New Card

Just bought the card today. Oooooooh........magosh!. Far Cry @ 1600 x 1200 4x AA 4x AF in MP!!!! No Problems, average 60 FPS!(BTW the patch 1.2 was released for that today)

Bought the PNY card. $399.00 + tax, American. I may upgrade to a 64 bit system, but will prolly wait for Microsofts 64 bit OS and PCI express, but fer now, Holy S***!!!!

Yup, I'd heared that the GeForce 6800 and the Radeon X800 were absolutly stunning. it's good to hear that report confirmed.

You don't have to wait for Longhorn if you're going to use the AMD 64 or FX series ... they're made for 32-bit programs with the ability to use 64-bit programs.

But, I plan on buying one of those when they go down ... taking that they just came out a few weeks ago, that's rather cheap ... but it is PNY (no offense, they're usually cheaper cards).

They seem like they'll be well worth the money when they're around $200-250 (US).

OC it! Apperently you can get a gt to ultra speeds with no troubles :biggrin: I wish i had one to do that to :sad:

I'm getting a $275CDN MSI 9800 Pro...since it's one of the few if not only 9800 pros to use the XT core...which means I can extract a good $500 with a simple stock overclock. :smile:

Gorbachev said:
I'm getting a $275CDN MSI 9800 Pro...since it's one of the few if not only 9800 pros to use the XT core...which means I can extract a good $500 with a simple stock overclock. :smile:

Do you know if ati tool is good for overclocking? Apperently it is good. But in august im getting a new graphics card, prolly an ati, and i was looking at that one to oc it.

I recommend ATI Tool :smile: People are still experimenting with software
hacks for the X800s, like with the 9800SE->9800 pro software hacks.
Could be some very good ones out by the end of august.

Don't the drivers have an overclocking option on ATI? I hate having to have little programs running all the time that just perform very simple individual tasks...

Don't the drivers have an overclocking option on ATI? I hate having to have little programs running all the time that just perform very simple individual tasks...

Yes, The catalyse drivers or whatever have an overclocking utility, which actually changes the clocking based on the tempurature, I believe.

[size=13][color=white]Don't the drivers have an overclocking option on ATI? I hate having to have little programs running all the time that just perform very simple individual tasks...

Yes, The catalyse drivers or whatever have an overclocking utility, which actually changes the clocking based on the tempurature, I believe.
[/color][/size]

Isn't that only for the XT cards?

No, since the drivers are card independant. If you download the Catalyse Radeon family driver for WinXP, you will have that option as long as your card can handle it.

All their products run the same, so they don't have to make specific drivers for each and every card, just an architecture.

Its not really an overclocking facility, its called overdrive and is a built in, non-customisable (or at least not without another program) automatic tiny overclock. If the gpu is running at low temperatures it increases the clock speed by about 50mhz or something I believe, and lowers this as the temperatures rise. All you can do is turn it on or off with the catalyst tools.

Does anyone know if the 9600xt cards support those catylysts drivers, the ones with built in overclock features. When i get my 9600xt ill be getting a really big heat sink and fan.

Your 9600XT will use the catalyst drivers yup, but if you want to
overclock properly then grab ATI tool. And if you're on about the VGA
silencer for your 9600XT then i completely recommend it :smile: I got an
extra 1000 3d03 marks with DX9 artifacts, and 600 3dmarks with no dx9
artifacts.. Not bad for a tenner...

Btw, make sure you test that the card works before putting the VGA silencer on.

What is this VGA silencer? This computer is running a 9600XT, and while I'm certainly not complaining about the performance, if this silencer thing allows you to overclock by a fair way then I'd consider forking out.

Also, do they fit other cards, such as a Geforce 4 ti4200? Thats what I run in my computer (I'm currently on my parents) and if it would allow me to overclock that to the equivelant of a 4600 or something I'd wholly consider it too :smile:

What is the point in something that overclocks when temps are low? Surely as soon as you load any 3D game, the temps will rise, and the card will be put back to normal speed! So basically the answer is no, if you want to overclock by any non-trivial amount, you can't use the ATI drivers.

Reno :smile:

For ?50 you can have my Ti4600 ReNo :smile: I've just replaced my graphics card so my old one is just sitting in a box in my wardrobe.

