Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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  • Subject: Little guide to the knowledge of the PC
Subject: Little guide to the knowledge of the PC
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Ti-4200s play multi well at 1024x768 on most maps, some require you to turn off specular and shadows and decals, but the game still looks great, I don't know about single, I don't really play it that much on that PC. If you have a decent CPU, 2600+ is probably, I have a 2500+ and it's the worst thing ever, I need a decent motherboard so I can OC it.

The only thing wrong with older cards is that they don't do the invisibility shader, so they are properly invisible and VERY hard to see.

  • 07.14.2004 1:21 PM PDT
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The only good thing about my Radeon 9200se is that it makes acvtive camoflage a joke. Somone in camo in any map is an all white person and sticks out like a firecracker. hehe

  • 07.14.2004 2:44 PM PDT
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And for another graphics card comparison coytler, would you get the Radeon 9700pro or the Geforce FX 5900? (both at 128mb)?

  • 07.14.2004 3:17 PM PDT
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9700pro is better than 5900 non-ultra.

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[Edited on 7/16/2004 4:40:57 PM]

  • 07.15.2004 2:57 PM PDT
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nice, just orderded the 9700pro yesterday; im stoked

  • 07.15.2004 3:04 PM PDT
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Woa, havent been on in a little while. Anyways, Coylter, is it just me or is somebody on this thread a NVIDIA fanboy? *cough* As for DirectX 9c, we'll wait and see. As for optimizations, ATI at least admited they had them. You had to figure out NVIDIA had any a little while back (ala 3DMark03 and such). Point is, you cant go wrong with many cards today. However, if you like your eye candy (mmmmmm candy) it has been proven in many a test (go to www.tweaktown.com or something) that ATI is superior in AF and AA. OF course, Im not worried, as Im gettin a 9800pro real quick. If I was buying a new gen card, I would wait for the X800GT (if you dont know what Im talkin bout, click here ) I pray to God that this sucka comes out. It would be SO INCREDIBLY AWESOME. Oh yea, and Coylter is right about the 9700pro vs 9600xt. If your still lookin for one, you can pick up an OEM 9700pro All In Wonder (BIG SCREEN BABY!) for 299.99 cdn at FutureShop. Phew, lots o typing. I like discussions (or creating them :P)

  • 07.16.2004 12:11 PM PDT
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Posted by: let me live
Woa, havent been on in a little while. Anyways, Coylter, is it just me or is somebody on this thread a NVIDIA fanboy? *cough* As for DirectX 9c, we'll wait and see. As for optimizations, ATI at least admited they had them. You had to figure out NVIDIA had any a little while back (ala 3DMark03 and such). Point is, you cant go wrong with many cards today. However, if you like your eye candy (mmmmmm candy) it has been proven in many a test (go to www.tweaktown.com or something) that ATI is superior in AF and AA. OF course, Im not worried, as Im gettin a 9800pro real quick. If I was buying a new gen card, I would wait for the X800GT (if you dont know what Im talkin bout, click here ) I pray to God that this sucka comes out. It would be SO INCREDIBLY AWESOME. Oh yea, and Coylter is right about the 9700pro vs 9600xt. If your still lookin for one, you can pick up an OEM 9700pro All In Wonder (BIG SCREEN BABY!) for 299.99 cdn at FutureShop. Phew, lots o typing. I like discussions (or creating them :P)


I am no nvidia or ati fanboy (i have a r9800pro) , i am performance and quality fanboy.
ATI used to be better with AA/AF and this is now the opposite since ATI is forcing optimization on their newest cards. The x800gt (the "gt" tag is still speculation) will be more expensive than the x800pro (399$) and IMO it will be as fast as the 6800GT (399$) . It will not support dx9c and SM3.0.

Yea nvidia sucked bad in last round with their FX series....Bad IQ , low performance, load of cheating. Its ironic that the situation as switched between the two competitor.

