7800GTX and older games like EQ

[BoboKatt]

Hey all...

I've been doing much research in regards to running older games that do not take advantage much of newer video card technology and I would like to see if I can get some feedback from anyone here.

I play games -- older ones, where cards just as the ATI9800pro would be considered kick-ass. Lately though I have been playing much of my favourite again which is the original EverQuest. I usually run 2 instances and recently got my hands on a really great deal of a Nvidia 6800GT. My question is that I heard from many that since games like EQ DO NOT take advantage of all the jazz that is offered from the newer cards just as the 6800 and 7800 and ATI 1800 series, all that really matters is the video card's RAM and mostly its clock speed. Is this correct? In other words I would do better by buying a video card that I can mod or OC to insane clock speeds (core and memory) and that really... getting a 7800GTX or ATI1800XT would show NO improvements over say my 6800GT or even my odler 9800pro.

My problem is that there is so little reference in regards to newer video cards and older games -- all is focused on all the new amazing games like FEAR and Quake4 and BF2 and so on. Again the 7800GTX I think is actually slower in clock speed running than say an ATI 850 XT or the newer x800GTO2 tjat i've seen insane clock oc.

Anyone actually run EQ and say a 7800GTX or heck make my day and say you have an SLI setup and how does that run EQ? I also play WOW and have dabbed in Eq2 and lately AOE3... MotoGP3 and so on but my fav is still EQ.

Thanks
Bob

 

[88NovaTwincam]

Still think RTCW multi is FUN as DONE! Beach DEMO!

I'm now into AOE3 which barely runs on "RIG1"

WHY EVER SPEND > $100 on a vid card now??

I been able to "GAME" with all the prior gens just fine!!

OK OK so i spent around $200 in 1998 on a brandnew
1.) MATROX G200 Marvel VIVO - 1998
and it still get's great analog video in - in win98

but since then
2.) orig. radeon DDR oem w/ rage theater chip <$100 around 2000
3.) current rad 9600 plain retail <$100 on BFriday 02/03?
4.) 6600GT retail@EBAY although i settled for a $87 msi version - seemed
good enough to AOE3 and PUREVIDEO!

 

[aka1nas]

Well not completely. A card with more pipelines should have higher fillrate, which is what will help the older games that cannot use newer features like advanced shaders.

 

[Topweasel]

Originally posted by: BoboKatt
Hey all...

I've been doing much research in regards to running older games that do not take advantage much of newer video card technology and I would like to see if I can get some feedback from anyone here.

I play games -- older ones, where cards just as the ATI9800pro would be considered kick-ass. Lately though I have been playing much of my favourite again which is the original EverQuest. I usually run 2 instances and recently got my hands on a really great deal of a Nvidia 6800GT. My question is that I heard from many that since games like EQ DO NOT take advantage of all the jazz that is offered from the newer cards just as the 6800 and 7800 and ATI 1800 series, all that really matters is the video card's RAM and mostly its clock speed. Is this correct? In other words I would do better by buying a video card that I can mod or OC to insane clock speeds (core and memory) and that really... getting a 7800GTX or ATI1800XT would show NO improvements over say my 6800GT or even my odler 9800pro.

My problem is that there is so little reference in regards to newer video cards and older games -- all is focused on all the new amazing games like FEAR and Quake4 and BF2 and so on. Again the 7800GTX I think is actually slower in clock speed running than say an ATI 850 XT or the newer x800GTO2 tjat i've seen insane clock oc.

Anyone actually run EQ and say a 7800GTX or heck make my day and say you have an SLI setup and how does that run EQ? I also play WOW and have dabbed in Eq2 and lately AOE3... MotoGP3 and so on but my fav is still EQ.

Thanks
Bob

A slight missunderstanding with you their. You might not be able to take advantage of SM3 or HDR DX9.0 type stuff and so on. But The amount of pure processing power of a 7800GTX or X1800XT are still better then a GTO2 clocked up to XT PE levels.

As for SLI, Its hard to say and gets into my next point. The Biggest limiting factor of these types of games with a Ultra High end video card will be CPU speed (and Memory). If your CPU tops out in informaion to send to the Vid card on a 6600GT you will end up with just about the same FPS on a 7800GTX. SLI makes that even worse because you CPU has to be able to handle the amount of info with two cards, also unlike the SLI of old, SLI and Xfire have to have info for SLI in the driver (a profile for example) or a compatible setting (AFR or SFR) to take advantage of it. So in theory even if their is a profile for EQ, you need a CPU that can max out at least one video card and preferibly 2, otherwise because of SLI overhead you could end with lower performance using SLI or Xfire.