Help on upgrade to play Oblivion

[VanTheMan]

I'm getting ready to play Oblivion as soon as I finish NWN2. I currently have an eVGA 7600GT CO running at 600/1600. I know the 7600GT by itself is not going to cut it for Oblivion.

Basically, I'm wondering if I should get another 7600GT for SLI or if I should get one of the 7900GS's that's in the Hot Deals forum. According to the Tom's Hardware VGA charts, the 7600GTs in SLI outperform the 7900GS in Oblivion, so that's the way I'm leaning, but I wanted to get some advice. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

 

[Eomer of Aldburg]

I'd personally just go with a single X1950Pro or X1950XT. They are about 200 to 250 from newegg and the both own big time at oblivion. By the way I'm not biased to Ati, wierd I mean AMD or Nvidia. I'v actually own only nvidia and soon to be an Ati card.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Because ATI's design philosophy on Shader Technology favors Direct3D in Windows over OpenGL, you get more bang for your buck from ATI when games such as NWN2 and Oblivion use so much SM 2 / SM 3 code in the programs. As per Eomer, the X1950 cards are excellent in Oblivion. Tom's Hardware will allow you to make direct comparisons using Oblivion benches in their interactive VGA charts. You'll see the x1950s showing up extremely well!

 

[VanTheMan]

I checked Tom's for 7600GT SLI vs X1950Pro. In Oblivion the X1950Pro does 15.1fps outside vs SLI 7600GT's 12fps outside, but the SLI 7600GT does 79fps inside vs X1950Pro's 76.2fps inside. So it's basically a 3fps difference either way. I would have to spend $200+ on an X1950Pro for roughly the same performance as if I bought another 7600GT for $140ish. I didn't see the X1950XT on Tom's VGA chart, only the X1950XTX which is way too expensive.

 

[Hyperlite]

how much are you looking to spend?

 

[VanTheMan]

Under $200. Hopefully well under $200.

 

[Munky]

Oblivion is one of those games where Ati cards perform much faster than equivalent Nvidia 7-series cards, especially in the foliage areas where the game really stresses the video card. So, the x1950pro looks like the better choice for Oblivion.

 

[VanTheMan]

Well, it would be 2 7600GT's in SLI against the X1950Pro. According to the benchmarks on Tom's Hardware's VGA chart, the 7600GT's combined beat the X1950Pro. Does anybody have experience with both setups? I'm leaning towards getting another 7600GT simply because it would save me about $100 and get me about the same performance as the X1950Pro.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Hmm, I've read on mulitple sites - inlcuding The TechReport - about issues with SLI'd 7600GT's, something about green bars popping up during game play.

Also, the difference between going from 12 fps to 15 fps is much greater than going from 76 fps to 79 fps. Jumping from 12 to 15 is a 25% improvement, whereas going from 76 to 79 is only 4%.

There are plenty of errors in Tom's Interactive VGA Chart, so take the information with a grain of salt. I agree with munky, Eomer and kiwi that the x1950pro is the way to go. I have all nvidia in my rigs, btw (7600gt, 7800gt, unlocked 6800 agp).

 

[betasub]

Just do it already. You're obviously convinced to go with the cheaper SLi upgrade.

In Oblivion benches you should focus on the outdoor benchmarks, where FPS are lowest. It's under these conditions that you'll wish you could upgrade yet again.

 

[akshayt]

I want to ask one question. If you can handle NWN2, then why do you think Oblivion would be a problem. NWN2 absolutely blows even 1900s away, Oblivion comes after that.

 

[sodcha0s]

Originally posted by: VanTheMan
Well, it would be 2 7600GT's in SLI against the X1950Pro. According to the benchmarks on Tom's Hardware's VGA chart, the 7600GT's combined beat the X1950Pro. Does anybody have experience with both setups? I'm leaning towards getting another 7600GT simply because it would save me about $100 and get me about the same performance as the X1950Pro.

Another thing to consider is with the ATI card you will be able to play with HDR and AA enabled. With the nvidia SLI setup it's one or the other in addition to not being able to use v-sync, which if you have an LCD monitor is pretty much a must have feature.

