hello, help

[geeman]

hello all, I'm new to the site. but I 've been on toms site for a couple of years. My questions are, the new geforce fx ultra $500.00 one has a big fan but the pny website shows
there 256 mb ddr agp 8x with 2 fans. Is there a difference between them? Is there a brand name on the card thats listed on this site. which company sells this nice card besides pny? question #2 The ninimum specs says you need a 350w power supply, I have a 300w. Will it work with mine or should I install a 350w power supply? Please let me know thanks

 

[michael11699]

I just ordered the Gainward FX5950 from Newegg for $428. I have owned Gaiward cards before and have never had a problem with them. This one can be overclocked via their utility to 500/1000. And it doesn't need an empty pci slot next to it such as other FX cards. It uses 2 small fans, I believe they are 40mm instead of one big honker. But these fans do not have variable speeds like the others though. As for power supply, try the 300 out, but if you upgrade, go for at least 400w-430w, just to c.y.a. for the future.

Here is the address for the card at newegg: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-128-166&catalog=48&depa=1

 

[geeman]

Hi, why do you like gainward? I dont know anything about gainward. dO THEY SELL GOOD QUALITY CARds. are they like pny.com, a card with 2 fans. and about power supply, why so
high, 400- 430w?

 

[michael11699]

After reading several reviews, including the one on THG, the FX5950 bested, or was just behind, the 9800XT and 9800Pro in the games tested (1600x1200x32 no AA or AF) that I play. Since I don't normally use AA and AF, I went with the numbers that the FX5950 is better. I am not a fanboy of either company, I just wanted to try something different. Who knows, I might be buying an ATI card in another year, which is when I usually upgrade to the newest models. Who says that when you get married and have a child you can't spend money for a new video card?

 

[michael11699]

Geeman,

I had a Gainward card in the past and it served me well, it is still cranking along in my brother-in-law's system 2 years later, it is a Geforce 3. I also like that you can overclock it by the software they provide, that way you won't void a warranty.

I suggest you check out on-line retailers that carry Gainward cards, use Price watch to find them, and them read the customer reviews. The link I noted for Newegg has links to reviews by customers and tech sites, be sure to check it out.

I suggested the 400-430 power supply because that way if you upgrade your system in the future, you should be covered for quite some time, and you wouldn't have to buy another one. I Hope this helps.

 

[michael11699]

Wusy,

When you're runnin' and gunnin' you don't have time to stand there and say, "Wow, look at the smooth edges of that tree"
Besides, there is nothing more irratating that going into a firefight and have it start to look like one of Max Payne's wild slow motion dreams!

 

[michael11699]

What exactly is Anisotropic Filtering? What does it do?

 

[coolsquirtle]

in noob terms: it makes the image look prettier

RIP Block Heater....HELLO P4~~~~~
120% nVidia Fanboy
FX5700Ultra, the next Ti4200? seems so

 

[Spitfire_x86]

When you're runnin' and gunnin' you don't have time to stand there and say, "Wow, look at the smooth edges of that tree"

AA is useless in FPS games. But in games like GTA3/GTA-VC/Mafia or any Racing/Adventure game, AA is very useful.

I see no difference between no AF and 8x AF (I use 1024×768 @ 32 bit)

----------------
<b><A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86" target="_new">My Website</A></b>

<b><A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86/myrig.html" target="_new">My Rig & 3DMark score</A></b>

 

[ytoledano]

I also noticed that. One thing you need to consider is that there is no visual difference between 60 FPS and 150 FPS. Also, turn try out AA and AF, you might like it!

<b><A HREF="http://www.multiplaycity.com/diy1/005/intelhsf.jpg" target="_new">I'm an Intel fan</A></b>

 

[michael11699]

"AA is useless in FPS games. But in games like GTA3/GTA-VC/Mafia or any Racing/Adventure game, AA is very useful.

I see no difference between no AF and 8x AF (I use 1024×768 @ 32 bit)"


Maybe I'm a noob, as Coolsquitle would say, but that is why I don't understand all the fuss about AA and AF scores. How many people REALLY use 8xAA and 16xAF anyways? Give me frames per second, nice and smooth.

 

[Vapor]

Play games other than FPS games with and without AA/AF, you'll quickly understand why we care about it. If I had a 9800 or 59XX (or any of the newer cards), I'd be running AA and AF up the wazoo.

Damn Rambus.

 

[michael11699]

Vapor,
I'll take your advice, I should be getting my FX5950 tomorrow from Newegg. I'll have to reload Commanche 4 and see what happens.

 

[geeman]

Do I make any adjustments to my motherboard or anything else when I replace my 300w power supply to a 400-450w?

 

[geeman]

when you get your new card, can you read off the specs like, proccessor speed and power watts.... thanks

 

[michael11699]

Nope, just plug everything back in and away you go. If you have a P4 system, make sure the p.s. has the 4 pin connector to the m.b.

 

[michael11699]

Here are the specs from the Gainward site, I thought it easier to paste than retype them:

An AGP slot
Intel Pentium, AMD or compatible CPUs
64 MB RAM or more
Minimum 350 Watts system power supply
AGP compliant motherboard supporting AGP4X or AGP8X,
An available hard disk drive power dongle (smaller floppy disk drive connector is not sufficient).
Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows NT 4.0


Part Number
VGFX5950U

Graphics Processor
NVIDIA GeForce™ FX5950 Ultra

Processor Clock
475MHz

Memory Type
256MB 2ns DDR

Memory Width
256-bit

Data rate
950MHz

Bandwidth
28.8 GB/s

RAMDAC
400MHz

Maximum Resolution @ 85 Hz
2048 x 1536

AGP Support
8X

MPEG2 HW Accelleration
Yes

Multiple Display Support
Yes

DB15 VGA
Yes

DVI
Yes

TV-Out
Yes

Packaging
Fullsize retail box

Manual and Driver CD
Yes

Bundled Games
Arx Fatalis

Bundled Software
Win Cinema for DVD playback and video recording/editing, Expertool utility

Accessories
VIVO cable, DVI/VGA adapter, power cable

 

[mh909]

if you have a dell, you will have to make sure the power supply has the same connectors because certain dell models have different plug things in the mobo.

My Card: Geforce 7 Ti 6000, 1024 MB RAM, PCI-EX 32X, OC to 2000/4000, (1500 Watt power supply) 3dmark03: 47483
That's one awsomegra phics experience.