Is a Geforce3 still any good?

[Darkhawk28]

Heya, I've got a Gainward GF3 that I'm thinking about replacing, maybe.

Question 1: Can this card still perform well enough when matched up with a Athlon XP 2500+ or will it lag behind?

Question 2: If it is still viable, for how much longer?

Question 3: If it isn't viable, what is the best video card I can get for less than $100? $150? $200?

Question 4: Is there anything coming down the pike from Nvidia and ATI that would make me say "I'll hold off completely for a few more months?"



Thanks in advance guys!!

 

[Vadatajs]

I'd say unless you want to play NEW games like Painkiller, DX:IW, FarCry, etc; you'll be fine with a gf3. It's a pretty good match to your cpu, as would any upgrade. If new games make you drool, then I would recommend picking up a 9700pro, which can be had for about $200. I just got one about a month ago (upgrading from 8500), and it's like a completely new computer. Opinions will differ on this, but I don't think it is really worth waiting for the latest and greatest. It took this long for dx9 games to hit the market, and a 9700 is fine for them. New technology is EXPENSIVE, and unless there is a significant improvement over the previous generation in terms of performance (to offset the feature lag), it hardly seems worth it.

 

[Keysplayr]

1. You 2500+ is more than enough to run a GF3
2. For current games you should be ok with reduced settings (without all the candy turned on)
3. Best for 100.00 = ATI9600np or GF4 Ti 4xxx
....Best for 150.00 = ATI 9600XT or GFFX 5700U
....Best for 200.00 = ATI 9600XT or 9800pro(If you can find one that cheap) or GFFX5900XT/SE/NU

4. Very good question. Both ATI and Nvidia are just a month to 1 1/2 months from releasing their new monsters.
That will drive the current video card prices down a bit. I would hold off as that is likely the most intelligent decision at this point.

However, if you can find a great deal on a 9800pro or 5900nu/XT and you cant wait, go for one of those.

ATI 9800pro performs a bit better.

 

[Brian48]

When paired with a 2500XP, I think it's still viable for most older OpenGL and all DX 8.1 games. DX 9.0 games like Halo will choke on it, unless you like running with low resolutions and textures. I still have one in one of my many backups, but that machine is used more for video playback than gaming. In all likelihood, it will play Doom3, but the performance will probably be not be as good as you're used to. I tested the my Geforce3 with the Doom3 alpha and it actually played pretty well at 800x600, but you could tell the card was straining.

Personally, I'd opt for a 9800Pro right now since they've dropped in price to just above $200.

 

[bandana163]

It is more than enough for today's games and it will be enough this year for games like Doom 3, Painkiller and such.
Unless you want to play games with lots of AA and AF, of course.
The new generation of video cards is coming soon, prices will probably drop in a few months.

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
Heya, I've got a Gainward GF3 that I'm thinking about replacing, maybe.

OC it instead. Spend £20 on a VGA Silencer for it to keep it cool & quiet as well.

Question 1: Can this card still perform well enough when matched up with a Athlon XP 2500+ or will it lag behind?

Should do. Dont expect above 1024x768 to be smooth though.

Question 2: If it is still viable, for how much longer?

IMO, it`ll be usable for a further 4-5 months.

Question 3: If it isn't viable, what is the best video card I can get for less than $100? $150? $200?

$100 is about £50. Probably a 9200. And it aint worth the hassle.
$150 is about £75. Maybe a 9600np.
$200 is about £100. As above, but you might be able to find a 9600pro for cheap.

Question 4: Is there anything coming down the pike from Nvidia and ATI that would make me say "I'll hold off completely for a few more months?"

Yes. nV40 / R42x and its many siblings that`ll replace the current cards in the budget, mainstream, high end & enthusiast areas.

##EDIT##
Just thought. The doller->pound thing is very "wild" at the moment, so just ignore my reccomendations for the cards.

 

[Darkhawk28]

I'm mostly gonna be playing DAoC and City of Heroes (both are MMORPG's), if that helps any.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I'm mostly gonna be playing DAoC and City of Heroes (both are MMORPG's), if that helps any.

You should be ok on daoc, it eats more memory than anything else (TOA likes to suck up about 700MB of memory at 1024x768).

 

[Corsairpro]

I have a GF3 Ti200 w/ AXP 1700+ and 512DDR. I play BF1942 @1024x768 and get framerates from 5 - 70FPS with an average of 32.

 

[SilverBack]

The GF3 actually works well at lower resolutions even in Far Cry.
My wife has one in her system and it plays great.
The UT 2004 demo plays great to.

With the GF3 you just have to limit the bandwidth of the video card to keep up with the game. ie (lower resolutions, no AA etc)
Any opengl game still plays great at 1024x768.
I would run the card at 800x600 when trying newer games.
It still plays well.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
Heya, I've got a Gainward GF3 that I'm thinking about replacing, maybe.

