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Thread ID: 49190 2004-09-12 10:25:00 upgrade for doom3 gstroud (6149) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
271588 2004-09-12 10:25:00 i am new to this forum so please excuse me if I do something wrong
I have a
P4 1.6mhz 500mb ram 80g HDD asus DVD r/rw
GeForce4 mx 440se 64mb card

It is a dinasuar but with reason... I spent all of my toy money on a G4 powerbook with superdrive and airport extreme as well as adding ram to my gf's ibook... now we have my PC and two laptops wireless linked and connected broadband... I should be happy right? Well I forgot about doom3 and now I want to play!
Q. does anyone know whether a video card upgrade would do the trick? or do I have to go the whole hog and get a new motherboard and cpu... or is it more serious... a new rig?
gstroud (6149)
271589 2004-09-12 10:34:00 Welcome to PressF1

I think you'll find that a video card upgrade will probably do the trick.
I would think that something in the nVidia FX5700 range for best bang for buck, but I stand to be corrected by those here that are more knowledgable in the vid-card area than myslef.
antmannz (28)
271590 2004-09-12 10:35:00 a new video card will give a huge boost,look at a 9800pro. metla (154)
271591 2004-09-12 21:10:00 Well the minimum is a 1 . 5 CPU for Doom 3 with a P4 .

It says 64mb for video with the latest drivers for it on the box .

And 384mb ram, and u have 500mb . Which should be enough . I just brought it yesterday actually .

It takes up about 1 . 5gb of hdd space as well . So, hopefully, you've got a bit to spare! But also 400mb for the swap file, so the box says .

I take it you use 2000 or XP ?
Spacemannz (808)
271592 2004-09-12 21:17:00 Yes XP home sp2... hard drive space never a problem as i can always delete important stuff for doom3 :) The 64mb card minimum stated on the box seems to be a bit optimistic... game play is quite underwhelming...! gstroud (6149)
271593 2004-09-12 21:23:00 True never believe what u see on boxes! I use a 128mb card here. An Asus FX5200. Seems to do the trick. All I need now is a fast connection. Since Doom3 will be crap without it online. Spacemannz (808)
271594 2004-09-12 21:50:00 > True never believe what u see on boxes! I use a 128mb
> card here . An Asus FX5200 . Seems to do the trick . All
> I need now is a fast connection . Since Doom3 will be
> crap without it online .
Dont get me started, the amount of ram your video card has doesnt mean jack . A Radeon 9500 with 64mb would spank a 5200 with 128mb .

As Metla sugguested earlier a 9800PRO would be ideal, they retail from around $430 upwards . If thats a bit expensive consider a 9600XT these retail from around $230upwards . Stay away from the FX5700 there horriable value for money, a cheap 9600 out preforms it .
Pete O'Neil (250)
271595 2004-09-12 21:51:00 read the video card faq beta,the onboard ram has nothing to do with the cards performance,the g4mx is just a very poor performing card.

So is the fx5200 when it comes to games that need any grunt.
metla (154)
271596 2004-09-12 22:06:00 are you meaning a 9800 pro 128 or 9800 pro 256mb? gstroud (6149)
271597 2004-09-12 22:18:00 > are you meaning a 9800 pro 128 or 9800 pro 256mb?
Perhaps it would be a good idea to read the video card FAQ? It would answer that question and many more.

Get the 128mb card the preformance gained for the extra 128mb is very small and will increase the cost dramatically. One thing to look out for is make sure the card you buys has 8pipelines and a 256bit memory interface (this only applys to 9800's).
Pete O'Neil (250)
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