Temporary Card for Bioshock

[BradAtWork]

Hey everyone.

I want to play Bioshock but I only have a 6600gt

I want to buy a 9800 when they come out, so I can play Crysis.

I can get a X1950pro for $200AU.

Is it worth it, or should I just get a 8800 now and forget about the 9800?

 

[shadowofthesun]

These kinds of questions are always difficult to answer.

Remember that the costs aren't always linear- you may have to upgrade power supplies, and if you have AGP the jump can be quite expensive.

Both those cards will handle Bioshock well. X1950 will be able to play on medium DX9, while 8800 will most likely pull med/high on DX10.

Planning for future hardware purchases isn't always a great idea. However, if you are 100% sure you can afford the 9800 after purchasing the X1950, and cannot afford it after purchasing the 8800, I would side with 6600 GT -> X1950 pro -> 9800. Like I stated before, Bioshock will run well. If Bioshock is the reason you are upgrading, you should be fine with the X1950.

Other people's opinions may differ from mine. I would hear everyone else out and then make the decision that makes sense in your specific case.

Good luck.

 

[Nightmare225]

My 8800GTX maxes out the game in DX10. It definitely still has a lot of muscle left in it.

 

[BradAtWork]

Actually, I can't find a 1950Pro in this stupid state. Everywhere is sold out.

Might just stick the the trusty 6600gt till the 9800's come out.

Apparently the game runs on on a 6600 will low settings.

I'm after the game for good gameplay anyway, not graphics.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Nightmare225
My 8800GTX maxes out the game in DX10. It definitely still has a lot of muscle left in it.

that game hardly uses DX10 at all...in fact I'd say it doesn't use DX10 at all...just cause it's enabled doesn't really mean things render differently. It simply adds more particles or something to the water. Honestly, it's the same in DX9.

 

[myocardia]

My 7600GT ran the Bioshock demo just fine, and would be a huge step up over your 6600GT.

 

[swtethan]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Nightmare225
My 8800GTX maxes out the game in DX10. It definitely still has a lot of muscle left in it.

that game hardly uses DX10 at all...in fact I'd say it doesn't use DX10 at all...just cause it's enabled doesn't really mean things render differently. It simply adds more particles or something to the water. Honestly, it's the same in DX9.

no, theres a difference. I cant trust you cause you dont have a dx10 I can test it right now if you would like

 

[Piuc2020]

I think what he meant is Bioshock is not really a DX10 game, it just uses the DX10 render path for a few more effects here and there but its not a true DX10 game exploiting all the amenities of DX10.

 

[tuteja1986]

My bud has almost finished bioshock on a 6600gt :!

 

[Laminator]

Originally posted by: BradAtWork
I want to play Bioshock but I only have a 6600gt

You're luckier than me. I'm stuck with an X850 XT, which doesn't have SM3.0 so I can't run the game at all. :frown:

 

[JAG87]

Originally posted by: Laminator

Originally posted by: BradAtWork
I want to play Bioshock but I only have a 6600gt

You're luckier than me. I'm stuck with an X850 XT, which doesn't have SM3.0 so I can't run the game at all. :frown:

6600 gt doenst have sm3 either.

 

[Twsmit]

Originally posted by: JAG87

Originally posted by: Laminator

Originally posted by: BradAtWork
I want to play Bioshock but I only have a 6600gt

You're luckier than me. I'm stuck with an X850 XT, which doesn't have SM3.0 so I can't run the game at all. :frown:

6600 gt doenst have sm3 either.

Actually it does. Nvidia adopted SM3 a generation before ATI. The 6600/6800 series have it built in.

 

[Matt2]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Nightmare225
My 8800GTX maxes out the game in DX10. It definitely still has a lot of muscle left in it.

that game hardly uses DX10 at all...in fact I'd say it doesn't use DX10 at all...just cause it's enabled doesn't really mean things render differently. It simply adds more particles or something to the water. Honestly, it's the same in DX9.

Dont forget AA.

