Why is Doom3 choppy? 2

[CodeDeficitDisorder]

I just upgraded my PC:

Pentium4 3.4 Ghz
1Gig Memory (2-512 dual channel)
Hitachi ATA-133 Hard Drive, 2mb Cache, 7200RPM, 120Gig
I have the budget Asus Nvidia GeForce4, AGP, 128MB
My Doom3 settings are set to the lowest settings possible.

Would upgrading my hard drive to a Western Digital Raptor SATA drive improve graphic performance more than upgrading my Video Card?

Is there a $150.00 Video card that runs Doom3 smoothly?

Thanks!

 

[tf1]

No. Doom3 makes tremendous demands on the graphics. To get the best from Doom3 you need a high end PCI-Express card: anything less will not reveal the quality of its graphics.

Unfortunately, that won't help you because you have a pretty potent system except in the graphics department. Without a PCI-E bus, you will have to get the best AGP graphics card that you can afford. I won't start a debate about the merits of nVidia V. Radeon but recommend that you go the

http://www.tomshardware.com

and read the latest review (the third annual review) of AGP graphics card.

Regards: tf1

 

[paparazi]

The graphics card will definately have far more impact that a faster HDD.
tf1, Why PCI-Express card? it has been proven that the increased bus PCI-Express offers has not improved the graphics performance of any of todays top cards.
X800/FX6800 perform identicaly on 8X AGP/PCI-E
The reason is that even the latest cards don't come close to testing the current 8x AGP bus, driving on a wider road doesn't make the car go any faster.
Probably the fastest card for $150 is the slightly older ATI 9700pro followed closely by an Nvidia FX5900XT both are faster than ATI's 9600XT and Nvidia's FX5700U.
Don't be fooled just because the 9700pro is an older card, it is DX9 compatible and offers better speed than all the other cards mentioned.
A 128mb ATI Radeon 9800pro might also be an option but might be slightly more than $150?
Martin


We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[cdogg]

tf1,
I too question your point about PCI-Express. At some point in the future (years down the road), it will have an advantage over AGP. But for now, graphics is not its selling point until dual-GPU video cards start hitting the mainstream.


CodeDeficitDisorder,
The hard drive will have little impact, especially when going from ATA-133 to SATA. The interface of SATA might be a little faster, but the mechanics of a hard drive are pretty much equal. You won't see or notice much difference between the two.

Doom3 is highly demanding on the video card more than anything else. Upgrade to top-of-the-line if you expect to get the most out of that game. It was released with the intention of stressing even today's best cards, and keeping the attention of tomorrow's.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
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[dakota81]

Judging by the rest of your system, you have some money to play with. Check out a GeForce 6800 for ~$300, you're going to be hardpressed to find any cheaper card that can compare on a price / performance ratio.

I've got a Radeon 9800 & Doom 3 is okay, not spectacular by any means, will leave you quite unfulfilled. You most definately do not want to go below this card, don't even consider FX5700's or 9600's.

 

[tf1]

I agree: I was not quite accurrate with my reply. The GF6800 has around the same performance in both AGP and PCI-E forms. However, dual GPU cards have already been seen in prototype form and if the shortage of GPUs can be overcome, we will see them sooner rather than later.

What I said was incorrect - what I should have said was if I was upgrading my system now, I'd go for a PCI-E mobo.

Regards: tf1

 

[paparazi]

Hmmm!
Trouble is, by the time graphics cards become available that are appreciably quicker on PCI- E (1-2years??) you will be ready for another upgrade?
Too soon for PCI-E, no advantages as of yet, wait for second generation and the introduction of even faster cards that truely will be quicker on this platform.
I have to add I am looking at this from a regular upgraders point of view (4 motherboards and three differant cases in the last 30months) and not someone who keeps a PC for more that 3 years.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[tf1]

I'm much the same: I usually upgrade every couple of years not out of necessity but because its in my blood!

I resist getting the fastest everything because I'm not an avid games player: but both my sons are, so I get plenty of expereince helping them upgrade.

Regards: tf1

 

[ftechguy]

Just some comments:

It seems that for now, only the high-end cards (NV 6800 and ATI X800) are available for purchase in AGP editions now, while the cheaper cards are previous generation.

Meanwhile, on the PCIe side, you can get the mainstream NV 6600 and ATI X700 ( both of which run Doom III better than the previous gen, high-end cards) much more easily. AGP versions are supposed to come out, but right now, they are not in sight anywhere.

 

[CodeDeficitDisorder]

I thank you all for your replies. I'll upgrade my graphics card probably to the ATI X800. It'll probably take me a few months to collect the cash for that one, but it will probably be just in time for HalfLife2?

Yes, I wanted to go PCI-Xpress, but the newest Asus boards were a bit pricey compared to the older P4C800-E Deluxe which I finally decided on. There's no doubt in my mind that the future will be PCI-Xpress though.

Admittedly, I am shocked at how demanding Doom3 is on the graphics card. It's amazing that a game that took over 3 years to produce could be so amazing considering GPUs of that caliber didn't exist back then.

Thanks for the input!

 

[felixc]

If you're patient enough, the x700 will be available soon in AGP version. At half the price of the x800, it will deliver a performance over the 9800, but will put much less strain on your system power supply, like a 9800 or an X800 would do. Unless you want to play the game at the highest resolution.

As the people above said, even a radeon9600xt can't keep up with the full 3D effects on. I tought I'd be okay, but no.

The software developers design their games as a function of what will be the hottest CPU and graphics at the expected time of release, knowing very well that within a year, the highest speeds become mainstream. At the same time it fuels the industry by creating a need among users for more powerful hardware. Doom3 and Half-life 2 are driving the high-end hardware market. Marketing marketing...

 

[gus669]

The Geforce 4 is the lowest possible card that will run Doom3. I also had a choppy experience using that same card. But after setting down the sound in DXDiag, and then extracting the pk4 files to the installation directory with WinRar solved the problem.

Domm3 performance guides can be found all over Google.

I have played this game with less than what you have all the way through. So just try tweaking it first.