I was thinking about getting a new computer, but I doubt the video card it comes with would be enough. However, I was curious to know if you can buy a good upgrade for under $100?
Also, does anyone here play using a 64mb video card?
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- Such thing as a good video card for under $100?
Such thing as a good video card for under $100?Follow
No such thing friend. Your best bet is your getting a new system, make sure you have a vid card that's 200 dollars, that way you don't need to worry about it all.
For a look at where you could see some good vid cards, check out www.bestbuy.com
Hope that helps.
For a look at where you could see some good vid cards, check out www.bestbuy.com
Hope that helps.
46 posts
Can you recommend an inexpensive, yet up-to-the-job PCI video cards?
38 posts
PCI...Circuit city has a nice video card that is $120 with a $40 rebate. I had to build get one for my cousin and we used that. I bought my AGP video card for like $60 and it works perfectly, I'm running EQ2 with no trouble whatsoever. It's a Radeon 9600, but I did just build a computer with a gig of ram. So, if you need a PCI, I'd recommend Circuit City, or check Price Grabber. Otherwise the Radeon 9600 128mb card works for me.
9 posts
Thanks tlafleur, I actually had the same question. I'll go and look at one.
46 posts
Would I be able to use an old geforce2 mx400 on eq2?
Quote:
Would I be able to use an old geforce2 mx400 on eq2?
Not unless hell froze over =(
Benchmarks are pretty controversial but I would say that you need to be able to mark up about 2000 with 3dmark03 to be able to run EQII well.
1500 will be ok if you trim the options pretty agressively but at around 1000 you are in serious trouble unless you turn things so far down that all the advantage of running a modern game is lost.
I run on 4 separate systems ( 1 account - I just end up in different places)
At the cheap end I have a GFX5700LE 128MB (but seriously overclocked - I normally don't bother with overclocking or messing with hardware that much, but this card was initially a disapointment at 1200 3dmark03 - but it overclocked right up to about 70% better than this which was a hugh, and very plesant, surprise) - this is in a 512MB 700Mhz PIII and it runs fine at 1152x864. The limited memory is a problem because the system gets slower as I go through several zones, so I have to restart it after about half a dozen zones to keep it behaving (I believe there is a memory leak which has been reported as the cause) - the system is limited to 512 so adding more is not an option.
On a much more recent system I have a 2.8HT p4 with 1.5 GB with a pci express gf6600 256mb (not the gt just the vanilla 6600) this does a reasonable job and is quite inexpensive - but I would be very inclined to go for the 256mb model the 10-20 dollars you save by buying a 128mb is no saving in the end.
Not relevant here is the 1.7ghz p4 1gb mobility radeon 9600 - this does a nice job (when on mains power - on battery it is woefull - drops from 2500 3dmark to about 1000) - but the 64MB card memory is a problem so all the texture resolutions need to be low even if some other gpu rather than memory setting are left arounf the medium (balanced) settings.
The best is a 2.8ht 6800 (again the vanilla 6800) which clocks up about 8000 3dmark03 but doesn't show as well as this implies in the game - though better than the others it is not actually worth the differnce - but it is an early 128MB model and I regret that I didn't hold out for a couple of months and get a 256MB one.
Other than the laptop which is built-in I have a tendency to buy nvidia - but this is just habit and familiarity - the ati cards in the same categories are at least as good and in some cases (especially at the high end possibly better).
One other cheap option to consider is a second hand previous generation card - a ti4600 / 4800 would be a capable card rivalling the lower end above provided it is good value - but no pixel shader/native dx9 support looses some game quality.
The 5800/5850/5900/5950 cards are all quite viable - but some are still retail and overpriced for their performance in many cases unless you are buying from a very high volume online vendor. But with these cards you have to be really carefull that you know what you are buying - the various XT and SE models can lead you to think you see something cheap and buy it only to find out that you paid normal price for a lower spec version than you expected (my mistake with the 5700LE above - which I got lucky with because of its overclock range and stability).
Given I have almost covered the viable nvidia range - I'll finish it with some guess work:
5200 - probably not enough
5200xt - it'll do - but no oc rooom and probably poor value now
5600 - if cheap it'll do (second hand now)
5600 xt - yes at a lowish price - 256 mb model if at all possible
5700 it'll do
5750 - I ignored these becaus I had no PCI Express machnine until recently so don't know where they fit for sure - but I believe the are 5700 - 5700XT range.
5700 xt / Ultra - these will be fine if they are affordable watch the memory and check teh specifc model to be sure youy aren't buying the vendors ultra instead of the nvidia ultra
(to explain: the 5700 ultra is a nice (lower medium) card - but at least one vendor sells a 5700 which they have given their own name to (as many do) but in this case the name includes 'ultra' so you see '5700' and 'ultra' on the box and might be fooled into thinking you are buying a 5700 ultra).
I have no idea where the 6200s are - just haven't seen enough on them yet.
