Help with Doom 3 graphics

[maniaco_2004]

I just bought a AMD Athlon 64 3200+ with 512 of RAM
And I tried my Doom 3 game but it sucked graphics wise :cry:
So please can someone tell what graphics card should I get to play my game with no problems, thank you. :mrgreen:

[Zachery]

What kinda of video card do you have, all the CPU power and ram in the world is not going to help without a good video card.

[maniaco_2004]

I have the one that came with the pc its a SiS 760 128MB

[belama]

I have the one that came with the pc its a SiS 760 128MB

Isnt that the motherboard's chipset??

Doom 3 is by far the most demanding PC game on the market in terms of graphics. I wouldnt suggest less than a 6600GT for that game. You will still not be able to play the game with ultra high settings, everything to max and high resolution without some lagg in graphics rendering. The more you pay the better your games will play.

[maniaco_2004]

thank you very much

[belama]

If you plan to buy a video card, how much would you be willing to pay?

[goaliemike]

dont worry about having to pay 6,000$US for one lol (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=PNQFX4000S&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=372456)

Some of the best high end cards go up to 800$, but 400$ you can get a great one, depending where you buy

[belama]

dont worry about having to pay 6,000$US for one lol (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=PNQFX4000S&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=372456)

Some of the best high end cards go up to 800$, but 400$ you can get a great one, depending where you buy

The 6600GT is less than 400$US. You can get it around 200$US. The 6800 Ultra can be bought for 400$US to 500$US.

[goaliemike]

Oh did i forget to mention that a Asus GeForce 6800 Ultra was the card that i said was 800$, check here but belma has the right US price (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1209458&CatId=0)

But just to make shure, the prices i was talking about were in Canadian prices :o , so belma was right when he said that its 400-600$ us

[belama]

Oh did i forget to mention that a Asus GeForce 6800 Ultra was the card that i said was 800$, check here but belma has the right US price (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1209458&CatId=0)

But just to make shure, the prices i was talking about were in Canadian prices :o , so belma was right when he said that its 400-600$ us

Asus cards are overpriced in my opinion. You can get the same card for 200$ less from BFG. Same performance. http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1213732&CatId=0

It's like Sony for TVs you pay more but dont necessarily get better quality.

[maniaco_2004]

cool, thank u guys

[belama]

If you are going to buy a video card, have you chosen a model?

[Catweazle]

I would recommend a 6600GT or better, and you should be able to get one quite easily for $US200

[goaliemike]

It's like Sony for TVs you pay more but dont necessarily get better quality.

Thats so true, sony is prytty much like that in everything...

[maniaco_2004]

hi its me again
which of this would u recomend for playing doom 3 lets say at a playable quality like medium or high at 800 x 600 full screen an some visual efects on couse the cards u guys said where like $250, and I can only spend like $150 tops
1-Diamond Stealth S85 Featuring ATI's Chipset, 128MB DDR AGP Video Card with DVI and TV-Out
2-Diamond Stealth S85 Featuring ATI's Radeon 9250 Chipset, 128MB DDR PCI Video Card with DVI and TV-Out
3-VisionTek XTASY 256MB AGP Video Card with RADEON 9200 3D CHIP
4-Diamond Stealth S120 ATI's Radeon 9550 256MB AGP Video Card
if u know of any others please let me know
also I think a have an PCI and AGP but I'm not sure if it is 4x or what but is says 1.5 volts
thank u very much

[maniaco_2004]

I have another little question, the computer in the outside says 512 mb of ram, but when I go to control panel-system, it says only 380 mb ram, can someone xplain this 2 me please??

[Catweazle]

You sure it doesn'y say 384Mb of RAM?

Sounds like that SiS graphics is onboard video, and that 128Mb of system memory is being allocated for use of the display circuitry.

It's a very substandard setup for 3D gaming, and you REALLY need to get a dedicated display card and change BIOS setup to re-allocate all RAM to system memory.

[maniaco_2004]

yea it says 384 , thank you
please check my other question in the previous page

[belama]

I would say the 9550 is better but it is still not enough. I had trouble playing DOOM 3 when I used my 9600XT.

edit: I found a 6600GT 128mb for just over 150$US on TigerDirect.com. It is 190$ but has a mail rebate of 30$ (expires on the 30th of June so hurry up). The shipping should be about 6$ or 7$. Here it is http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1184256&CatId=0

[Catweazle]

That sounds like a good deal belama.

Maniaco, if you can't get a 6600GT or perhaps even an X700 Pro for under $200 I'd suggest you wait longer and save more. The cards you listed are really inadequate for the latest games.