EDIT: You also might be able to sell your 7600GT for a few bucks to offset some of the cost.

 

[VanTheMan]

I am still considering the X1950Pro. I suppose I could sell my 7600GT for $120ish, add that to the $150+ I would have been spending and justify spending $300 on a better card...

 

[VanTheMan]

Originally posted by: akshayt
I want to ask one question. If you can handle NWN2, then why do you think Oblivion would be a problem. NWN2 absolutely blows even 1900s away, Oblivion comes after that.

Really? I'm playing NWN2 with everything turned up. It runs pretty well. I don't doubt that Oblivion will run. I want to make sure it looks good so I can enjoy it. Are you saying that NWN2 is more intense than Oblivion? I haven't really read up on NWN2's graphics stuff, but I've heard a lot about Oblivion being graphically intense.

 

[Centurin]

Oblivion has better graphics than NWN2, however NWN2 is poorly optimised and runs like crap compared to what you're getting.

 

[akshayt]

From what I have read, the views are varied, but as a majority games like DA, G3 and NWN2 kick the rig really bad contrary to Oblivion.

Anyway, at what res and setting do you play, what CPU and how many FPS?

AFAIK 7600GT will manage Oblivion fine at 10x7 Med.

 

[VanTheMan]

Centurin: So if I can run NWN2 decently with maxed settings, Oblivion will run well on my system because Oblivion is more efficient?

akshayt: 12x10, Venice 3200 and I don't know how many FPS for NWN2

 

[akshayt]

lucky you, this is the setting I hope can play Oblivion(1900xtx) and for NWN2 I hardly have hopes, lucky you!

 

[VanTheMan]

After some thought, I've revised my budget. I'm willing to spend $250-300 and I'll sell my 7600GT to justify it in my head. It looks like I can get a 7900GTX/GTO on ebay for about that price. I also read some stuff about the X1950XT and it looks like a good contender.

 

[tuteja1986]

Oblivion HDR Mountain Area 1600x1200 0xAA 8xAF
$250 X1900XT 256MB : 39.1
$250 7900GTO : 32.5
$200 X1950PRO : 31.3
$250 7900GT : 24.1

Oblivion HDR Foliage Area 1600x1200 0xAA 8xAF
$250 X1900XT 256MB : 26.8
$250 7900GTO : 16.9
$200 X1950PRO : 21.3
$250 7900GT : 12

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/ati_radeon_x1950_pro/


X1900XT = 256MB , 625Mhz , 1450Mhz , 16(48 Pixel shader processor)
X1950XT = 256MB , 625Mhz , 1800Mhz , 16(48 Pixel shader processor)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102067

In conclusion the X1900XT 256MB beats all and X1950XT beats up X1900XT. Winner is X1950XT

 

[VanTheMan]

Dang, I'm getting close to jumping on that X1950XT. I've been an nVidia guy for years and years, but it looks like none of the Green team's cards can compete with the 1950XT for what I want to do. One concern I do have is the power hunger that the 1950's are reported to have. I have an Enermax EG425P-VE with 2 12V rails, 18A each. Will this PSU be alright with the 1950XT? I definitely don't want to buy a new PSU just to play Oblivion. Also, will I need an aftermarket cooling solution if I plan to OC the card to XTX speeds?

 

[akshayt]

The best buy should be a 512MB 1900xt/xtx.

 

[VanTheMan]

I game in 1280x1024, so I don't think the extra 256MB of RAM is really going to make a difference for me. On Newegg, those 1900XT's are going for about the same as the 1950XT and the 1900XTX's are going for about $60-70 more. Also, the memory clock on the 1900's is down around 1400-1500 vs 1800 for the 1950. With a slower memory clock and 256MB more RAM to deal with, it seems like the 512MB card would be slower than the 256MB card. I guess it would be worth it if you game in higher resolutions than 12x10.

 

[akshayt]

Even at a res of 12x10 or may be even 10x7 that extra 512MB will/should help you in games like Oblivion, G3, Quake 4, CoD2, and maybe most
new games. It would be worth it to get a 512MB card, whether 1900xt or xtx.

 

[VanTheMan]

Can you cite any reviews or benchmarks for that akshayt?