Please post vid card purchase suggestions here, thanks!

[CatalinaThePirate]

OR "Nvidia Quadro 4 XGL 750 (part 2)"

mateys! I wanted to pop back in here and let you all know the outcome of my foray to get a better video card...

Turns out the card was not a 750, but a 700 - with only 64 MB of DDR memory instead of 128 (oh well)...

I installed it and have to say that it DOES make things a bit nicer, `video-wise`, but UNFORTUNATELY the GeForce Quadro4 chipset (basically the GeForce 4) doesn't seem to handle the water in PotC very well... (yes, I have fog table emulation ON)

What I get is the water looks fine, actually nice and sparkly, very clear and `natural-looking` up close, HOWEVER if there is any shadow on the water or if the sun is at the right angle, the darker portions of the water - further away - say like if you were looking at your ship moored in the harbor - the water gets very "pixilated"... It's not smooth anymore...

Very odd. I don't recall my old card (the GeForce 256 w/32MB RAM) having that problem...

I have the updated drivers for this card (dated April 2004!), and have tweaked and tweaked the settings - made *some* headway but not enough to make me thoroughly happy about it...

Seems to me other people here have had trouble with some GeForce 4 cards... I am considering getting a GeForce 3 card instead (which would still be a bump up from the 256)...

Perhaps people could list their video cards and (successful) experiences in this post?

 

[jack_sparrow_jr]

The Gainward GeForce 4, apgx8, 64 DDR Ram, TV out and so and so
Is perfect to POTC, almost NO lag (1024*768, 32 bit color) on my old comp , (p3/`600-256` ddr ram). build 11 installed.

And also with this new comp(AMD Athlon somethings)........ it works extremly fine .....

Its a cheap g.card. and works with ALL games.

 

[Fred Bob]

Cat, Fred Bob be knowin' by hearsay dat de Nvidia Quadro 4 XGL 700 be a purty serious werkstation card like fer CAD an' stuff, prolly great fer yer "REAL" werk like yer web design, `3-D` graphics, etc. Not tew say it cain't be good fer gamin', no ma'am!

 

[CatalinaThePirate]

JSJ, don't have AGP8 on this motherboard. :

FB - It *is* a nice card, it works well, just doesn't handle the water that well. It's a *slight* disappointment, but a disappointment all the same.

I wanted it because it will handle the 3D design (workstation) - am thinking it would be really nice to have two monitors set up, of which this card DOES have that capability.

I am still up in the air about keeping it... Hope some others will chime in here with some suggestions...

THANKS!

 

[jack_sparrow_jr]

quote : JSJ, don't have AGP8 on this motherboard

as I know ..... ALL agp cards can take slower speed .....
eg. a MB can go with 2x/4x , the card will also work in here ....

 

[skull]

I;ve always stuck wid MSI GF 3 or 4 Titanium cards,I'd be like'n de software bundled wid em,excellent graphics,never had any driver problems, GF3 titanium 500 card also 'as dual moniter capabilities

 

[CatalinaThePirate]

I was looking at the GF3 Ti500 as a possible change...

 

[NathanKell]

Gad no.
Re: pixilated. I think that's how it's _supposed_ to look. Reflections even continue beyond the ship. Bug in the engine I think.

 

[CatalinaThePirate]

<!--`QuoteBegin-NathanKell`+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NathanKell)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Re: pixilated. I think that's how it's _supposed_ to look. Reflections even continue beyond the ship. Bug in the engine I think.[/quote]Really? I don't remember it being this pronounced, with my GeForce 256. That's odd... Thanks, NK! :

Well everything else looks pretty darned decent. But now my monitor is starting to "go" (GAWD!). :blah:

 

[NathanKell]

FX5200 is the latest MX version, I believe, and thus doesn't have a pixel or vertex shader.

Cat: The difference is that, on your old gf256, you didn't _have_ a pixel or vertex shader. :? They came out on the GF3, and were sped up on gf4 and version 2.0'd on the Radeon 96/97/9800 and `FX56-59`.

I.e. you didn't see reflections or bump maps on the 256.

It's supposed to look like:

or