• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

doom3 and a new video card

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

kpiciulo

Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2004
Much like most of you i've been eagerly awaiting doom3s release. I've come to accept that i probably won't be able to play, even with low settings, with the card in my sig. Now i don't want to spend a lot of money preferably around $150 or less. This card only needs to last me till next summer, since sometime between now and then i will be doing a major upgrade including PCI-express, maybe DDR2, and a high-end card. I just want something to let me play doom3 and nother games at fairly good settings. So what do you guys suggest? Maybe an ATI 9600 pro or XT, or a nvidia FX5700? Or will my card suffice(ti4200)? Also if you suggest a GPU could you recommend a good company for the card? Thanks a lot guys.
Kevin
 
you could get a 9800se for 150, and with luck softmod to a 9800pro, or you can
get a 9700pro.

512mb of ram is gonna hold you back too.
 
Either a 9600XT or a 9800 Pro would be good. The 9800 would be better than the 9600, but the 9600 isn't a bad card for the price, either.
 
thanks a lot guys, i've heard the se's aren't very good, but you said it can softmod to a pro Are there chances that mod won't work, or is that guaranteed? If for some reason it won't softmod would i be better off with the 9600pro, or the 9800se? Thanks a lot guys.
Kevin
 
would i be better off buying a 256mb 9600pro, or a 128mb 9800se? and which brand?
thanks
Kevin
 
Well, to add to the mix you can pick up a FX5900XT for $20 more than a 9600XT and overclock it like mad, should perform like a 9700Pro, and rumor has it nvidia cards with thier better opengl drivers will run doom3 faster than there ati bretherin.
 
also where would i get a 9700 pro, newegg only has a AIW card and that's $245, i don't need that.
 
I picked up my 9700 for $130, and its much faster than any 9600. Look in the classifieds on different forums. Btw with the 9800se's, they are only worth buying if they have 256bit memory.
 
I had a 9700pro I got off ebay. It was a system pull from a gateway. Shipped for $99. The 9700pro's have come way down in price. I think they may be the best cost/performance card out there right now. Sapphire makes a good one, along with the made by ati. There is probably a few in the classifieds here and I think I saw one on the NV News forums for $135.
 
what about a 9600xt, would the 9700pro still be better, also this may be a dumb question, but where is the classified section on these forums? thanks
Kevin
 
kpiciulo said:
what about a 9600xt, would the 9700pro still be better, also this may be a dumb question, but where is the classified section on these forums? thanks
Kevin

I would favor the 9700pro over hte 9600xt. For the classifieds, last time I checked, you must have at least 100 posts to view it, so you have a little bit to go. If you are on the main page, then it is at the very bottom.
 
i would not go with the 9800se, as they have 128bit memory, and that just wont cut it. i would say either a 9700pro or an nvidia 5900xt.
 
Yea, the 9600XT is a 4 pipe card compared to the 9700's 8 pipes. The 9600 regardless of clock speed is at a huge disadvantage. I agree the 5900XT is a much better choice as well.
 
the 5900xt is a little more than i wanted to spend, i was hoping to keep it below 150, but if it will be sufficiently better i'll go for it
 
you might have to spend more money to get it to last till next year, quite frankly i was hesitant about my 9800pro that was oc'd like crazy to have it last till next year
 
Definetly 9700pro out of the two. If you want to spend a *tad* more, then go with the 9800PRO or the 5900XT
 
Back