The Official DOOM 3 [H]ardware Guide thread.

I've only tried Doom3 on my own computer, so I don't know how it performs on nvidia based cards, but I *think* I read somewhere that it's an ATi issue, and that it has been solved in a soon-to-be-released driver.
 
SupaDupaNerd said:
So i am having performance hits when i first get the level loaded, everythings choppy till i suppose things get all cached up. When i enter new rooms performance drops and it also does when i get in a fire fight with multiple zomb-marines or imps. I beleive that the amount of ram i have could be the culprit but i am unsure. Any advice for what i should upgrade? video or ram first?

specs:
Xp 2500+
Radeon 9700 pro
gigabyte 7n400 pro2
512 TwinX corsair 3700
Click to expand...

More RAM will not help you one bit )-

http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2156&p=2:
 
mi1stormilst said:
More RAM will not help you one bit )-

http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2156&p=2:
Click to expand...

There's a small problem with those benches in that they only test at medium quality, which uses less memory than high. Although there is no difference between 512megs and a gig at medium, there may be some at high.

Still, I wouldn't really expect any big performance improvements in upgrading to a gig. Just pointing out the possibility of a scenario similar to Far Cry, where the difference between 512megs and 1gig, was only noticable at high texture quality, and it was *very* noticable.
 
Mine did that with 256, not as noticeable with 512... did you defrag before installing?
 
Yeah I forgot to tell what settings i'm running at :rolleyes:
Well i'm running the game at 800x and high detail. My video card also has only 128MB. So I'm curious what upgrade i should consider first.
 
hordaktheman said:
I'm referring to Far Cry.
Click to expand...
I was responding to SupaDupaNerd. It didn't show any other replies on my system when I made that post.

Set your details to Medium, odds are it will run fine as is.
If going to high, get the vid card.
 
Well I for one am nearly done with the game, already have the game sold...ran fine on my setup...certainly wont be upgrading anything for one game that ran fine on my system anyway. Multiplayer is lame so very little replay value...waiting for HL2 (-:
 
hordaktheman said:
There's a small problem with those benches in that they only test at medium quality, which uses less memory than high. Although there is no difference between 512megs and a gig at medium, there may be some at high.

Still, I wouldn't really expect any big performance improvements in upgrading to a gig. Just pointing out the possibility of a scenario similar to Far Cry, where the difference between 512megs and 1gig, was only noticable at high texture quality, and it was *very* noticable.
Click to expand...

I would like to see what VERY NOTICABLE would be? Do you have linkage? If your getting poor performance in Doom 3 the best thing to do is upgrade your video card.
 
Does anyone know any tweaks for me? I'm running at 800x600,medium setting,all advance setting "ON"
except for Anti-Aliansing. My FPS is between 29-30fps,combat will drop to 15-20 with 3 character on screen and 9-12 fps with 5 character on screen.

AMD AthlonXP2800+
Gigabyte GA-7VA
2 sticks of Kingston VAlueRAM PC2700 512MB=1GB
Ati Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB.
 
zioburosky13 said:
Does anyone know any tweaks for me? I'm running at 800x600,medium setting,all advance setting "ON"
except for Anti-Aliansing. My FPS is between 29-30fps,combat will drop to 15-20 with 3 character on screen and 9-12 fps with 5 character on screen.

AMD AthlonXP2800+
Gigabyte GA-7VA
2 sticks of Kingston VAlueRAM PC2700 512MB=1GB
Ati Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB.
Click to expand...
Turn off Vsync for one, specular lighting makes it a bit prettier, but not anything you'd really miss.
 
disabling shadows will give you a big boost in FPS without changing the way the game looks very much.

disabling the specular lighting helps too, but then the game looks like quake 3, lol.
 
CrimandEvil said:
I know a good tweak for you, get a new card. ;)
Click to expand...

If only I have $500,I'l get a Nvidia Geforce 6800 256MB...

Seriouly, what are ya guys's opinion about the Nvidia Geforce 6800 256MB ?
I know it sucks for require a 480W psu...
 
mikey63 said:
disabling shadows will give you a big boost in FPS without changing the way the game looks very much.

disabling the specular lighting helps too, but then the game looks like quake 3, lol.
Click to expand...
I noticed the shadows, but specular lighting I only noticed when I did comparisons with and without.

I'll double check, on my 4 MX and Ti4200, shadows didn't give me that much of a performance difference.
 
I apologize if this has been asked already, but did the Radeon 9600XT used in the tests given in the Doom III [H]ardware Guide have "Overdrive" enabled or disabled?

thanx.
 
GVX said:
I apologize if this has been asked already, but did the Radeon 9600XT used in the tests given in the Doom III [H]ardware Guide have "Overdrive" enabled or disabled?

thanx.
Click to expand...

I don't know for sure, but I think it's unlikely. Consistency would go out the window.
 
Doom3 looks like crap on my machine. I have to turn of all fx and use low quality at 640 x 480 and it's still jerky.

