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What is the BEST AGP video card for SL? |
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Ittindi Gavaskar
Registered User
Join date: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 4
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04-07-2006 18:13
Does anyone know what the BEST AGP video card for SL is? I assume 512 megs of onboard ram will improve performance very well?
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Ron Overdrive
Registered User
Join date: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 1,002
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04-07-2006 18:35
from what we've seen so far and what I've heard, SL doesn't fully utilize anything above 128. A 256meg card should work just fine though. I'd say get ahold of 6800GS or a 6800GT. They make 7800GS/GTs, but really you shouldn't really spend your money on a series 7 when you should think about upgrading your system. AGP will be the way of PCI really soon.
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Angel Sunset
Linutic
![]() Join date: 7 Apr 2005
Posts: 636
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04-08-2006 03:48
I agree with the NVidia 6800 GS. If you can get it, the PCIe version has a higher performance level. It is apparently just about as fast as a 6800 GT at a much lower price.
The support for what SL needs seems to be better with the NVidia cards. If you open a texture window, Ctrl Shift 3, in the top line you can see what SL is using, and it does not seem more than 128 MB, so it may not help much getting a 512 MB card, instead of a 256 MB card. I am getting one anyway, though ![]() _____________________
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Kubuntu Intrepid 8.10, KDE, linux 2.6.27-11, X.Org 11.0, server glx vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, server glx version: 1.5.2, OpenGL vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, OpenGL renderer: GeForce 9800 GTX+/PCI/SSE2, OpenGL version: 3.0.0 NVIDIA 180.29, glu version: 1.3, NVidia GEForce 9800 GTX+ 512 MB, Intel Core 2 Duo, Mem: 3371368k , Swap: 2570360k |
Ketra Saarinen
Whitelock 'Yena-gal
Join date: 1 Feb 2006
Posts: 676
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04-08-2006 10:11
What does the rest of your system have? There are toher upgrade which may provide better bang for your buck in SL than a top of the line video card.
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Ittindi Gavaskar
Registered User
Join date: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 4
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04-08-2006 21:27
I have a AMD Sempron 3000+ with 756 megs of ram
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Delta Nyak
Registered User
Join date: 9 Feb 2005
Posts: 123
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SL related Hardware suggestion.
04-09-2006 06:47
If you are in a position to spend the money for a top line video card, the following solution would yield much better results, depending on what hardware you already have in place.
I am assuming you are using a 754 socket mother board, with either an AGP or a PCI-e video card slot. I found these candidates on newegg's site: 1. Mobile Athlon 64 3200+ (DTR) ClawHammer 800MHz HT 1MB L2 Cache Socket 754 Processor for DTR Notebooks - OEM - $130 ***** That 1MB of L2 cache looks pretty good ***** for the price. 2. AMD Mobile Athlon 64 3700+ (DTR) ClawHammer 800MHz HT 1MB L2 Cache Socket 754 Processor - OEM - $245 ****** 2.4GHz Clock speed, 1MB L2 ****** 3. AMD Mobile Athlon 64 4000+ (62W) Newark 800MHz HT 1MB L2 Cache Socket 754 Processor - OEM - $301 ****** 2.6Ghz Clock speed, with 1MB L2 ******** Then pick a 6600GT/256, or a 6800GS/256, and you should see a definite improvement. Whereas, if you had $500 to spend, you could build yourself an Intel Dual Core system, that would work very well too . . . /111/57/99070/1.html |
TK Xingjian
Registered User
Join date: 17 Sep 2005
Posts: 2
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04-09-2006 12:53
i have a Nvidia 6600GT with only 128Mb DDR3, but it runs perfectly fine and holds its own against higher spec cards when playing SL. 6600gt cards are very cheap now. Especially now 6 series cards are on their way out to make way for a wider 7 series.
