Suggest videocard upgrade from EVGA 7800GT

[jo4re]

Hi All,
I just bought a Samsung 226BW 22" monitor and I'm thinking my current video card won't be up to the task of FEAR at full resolution. It's the only game I play otherwise it's surfing the net. Any suggestions as to what would be a decent upgrade that would do 1680x1050 and get a decent FPS with FEAR?

Thanks,
J.

 

[stevemedes]

i'd say a 8800 GTS 640mb would be a nice match for that resolution.

 

[jo4re]

Any brand in particular or are they all the same? I do like evga though

 

[F1shF4t]

Originally posted by: stevemedes
i'd say a 8800 GTS 640mb would be a nice match for that resolution.

GFT, i made the same upgrade only to the 320 mg version, but my monitor res is 1440 * 900... i don't think the frame buffer will limit you much at that resolution but its will be worth having the 640 mg version if your planing to keep the card for long

brand wise, good long warranty always helps, but then it also depends on how log u want to keep it etc. most of them are identical. some are only stock overcloked.

for me it doesn't matter as i will keep the card for a year, sell it and buy something in same price range.

 

[myocardia]

If you don't mind the extra $80, get the 640MB 8800GTS. But, as you can see, the 320MB GTS does very well in F.E.A.R. @ 1600x1200, which requires slightly more capability/horsepower than 1680x1050.

 

[jo4re]

Well, seeing as FEAR is the only game I play I'd like to get away as cheap as possible. I'm not even that good so want to keep the spending to a minimum. How low can the FPS go before you start to notice? I thought it was 60 but can't remember.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[HannibalX]

Many people claim because the human eye only sees at 30-35 fps anything higher is a waste. I however can notice a slow down anytime my frame rate drops below 60 fps. I can't explain the science behind it but anything less than 60 fps to me isn't smooth.

 

[Job]

the eye might not be able to see past 35fps but if the computer can only render 35fps then fast movements will seem slower than they should be in real life - its less to do with visual quality, more smoothness and speed of motion - eg looking around a scene really quickly will not be possible if the pc can only 'move' at slower frame rates

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
Many people claim because the human eye only sees at 30-35 fps anything higher is a waste. I however can notice a slow down anytime my frame rate drops below 60 fps. I can't explain the science behind it but anything less than 60 fps to me isn't smooth.

The human eye can easily see more then 30-35. People spout that BS all the time, its based on the fact that movies are only 26-30FPS. Movies and TV know what the next frame will look like however, and can use blur to hide the poor framerate. Games do not have this luxury.

I read that some air force pilots could preceive frame differences up to either 180 or 300fps. (I just can't remember, but both of those numbers stick my head.) These are individuals with great eyesight, and thats not to say you need 300 FPS for a good playing experience...its just to say that the human is capable of much more then 30-35.

I personally am comfortable with 45-60, and it becomes difficult for me to see much difference about like 65+.

 

[Oyeve]

Can you SLI on your mobo? If so, maybe getting another 7800 GT card would be a cheap alternative. I just recently sold one my eVga cards, broke the SLI to use a 1950XTX and put the second 7800 GT in another system. FEAR played fantastic on my SLI set up and my monitor has the same res as yours. No slowdowns at all.