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video cards for doom 3

G

GummyBear

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
100
PowerColor ATI RADEON 9800SE Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Bundle Free Hitman Contracts Game Model "R98-SC3" -OEM $119.00


BFG Tech Asylum Ti 4200SE 128mb AGP 8x, VGA, TV-out on sale for $60

which one of these cards will be the best bang for my buck??? i will like to run doom 3 on medium settings.
 
Cant you just make the jump to an FX 5600 or a 9800 Pro? Around $150 a piece today and worth the money over the mentioned cards.
 
the FX series sucks and the power color video card i heard was able to soft mod into a 9800 pro
 
I used the softmod on my Powercolor 9800SE and it worked flawlessly. I’m running the GPU at 410 mhz (with a bigger fan) and the memory at 360 mhz (x2). Now, I’ve got a 9800 Pro “+” for only $140.00.

Plus, I picked up another stick of Corsair RAM (giving me 1 gig) with all the money I saved on the video card.

1028 x 768 at High Quality settings for Doom 3 was exactly what I was shooting for and I got it for chump change.
 
is 120 for the powercolor card a bargain? and wut do u have to do to soft mod it? experiences and success stories would be appriciated, thanks. also if i soft mod it, will the hsf that comes with it be enuff? also the ti4200, will it be able to run doom3 at all on medium settings?

thanks,
From The Gummy
 
Make sure to get the 256-bit version of these cards! The GPU clock speed of the card should run at 380 mhz and the memory modules are the 2.8 type. Another good clue is that the memory modules are positioned in the “L” shape. It doesn’t hurt to have the larger 4-pin power connector either. In other words, it should look exactly like the Pro version. Many of the SE’s are PRO’s but with 4 pipelines disabled. The SE’s softmodded are true diamonds in the rough.

I just know the Powercolor’s card softmods well but I’ve heard other manufacturers cards work as well.
 
On Neowin.com ,there is a thread about how DOOM 3 has been released early !
and there are alot of people that have had it since friday night..Well there are people
posting with GFX5600U,and 3 or 4 with Ti4200...and they have all stated with settings
at very high..they are getting high 40's and low 50's FPS.
 
GummyBear said:
and wut do u have to do to soft mod it? experiences and success stories would be appriciated, thanks. also if i soft mod it, will the hsf that comes with it be enuff?
Click to expand...

To softmod, just use the drivers from www.omegadrivers.net and select the "9800SE -> 9800" mod drivers when prompted. Worked flawlessly on a friend's computer when I did it. The stock HSF was fine for his, but we didn't overclock it. Also, I used the Omega softmod on my 9500 pro and it was excellent as well. Hope this helped.
 
thanks sounds great. i don't wanna overclock or anything. i just want to be able to play D3 with medium settings. think imma go for that power color. but i heard from several ppl that the 9800 pro's were gonna drop in price... also is the 9800 pro 128 ram version a rip off? cuz i heard about the venders sellin the 256 ram and 128 ram in the same box so ppl got tricked. how do the pro's(128 ram/256 ram) compare with the 9800 SE? also did the ppl who report it play on multiplayer mode? thats where my most concern it. i want to be able to play smoothly online while goin crazy!

Thanks,
From The Gummy
 
Mincemeat said:
Cant you just make the jump to an FX 5600 or a 9800 Pro? Around $150 a piece today and worth the money over the mentioned cards.
Click to expand...

9800pro for 150?!?!!?! where?!?!?!? where?!?! seriously.. cause i can only find it for about 190 - 200....
 
GummyBear said:
thanks sounds great. i don't wanna overclock or anything. i just want to be able to play D3 with medium settings. think imma go for that power color. but i heard from several ppl that the 9800 pro's were gonna drop in price... also is the 9800 pro 128 ram version a rip off? cuz i heard about the venders sellin the 256 ram and 128 ram in the same box so ppl got tricked. how do the pro's(128 ram/256 ram) compare with the 9800 SE? also did the ppl who report it play on multiplayer mode? thats where my most concern it. i want to be able to play smoothly online while goin crazy!

Thanks,
From The Gummy
Click to expand...


I don't know about 9800 pricedrops, but the 256 meg version is the same card, just with more RAM. Supposedly this will help in Doom3 (see the [H]ardware guide for how much). As to the comparison with SE's to Pro's, they are the same card (IF you buy Powercolor, others vendor underclock), just with four rendering pipelines closed off. If you softmod and it is successful, they are the same card, even down to clockspeed.


RancidWAnnaRIot said:
9800pro for 150?!?!!?! where?!?!?!? where?!?! seriously.. cause i can only find it for about 190 - 200....
Click to expand...

Newegg refurbs, eBay
 
1 more question, how safe is it to softmod? and is there anything i should do to be careful or be aware of not to do? experiences and chances would be nice...

Thanks,
From The Gummy
 
It’s safe! The only thing you’re doing is opening up the 4 pipelines that were previously unavailable.

The card does run somewhat warm but the heatsink is quite adequate. So, I removed the pitiful stock fan and replaced it with a spare CPU fan. It has a 3 pin connector that mates to the MOBO. It’s a much better cooling solution but the stock fan should be just fine, too.
 
GummyBear said:
PowerColor ATI RADEON 9800SE Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Bundle Free Hitman Contracts Game Model "R98-SC3" -OEM $119.00


BFG Tech Asylum Ti 4200SE 128mb AGP 8x, VGA, TV-out on sale for $60

which one of these cards will be the best bang for my buck??? i will like to run doom 3 on medium settings.
Click to expand...