Ive oc'ed my gf4 mx440 :biggrin: i did have it at 390/400 but then i had to take it down because i didn't have enough cooling, but now i have a fan on it so i can oc it more :biggrin:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Other_Coolers_57.html

Top of the page. Only fits ATI radeon 9x00 cards by the looks of it.
And I certainly recommend it, although it WILL invalidate your
warranty. You can damage the card by screwing the cooler on too tight,
but it's pretty much common sense not to screw it so the card is
bending :smile:

Uber, I might suggest one to my dad, as he seems hugely concerned with PC quietness, and I wouldn't complain to have the home PC running HL2 a little nicer...

Adam, I appreciate the offer, but I'm gonna wait for the 9800 pro to drop to around ?100 (its currently ?140) and pick one up with some of (basically all of) my student loan :smile: I don't think a 4600 would see much of an improvement over my 4200 currently.

Heh, no probs :smile: You can't blame me for trying! I'm trying to raise the cash to buy Project Zero II and as i've just bough a new gfx card I can't afford it until next month now :sad:

I just bought a new PC case, PSU, sound card and 5.1 speakers...suffice to say that being unemployed, I can't afford much else just yet :biggrin: I'm gonna wait for Project Zero 2 on the Xbox I think, they added a good few things to the first on for its Xbox release so you never know :smile:

ReNo said:
I just bought a new PC case, PSU, sound card and 5.1 speakers...

Bah! Build your own case! I am , out of mdf :biggrin: I'll post some pics in a couple of weeks.

Oooh should be fun :smile: Did you see monqui's old crazy cases?

Pfft, crazy :razz: Give it the respect it deserves :wink: Wasn't it called..
"TEH BOX!!1" or something similar? Probably lurking with intent to
combust on HLAtlas somewhere...

<obligitory plug>
Teh Box!!1
Jam Box!!1
Woody PC (haven't yet integrated into site)
</obligitory plug>

The writeup for the Jambox isn't quite accurate- I've swapped in a new sound system in there and now it's loud and clear as all hell. I actually use it as my primary CD player whenever I'm at home. I'm afraid to move it, it may eat me.

I'm working on another one with a friend up here at school, but it's not too ghetto. If anything ever comes of it I'll let ya'll know.

Ugh. I need to stop saying ya'll and stuff. I just said Howdy in IRC a few minutes ago. And I live in the north.

3 words, cannot find server, i'll try when i get home.

Nine

No, 3, cannot find server :wink:

bah, sort your grammer :smile:

Anybody see the doom3 benchies? Looks like people with GF3/4 (not mx) can have a pretty good gaming experience. So much for those claims of nothing being able to run it on maximum; 1600*1200, max detail, 4xAA, 8xAF > 42.5 fps. Looks like you made a good choice with the GT Juim, think I'll have to join you on that decision :smile:

Yah, thx for the link scary. I'd have to agree with you. I plan on making the big leap to PCI express at the end of the year, hopefully we'll see something in the 64bit cpu market from intel by then, but for now I think this was the right choice. I am having a blast on Battlefield Viet Nam, and Far Cry(Oh btw they actually recalled the 1.2 patch! what a mess!)and Painkiller with all settings maxed, at 1600 x 1200. Heat does'nt seem to be an issue either. Temperatures remain in the normal ranges even with the most graphics intensive applications. Now if we could only get these benchies from Valve!

New reply here.

Since posting such high res images would be bad

I have opted to post links to some FC pics taken with the 6800. They are huge, uncompressed, and pretty.

http://www.hotdeathdiner.com/images/FC6800.jpg

http://www.hotdeathdiner.com/images/FC68001.jpg

http://www.hotdeathdiner.com/images/FC68002.jpg

look at your own risk.

I play it now at 1600 x 1200 with 4xAA and 4XAF at the paradise settings and get frame rates from the high 20's to the high 50's. I could'nt be happier right now.

Note: in pic #2 when you use the binocs, you can actually see swaying seaweeds and fish swimming around in the water as well.

How much noise does the card make Juim? I'm looking to get this card, but in reviews, the closest they come to noise testing is comparing it's noise to say a X800 pro - another card I don't have or know how loud it is :smile:

I am sitting about 18 inches from the box, which is suspended under my desk and I hear no new noises coming from my machine. I would have to say no more than my 9700 pro anyways. Very quiet.

