that he only had slight problems like a small somehting wouldnt be drawn right. Which in a game is a big deal. So yeah go Nvidia. Man that is an expensive card.

[Thierry 0]

Yeah. I know it costs a lot , but i've been saving. I kinda have another question. For my RAM I was thinking 1024 MB (1 GB) but some say that 512 MB is already enough but I don't know if I should take 512 MB since I will be keeping my new PC for a while.

[osey 2003 0]

Ive heard that most of ati's radeon series users have alot of problems with their cards, maybe you should go for an nvidia Ge Force FX 5950 wich is faster and cheaper than a Radeon 9800XT! and as for ram go for 1gb cus looking at games liek max payne 2 it needs 512mb plus the extra 256mb to properly run windows xp in the backround totals to 768mb being used so 1gb will give you the best performance for your gameing needs

[Thierry 0]

Thnkx! By the way, I was also thinking to go for a 19'' monitor. Some say that 17'' is enough, but some games can be played at higher resolutions then 17'' can handle. I'm going for a CRT monitor since a 19" TFT is about 750,- or more.

[chickendippers 1]

Moniter size doesn't make any difference, only how much you're willing to spend. I've got a 15" LCD and that was £200 which is the max I am willing to spend on a moniter, my 17" regular moniter is fine also. the problem with larger moniters is that sometimes the graphics look a bit grainey and you have to sit further away.

[Koen 2]

512 MB RAM is the current standard (so it's what I bought 2 years ago), with 1 GB you'll have plenty. However, when you have more than 512 MB RAM you can get some annoying problems with Win98, you might need ECC RAM on some motherboards, etc.

 

BTW, I'm moving this topic to General discussion, as it's not really about TibEd

[Thierry 0]

Thnkx. Now that I'm doing all the asking, should I go for a 2,8 GHZ 800FSB or 3,2 GHZ 88FSB? I can choose out of one of 'm I 'm not sure which to choose. If there is almost no diffenrence I can go for 2,8. And 1 more thing... Is an ASUS P4P800 Deluxe a good motherboard? Some have recommended it to me.

[Thierry 0]

The 3,2 GHZ 88FSB is of course 3,2 800FSB. Sorry.

[osey 2003 0]

go for the 3.2ghz p4 mayeb you should consider using athlon? they are cheaper and hit the same speeds as for motherboards i do know a good manufacturer for p4 and amd they are low priced aswel; www.msi.com.tw

ver fast motherboards and ur also looking an agp8x motherboard to get the best from your video card

[Thierry 0]

Yeah, I know Athlon, but to get the same thing with it as Pentium 4 you would have to buy an expensive one and the FSB isn't as high. 333/400 MHZ versus 800MHZ. But which Athlon is the best? Athlon 64 or MP or XP?

[osey 2003 0]

the athlon 64 fx is the flagship of amd with a 1ghz fsb and 64-bit unicode processing wich makes it alot! faster with games and multimedia applications

[Thierry 0]

Thnkx. Now that I'm busy anyway. For the outside of my BIOS (housing)I was thinking 360 Watt. Since I heard that 300 Watt ain't enough for everything.

[Shocker 0]

For my video I was thinking Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB. But I've heard that Radeon isn't very compatibel with Generals. ( or any C&C)

That is a fine choice in video cards. I use a 9700 in my main PC and play Generals all the time, with high resolution, detail and AA/AF settings.

 

A friend of mine has Radeon 9200 128 MB and the graphical errors are really terrible. Half missing tanks , dissapearing landscape etc.

Tell him to download the latest Catalyst drivers from ATi's website.

 

1024 MB (1 GB) but some say that 512 MB is already enough but I don't know if I should take 512 MB since I will be keeping my new PC for a while.

1024MB is investing in the future, while 512 will only hamper you with modern and future games. I wouldn't skimp on RAM, get as much as you can.

 

Ive heard that most of ati's radeon series users have alot of problems with their cards,

The people who say that are lying. Don't you think that if the majority of people had problems with ATi cards that they'd file a class-action lawsuit?

 

maybe you should go for an nvidia Ge Force FX 5950 wich is faster and cheaper than a Radeon 9800XT!

