Video Card Thread (Mostly Gecube x1950xt)

guys, then I never have to upgrade again until those GPUs start to choke which should be some time.

 

I haven't actually played the Juarez game(s), another thing to gawp at with my screen resolution I suppoe...


Ray: When Nehalem comes, you'll want to upgrade again, I know it...
Also, what happens if some gut-horrible demanding game comes along that doesn't support crossfire? Only one of those four GPUs will be working...

 

Yeah, all that CF and SLi stuff is still kinda silly if it doesn't support everything.
Well, that is when you need the performance like you said.

I really like how they're trying to make the gaming-platform that is "PC" more accessible.
Such as they have this organization going on to support PC-gaming more.
And in GPUs, how for example they made the videocards of lately more like cartridges.
Meaning with the front and back covered, as if it were a simple old console-game to just stuff into a system.

I'm pretty sure the PC-gaming children of the future will be playing games as easy as most console-players today without knowing too much about the technical side.
And you know, without too much FCKN around with building a good enough computer besides the enthusiasts that simply want to.
They will just buy a case possibly with some kind of easy cooling-kit or whatever and a PSU, with a board with a gaming-CPU, then they just throw in a "video-cartridge", "audio-cartridge", some "memory-sticks", just whatever are the gaming-parts of that time, connect it to their TV or central computer's monitor, insert/install their game and go ahead playing.
With the software also being more advanced, just for example, you know how you insert certain devices and the OS finds drivers and just instantly works with it.
I'm pretty sure in the future they will just be up and running pretty much instantly, maybe after some automated downloading and updating (if not already), but still.

It's quite unacceptable that you have to pretty much drag yourself through ICT-school to be able to play PC-games.
Personally I've seriously been fkn around forever with these things and it's just messed up and too expensive too.
And like that organization, I'm not exactly sure what that was again, will probably just make these things easier.

 

Front and back covered? Most cards I know look like this at the back:

(this is a 4850). How is that covered?

I personally like the PC as a gaming platform as I can play games at 2560x1600. The Xbox 360 is typically 1280x720, and the PS3 even worse at 1024x600. Shiney game graphics, limitless online capabilites, and everything else...

 

Was I disagreeing then?

But maybe not that card, but the more later cards by nVidia are.
That's one of the companies that is in that organization too.
I'm not sure if ATi is in it too, but I know some other companies like these were.
I know they're rivals, but it doesn't matter.

Anyways, if you'd take a look at the 8800GT, or maybe an even higher-end one, one of those...
Those are covered front and back, the default black ones anyways.
Which makes it look a lot more, you know... or actually less technical.
You just grab the dam thing without worrying about the more fragile parts too much, and shove it into the slot.
Not that you can just throw it around, but you know, there's nothing small to break off or little wires, open things like on the traditional cards.

 

Ohh, I see, the back meaning the short side where the power connector is, I presumed you meant the back-side of the PCB. IMO you don't really get the sense of a non-fragile bit of hardware unless that's covered as well.


They're covered at the 'rear' but not on the 'back'.

I'm pretty sure it was just nvidia promoting the PC as a gaming platform, but AMD will certainly want in on that now they're slowly bouncing back from graphical second fiddle...

 

No, I really meant the back, I'm pretty sure it was covered all the way around, and a single-slow one too.
I'll have to find it somewhere, not sure which model it was...

*searching*

 

You might be thinking of this one, but look closely, and you'll see it too is open at the back...

 

Nope, never seen it before, it's also too fat for the one I mean.
I think I almost found it...

 

the GTX260/80 and the 4870X2 have the front and back covered.

 

Well... sort of for the 4870X2


The GTX200 series do indeed cover themselves entirely, which is interesting, but without sounding harsh, who cares, who'd buy them? lol

 

Well, I think I've been staring at the GX2 then.
Such as this one: http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_9800gx2.html
I've also seen other brands with the same or similar design.
It's 2 slots after all, I guess the black just makes it look sleeker or something.

But you know, the point is that it's just that simplicity or whatever.

You could kind of compare it tooo... eh, like... photography?
Just like some years ago, you always had to be careful not to expose the film and not to touch it and things like that.
Today you can just frickin' put a card into your camera within seconds and take it out as easily without worrying about a thing.
It's just that comfort and ease you know, like "everyone can do it".
And also not be intimidated by the whole technical aspect.
Just like a kid would play with his Nintendo or anything like that.

 

well with the GTX280 at £270, id choose it over xfire 4870s. but not over xfore4850 (as they are at £220) (ofcourse if i have a P35 board, and not P45/x38/x48, then id probably go forthe GTX 280)

 

4850cf> GTX280

 

6800XT > 7800GT > 8800GT > 8800XT? > 9800GT > 10000GT!

WTFOMGWD?!

 

ME> everyone else

 

depends on the mobo.

 

Dinc has a point about complexity - "you have to drag yourself through ICT school just to play video games" Haha! Good point. Well said. I've got a relative - hardcore Mac guy - who said onetime when we were trying to hook up a PC to his apple airport - "This is ridiculous, you have to know too much to own a PC!"

But, nobody said you had to build the PC yourself - there are guys like my buddy Mo and plenty of others who build systems for people. One of his clients paid $4000 for him to build a state-of-the-art system about 9 months ago, sli ultras, core 2 or quad core - fastest cpu (around $800 I think he said, just the cpu) monstrous psu, 10000 rpms sata drives, blah blah. The guy reported back to Mo - "nobody can keep up with my system."

But if you want to save money - if you want to get in there and customize it, well yeah, in that situation, you need some knowledge! It's like driving a car or a motorcycle. There are guys who just drive - and there are other guys who get in there and tear into the machinery and customize, and/or repair. Some people actually think it's fun to be the master of the PC - others think it's way too much frustration.

Then there's boozer with 15 rounds per clip, who thinks . . . on second thought, whatever Mr. Abuzar, Sir, thinks is fine with me - "just point that thing in another direction, will ya!"

Rich

 

Yeah, but just wait until the guy that bought that big fat computer his system crashed, while he doesn't know much about software, he'll be back at no computer again.
But then again, he'll just grow some more dollars and let someone else fix it...

But the thing is, you might have to know some stuff about hardware, like the specifications and all.
Which is personally still the easiest part, I don't have much of a problem with the physical stuff and the hardware.
Only then comes the even harder part, all the fiddling and getting to work everything through the software.
It's a true b*tch and should just be automated a lot more.
It probably will, because everyone wants automating, just saves a lot of hassle and especially time.
I can't wait until I can just shove in a GPU I bought and the OS will just calculate through all the versions of softwares and hardwares what drivers it needs and just go ahead to download and install them.
Just like for example Windows Update does or whatever is like that.

 

Haha, sure I will keep it pointed away from you Rich.