But dont you need 2 extra molex connectors? And people say that you need at least a 500w psu.

It depends on your case material too.

I've got a steel case (heavy bastard) its quiet, the only fan I hear really is the power supply fan.

I suppose the most noise you hear is the case fan(s) and power supply fan.

My friend has an aluminum case and its noisy as all hell, and he has equal or lower power fans (power supply, video card and such.)

So, I would imagine, if your computer had some sort of sound insulation, it wouldn't matter. Also, Its doubtful any video card (unless it had an unusual fan) would cause more noise then current video cards (or a little older ones).

No only one molex connector. I believe the Ultra is the power monster with the dual molex thingies. Another reason I went with the GT.

Yea, as crono said. But if you do get insulation pads, make sure you have excelent cooling [ at least 2 exhaust fans ] coz it can get pretty damn hot in there other wise ].

sloth. No one has insulating pads. It depends on the material of your case. Not to mention depending on the material, they could cause some problems with the parts.

And You don't need any case fans the parts will still function just fine.
If you want air to circulate (which rid dust more then anything else) 2 fans is needed. If you just want some air for blow in, 1 fan.

The only problem is, if you don't have circulating air, you have to clean the parts every once in awhile. Every part already has their own fan, the tempurature doesn't effect them, its the other way around.

With current heat issues you do need case fans to keep cool air
circulating in a case. Do you really think PCs from dell and such would
have case fans if it was just to keep dust out the case?

My parents PC and my own PC both get up to uncomfortably high temps, and we aren't using case fans. I've just ordered a thermaltake case with 4 built in case fans, and good exhaust and intake fans for my parents case, so hopefully that will be the end of my overheating woes :smile:

With current heat issues you do need case fans to keep cool air
circulating in a case. Do you really think PCs from dell and such would
have case fans if it was just to keep dust out the case?

Shut up, Nic.
I've been doing this for well over seven to eight years, I know what it needs.

Dell can go eat s**t.

Taking that the most powerful thing in their computers is the over sized power supply, I'd say, they do it to make people happy, since a lot of people think they must have case fans.

You don't need any, they're just a good idea to keep dust from staying on the parts. Yes, they do cool things down within the case, but the amount of heat that the parts themselves produce is being cooled down by their separate fans.

So what exactly do you think they cool down besides air? The motherboard? The chipset?

If these things require fans to simply operate they would be built on (like some chipsets have).

Manufacturer companies like Dell (Gateway, HP) do things like this to prevent any need of maintenance, the longer the computer works without needing any sort of tune up the more the customer will be convinced that its a good product (which in most cases is not true)

I'll give you the low down on the difference my case fans make once they arrive. My parents system temp is currently 37 degrees, and cpu temp is 55, which is pretty bad for a basically idle temp.

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea to have a case fan. I just said it isn't required for the computer to operate without problems (which means normally).

There's no doubt that you system, depending on where it is placed and your climate, could benefit from a circulation of air. But, the thing that they might be cooling down it other fans or something as such. That air flow really wont make much of a difference to the CPU core temperature and such.

I'm tired of people spouting things that aren't true. I'm not trying to cause a conflict, its just ... don't say something if you don't know what you're talking about. Or at least don't say it in such a matter of fact way.

I don't know maybe I'm just cranky.

Crono, do you ever not get into an argument?

NO!
It is the fuel that drives me!

Seriously, Cass, thanks, I needed that :smile: (s**tty day)

Crono said:
Dell can go eat s**t.

Well said :smile: In england thier pc's are way overpriced, maybe its to do with all the advertising they do.

No, its because they're money hungry. Their computers are selling here for like $450, but the price of all the parts in the computer MIGHT come up to be $200. Since they use outdated and unpurchasable parts. The only thing in them that you can run out and buy really is the processor, that's always maxed ... but you have no idea who makes certain parts in their computer. It says "With sound" or "LAN" or something as such. They use to say "With video" but now they try to boast their stunning GeForce 2 MX 440

I've never had a problem with dell. I've got an inspiron 8100 and have been very happy with it. :smile:

I didn't say they don't work, I said they're not worth the money.