oh i have AMD 3500+ socket 939 system with 1 gig ram |
Ketra Saarinen
Whitelock 'Yena-gal
Join date: 1 Feb 2006
Posts: 676
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04-09-2006 12:59
I have a AMD Sempron 3000+ with 756 megs of ram SL is very CPU and RAM intensive.. Upgrading either of these will yield a performance increase as well. I odn't know what your current video card is, but if it's a GeForce 4 series or earlier, then definately spring for the 6600 at least. Then I'd go to 1GB RAM at least, preferably 2GB. Then maybe a faster CPU. |
Thili Playfair
Registered User
![]() Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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04-09-2006 13:17
Sempron are weak cpu's (office cpu's what i call them) , get a Athlon 64 if you can, big diffrence
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Bilbo Goodliffe
all around good guy
Join date: 30 Dec 2005
Posts: 22
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04-09-2006 14:27
I odn't know what your current video card is, but if it's a GeForce 4 series or earlier, then definately spring for the 6600 at least. do you really think you can see a difference between 6600 and a 6800 agp? |
Ketra Saarinen
Whitelock 'Yena-gal
Join date: 1 Feb 2006
Posts: 676
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04-09-2006 15:26
do you really think you can see a difference between 6600 and a 6800 agp? In SL? no In most any other moden game. Definately Yes. I work at a gaming center and we have 10 PCs, half with 6600s and half with 6800GTs. there is a noticeable difference in how high you can set the graphics and continue to run smoothly. |
Striker Wolfe
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Join date: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 355
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04-10-2006 06:46
I think what we should be asking is what is your current video card, obviously the CPU needs upgrading but which is worse at the moment, maybe upgrading both would be a plausible solution.
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Fnordius Widget
Registered User
Join date: 15 Feb 2006
Posts: 4
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04-11-2006 23:01
I'll pass along what was told to me by a Linden bug fixer, with my own research/experience thrown in:
If there's one thing you really NEED to have, it's shader model 3.0 support (DirectX 9.0c). ATI has lagged on that until quite recently, so unless you get a pretty pricey ATI card, nVidia is probably the way to go at the moment. I just retrofitted a couple of Sempron/AGP8x machines for SL, so checked the issue out pretty well. Depending on your budget, a 6200 could do an adequate job, and I've found them (with lots of shopping around & a rebate) with 256 MB for under $50, including shipping. A 6600 GT has a GPU that's about twice as fast, and can be acquired (with 128 MB) for about twice the $. If you're keeping background jobs to a minimum, you might be able to get a little more performance out of a 128 MB card by opening your AGP aperature (in the BIOS settings) to 256 MB -- AGP lets you share your system memory with your video card in that way, it's just relatively slow memory. Going to a 6800 will cost you $35-$75 more, but you might be hitting the point of diminishing returns. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_NVIDIA_GPU for a good comparison chart. Anyway, if I were you I'd go shopping around for a bargain on a 256 MB card, and take whatever seemed like the best deal. As long as you've got shader 3.0 support, you'll probably be happy with it until you're ready to replace your current machine. |
Ittindi Gavaskar
Registered User
Join date: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 4
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04-13-2006 14:56
Would overclocking my Sempron 3000+ make a difference?
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Angel Sunset
Linutic
![]() Join date: 7 Apr 2005
Posts: 636
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04-13-2006 15:10
AMD Semprons and Durons have a good reputation for overclocking. But try it first... My Duron locked above 3% overclocking...
You may have to change voltage and cooling, too :-\ And 3% made no noticeable difference to SL... ... So I left it standard after all... _____________________
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Kubuntu Intrepid 8.10, KDE, linux 2.6.27-11, X.Org 11.0, server glx vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, server glx version: 1.5.2, OpenGL vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, OpenGL renderer: GeForce 9800 GTX+/PCI/SSE2, OpenGL version: 3.0.0 NVIDIA 180.29, glu version: 1.3, NVidia GEForce 9800 GTX+ 512 MB, Intel Core 2 Duo, Mem: 3371368k , Swap: 2570360k |
Delta Nyak
Registered User
Join date: 9 Feb 2005
Posts: 123
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Overclocking the Sempron . . .
04-13-2006 15:11
My assumption is that you have a 754 motherboard. Get an AMD 64 3000 or better, it has a larger L2 Cache (512MB vs 128MB), and would likely make a difference. I was using a 64 3000 in a 939 motherboard for a while, and it overclocked to 2.2GHz with stock cooling, quite easily. Just watch your DRAM and Hyper Transport (HT - 800MHz) frequencies. Let your motherboard handle the HT multiplier and possibly drop the DRAM spec, so it doesn't croak.