I hope that this helps.
p.s. personal opinion - some of what I have written here may be completely incorrect - and some of what I intended to write may not appear here as intended if I messed up the logic in the tortuous sentences I tend to use !
1500 will be ok if you trim the options pretty agressively but at around 1000 you are in serious trouble unless you turn things so far down that all the advantage of running a modern game is lost.
I run on 4 separate systems ( 1 account - I just end up in different places)
At the cheap end I have a GFX5700LE 128MB (but seriously overclocked - I normally don't bother with overclocking or messing with hardware that much, but this card was initially a disapointment at 1200 3dmark03 - but it overclocked right up to about 70% better than this which was a hugh, and very plesant, surprise) - this is in a 512MB 700Mhz PIII and it runs fine at 1152x864. The limited memory is a problem because the system gets slower as I go through several zones, so I have to restart it after about half a dozen zones to keep it behaving (I believe there is a memory leak which has been reported as the cause) - the system is limited to 512 so adding more is not an option.
On a much more recent system I have a 2.8HT p4 with 1.5 GB with a pci express gf6600 256mb (not the gt just the vanilla 6600) this does a reasonable job and is quite inexpensive - but I would be very inclined to go for the 256mb model the 10-20 dollars you save by buying a 128mb is no saving in the end.
Not relevant here is the 1.7ghz p4 1gb mobility radeon 9600 - this does a nice job (when on mains power - on battery it is woefull - drops from 2500 3dmark to about 1000) - but the 64MB card memory is a problem so all the texture resolutions need to be low even if some other gpu rather than memory setting are left arounf the medium (balanced) settings.
The best is a 2.8ht 6800 (again the vanilla 6800) which clocks up about 8000 3dmark03 but doesn't show as well as this implies in the game - though better than the others it is not actually worth the differnce - but it is an early 128MB model and I regret that I didn't hold out for a couple of months and get a 256MB one.
Other than the laptop which is built-in I have a tendency to buy nvidia - but this is just habit and familiarity - the ati cards in the same categories are at least as good and in some cases (especially at the high end possibly better).
One other cheap option to consider is a second hand previous generation card - a ti4600 / 4800 would be a capable card rivalling the lower end above provided it is good value - but no pixel shader/native dx9 support looses some game quality.
The 5800/5850/5900/5950 cards are all quite viable - but some are still retail and overpriced for their performance in many cases unless you are buying from a very high volume online vendor. But with these cards you have to be really carefull that you know what you are buying - the various XT and SE models can lead you to think you see something cheap and buy it only to find out that you paid normal price for a lower spec version than you expected (my mistake with the 5700LE above - which I got lucky with because of its overclock range and stability).
Given I have almost covered the viable nvidia range - I'll finish it with some guess work:
5200 - probably not enough
5200xt - it'll do - but no oc rooom and probably poor value now
5600 - if cheap it'll do (second hand now)
5600 xt - yes at a lowish price - 256 mb model if at all possible
5700 it'll do
5750 - I ignored these becaus I had no PCI Express machnine until recently so don't know where they fit for sure - but I believe the are 5700 - 5700XT range.
5700 xt / Ultra - these will be fine if they are affordable watch the memory and check teh specifc model to be sure youy aren't buying the vendors ultra instead of the nvidia ultra
(to explain: the 5700 ultra is a nice (lower medium) card - but at least one vendor sells a 5700 which they have given their own name to (as many do) but in this case the name includes 'ultra' so you see '5700' and 'ultra' on the box and might be fooled into thinking you are buying a 5700 ultra).
I have no idea where the 6200s are - just haven't seen enough on them yet.
I hope that this helps.
p.s. personal opinion - some of what I have written here may be completely incorrect - and some of what I intended to write may not appear here as intended if I messed up the logic in the tortuous sentences I tend to use !
I'm running a FX5200Ultra 128MB AGP... it does the trick. I can run on High performance quite well, and occationally Balanced, but I wouldn't push it.
best bet is to go to the EQ2 main site and find the list of supported video cards, (I don't remember the URL or I'd post it) then do a price search on those listed..
I know someone who is playing EQ2 on a PCI Radeon 9200 and he says it does allright.. obviously not cranking High Quality, but playable at the performance settings... not sure exactly of the price on a 9200, but it's PCI and an older card so I figure it'll be roughly in the 100$ to a little over 100$ price point.
I know someone who is playing EQ2 on a PCI Radeon 9200 and he says it does allright.. obviously not cranking High Quality, but playable at the performance settings... not sure exactly of the price on a 9200, but it's PCI and an older card so I figure it'll be roughly in the 100$ to a little over 100$ price point.
This is the Vid card I've been using, works well for me so far. Here's a link with a price and they have a rebate on it for the moment.
Link: http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=316641&pfp=BROWSE
Link: http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=316641&pfp=BROWSE
46 posts
Which vid card would be better?