BZZT. Incorrect. Take Half-Life 2 for example. A 9600 (middle range card) completely destroys a 5900 (near top end) in framerate. When you put in the 9700 or 9800 the situation just gets ugly. And you know what? The FX is running a dedicated codepath that has to lower quality and visual effects just to get decent speed. If you force both cards to DirectX 9, then the FX's absolutely struggle. In the meantime, the guy with the Radeon is getting better graphics, and a higher framerate.

 

Look, there are some instances where the 5950 is faster than the 9800XT. Then again, there are a lot more where the 9800XT dominates. Blanket statements such as yours are utterly wrong.

 

And 1 more thing... Is an ASUS P4P800 Deluxe a good motherboard? Some have recommended it to me.

I have that motherboard. I recommend it if you're set on a P4. It's a very good board with a superb featureset and rock-solid reliability (in my experience thus far.)

 

the athlon 64 fx is the flagship of amd with a 1ghz fsb and 64-bit unicode processing wich makes it alot! faster with games and multimedia applications

The Athlon 64's don't have a front side bus. They use HyperTransport links instead. And 64-bit means nothing until there is a decent 64-bit OS (and Linux doesn't count for gaming) available and 64-bit drivers for the shiny new video card and all. At the moment neither are available in a solid state.

 

For the outside of my BIOS (housing)I was thinking 360 Watt. Since I heard that 300 Watt ain't enough for everything.

To be honest it's more important that you buy a quality namebrand PSU instead of a generic unit. Generic units are cheap and nasty and can destroy your motherboard and components. For recommendations check out Anandtech.com's writeup on power supplies.

[Sonic 296]

For the outside of my BIOS (housing)I was thinking 360 Watt. Since I heard that 300 Watt ain't enough for everything.

To be honest it's more important that you buy a quality namebrand PSU instead of a generic unit. Generic units are cheap and nasty and can destroy your motherboard and components. For recommendations check out Anandtech.com's writeup on power supplies.

Yeah the brand is important. My PC originally came with a cheap crappy 300 watt PSU, the fan was rubbish and it started to make an annoying rattling sound. All this started to happen once the warranty expired :roll:, I'm glad I replaced it.

 

I would get aleast a 400 watt PSU, especially if plan on having extra case fans for cooling etc.....

[Thierry 0]

Thnkx guys. But now I'm confused. Most of my games are Flight simulators, worms and C & C. Now all I want to now is which videocard works best with that. And do you guys think that I'll have enough with 120 GB SATA?

[Rogue Leader 0]

120 GB is more than enough for anyone unless they are hardcore movie downloaders. The Pr0n collection really eats away at HD space

 

As for a video card, if you have the money to spend go with the Radeon 9800XT. You can also wait a month for Nvidia to launch their new video cards, which will result in lower prices for the GeforceFX and probably the Radeon 9800 series. Right now ATI has the edge in video, but rumor has it good things will be coming out of the Nvidia camp next month so you may want to consider waiting.

[Thierry 0]

OK, is good.

For my audio I was thinking Creative Inspire P5850, 5 X 6W + 1 X 17W. Is this a bit a good set of speakers?

[Thierry 0]

Oh, never mind about the Audio. I've heard it and its nice.

I also have the option to use another HD that has a speed of 10.000 RPM! Its a bit more expensive but is it worth it?

[Rogue Leader 0]

10,000 RPMs is fast, but you'll really only notice it if you are doing sound or video encoding, and even though the difference won't be noticable enough to legitimize the price jump from the 7200 RPM model. Serial ATA at 7200 RPM is fast enough for just about everything gamers need.

[Thierry 0]

Yeah, Its expensive. I'm going to usa SATA. I think Iknow about alot now. I'm still not sure wether I should use 17'' or 19'' monitor CRT. Since some games can be played at 1600 X 1200, and 17'' can't make that.

[Sonic 296]

Go for the 19" monitor, the bigger the better. In this case size does matter :lol:

[Koen 2]

With monitors, it's looks that matter. Before buying one, make sure you get to see it in action. If you don't like the quality, then you can get another.

[Thierry 0]

Yeah, you're right. I geuss I'll take a look. 19'' is big enough for me. (since a friend overdid it and bought a 22'' TFT...). I'm also not sure if I should choose DiamondTron. (flatter screen)

[Sonic 296]

Flat screens are meant to reduce the glare from sources of light, from past experiences I've had I don't think it makes any difference.

 

I know my current monitor is just a cheap 17" but it doesn't cause me any problems, picture is good. But you do have to be careful when looking at the budget range of monitors.