Pentium 4 vs. AMD 64 - Page 3

grandgnu · #21 10-17-2005, 07:59 PM

I doubt it. Integrated graphics are designed for convenience, not for gaming.

ATI is going to be releasing some new cards with up to 512MB of memory on them soon though, so I expect existing cards to drop in price. I've got my eye on the Nvidia 6800GT 256MB AGP model when it drops to around 150-200 bucks.

Neuge · #22 10-18-2005, 01:36 AM

No way Quake 4 is getting run on an integrated chipset. If I'm not misteken the ATI Xpress 200G has an integrated X300 chipset, which is not good enough for any new game, let alone hardware and memory intensive Quake 4.

I reccommend at least a 6600GT for any gaming purposes. It has about as good of a performance to price ratio as you're gonna get.

oreogod · #23 10-18-2005, 04:36 AM

Dunno Im getting ready to build a kick ass gaming rig computer, but its going to be pricy. I play a lot of games and think I might wait for the Fx-59 (Ive heard its two cores, and a different socket) but if I dont wait Im going for the Dual core 4800 X2 from AmD. Good for multitasking and if u are running games high resolution the Fx-57 and the 4800x2 are almost side by side in FPS.

Either way, I think the AmD X2 chips are definitly good multitaskers however u look at it. Id probably go that route (did a far bit of research into this to)

grandgnu · #24 10-18-2005, 07:37 AM

The 6600GT was a great value when it arrived, but it only has 128MB of RAM. Newer games are going to be able to make use of the 256MB.

Perhaps get yourself a motherboard that supports SLI. Then a single 6800GT 256mb card. In the future, you can always add a 2nd graphics card (it will have dropped in price even more) and have the advantage of 512MB of graphics memory (the cards that ATI will be releasing with 512MB will likely be just for marketing purposes right now, very few games aside from maybe Doom III could make use of that much video memory.

I also agree that the X2 AMD processors should do you fine. I don't think you need something in the 4000-4800 range though, the 3800 is a good value and should provide plenty of performance. And you'll have room to upgrade in the future.

Neuge · #25 10-18-2005, 10:18 AM

There aren't many manufacturers that make 256MB 6600GTs but they're definitely out there. This one for example. But you are right they are few and far between and the companies who do manufacture them make very little, which is why I said 6600GT at a minimum.

And as for Doom III (and I assume Quake 4 as it uses the same engine), it has single textures that are >512MB fully uncompressed. If you really want to find out what you can live with in terms of hardware performance for Quake 4 I suggest you read this. It should give a general idea of Quake 4's performance on various hardware.

grandgnu · #26 10-18-2005, 10:24 AM

The problem is he runs the risk of purchasing the non-GT 6600, which is readily available in a 256MB version.

And since the 6800GT prices should be dropping over the next month or two (be careful not to get the 128MB versions!) it's a better investment to get that card instead of a 6600GT.

Even if both cards have 256MB, the 6800GT is significantly faster and will provide excellent performance for his needs. It's worth the extra few bucks. I'm still stuck with my middling 9700 Pro All-In-Wonder, but it certainly stood the test of time and provides me with decent performance, for the moment.

Neuge · #27 10-18-2005, 10:46 AM

Yeah I'm still running a 9800pro. I'm waiting 'til I build a whole new rig and getting a 6800GT with an SLI board. The way video cards are priced, it'll be cheaper to upgrade by slapping in another 6800 instead of upgrading to a 7800 or beyond.

I almost broke down and built one about a month ago when eVGA was running their buy a 7800GT/GTX and get a free SLI board promotion, but I managed to resist.

grandgnu · #28 10-18-2005, 10:54 AM

Yeah, they run those deals because they know that they can only get $400-$500 for those cards for a short time-frame, then something else comes along and they halve in price.

MyMindIsGoing · #29 10-18-2005, 10:58 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah I'm still running a 9800pro.

[/ QUOTE ]

*sarcasm* What? That old, slow piece of crap?? No games are playable on that one! *sarcasm*

You and grandgnu sound just like the people hanging out on hardware forums like five years ago. Read this.

Neuge · #30 10-18-2005, 11:29 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yeah I'm still running a 9800pro.

[/ QUOTE ]

*sarcasm* What? That old, slow piece of crap?? No games are playable on that one! *sarcasm*

You and grandgnu sound just like the people hanging out on hardware forums like five years ago. Read this.

[/ QUOTE ]I build my systems specifically for gaming. After running a 9800pro for about 2 years you can't help but want something more, at least I can't. I'm definitely not going out and getting dual 7800GTXs just because it's the best.

By no means is a 9800pro crap, but the FEAR demo chugged on this thing. I want good performance and sometimes you have to pay for it. I know most people don't need it (hell even I don't need it), but I think it's worth a little extra.