Question 1: Can this card still perform well enough when matched up with a Athlon XP 2500+ or will it lag behind?

Question 2: If it is still viable, for how much longer?

Question 3: If it isn't viable, what is the best video card I can get for less than $100? $150? $200?

Question 4: Is there anything coming down the pike from Nvidia and ATI that would make me say "I'll hold off completely for a few more months?"



Thanks in advance guys!!

Q1: It should be perfectly fine. If anything you will have to run at lower resolutions so that you are more CPU-bound.

Q2: It will be viable until you want to play Doom III and/or Half-Life 2.

Q3: R9800 non-pro if you can find one.

Q4: Yes!! Wait!!! R420 and NV40 are a month or two away and should drive down prices. Now is a horrible time to buy a videocard.

 

[BFG10K]

No, it's obsolete and it's time to upgrade. I mean even a budget Ti4200 - which is much faster than a GF3 - is only about 80 bucks these days.

 

[Pete]

I think a GF3 is on the ass end of viable nowadays, especially considering its 64MB of RAM. But it should be servicable with a good CPU like a 2500+ and medium texture quality.

Doom 3 might make you hold off on buying a 4200. If you can sell your GF3 for ~$40 and pick up a 128MB GF4 for ~$80, though, go for it. You'll see a big speed jump in everything.

 

[edmundoab]

i have a friend who complained of the terrible lack of FPS while playing Star Wars Galaxies on his GF3

finally upgraded to a Radeon 9800pro

 

[Naruto]

If you don't care about eye candy, just being able to play at decent frames at lower res and details, it should be fine. I still have a gainward gf3 ti200 and it was able to OC to ti500 speeds. I consider it still useful and it should be able to play Call of Duty @ 800x600x32 @ medium detail. Looking back at video cards since the riva chip, I believe the geforce 3 was the biggest step forward in terms of graphics advancement.

 

[Pete]

"Graphics advancement" meaning what? IIRC, the GF3 was slower than the GF2U in some instances. I don't think that happened to the GF2, GF4, or FX5800. If not speed, do you mean IQ via pixel shaders (Aquamark 2, Evolva)?

 

[RussianSensation]

800x600 low detail? 1024x768 max?

Wait a second....isn't geforce3 comparable to Radeon 8500 64mb? In that case it will last another year at least

I can play any unreal game at 1600x1200 with highest details, Call of duty at 1600x1200, need for speed underground at 1280x1024, Far cry All Medium settings 1280x1024, Battlefield 1942 1600x1200 => of couse all of these no AA/no AF

But I dont think his card is THAT slow.

But yes I completely agree with keysplayr2003 for videocard recommendations which are excellent for the price range except $200 you can also consider 9700Pro its around $190 or Radeon 9800 is definately doable for $210.

My recommendation would be to wait 2 months for the new cards. If you are on a budget that 9800Pro card will be a great purchase at $120 along with the Barton 2800+ which will dip to $80 by then i bet.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Question 1: Can this card still perform well enough when matched up with a Athlon XP 2500+ or will it lag behind?

It is seriously lacking.

Question 3: If it isn't viable, what is the best video card I can get for less than $100? $150? $200?

$100- Nothing
$150- Nothing worth the money
$200- R9800Pro or FX5900

You may be able to find one of the 5900XT boards for around $165, that or the R9800Pro for $200. Either one of those will have you looking good for a lot longer then any of the parts that are less expensive. If I were you and you live in the US I would advise you not to even look at the 9600XT(or 5700Ultra if anyone says you should). They are underperforming by a considerable margin compared to boards that cost only slightly more.

Question 4: Is there anything coming down the pike from Nvidia and ATI that would make me say "I'll hold off completely for a few more months?"

Yes, but we don't know if they will have anything in the price range you are looking at that will be superior to what there is now. If you were saying I'm willing to spend up to $400 telling you to wait would be a no brainer. Without knowing exactly what is going to hit it is possible we are seeing great deals on the R9800Ps and FX5900s because they are being flushed(clearing the retail channels to avoid overlapping products).

I can play any unreal game at 1600x1200 with highest details

With Unreal2 that should yield you about what, 5-6FPS?

 

[Elcs]

If it works good enough for you.... its good enough.

I upgraded my GeForce4 ti4400 to a Radeon 9800 Pro because I felt the time was right. The UK seem to be a couple of months behind the US as well....

Hopefully, I wont have to upgrade for quite a while.... Im not a big FPS fan so Painkiller/HL2/Doom3 mean very little to me. Your preference may be different....

 

[Alptraum]

Originally posted by: edmundoab
i have a friend who complained of the terrible lack of FPS while playing Star Wars Galaxies on his GF3

finally upgraded to a Radeon 9800pro

That game will crush many video cards/systems. I have pretty close to the fastest (9800pro AIW) at the moment and I can't turn all the details up at 1280x1024. Lots of RAM and a fast CPU help as well though, that thing eats up just under 500megs most of the time for me.