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Hustle Margetts
Registered User
Join date: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 1
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04-13-2006 15:44
I think there just looking for a graphics card not a new pc. Right now u prob got integrated graphics wich do not work with sl well. Any graphics card with 128 MB will handle sl well with your processor . And do not overclock your processor if u are not sure what your doing you could damage it forever. I've used a P4 1.4 ghz with 32mbgraphics card and 386mb..And i played without no lag
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Angel Sunset
Linutic
![]() Join date: 7 Apr 2005
Posts: 636
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04-14-2006 01:00
I recently upgraded my Duron 1800 to an Athlon XP 2200, and though the response was better, it did not do much for the frame rate.
I have an NVidia FX 5200 with 128 MB RAM. On the texture console, I have seen that this 128 MB does get filled up, when I TP to various shops. I am getting an NVidia 6800 GS soon, with 512 MB. These are as fast as the 6800 GT for most purposes, but cost a lot less. I wanted the 512 MB because the card has to last me a while, two generations of graphic cards at least. The next upgrade means a new Motherboard and processor, to get PCIe... Most reviews I have read say that for graphics games, the graphic card is usually the bottleneck. In my case, the FX 5200 is definitely the bottleneck. My suggestion is still, 1024 MB Ram as 1st priority, though 768 MB seems OK, and then a fast NVidia card with at least 256 MB. I think between the 6600 GT and the 6800 GT (6800 GS), you may not notice much difference, but 256 MB RAM on the card is a good idea in the longer term, and I would personally not buy a card with less. _____________________
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Kubuntu Intrepid 8.10, KDE, linux 2.6.27-11, X.Org 11.0, server glx vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, server glx version: 1.5.2, OpenGL vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, OpenGL renderer: GeForce 9800 GTX+/PCI/SSE2, OpenGL version: 3.0.0 NVIDIA 180.29, glu version: 1.3, NVidia GEForce 9800 GTX+ 512 MB, Intel Core 2 Duo, Mem: 3371368k , Swap: 2570360k |
Seigmancer Nino
Builder, Engineer
Join date: 24 May 2005
Posts: 150
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04-14-2006 21:07
The newly released Nvidia 7800 GS 8X AGP is without at doubt the best, and fastest AGP graphics card available, and possibly last of its kind.
I dont believe they will be releasing any faster AGP cards as the PCI-e standard is taking over. If you cannot afford that one, the next best would be an Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS/GT. I would not recommend anything lower then a Nvidia GeForce 6600. |
Angel Sunset
Linutic
![]() Join date: 7 Apr 2005
Posts: 636
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04-15-2006 02:45
One Question here : what graphic card do you have at the moment?
That would give us some idea as to what kind of improvement you could expect... _____________________
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Kubuntu Intrepid 8.10, KDE, linux 2.6.27-11, X.Org 11.0, server glx vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, server glx version: 1.5.2, OpenGL vendor: NVIDIA Corporation, OpenGL renderer: GeForce 9800 GTX+/PCI/SSE2, OpenGL version: 3.0.0 NVIDIA 180.29, glu version: 1.3, NVidia GEForce 9800 GTX+ 512 MB, Intel Core 2 Duo, Mem: 3371368k , Swap: 2570360k |
ed44 Gupte
Explorer (Retired)
Join date: 7 Oct 2005
Posts: 638
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What about non 8 x AGP
04-15-2006 07:02
My PC is about three years old with a 2400 Atholon and motherboard display. I increased RAM from 256 M to 1 G and SL still crashed, sometimes after about 2 mins. My problem that my AGP not 8 x, I think original AGP x 1. Bought old 32 MB 7700 card ($40), but could only find W2K driver when I am running WXP. Worked but crashed after 5 to 10 mins, a vast improvement. Then put in an ASUS A9250 AGP with 128 MB ($70) and downloaded XP driver, works fine, averaging 10 to 15 FPS and have not crashed yet.
Wife has basic Dell desktop which is sealed. Should be out of warranty soon, so hopefully do similar thing. |
Teeny Leviathan
Never started World War 3
![]() Join date: 20 May 2003
Posts: 2,716
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04-15-2006 07:09
Bought old 32 MB 7700 card ($40), but could only find W2K driver when I am running WXP. Worked but crashed after 5 to 10 mins, a vast improvement. If that 7700 is an ATI 7000 series card, you were lucky to get 5 minutes. The 7000 series isn't officially supported. I've personally tried to run SL with one and I couldn't even connect without crashing. I'm not that familiar with later ATI products, but the 9250 was a step in the right direction, although SL tends to favor Nvidia cards. |