As for DirectX 9c, we'll wait and see
What do you mean, x800's dont and wont support dx9c , they just dont have the feature in the core you cant create them with software. The only thing ati can do to have image improvement much like with SM 3.0 is to emulate the effects in SM 2.0 thus losing lot of performance...

[color=black]The one and [/color][color=olive]only[/color][color=black] Captain Obvious
Guru of PC hardware help
[/color]
* [color=000066]Halo CNN 24/24 7/7[/color]
* [color=000066]Little guide to the knowledge of the PC[/color]
* [color=000066]Ultimate Halo 2 guide[/color]
* [color=000066]The Forum Militia[/color]
* [color=000066]Click here only if you realy are an idiot[/color]

[color=olive]AOD-Coylter[/color]
[color=black]Army Of Darkness[/color]


[Edited on 7/16/2004 4:40:50 PM]

  • 07.16.2004 4:40 PM PDT
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1) GT would force the pro's price down, and its performance would be better (well hopefully, but since it would be a slower clocked X800XT, you would come to the conclusion that it would most likely beat the 6800GT).
2) Ummm, Coylter honestly, all tests show that ATI still does not take the hit that the NVIDIA cards do when using AA and AF. A X800pro beats any 6800GT when using the these settings.
3) SM3.0 and DirectX9c are still a laugh (IMO). Most games created within the year may or may not support SM3.0, and I doubt any huge gains/better quality from 9c in the first place.

My point is, ATI is only doing what NVIDIA has already done (NVIDIA was worse but whatever). You seem to be displaying ATI in a bad light for this, even though in the scheme of things its trivial. As well, like I stated, I cannot see 9c and SM3.0 coming into "major" play within the year. Add to the fact that within the 4th quarter ATI might launch a newer more refined version of the 420 cores (which may or may not have SM3.0 and 9c support), your looking at a dead heat. Remember, Im just throwing my opinion in here for good measure. I always like a good discussion.

Oh yea, one more thing. Any reviews you see at 1600*1200 with AF and AA max on Far Cry (the only game that supports SM3.0 at this exact moment... I think? Plz correct me, but Doom 3 supports it once it is out right?) shows that the X800's have a distinct advantage of about 5-10% over the Nvidia cards (compared respectivley pro vs GT, XT vs Ultra).

[Edited on 7/17/2004 3:33:17 PM]

  • 07.17.2004 3:31 PM PDT
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There is probably already a post about this but im too ignorant 2 look through all 10 pages. neway, is it a good or bad idea to go on http://www.alienware.com and customize/build ur own gaming pc?
another thing, does anyone with a good knowledge of pc's think that there is a catch to this: http://www.dabs.com/uk/productview?quicklinx=14XK or will this give me sweet, hassle-free, 8mb transfer rate?

[Edited on 7/19/2004 9:22:07 AM]

  • 07.19.2004 9:04 AM PDT
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Ok
1) Alienware=rip off. It is not worth it.
2) 8mb transfer rate?? Umm, if im not mistaken, can a LAN even achieve that? Transfer rates (like dling stuff and uploading stuff) depends on your ISP, not your ethernat card.

Ok, on a totally different topic, Coylter, I have the muther of all questions for you. This morning, I was fiddlin round with timedemo and tweaking my oc on my 9200se (225core/215mem). For some strange reason, I started doing my online courses for the summer, and my screen went blurry (as in hurt your eyes blurry). I checked my cards temp, turned the refresh rate down a bit, and then posted on another forum this prob. One dude says to try a PCI gpu and see if it goes away. If not, its a monitor problem (mines a futureshop no-namer that refurbished). I was really looking forward to my 9800pro, but if I need a monitor... Im pretty sure my 9200se is ok, but I need help, BIG TIME!

  • 07.19.2004 11:25 AM PDT
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Well i got the same problem, it was a driver problem. I used the catalyst removal utility and reinstalled them from scratch to the newest version. Btw there is no point in overclocking a 9200se....

