EQ2 Forum Archive @ EQ2Wire - View Single Post

Cassea · 04-13-2008, 02:00 PM

Zorastiz@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Hello again all, I am running my system with an ATI X1300 Series PCI express card with 256 mb ram, I realized in my old system I have a Radeon 9600 PRo AGP 8X with 256 mb ram.
Would it be worth the effort to put in the 9600 or is the x1300 PCI Express a faster better card and or which one would be prone to run EQ2 better so to speak?

You need a PCIx16 to replace a PCIx16 card. Yes some motherboards have both cards slots but most do not.The 1300 is a really slow card and the 9600 not much better.For $35ish AR you can't beat this for a sweet upgrade:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16814102064Look at the bump in speed here:1300 vs 1650Prohttp://www.gpureview.com/show_cards...9&card2=447Pay attention to the shader speed and bandwidth.Yes there are faster cards but you might need a larger power supply and they cost a ton more. If you want a nice 2-3 times bump in speed how can you go wrong for $35?What is even nicer is that both cards use the very same drivers so you only need to swap video cards. No software needs to be installed. You just change cards and enjoy a huge bump in speed!Now some will say to get an ATI 3850/70 or an Nvidia 9600GT or 8800 (I own both and they are great cards) but those will set you back $130-$200+ and will prob require a larger power supply.Hope this helps.-JBP.S. This is also a 512meg card vs 256meg that you have now. If you want to spend more money and have at least a 450watt power supply then I recommend the following cards in this order:1. ATI 1950GT or Pro (if you can still find them they should be in the $100 range)2. ATI 3850 - $125ish3. ATI 3870 - $150ish4. Nvidia 9600GT - $140ish5. Nvidia 8800GT - $170ishI own a ATI 1950GT, ATI 3850 and Nvidia 9600GT and they are all great cards. The ATI's excel in shader ops (special effects) but the Nvidia's in "raw" speed. Both companies make great cards but keep one thing in mind... EQ2 is a game that does not really use the video card that much. Yes you need a decent video card (and the 1300 is not one of them LOL) but you need a fast CPU for EQ2 because the game engine uses your CPU to code much of the graphics instead of off-loading it to your video card like it should. EQ2 also only uses a single core of your CPU...IEEQ2 will run faster on a 2400mhz "single" core CPU over a 2000mhz dual or quad core.

04-13-2008, 02:00 PM	#3
Cassea Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 269	Zorastiz@Antonia Bayle wrote: Hello again all, I am running my system with an ATI X1300 Series PCI express card with 256 mb ram, I realized in my old system I have a Radeon 9600 PRo AGP 8X with 256 mb ram. Would it be worth the effort to put in the 9600 or is the x1300 PCI Express a faster better card and or which one would be prone to run EQ2 better so to speak? You need a PCIx16 to replace a PCIx16 card. Yes some motherboards have both cards slots but most do not.The 1300 is a really slow card and the 9600 not much better.For $35ish AR you can't beat this for a sweet upgrade:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16814102064Look at the bump in speed here:1300 vs 1650Prohttp://www.gpureview.com/show_cards...9&card2=447Pay attention to the shader speed and bandwidth.Yes there are faster cards but you might need a larger power supply and they cost a ton more. If you want a nice 2-3 times bump in speed how can you go wrong for $35?What is even nicer is that both cards use the very same drivers so you only need to swap video cards. No software needs to be installed. You just change cards and enjoy a huge bump in speed!Now some will say to get an ATI 3850/70 or an Nvidia 9600GT or 8800 (I own both and they are great cards) but those will set you back $130-$200+ and will prob require a larger power supply.Hope this helps.-JBP.S. This is also a 512meg card vs 256meg that you have now. If you want to spend more money and have at least a 450watt power supply then I recommend the following cards in this order:1. ATI 1950GT or Pro (if you can still find them they should be in the $100 range)2. ATI 3850 - $125ish3. ATI 3870 - $150ish4. Nvidia 9600GT - $140ish5. Nvidia 8800GT - $170ishI own a ATI 1950GT, ATI 3850 and Nvidia 9600GT and they are all great cards. The ATI's excel in shader ops (special effects) but the Nvidia's in "raw" speed. Both companies make great cards but keep one thing in mind... EQ2 is a game that does not really use the video card that much. Yes you need a decent video card (and the 1300 is not one of them LOL) but you need a fast CPU for EQ2 because the game engine uses your CPU to code much of the graphics instead of off-loading it to your video card like it should. EQ2 also only uses a single core of your CPU...IEEQ2 will run faster on a 2400mhz "single" core CPU over a 2000mhz dual or quad core.