My system:-
4 x AGP
512MB pc2100 DDR RAM
AMD Athlon 2400
Geforce 4000 MX 128mb
windowsXP
DirectX 9

From what I have read this setup should be sufficient to run doom3 adaquately.

I am not much of a games player so I don't know anything about gfx cards and I aint spending a fortune on the latest card just to play doom3, but if a mx440 is good enough surely a mx4000 is too?
This is a new card though as I bought it the same day as I bought doom3 so it can't be that crap.

any tips ?
 
russmichaels said:
Doom3 looks like crap on my machine. I have to turn of all fx and use low quality at 640 x 480 and it's still jerky.

My system:-
4 x AGP
512MB pc2100 DDR RAM
AMD Athlon 2400
Geforce 4000 MX 128mb
windowsXP
DirectX 9

From what I have read this setup should be sufficient to run doom3 adaquately.

I am not much of a games player so I don't know anything about gfx cards and I aint spending a fortune on the latest card just to play doom3, but if a mx440 is good enough surely a mx4000 is too?
This is a new card though as I bought it the same day as I bought doom3 so it can't be that crap.

any tips ?
Click to expand...


Platform: PC Games
Category: Shooters
Item Number: 223988 System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP; Pentium IV 1.5 GHz or AMD Athlon 1.7 GHz XP processor or higher; 384MB RAM; 8x Speed CD-ROM drive (1200KB/sec sustained transfer rate) and latest drivers; 1.7GB of uncompressed free hard disk space (plus 400MB for Windows swap file); 100% DirectXR 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers; 100% Windows 2000/XP compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers; 3D hardware Accelerator Card Required - 100% DirectXR 9.0b compatible 64MB Hardware Accelerated video card and the latest drivers.

I don't remember seeing any benchmarks that showed an mx4000 being good enough for DOOM3. That is a DirectX 6 or 7 card! Seriously a G-Force 3 or 8500 would have been a better deal by far and neither would run you more then $60.00. I would recommend a 9600XT as bare minimum and you can find those cheap $138.00

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-338&depa=0

$111.00 for a 9600PRO

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-240-014&depa=0

What did you spend on that POS?
 
russmichaels said:
This is a new card though as I bought it the same day as I bought doom3 so it can't be that crap.

any tips ?
Click to expand...
This was a poor choice for a new purchase, sorry man.
The MX line can run it, but not well.

Make sure you are using the most recent Nvidia drivers, aside from that, the card just isn't powerful enough to run the game well.
 
crap.. well that's what i get for going by the card name... I presume an mx4000 was better than an mx440. It cosy me £30, which is almost $60
 
ok i can get one of these pretty cheap, is it any good?

128Mb Asus Radeon 9600SE-TD (D-Sub, DVI, TV-Out) OEM
 
Its better, but someone else is going to have to tell you the weaknesses of the 9600 SE. I don't know what has been chopped to make it the SE version.
 
If I remember correctly, the SE line sports a 64-bit datapath, as opposed to a 128-bit path on regular cards. That means half the performance of a non-SE card, so avoid it.

I'm afraid you'll just need to bite the bullet and spend a bit more. I'd call a 9600pro a bare minimum for Doom3. If you can find a cheap 9800pro, go for it.

Just don't forget to run any potential purchase by the people here before you take the plunge. It's easy to get burnt with these things nowadays.
 
right then, how about..

256Mb Excalibur (HiS) Radeon 9600XT Classic D-Sub, DVI, TV-out (Retail)

This will cost me £90 ($162)
 
OK guy sbase don your suggestions of at least a 9600, I took a look on ebay to see what was going, and there are plenty around this mark.
Now i'm not sure how much differenc ethere is between a 9600, 9700,9800 so not sure whether it's betetr to get a 9600 256mb or a 9700 128mb.
Perhaps you would be so kind as to have a look at my selection here and tell me which is the best deal.

thanks.

the cards
 
link not work.

a 9700 Pro will always out perform the 9600 cards the size of the memory doesn't matter either since the 9600 are too lowend to even use it.
 
bah stupid ebay, cannot copy the links. I have ripped the page and stuck it on my own server, try the link now.
 
While I don't know if I agree about the memory issue on the 9600 vs the 9700, I certainly agree the 9700 128 to be the better choice.

I'm looking to trip over a deal myself...
 
ok cool, I will get that then.
looks like I will get this for under £50, only 2 hours left :)

CONNECT 3D 9700 ATI AGP 128mb GRAPHICS CARD

BTW what's the difference with the PRO version ?
 
I reposted this message in another thread. I could not figure out how to delete it. Please feel free to do so.