[color=black]The one and [/color][color=olive]only[/color][color=black] Captain Obvious
Guru of PC hardware help
[/color]
* [color=000066]Halo CNN 24/24 7/7[/color]
* [color= 000066]Little guide to the knowledge of the PC[/color]
* [color= 000066]Ultimate Halo 2 guide[/color]
* [color=000066]The Forum Militia[/color]
* [color=000066 ]Click here only if you realy are an idiot[/color]

[color=olive]AOD-Coylter[/color]
[color=black]Army Of Darkness[/color]


[Edited on 7/20/2004 3:03:13 PM]

  • 07.19.2004 6:20 PM PDT
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I went from 20fps in the timedemo to 30fps, so I see a point... I gotta live with what I got (for now *shakes fist*). Also, I installed new drivers today, to see if the problem would go away (new omega drivers based on the 4.7 catalysts).

EDIT-
I just finished takin my 9200 out and running my comp with its IGP. No blurry pics. damn, looks like I'll have to get that 9800pro this week.

[Edited on 7/19/2004 9:59:42 PM]

  • 07.19.2004 9:58 PM PDT
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You are making me feel stupid! I don't even know hwo to check what graphics card I have!

[Edited on 7/20/2004 6:54:05 PM]

  • 07.20.2004 5:45 PM PDT
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Right click on your desktoop screen, scroll down to properties and click on it. When your there, click on the settings tab on the top right corner. When your there, click advanced in the bottom right corner. When that opens, there are gonna be alot of tabs to click on, find the one that says the Adapter and click on it. That will tell you what card you have and some specs on it

  • 07.20.2004 7:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: coylter
Yea nvidia sucked bad in last round with their FX series....Bad IQ , low performance, load of cheating. Its ironic that the situation as switched between the two competitor.


Oh, -blam- !! I have been searching this forum for over a week and posting all sorts of clueless questions about video cards. And, for the past four days, have been trying to find out who the -blam- "Coylter" is and where this mysterious "video card guide" was hiding.

GOOD NEWS: I finally found this thread, today.
BAD NEWS: I feel really stupid, not searching the stickies, just cause they did not have the word "video" in the title.
REALLY BAD NEWS: I bought my new graphics card two days ago.
MORE BAD NEWS: I've read the entire 10 pages of this thread without finding a direct answer to my question about the nVidia FX5700LE-TD256.
GOOD NEWS: I think I have a pretty good idea, now of the relative rankings of most graphics cards...
BAD NEWS: ...except the one I own.

Give it to me straight, Coylter: Did I screw up by buying an FX5700LE with 256MB for $150? (I can still return this guy for a $25 restocking fee if I act in the next few days. Is there anything BETTER for about $100?)

The sales guy told me that FX5700LE performance was somewhere between Radeon 9600 and 9600XT. Did he tell me the truth?

I have an Xbox that I use for campaign. For online, I want to use my 2-3 year old HP from Costco with a 1.8GHz P4 and 512MB RAM. I want to run lagless Halo online, at the next video resolution ABOVE 800x600, and understand that video (under)performance is often the source of "lag."

Can I do this with my set-up? Using "-use11" switch? And, if not, what hardware tweaks or cheap upgrades would you suggest to get me to my goal?

Thank you!

Oh. And I just can't pass up the opportunity to chip in on the "Halo 2 coming to PC" conversation: For less $$$$ than most of you would pay to get just the video card (no cpu upgrades, memory upgrades, etc., etc.) to play Halo 2, four years from now, you can buy Halo 2 for Xbox AND the Xbox to run it, four months from now! Case in point: I just paid $169, 2 months back, at Frye's, for a bundle that included a special Halo edition (translucent green) Xbox AND Halo AND two other Xbox games. 2 days ago, when I paid $150 for (what I hope is) a mid-range video card that will sort of play Halo O.K. on the PC, I saw an Xbox advertised for $129 (in Walmart, I think). For anyone (other than a die-hard Halo PC fanboy) who can afford a mid-range video card, the appropriate November 2004 vote (and I ain't talking Presidents) should be obvious.

