Ti4200 now & $300 card when HL2 comes out or

[anomaly]

Should I get a Ti4200 128mb now and a $300 card when HL2 comes out, or get a 9700 non-pro now. I will probibly be able to afford a $300 card when HL2 comes out if the 9700 non-pro dosen't cut it then. My other system specs are 2.4C @3+ghz (depends on the day) 1gb ram, Asus P4P800, single 8mb cache hd ntfs partition.

 

[TourGuide]

Why not save your money and go for the gold when HL2 hits store shelves?

 

[anomaly]

Originally posted by: TourGuide
Why not save your money and go for the gold when HL2 hits store shelves?

I play alot of bf1942 now. I also decided to wait. I don't have the money right now to just spend $200 bucks, then like $400 in 8 months.

 

[TourGuide]

Don't these 6 month product cycles tick you off?

I wish I had the ca$h to keep up with the latest and greatest, but I end up upgrading every year if I am lucky. More often it is every 18 months.

 

[Schadenfroh]

valve said that a tnt2 would be able to run HL2, so a 4200 will run it fine, if you want to just use the 4200 for HL2 and then buy a nv45 or something later on

 

[Naruto]

CounterStrike is one of the most popular games out there, and its hardly has any requirements that average users don't have. I think Valve is going for the same approach here. They don't want to make a game where the average person will havta upgrade to play, it will just detract many people.

 

[Harabecw]

To put things into perspective...
The coming of Half-Life 2 or Doom 3 will NOT suddenly make current high end (R9500+ and the nVidia equivalents) obsolete! they will still kick ass.
You also need realize there is no way a radeon 9700 "wouldn't cut it". we've seen the D3 benches where they performed well...and you just don't make a game that NO ONE can run, eh?

With that being said, if you're willing to wait, by the time HL2 hits the shelves you could probably pick up a Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB for $300.
Actually, I think you can do that now if you're ordering online.
Question is, will there suddenly be Radeon 10000000's out when HL2 comes out that will drop prices of everything else?

 

[Regs]

and you just don't make a game that NO ONE can run, eh?

I bought command and conquer : generals

*sniffs

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: Regs

and you just don't make a game that NO ONE can run, eh?

I bought command and conquer : generals

*sniffs

What is wrong with C&C Generals? Does it have high system requirements?

If you play a lot of BF1942 and you are upgrading to a a ti4200 now then you might want to consider it - especially if you can pony up the cash later.

If you are going to get a 9700 now and can still easily afford the cash later I would do that because the 9700 will have a better resale value than a ti4200 will 6 months down the road.

 

[Schadenfroh]

What is wrong with C&C Generals? Does it have high system requirements

maybe he is reffering to the game sucking compared to the previous c&cs

 

[BenSkywalker]

What are you running now for a vid card? I wouldn't reccomend going with a GF4 Ti42 if you are running anything better then a GF2Ultra. If you do have an older board, then perhaps a move to a Ti4200 would be good and then wait and see how well Half-Life2 runs before spending too much money. Shortly after HL2 hits, the "R420" and NV40 should be out(I put R420 in quotes as people are calling it that but based on all information it will be more like a R390, not their true next gen core but a much faster R3X0 core). When those boards hit, you may be able to pick up a 9800Pro of FX5900 for ~$250.

 

[Harabecw]

I saw 9800Pros on pricewatch for quite cheap.
Are you planning on purchasing new demanding games until HL2 comes?

Your system looks like it is a new self-built one, and you're trying to decide on the video card. Is that the case?

 

[Regs]

I'm referring to Generals for having a numbered ammount of performance bugs and video card driver issues more or less like Sim City 4 . Not so bad now after its sixth patch.

 

[Harabecw]

???

It works perfectly unpatched here. no slowdowns...

 

[ponyo]

I've had the similar problem myself. I was debating whether to upgrade to Radeon 9700 NP for $200 or pick up cheap Geforce Ti4200 to hold me over until more demanding games came out. I am currently using old Hercules Geforce2MX. Old card I know but it runs the games I play just fine. Games like Diablo2, Unreal Tournament, RTCW, Starcraft, WCIII, and TigerWoods Golf, and ProPinball games.

However, I've been wanting to play newer games like BF1942 and Medal of Honor and such, and I know my Geforce2MX isn't going to cut it. I tried to get Radeon 9500 Pro from Bestbuy for $150 but none of the ones around me had any in stock. I looked at Abit Ti4200 64meg at Newegg for $89 shipped but scary hardware reviews of the card turned me away. All other Ti4200 seemed to be in the neighborhood of around $120. I didn't want to pay that much for ti4200 so I was set to order Powercooler Radeon 9700 NP for $199 at GameVe.com when I saw Asus Ti4200 128meg for $99 minus $10 off coupon at CompGeeks.com. $89 for new Ti4200 128meg vs $199 Radeon 9700 NP.

I went with Ti4200 for $89. Radeon 9700 might be great but I don't think it's more than double great. Ti4200 is still great card and I should be able to play all the current games and near future games without too much trouble at 1028x768. Once Doom3 and HL2 and others come out I'll again reevaluate and see if these games are worth it and worth upgrading for. Prices should have dropped by then and lot better hardware should be out.

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: Harabecw
???

It works perfectly unpatched here. no slowdowns...

Have you played a skirmish via 4+ AI players yet? Gah!

 

[Harabecw]

Originally posted by: Regs

Originally posted by: Harabecw
???

It works perfectly unpatched here. no slowdowns...

Have you played a skirmish via 4+ AI players yet? Gah!

I like to play small games, but my friend comes over and plays skirmish vs 6-8 players, while filling half the map with Nuke/artillery tanks and Vulcans
Still plays smooth.