GTR2 PC racing game. Suggestions for a graphics card?

Do you have an AGP slot? Using a PCI video card is just asking for it unless it's PCI-E, which is a new bussing system.

 

If I were you I would upgrade but not up to something like dual 8800 GTX's I think a Nvidia GeForce 6800 should do the trick good enough.

 

That'll work! Should be screaming fast. Between the AGP upgrade, and the 512mb memory, you'll be fine.

PCI-E isn't something you really "need", it's a new buss system, but you'll be fine without it. If you put in a new mother board, you'll need to build a new computer for the most part.

 

How much ram do you have? That's really the only other thing that'll help. Also make sure your computer is streamlined, meaning get rid of all the **** you don't need, and make sure Windows isn't taking over everything. Here is a guide, but only do things your comfortable with. If you don't know what your messing with, it's best not to mess with it. Download this file and read the PDF. It's long, but it can really help get your system down to almost using nothing at idle. Like I said, if your not comfortable with something, then just leave it.

http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html

 

Get a motherboard with PCI-E if you can, because AGP is well and truely dead.

My system, which I built in December 2003, still plays GTR2 reasonably well, so long as you do not have it in DirectX 9 mode.

The specs are:

Windows XP Pro
Pentium 4 "C" 3.0GHz
1Gb Corsair PC3200 DDR-SDRAM CAS2.0
Leadtek GeForceFX 5950 Ultra 128MB
Gigabyte something something motherboard. Supports 12 (6 IDE/6 SATA) devices.
Western Digital Raptor SATA 10,000rpm HDD (for Windows, plus another TB worth of hard drives).
Enermax 430W PSU (bought in 2001, still going strong)
Creative Soundblaster Audigy Platinum (also '01 vintage)

 

My desktop is very similar to yours. I used to do alot of gaming, but i've sort of grown out of it, and now only use the computer for internet, and music and dvd playing.

 

A GeForce 5500 is pretty powerful, forget buying a new graphics card. You're going to waste money. AGP is an outdated dead slot. Anything released for it is just being capped.

I strongly suggest you tweak your current system first, and later on in the winter or something think about dropping 500$ or so on a new computer.

nVidia's 8800 has horrible drivers right now.
ATi has a really good setup (mainly because you can run Folding@Home on them... )

Once again, save your money. I wouldn't upgrade a computer with an AGP slot. AGP has been replaced with PCI-Express.

You also say you have a P4 3.0ghz, that's not a very powerful processor either so you're better off saving your cash and just tweaking your box.

- Download the most up-to-date drivers for your computer. Go to Windows Update and let it download everything, and go to www.nvidia.com and download the latest graphics card drivers.

Let us know how that works out.

 

Yup, hence not bothering to upgrade it since, aside from bigger hard drives; got 6 and a TB worth of space now . Should ditch the 30, 60s and 120s and replace them with a few more 300s (or whatever is 'big' these days). Got so many partitions on so many drives, it's hard to keep track of everything.

From 1997 till 2003 I used to upgrade major components every year. Biggest individual upgrade component ever was a Hercules GeForce2 Ultra 64MB late 2000. Set me back $1000. It was hilarious because in those days we used to have benchmark software wars, like Futuremark's (then 'MadOnion') 3DMark, along with many other programs which I can't recall the names of. Considering how quickly computer components depreciate it was such a massive waste financially, although much gaming was still going on until the end of 2003.

Ironically, toward the end, there was an almost inverse relationship between how much one spent playing games and how much one splurged on the latest hardware. For me and a few others it was more about the hardware and engineering than the games the hardware was supposed to enable you to play...

 

I'm not saying don't buy it, I meant if you want something reasonably priced then go for a 6800, but if money is not a factor get some 8800's.

 

How much did you spend versus buying a brand new dual core system from a Fry's ad with an integrated 8700? 80$ versus 500$?

I've learned the hard way to look three to five years in the future for upgradability.

Edit: The new card needed to be plugged into the psu because it draws more juice, make sure your PSU can handle it.

 

Ah yes, happiness is the truest form of economic measure

 

integrated cards are well crappy...

I figure since you haven't had any problems yet your PSU can handle the card fine.

 

Yes they are, except they are good enough for most average kids. The GMA 950 is amazing and the new Santa Rosa's X1300 is amazing. There is a reason why Intel has the largest marketshare of graphics card and quite possibly the same reason AMD bought ATi; chipsets.

 

the 7600 is about the best card for the price for an AGP mobo. If you had a PCI-E mobo then you could do some nice things.

My current system
E6600 @3.0Ghz
4gb DDR2(800)
8800GTX

Needless to say its fast.

That looks like a really nice game, i think i might go pick it up.