So, if you want to play Halo 2 with "Xbox-like" video performance; and you have enough money to buy the card that would accomplish that, you don't need a good PC. In fact, you don't need to wait four years, and you don't need a PC at all: Problem solved.

  • 07.22.2004 1:52 PM PDT
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I don't know about a better card for that price, but the rest of your PC seems pretty good, Halo should run on 1024x768 without SLOWDOWN (lag is caused by slow internet connection, I wish people would get that right) in multiplayer. if you have a 512kb connection you will be fine if you choose good servers.

  • 07.22.2004 2:44 PM PDT
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Thanks for the input, pablofrogo; I'm feeling slightly less ignorant.

Yes, I know it is not lag (although I did not know what it was called). The point I was trying to make was that the "lag" that some players attribute to a bad connection, crowded server, etc., is really not lag at all: it is their video card. If I get "lag" I want to know it REALLY is lag, not slowdown.

I think you are fighting a losing battle on trying to get people to use 'slowdown' where appropriate, instead of 'lag' : It only takes three keystrokes to type 'lag'.

  • 07.22.2004 3:17 PM PDT
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There is discernable difference between internet lag and computer lag. In internet lag, theres somthing i like to call moonwalking. moonwalking is basically your running, driving, whatever and everthing is fine when suddenyly, you get stuck. But this stuck isnt the stuck wehere your not moving, its the one where you start teleporting back right to the spot you were over and over and over. Its like a CD skipping and its really annoying because when you get out of it your usually like running into a corner on the other end of the map. That would be Internet lag. computer lag is basically you suddenly freeze up and everything starts stuttering. In CD terms, its like you keep pausing and playing the song so it sounds really choppy. This chopiness is your FPS (Frame Refresh Rate per Second) really low (like 5-20fps) A decent FPS for me is 30. So if you wanna find out when your playing and you start to slow down whats the cause, the internet or the computer, you need to be able to test your FPS and see what it is when you slow down. In order to do that, you need to download FRAPS. go to http://www.fraps.com/ and download thier FPS program to clock your FPS. If your playing and your FPS drops to 5 or whatever and things are really choppy, then your computer is lagging. If your FPS is fine (20fps or higher) then the internet is lagging you. In order to aviod lag, listen to coytler. Have a P4, preferably a Northwood or Extreme Edition if you have the money (not worth it though). and a Decent Graphics Card, get one coytler recomends. As for internet, have DSL or Cable and thats all you can do. Hope this clears thing up 4 u.

  • 07.22.2004 9:55 PM PDT
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The sales guy told me that FX5700LE performance was somewhere between Radeon 9600 and 9600XT. Did he tell me the truth?
He did not lie. Its a good card BUT you should have get the 128mb version wich should be cheaper and as fast (if not more).

I have an Xbox that I use for campaign. For online, I want to use my 2-3 year old HP from Costco with a 1.8GHz P4 and 512MB RAM. I want to run lagless Halo online, at the next video resolution ABOVE 800x600, and understand that video (under)performance is often the source of "lag."
Increasing your resolution is only videocard side...The cpu is not going to hold you back.

Oh. And I just can't pass up the opportunity to chip in on the "Halo 2 coming to PC" conversation: For less $$$$ than most of you would pay to get just the video card (no cpu upgrades, memory upgrades, etc., etc.) to play Halo 2, four years from now, you can buy Halo 2 for Xbox AND the Xbox to run it, four months from now! Case in point: I just paid $169, 2 months back, at Frye's, for a bundle that included a special Halo edition (translucent green) Xbox AND Halo AND two other Xbox games. 2 days ago, when I paid $150 for (what I hope is) a mid-range video card that will sort of play Halo O.K. on the PC, I saw an Xbox advertised for $129 (in Walmart, I think). For anyone (other than a die-hard Halo PC fanboy) who can afford a mid-range video card, the appropriate November 2004 vote (and I ain't talking Presidents) should be obvious.


Well i am not sure if i understood that but halo 2 is not coming to pc. BTW you should never upgrade for games to come .... only for games that are out....