[belama]

Better news for you maniaco. I found a better deal on newegg.com. 6600GT 128MB NewEgg It is just under 150$US with no need to send a rebate and the shipping seems to be 3$ !! The only difference is that there is no dual DVI but you might not need it anyway. :!:

[Catweazle]

With the release of the 7800GTX it seems that proces are already dropping a tad for earlier cards. Might be time I upgraded myself :)

[maniaco_2004]

thank u a lot guys, I might go with the 6600 gt 128 mb new egg. just 1 more little thing, will it work in my AGP slot?? 'Couse I'm new @ this, and i don't know if that 8x or 4x its a really big deal, I opened my machine and the AGP slot said 1.5 volts.

[belama]

The card is compatible with AGP 4X or 8X so you wont have any problems. After you install the card you will definitely notice a big change in your gaming experiences. :D

[Catweazle]

If that system accomodates an Athlon64 3200+ processor, it is most definitely NOT limited to AGP 4X. It will run AGP 8X cards at full bandwidth also, and should be adjustable for that in BIOS setup.

There are no motherboards suitable for AMD64 processors which are only AGP 4X

[maniaco_2004]

ok that's a relief, thanks alot guys and I'll probably be back soon 'cause I'm not gonna be able to install it my self, hehehehe

[Bhstickman]

hi its me again
which of this would u recomend for playing doom 3 lets say at a playable quality like medium or high at 800 x 600 full screen an some visual efects on couse the cards u guys said where like $250, and I can only spend like $150 tops
1-Diamond Stealth S85 Featuring ATI's Chipset, 128MB DDR AGP Video Card with DVI and TV-Out
2-Diamond Stealth S85 Featuring ATI's Radeon 9250 Chipset, 128MB DDR PCI Video Card with DVI and TV-Out
3-VisionTek XTASY 256MB AGP Video Card with RADEON 9200 3D CHIP
4-Diamond Stealth S120 ATI's Radeon 9550 256MB AGP Video Card
if u know of any others please let me know
also I think a have an PCI and AGP but I'm not sure if it is 4x or what but is says 1.5 volts
thank u very much

I have a VisionTek XTASY 128MB AGP Video Card with RADEON 9200 3D CHIP.
I am able to play DOOM 3 at 800 x 600 on medium quality. Im pretty sure you could probably play it on high quality with a 256MB card.

[Catweazle]

Wrong, Bhstickman. The extra graphics memory does not make the card twice as good, and in fact could actually make it SLOWER. Often, when extra RAM is included on a low end display card the RAM chips used have higher latency than normal, leading to reduced performance. The 9200 graphics chip is too underpowered to adequately run anything which requires more than 128Mb of display RAM, and the availability of 256Mb cards for such low powered product lines is simply a sales gimmick!

If you take notice of the 'specifications' mentioned on PC games boxes you'd be led to believe that Video memory is the most important thing to consider, but it's not. The graphics chip on the card is the most important contributor to performance. Cheap cards aren't as good, and adding more memory doesn't make them good!

[maniaco_2004]

hello, Im back. My video card should be arriving soon, so from what I heard the first thing I should do is unistall my current driver? If is that so, How should I do it, please help
thanks a lot in advance.

[Catweazle]

When you get the new card do this:

* Right-click My computer and choose properties. On the Hardware tab choose Device Manager. Locate the entry for the display card, right click it and choose 'Uninstall' or 'Remove' or whatever it is. OK out of there and DO NOT REBOOT if asked.

* In Control Panel choose Add/Remove programs. Locate any entries there for display drivers and choose Remove for any that appear.

* Shut down and remove the power cord.

* Open the case and fit the new card.

* Ensure that the monitor is connected to the new card, and that the monitor is turned on and warmed up. Close up, reconnect the power cord and press the 'On' switch.

* Immediately go into BIOS setup. Change the setting for video memory allocated to disabled or the minimum amount possible, whatever the settings available may be for your motherboard. (Settings vary from board to board so carefully read the motherboard manual.) If there is a setting to disable onboard video use it. If the manual indicates a motherboard jumper setting to disable onboard video make the appropriate change.

* Save and exit from BIOS setup, and when Windows starts Cancel out of any Hardware installation dialogue you might be presented with.

* Install the card in Windows either by running the card's installation CD, or for preference by installing the latest driver revision downloaded fromm www.nvidia.com or www.ati.com as appropriate.

Edit: You will need to let us know what make and model your motherboard is and also what make and model the display card is for more detailed assistance.