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: Twsmit

Originally posted by: JAG87
6600 gt doenst have sm3 either.

Actually it does. Nvidia adopted SM3 a generation before ATI. The 6600/6800 series have it built in.

:thumbsup: QFT.

 

[Childs]

What about a 7900GS? Those are pretty cheap these days.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Twsmit

Originally posted by: JAG87

Originally posted by: Laminator

Originally posted by: BradAtWork
I want to play Bioshock but I only have a 6600gt

You're luckier than me. I'm stuck with an X850 XT, which doesn't have SM3.0 so I can't run the game at all. :frown:

6600 gt doenst have sm3 either.

Actually it does. Nvidia adopted SM3 a generation before ATI. The 6600/6800 series have it built in.

This is kinda crazy to read... I remember back in the 6800/X800 days when people were talking about how not having SM3 would NEVER be an issue. I guess that isn't exactly the case... So much for future-proofing... It's a shame too because I would imagine that if the game plays OK on a 7600GT, the X850 would have enough muscle to play the game at reasonable settings.

 

[shadowofthesun]

It's what people have been saying for a long time. The problem is that hardware enthusiasts can't really conceive of keeping a card around for several years, and the general consensus is that future-proofing is a waste. Here, however, we see how the "future-proofed" 6600 actually does something tangible. That's why I spent the extra money for a 8600M over 7700 / 7600 (17 inch NB wasn't an option) - I keep my computers for a loooonnggg time and it's probable we'll see a DX10/SM4-only game before I throw out my current laptop.

BTW, I'm clearly generalizing. I consider myself an enthusiast despite the fact that until recently I was running on a PIII and a Matrox G450 . Just because you don't have the latest and greatest doesn't mean you can't drool over it, right?

 

[Childs]

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2087536&enterthread=y

 

[doggyfromplanetwoof]

Originally posted by: Childs
What about a 7900GS? Those are pretty cheap these days.

http://firingsquad.com/hardwar..._performance/page6.asp

 

[Childs]

Originally posted by: doggyfromplanetwoof

Originally posted by: Childs
What about a 7900GS? Those are pretty cheap these days.

http://firingsquad.com/hardwar..._performance/page6.asp

Yeah, but look at those resolutions. What do you expect for a $120 card? At 1280x1024 or less on high detail it'll be over 30fps.

 

[mrbill]

I too am curious about bioshock and running it on my pc.

I have a p4 3.4 but my card is just a bfg 6800 agp. From an online site, it says my pc will barely run it.

Do you think its worth dumping $200 in a x1950 pro card agp? Will my cpu me a problem? With this upgrade, how much longer do you think my pc would be useable for gaming? I am thinking maybe another year..


My buddy says I should go new computer core 2 duo e6850. I would think a proper rig for that chip would be about $1200-$1400.


thanks in advance for any help.

 

[R3MF]

i am able to play bioshock at 1920x1200 on max settings with my 512MB 7950GT.

the frame rate is about 25fps dropping to 15fps in high action.

i have been pleasantly surpised.

 

[Lord Banshee]

I'll add to R3MF, that 15-25 FPS is very playable too. My card does about 18-32 and i do not really notice when it dips low at all. The game is very fluid, no pun intended, .

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Laminator

Originally posted by: BradAtWork
I want to play Bioshock but I only have a 6600gt

You're luckier than me. I'm stuck with an X850 XT, which doesn't have SM3.0 so I can't run the game at all. :frown:

To bring this topic back up, someone in PC gaming posted a link to this thread on the 2K forums from a guy is who is tinkering around with the shader files to get it to work with SM2.

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5680

It's an enormous (103 page) thread, so I don't really know if it currently works or not...

He's a link to a blog with the most current release of the patch:

http://bioshocksm2.blogspot.com/

 

[BradAtWork]

Ok, Bioshock is NOT playable on a 6600GT.

I'm down to 640x480 on the lowest settings and the framerates still drop below acceptable levels.

I can't find a X1950Pro.

Looks like i'll be shelving the game until G92.