Graphics Cards

[Guest]

I'm relatively new to PC gaming having recently "upgraded" from the console world (GameCube)

My first mistake was to buy what I thought was a high spec machine (P4 2.4ghz 512 mb) but found out later that it had a low spec graphics card. (I should have looked closer to the specs). So I quickly found myself shelling out for a new card to play the latest games (now using ATI radeon 9000 64 mb.)

This is a direct x 8.1 card and to my dismay I find that the new games coming out are dx9.0b (Call of Duty is the game I want to buy).

Will my dx8.1 compliant card play these games? At the rate new releases of direct x are made, how can I best "future proof" myself? I note that cards are already on the market to play dx9 and are up to 256mb in memory. Already my DX8.1 64mb investment is out of date!

What's the best approach here??

Thanks
Vinnie

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Vinnie,

You have the card now, so even if it's not the top of the line,
stick with it until you need to upgrade for a game you *have*
to have. You'll get more for your money doing it that way.

Want to see how your card stacks up in Call of Duty? ;-)
http://firingsquad.com/hardware/call_of_duty_ati/page4.asp

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| I'm relatively new to PC gaming having recently "upgraded" from the console world (GameCube)
|
| My first mistake was to buy what I thought was a high spec machine (P4 2.4ghz 512 mb) but found out later that it had a low spec
graphics card. (I should have looked closer to the specs). So I quickly found myself shelling out for a new card to play the latest
games (now using ATI radeon 9000 64 mb.)
|
| This is a direct x 8.1 card and to my dismay I find that the new games coming out are dx9.0b (Call of Duty is the game I want to
buy).
|
| Will my dx8.1 compliant card play these games? At the rate new releases of direct x are made, how can I best "future proof"
myself? I note that cards are already on the market to play dx9 and are up to 256mb in memory. Already my DX8.1 64mb investment is
out of date!
|
| What's the best approach here??
|
| Thanks
| Vinnie

 

[Don Soriano]

-----Original Message-----
I'm relatively new to PC gaming having

recently "upgraded" from the console world (GameCube)

My first mistake was to buy what I thought was a high

spec machine (P4 2.4ghz 512 mb) but found out later that
it had a low spec graphics card. (I should have looked
closer to the specs). So I quickly found myself shelling
out for a new card to play the latest games (now using
ATI radeon 9000 64 mb.)

This is a direct x 8.1 card and to my dismay I find that

the new games coming out are dx9.0b (Call of Duty is the
game I want to buy).

Will my dx8.1 compliant card play these games? At the

rate new releases of direct x are made, how can I
best "future proof" myself? I note that cards are already
on the market to play dx9 and are up to 256mb in memory.
Already my DX8.1 64mb investment is out of date!

What's the best approach here??

Thanks
Vinnie
.
Vinnie:

Just like computers, there are two types of video cards:
The experimental and the obsolete. I'm a PC gamer myself
(flight and combat flight simulation). I normally stay
away from "off the shlef" PCs because I can't be sure
what exactly I'm getting. So I built my own. I just
recently upgraded from a TI4200 64MB to a Nvidia GX 5600
256MB and it seem to work fine for the moment. You also
might as well go for a good sound card (Ex: SB audigy
Platinum) and lots of RAM. I'll probably be due for an
upgrade sometime in 2005.

Don

 

[Guest]

With the release of the ATI Radeon 9800 XT, the price of the 9800 Pros has dropped about 100.00. I just got one and love it. At Tomshardware, It ranks near the top on almost all the tests. Like anything else, some games run on Radeons better than Geforce cards a vic versa. Try going to Tomshardware.com, If I remember correctly Call of Duty is one of the games they used to test the cards out and it played better on the new GEforce based cards.