Sapphire ATI RADEON X300 SE, PCI-E $66
Verto GeForce FX 5500 Video Card, PCI $80
Both are 128mb.
Sapphire ATI RADEON X300 SE, PCI-E $66
Verto GeForce FX 5500 Video Card, PCI $80
Both are 128mb.
firstly.. do you have a PCI-e slot???
PCI is not equal to PCI-e and the two slots are very different.
that said if you can get it I would think the data bandwidth of the PCIe slot would make it a better overall performer.. but that's just a guess-timate.
PCI is not equal to PCI-e and the two slots are very different.
that said if you can get it I would think the data bandwidth of the PCIe slot would make it a better overall performer.. but that's just a guess-timate.
I use that particular Verto card, and the game runs all right. Nothing spectacular, but definitely playable.
46 posts
The thing is, is Im going to be getting a new budget computer but Im trying to find out what's the best and for the least money. So I could go either AGP or PCI-E, it all depends on the overall cost and performance.
If you can go PCI-e as that is the future..
http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=tech_support&message.id=3265
Check this out for you guys with lower end video cards. It suggests you start at Very High Performance, than it talks you through a work up to make it look nice..
It was a good read and gave me better performance.
5700 Ultra
2.8 HTT
1GB 400 mhz RAM
Edited, Fri Dec 17 16:26:53 2004 by Jute
Check this out for you guys with lower end video cards. It suggests you start at Very High Performance, than it talks you through a work up to make it look nice..
It was a good read and gave me better performance.
5700 Ultra
2.8 HTT
1GB 400 mhz RAM
Edited, Fri Dec 17 16:26:53 2004 by Jute
46 posts
About that though, this computer is only going to be used for EQ2 for about 6-8months so I really don't need to aim for the future. I'd rather get what's good now, at the right price (it might even be that PCI-E is better now, Im trying to find out :) ).
Well your not going to be able to win then if you buy a crapo cheapo card, that probably won't even support EQ2. To add, one of the main features to EQ2 in my opinion, is that it has amazing graphics. Why sell yourself short buying a vid card that barely makes it, and have to play on EXTREME performance, which means, no NPCs or other people or even water look nice.
If you want to save cash, but still keep the game at high performance, which to me is still just breathtaking graphics, then go to your local best buy, and shell out the 150 bucks like I did man. If your card has to be PCI slot only like mine was since I have a crap computer then make sure you go for an nVidia due to their FX series being better then the Radeon equvialent.
=) Follow my words friend, and you will not be disappointed.
If you want to save cash, but still keep the game at high performance, which to me is still just breathtaking graphics, then go to your local best buy, and shell out the 150 bucks like I did man. If your card has to be PCI slot only like mine was since I have a crap computer then make sure you go for an nVidia due to their FX series being better then the Radeon equvialent.
=) Follow my words friend, and you will not be disappointed.
46 posts
What about the ATI Radeon 9800 ATLANTIS, how does that compare to an ATI Radeon 9600XT?
iam running an old nVidia 4800 w/ 128 PCI and 512 RAM. also i use a 1.6 gHz AMD. not goona get more specific than that on my system xcept too say that DAMN i need to upgrade and i know it..
that being said...
i run eq2 fine when set to the max peformance setting and then with one or two video settings tweaks to make me happy like 2 light sources renders and 2 high def chars and some flora and fuana here and there - also i put rendering distance at max. the only time i really get any lag is in freeport and i here even the big dowgs are getting lag there so i dont feel too bad.
waiting for tax refund time to upgrade hehe
that being said...
i run eq2 fine when set to the max peformance setting and then with one or two video settings tweaks to make me happy like 2 light sources renders and 2 high def chars and some flora and fuana here and there - also i put rendering distance at max. the only time i really get any lag is in freeport and i here even the big dowgs are getting lag there so i dont feel too bad.
waiting for tax refund time to upgrade hehe
9 posts
I hear you Phirefox. I am in the same position. I know I shouldn't have done this, but I'm desperate to find out for myself how EQ2 is. I bought a ATI Radeon 9250 today(not sure how this card is). Then I will buy a stick of 512 just to see if its worth me going out and buying a powerhouse for. From what I hear though it is definately worth it.
/cheer
/cheer
I have a Saphire Radeon 9800 pro 128mb, though at $196, it isn't quite in your price range. I can run the game on balanced or just above if I'm out in Antonica.. haven't be able to get into Qeynos yet.. but.. I had to have it on High Performance while I was in Freeport. Wonderful card.. just need some more ram to support it :)
46 posts
How much ram do you have now alyssa, and what are your other major system specs?
512 mb pc 3200 Geil DDR RAM
WD 80GB 7200 rpm HD
Athlon 2500 overclocked to 2.2 Ghz
Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2
Windows XP Pro with SP 2
Anything else you need?
WD 80GB 7200 rpm HD
Athlon 2500 overclocked to 2.2 Ghz
Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2
Windows XP Pro with SP 2
Anything else you need?
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