[color=black]The one and [/color][color=olive]only[/color][color=black] Captain Obvious
Guru of PC hardware help
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* [color=000066]Click here only if you realy are an idiot[/color]

[color=olive]AOD-Coylter[/color]
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  • 07.23.2004 2:32 PM PDT
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Halo 2 isn coming out right away for computer, but my geuss is they will eventually release it for cpu, but thats not gonna happen for a long time.

  • 07.23.2004 2:35 PM PDT
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first of all, id like to say thanks for writing this guide. ive been thinking about getting a new card for a VERY long time, my 5200 is no longer cutting it out. everytime i look at a card that sounds good, i make sure to refer back to this guide to see if im gettin a good card. im most likely going for the 9800pro, once i save up enough money.
and second of all...you dont NEED fraps to check FPS. while your in halo simpley press ctrl and f12. this will bring up a meter thingy, showing your FPS on the top of the screen.

oh and i have a question. i can get a 9800pro for $192, a 9800SE for $119, a 9700pro for $162, or a 9600pro 256MB for $126.
i know the 9800SE is alot slowrer though.
which one is the best choice/deal?

[Edited on 7/23/2004 6:37:21 PM]

  • 07.23.2004 6:33 PM PDT
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That 9800pro is a good deal. I wouldnt recommend the 9700pro (not that its bad or anything), but the 9800pro is like a revamped version, and we are on the dawn of a new gaming era (relatively speaking) so you want the latest hardware. Dont touch the SE, you will only be disappointed. And also, consider this. DO you want to buy a card that will last 1-2 years before having to upgrade, or buy a card which needs to be upgraded in less than a year for playable FPS in newer games? At first, I was gonna get a 9600xt, but then, I said "Why not pay an extra $35 and get a WAY better card that will last longer (9800pro)". Then, recently (ie yesterday) I said "If your gonna go for the broke of Best bang for buck, you might as well look at a NVIDIA 6800nu. For an extra $80 (this is CDN, just so ya know), I can get a card that runs Halo 15-20fps faster than 9800pro, can play Doom 3 very well, can run Far Cry very well, and should do pretty well at Half- Life 2. I know that buying cards for games that arent out isnt the best, but it is something to take into consideration. Ok, Im spent, just worked all day, and its 12:00. LATER!

  • 07.23.2004 10:13 PM PDT
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well, i think even the 9800pro is pushing my 200$ pricerange, knowing its $199..phewph, good thing theres free shipping here..
look, go here , and check out the three cards..the first two are basically the same, sept the 1st one is APG x4 and x8 and has hitman:contracts included and the second one has APG x1,2,4,8..see, im not a computer expert, so id rather get a videogame than APG x1,2,4, and 8..
and the last one is like, 10 bucks more because it comes in the REAL box..oh, wow. a BOX. im gonna pay 10 dollars for a box...

  • 07.24.2004 7:52 AM PDT
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My personnal best those time arround is the 6800gt.

[color=black]The one and [/color][color=olive]only[/color][color=black] Captain Obvious
Guru of PC hardware help
[/color]
* [color=000066]Halo CNN 24/24 7/7[/color]
* [color=000066]Little guide to the knowledge of the PC[/color]
* [color=000066]Ultimate Halo 2 guide[/color]
* [color=000066]The Forum Militia[/color]
* [color=000066]Click here only if you realy are an idiot[/color]

[color=olive]AOD-Coylter[/color]
[color=black]Army Of Darkness[/color]

  • 07.24.2004 9:55 AM PDT
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too bad it cost mad $$$ though, huh?
i think im gonna stick with the 9800pro.
and i have something to say...after the time my card has been holding out..it somehow went through a super atomic neclear a-bomb dropping explosion. now i cant load my desktop without it atomically exploding..so now i dont just want a new card, if i dont get one i cant run my computer..btw im using my old computer, which has a 4MB videocard in it.

  • 07.24.2004 10:28 AM PDT