Medium settings at what resolution? Check the d3 hardware guide for an idea.
 
I haven't seen Radeon 9800 Pro's cheaper than $180 and for a 256 MB model the cheapest I could find was $260... Not worth it at all, if you're gonna spend that much spend $20 more for the GF 6800 that'll run faster and at one resolution step higher (in Doom 3 at 'least) while supporting a more recent feature set. There definitely seems to be a gap right now in the sub $300 segment for video cards, no particulary good deals between it and the hundred $ +change parts. :(

I'm on the same boat with one of the computers here that I want to enable for Doom 3 (hellooo Deathmatch), it's either stick with it's 9600 (not even Pro I think) or bite the bullet and get at 'least a 6800. Linky to the [H] Guide on how your system may run D3 with either of your choices:

http://www2.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NjQ0
 
why would ppl purchase the 9800 pro when they could purchase the 9800 se and softmod it to the 9800???

Thanks,
From The Gummy
 
GummyBear said:
why would ppl purchase the 9800 pro when they could purchase the 9800 se and softmod it to the 9800???

Thanks,
From The Gummy
Click to expand...

Cuz you can get the pro and mod it to the xt :D
 
Some folks don’t want to risk purchasing a video card that may not mod. I don’t think that’s a problem with the [H] crowd though. Most people here seem to know what their doing.
 
ICOM said:
Some folks don’t want to risk purchasing a video card that may not mod. I don’t think that’s a problem with the [H] crowd though. Most people here seem to know what their doing.
Click to expand...

False. Most people are retards :p :p

Unless you are very budget conscious, I would always choose a product I would be happy with at stock speeds but does allow some oc headroom, thus giving me some futureproofing.
 
also i was checkin out the card at newegg when i noticed the retail had more memory and the clock speed was more and also it seems the retail had 2 molexes and the oem has 1? is that suppose to be correcT?
 
Geforce FX 5900, 5950 or 6800 play this game far better then RADEON X800 can. This game is optimized for nVIDIA Hardware. But ATI should be ok as long as u have 9700 or later ver.
 
wut about the power question i had earlier about the plugs? how come 1 of em has 2 and one has 1? is there a difference. that site didn't answer my question.
 
GummyBear said:
wut about the power question i had earlier about the plugs? how come 1 of em has 2 and one has 1? is there a difference. that site didn't answer my question.
Click to expand...

The Ultra has 2 plugs because it needs the added stability of extra power. For stock speeds the Ultra could probably run on one plug like the 6800GT, but tests have shown some instability when oc'ing with only one molex. This may also cap the possible oc of the GT.

*edit: hah, I didn't even realize you were asking about the 9800se, considering I had never heard of a 9800se with more than 1 plug. That card shouldn't require anything more than a single plug could provide, so if it has 2, it means nothing in terms of performance.
 
Ok I need a whole new post to fix the errors here. Those pics show 2 9800SE cards. Neither has more than 1 power connection (you are misinterpreting the molex splitter). It appears as though one uses a floppy drive power connector and the other uses a standard 4 pin molex.

I would recommend getting the one with the standard 4 pin molex (more power) if you intend to softmod it.
 
sorry im not too great at computer stuff, i just know the basics. so u mean get the second pic one right? and also wut kind of PSU would u need to run this card? i tried to look for teh answers on newegg but could not find it.
 
GummyBear said:
sorry im not too great at computer stuff, i just know the basics. so u mean get the second pic one right? and also wut kind of PSU would u need to run this card? i tried to look for teh answers on newegg but could not find it.
Click to expand...

Yes the one in the 2nd pic.

Any reasonably stable psu 300W or above should be able to run this card.
 
i have a ATX 250 PSU. is 300 the lowest? wut if i try to run my card on my 250. will anything happen?(that is bad)
 
Nah, the worst thing that will happen is the card might crash during games or something. But if you plan on overclocking it to reach 9800pro speeds, you may need a better psu.
 
MCRAYGSX said:
Geforce FX 5900, 5950 or 6800 play this game far better then RADEON X800 can. This game is optimized for nVIDIA Hardware. But ATI should be ok as long as u have 9700 or later ver.
Click to expand...

What are you smoking? Doom3 is not optimized for anything, nVidia just has better opengl drivers at the moment.
 
quick question, is 512mb of pc3500 enought for d3? with 3.4ghz and a 6800U/X800XT, Jus curious if memory will be enough
 
if nothin harmful can happen then i guess imma give my 250 psu a try and yes i plan on softmoddin it to 9800 pro. is it really worth the 25 dollars for the molexes? cuz with the 2 pin i can get ti for 25 dollars less. i plan to softmod it and then leave it at those speeds w/o o/c anything after the softmod.

btw thanks for everyone who answered my questions, i really appriciate it.
 
br1zz0 said:
quick question, is 512mb of pc3500 enought for d3? with 3.4ghz and a 6800U/X800XT, Jus curious if memory will be enough
Click to expand...

Please, please people, the hardware guide is your friend!!! (short answer, yes 512 is fine, the min is like 384 or something)

I would say it IS worth the $25 for the real molex. A floppy drive connector doesnt supply much power, and you will need it all to softmod it on a 250W psu.
 
Hey, Gummy Bear, I'm in the same situation as you. Which 9800Se are you going with? Can you plz post the results of the softmod once you get the card? thx
 
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