For the casual gamer

j.vimal · Dec 23, 2005, 01:08 PM

Hi
I am just a casual gamer, but I like to play lots of new games. Recently I played F.E.A.R and Quake4 and others. But, here is my config:

P4, 3.0ghz, HT
512MB RAM
nVidia GeForce 6200TC 128MB
Intel D915G Mobo

Well, for a casual gamer like me, is the above config enough? I would surely enjoy any game with 1024 x 768, and all settings High. And maybe even 2xAA would do.

I guess the memory is very low. I will immediately upgrade to 1GB.

But, is the graphics card enough? Whats the TC TurboCache technology?
For just a casual gamer like me, could you suggest me a decent graphics card which would enable me to play games for at least the next year or so without buying any other cards?

Also, it should enable me to run Windows Vista in high resolution, say at 1280 x 1024 with those Glassy looks.
Or, do you suggest me to wait for the GTX price to (maybe) come down a little?

Secondly:
I have a 17" CRT monitor now. What is the advantage of a 19" LCD? Are LCDs worth If i spend time gaming? I mean, do you get clear views? I found it a little painful on my laptop.
If its worth, I think I may go for it just before Vista comes. The combination would be nice

Thanks!
Vimal

Sandok · Dec 23, 2005, 01:14 PM

Well I'm a hardcore gamer and only got a 17"... 19" adds just a bigger screen, nothing else.

And that card is horrible. Dude, get a 6800 GS since they are very good or a X800GTo2.

OmegaRED · Dec 23, 2005, 01:18 PM

19inch monitor is a must have these days so you can run 1280x1024 and not have it squashed in. Your system is fine aside from the weak graphics card. Just do as Sandok said and get a 6800 or X800 series and you'll be able to play Quake4 and FEAR (my comp cant do high on either).

j.vimal · Dec 23, 2005, 01:24 PM

Thanks for the advice.
With 6200TC, I am still able to play:

NFS MW with all graphics options set to high, except FSAA, and at res: 640 x 480

Prince of Persia TTT: 640 x 480, all details high, except FSAA.

But, only at 20-25 fps MAX.

j.vimal · Dec 23, 2005, 01:25 PM

But, the question is:
Will I be able to play all the games at 1280 x 1024 and full settings using 6800GS?

Sandok · Dec 23, 2005, 01:27 PM

Well what's the point then? 640x480 is not a resolution that even all developers support anymore! Dude, trust me, you'll be blown away with a 6800 GT or GS or X800XT or X800GT02. It's just a whole new level.

Easily 1280x1024 @ 45 fps. The thing is that the screen, well some say it's the minimum but I have lived fine with my 17". The difference in resolution is 0 so your choice. But if you can, get bigger

I know i want to

BulletTheory · Dec 23, 2005, 01:33 PM

I had a 6800GT (a bit better then the GS) and all game at High on 1024x768 (config in signature)
I was really happy about how the 6800GT performed on all my games (FEAR, Quake4, BF2, CoD2 and all the popular game out there)

You shoul be happy with that kind of video card (the X800GTO2 is really great too).

OmegaRED · Dec 23, 2005, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.vimal

But, the question is:
Will I be able to play all the games at 1280 x 1024 and full settings using 6800GS?

Yes you should be able to as long as you don't expect high framerates. With a 17inch monitor there will be no benefit to playing any larger than 1024x768.

Sandok · Dec 23, 2005, 01:44 PM

Honestly, you want 6XAA and 16XAF you need 7800GTX SLI or X1800 Crossfire. I barely can play wiht AA these days (already)

j.vimal · Dec 23, 2005, 01:47 PM

Thanks!

BTW, I was just reading a review on TomsHardware about Quad GPUs ... lol
I will soon enquire the price for 6800GT. or GS. and see

OmegaRED · Dec 23, 2005, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandok

Honestly, you want 6XAA and 16XAF you need 7800GTX SLI or X1800 Crossfire. I barely can play wiht AA these days (already)

Tell me about it. Doom3 high/AA ran fine but Quake 4 medium with no AA and it still doesn't hit 60fps.

Sandok · Dec 23, 2005, 01:52 PM

LOL Quake was already sorta iffy for me 1280x1024 no AA

GutterPunk · Dec 23, 2005, 01:55 PM

Yeah just upgrade the gfx, i just went from a 17" crt to a 19" lcd and man i love it... I will never go back to crt... and all 17" monitors look smaller than 15"

j.vimal · Dec 23, 2005, 03:32 PM

So, how does Geforce 7800GT "OC" fit in here? I recently found a site where it is in auction for $268. Worth it?

BulletTheory · Dec 23, 2005, 04:04 PM

If u are PCIExpress then go for the 7800GT OC.. Its really better then a 6800GT!!