P4 3.4C Northwood CPU
1GB OCZ 4200EL Memory
MSI 875P Neo FIS2R System Board
ATI X800 Pro Video Card
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus Ultra 120GB HD
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI Sound Card
Plextor Premium 52x CD-R
Plextor PX-708A DVDR
Iomega Zip 750 ATAPI Internal
Sony Multiscan G410 19" FD Trinitron Monitor
Antec Plus 860 Full Tower Case
5 Antec Case fans
Antec True 430 PS
Windows XP Professional with Directx 9.0b and ATI Catalyst 4.7 Drivers

Running slightly overclocked @ 17x206 MHz FSB or 3502 MHz with no heat problems.

X800 pro running in Overdrive mode @ 506 MHz

3DMark03 score 10,400 @1024x768/ 8167 @1280x1024

I run all games including Doom 3 at 1280x1024 with good frame rates.

My system scored 47.4 fps in the Doom 3 timedemo at 1280x1024. Doom 3 settings are 1280x1024, high quality, FSAA OFF. Turning on FSAA causes frame rates to drop significantly with little or no change in display quality.

I got most of the parts at newegg.com. Good service and good prices.

I think I understand why the [H]ard benchmarks for the X800 Pro were so low. Perhaps a poor choice of hardware and poor configuration of that hardware. The Northwood processors have consistently outperformed equivalent Prescott processors for gaming while generating less heat and using less power. The 875P/AGP has also outperformed comparable 9XX/LGA 775/PCI Express systems at lower cost. The OCZ 4200EL memory is the fastest DDR memory available and half the cost of the DDR2 533 memory needed for LGA 775 systems. LGA 775/9XX/Prescott systems will eventually come down in price, improve heat dissipation and performance over Northwood/875 but they have not done so yet. The LGA 775/9XX systems are also much harder to overclock than 875/AGP systems. You also failed to mention the power requirements of the 6800 GT/Ultra and Prescott processors. A 480 watt power supply would be a minimum for your system configuration. I was able to run my 3.4C/X800 Pro off of my existing Antec True 430 with no problems. The X800 pro uses about the same amount of power as the 9800 Pro. A system configured like your benchmark test system is not a good choice for 3D gaming at this time in my opinion. I am not surprised that the X800 Pro performed so poorly in your benchmarks.
 
I'd just like to add that doom 3 works perfectly fine on the lowest quality settings (640x480) with my somewhat old system:

P4 1.3ghz
384MB RDRAM
Radeon 9000 64mb

thanks to id for making a great game that's flexible on such a wide range of systems.
 
After reading 40+ pages of this thread, I now feel I can ask for help: I have been out of gaming and building for over 10 years. Things have obviously changed a lot. After reading what you guys are doing these days, I am embarrassed to consider what I did as “building” back then. Anyway, I would like to get a system that will set me up for some awesome gaming, with DOOM 3 the top consideration (I have a few young kids that are ready to game).

Can anyone recommend an off-the-shelf system that would come close to matching the D3 Hardware Guide’s “ULTIMATE” system specs? Not likely, I am sure, after researching what you guys are putting into them to get them there, but it can’t hurt to ask.

If not, can anyone recommend a reputable company that does a good build at a good price?

Since this would be a family computer also, any comments on the other components (monitor, floppy drives, DVD RW, sound etc.) would be greatly appreciated. My disadvantage is that even the basic components have changed over the years, along with who the “good” manufacturers are, so I don’t know where to start.

ANY help is greatly appreciated. The anticipation of getting DOOM 3 pounding and sweating through my house is causing me a loss of sleep, literally. I can’t get it out of my mind. Help me here, please!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Tom
Charleston, SC
 
Wow, that's a tough question. I can't think of one pre-built that doesn't come with a 2000$+ pricetag. You've got your Falcon's and Alienware's, but I think they're both very expensive. I think your best bet would be to talk to a local computer shop and have them build it for you, if you don't feel up to doing it yourself, rather than going with a specific brand. I don't think there are that many component manufacturers today that are less than "good", so the chances of getting a crap vidcard/cpu/motherboard/harddrive are pretty slim.

Just make sure you get a decent motherboard, processor and video card, say, an Athlon64 setup with a Geforce 6800 series. Someone around here is bound to be able to give you a list of good components.
 
Athlon XP 2400+
Shuttle AN35N Ultra 400
2x 256MB Kingston PC3200
80gig Western Digital drive
Integrated sound is not awesome, but certainly adequate.
Enlight EN-7250-ORZ
optical drive of your choice, my brand preference is Samsung right now
Vid card... 9600 Pro, 5700 in various forms, 5900/5950 are about $200...

Under a grand for a box that will play Doom 3 nicely. The vid card is the main limitation on Doom 3.
I clocked my system (same basic stuff) to 1GHz with 100MHz DDR and a Ti4200, framerates didn't really change. Faster systems with weaker cards perform worse. At least a Geforce 4 Ti and I can guarantee it will run well.
 
The Article was a big help in building a somewhat "futureproof" system. With my current system I am now getting a stable 83fps @ 1024x768 2xAA/8xAF. Now to conquer Half-Life2.
 
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