Dec 23, 2005, 01:08 PM	#1
j.vimal DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	For the casual gamer Hi I am just a casual gamer, but I like to play lots of new games. Recently I played F.E.A.R and Quake4 and others. But, here is my config: P4, 3.0ghz, HT 512MB RAM nVidia GeForce 6200TC 128MB Intel D915G Mobo Well, for a casual gamer like me, is the above config enough? I would surely enjoy any game with 1024 x 768, and all settings High. And maybe even 2xAA would do. I guess the memory is very low. I will immediately upgrade to 1GB. But, is the graphics card enough? Whats the TC TurboCache technology? For just a casual gamer like me, could you suggest me a decent graphics card which would enable me to play games for at least the next year or so without buying any other cards? Also, it should enable me to run Windows Vista in high resolution, say at 1280 x 1024 with those Glassy looks. Or, do you suggest me to wait for the GTX price to (maybe) come down a little? Secondly: I have a 17" CRT monitor now. What is the advantage of a 19" LCD? Are LCDs worth If i spend time gaming? I mean, do you get clear views? I found it a little painful on my laptop. If its worth, I think I may go for it just before Vista comes. The combination would be nice Thanks! Vimal

Dec 23, 2005, 01:18 PM	#3
OmegaRED In Fedor We Trust Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 4,788 Rep Power: 85 System Specs	19inch monitor is a must have these days so you can run 1280x1024 and not have it squashed in. Your system is fine aside from the weak graphics card. Just do as Sandok said and get a 6800 or X800 series and you'll be able to play Quake4 and FEAR (my comp cant do high on either). __________________

Dec 23, 2005, 01:33 PM	#7
BulletTheory Finally time for a new PC Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,242 Rep Power: 28 System Specs	I had a 6800GT (a bit better then the GS) and all game at High on 1024x768 (config in signature) I was really happy about how the 6800GT performed on all my games (FEAR, Quake4, BF2, CoD2 and all the popular game out there) You shoul be happy with that kind of video card (the X800GTO2 is really great too). __________________ Asus P5E X38 \| Intel Quad Core Q6600 @ 3.4Ghz \| 4GB Corsair XMS2 800mhz \| Corsair TX750W Asus GTX 280 TOP \| Samsung 245bw 24inch LCD \| 2x Seagate 7200.11 500Gb 32M \| Icemat Usb Soundcard Razer Lycosa \| Razer Diamondback 3G \| Razer Goliathus Mousepad \| Senheiser HD555 \| Logitech 5300e THX Sound System

Dec 23, 2005, 01:55 PM	#13
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,945 Rep Power: 54	Yeah just upgrade the gfx, i just went from a 17" crt to a 19" lcd and man i love it... I will never go back to crt... and all 17" monitors look smaller than 15" __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Dec 23, 2005, 04:04 PM	#15
BulletTheory Finally time for a new PC Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,242 Rep Power: 28 System Specs	If u are PCIExpress then go for the 7800GT OC.. Its really better then a 6800GT!! __________________ Asus P5E X38 \| Intel Quad Core Q6600 @ 3.4Ghz \| 4GB Corsair XMS2 800mhz \| Corsair TX750W Asus GTX 280 TOP \| Samsung 245bw 24inch LCD \| 2x Seagate 7200.11 500Gb 32M \| Icemat Usb Soundcard Razer Lycosa \| Razer Diamondback 3G \| Razer Goliathus Mousepad \| Senheiser HD555 \| Logitech 5300e THX Sound System

Dec 23, 2005, 01:14 PM	#2
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,501 Rep Power: 53	Well I'm a hardcore gamer and only got a 17"... 19" adds just a bigger screen, nothing else. And that card is horrible. Dude, get a 6800 GS since they are very good or a X800GTo2.

Dec 23, 2005, 01:24 PM	#4
j.vimal DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for the advice. With 6200TC, I am still able to play: NFS MW with all graphics options set to high, except FSAA, and at res: 640 x 480 Prince of Persia TTT: 640 x 480, all details high, except FSAA. But, only at 20-25 fps MAX.

Dec 23, 2005, 01:25 PM	#5
j.vimal DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	But, the question is: Will I be able to play all the games at 1280 x 1024 and full settings using 6800GS?

Dec 23, 2005, 01:27 PM	#6
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,501 Rep Power: 53	Well what's the point then? 640x480 is not a resolution that even all developers support anymore! Dude, trust me, you'll be blown away with a 6800 GT or GS or X800XT or X800GT02. It's just a whole new level. Easily 1280x1024 @ 45 fps. The thing is that the screen, well some say it's the minimum but I have lived fine with my 17". The difference in resolution is 0 so your choice. But if you can, get bigger I know i want to

Dec 23, 2005, 01:44 PM	#9
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,501 Rep Power: 53	Honestly, you want 6XAA and 16XAF you need 7800GTX SLI or X1800 Crossfire. I barely can play wiht AA these days (already)

Dec 23, 2005, 01:47 PM	#10
j.vimal DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	Thanks! BTW, I was just reading a review on TomsHardware about Quad GPUs ... lol I will soon enquire the price for 6800GT. or GS. and see

Dec 23, 2005, 01:52 PM	#12
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,501 Rep Power: 53	LOL Quake was already sorta iffy for me 1280x1024 no AA

Dec 23, 2005, 03:32 PM	#14
j.vimal DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	So, how does Geforce 7800GT "OC" fit in here? I recently found a site where it is in auction for $268. Worth it?