Video Cards for Oblivion

[kdsns]

Hey i know this probably sounds really dumb but im looking for a card to play The elder scrolls oblivion on for between 50 - 100$. I know i cant get anything super spectacular but i would just like to be able to PLAY the game with reasonable framerate and maybe reasonable graphics too?

Anyway Right now i have a Geforce 4 mx 420 which obviously is a POS, cant run really anything on it. Other then that ive got a P4 2.4 ghz proccesor and 256 ram.

I know that 256 is really a small amount of ram but i really dont want to buy more ram right now im just looking for a card so some reccomendations would be great, thanks guys.

oh , and if theres any other information about the pc that would matter then ill post that too sorry i dont really know what else to put.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Well I'm about to go to bed, so probably won't get to answer this until morning, but a good thing for anyone considering this to know is;

Is Oblivion the Only game you will be playing, or at least a game that will be occupying the most of your time, and maybe 50+% of the game time of your rig?

It matters, because there are differences between ATi and nV in Oblivion versus other games, and the price point and best choices for value will change in this price range. It would be easier to recommend a $150-200 card, but that's outside your price range, so if you can give some feedback as to the weighting of this and other games it makes the recommendations easier. My early recommendations lean towards X1650Pro due to it being AGP and the price range the GF7600GS is another consideration, but not as goood for Oblivion. The GF7600GT is too expensive.

PS, you need RAM PERIOD! Oblivion sucks at anything below 512MB, and even moving to 1GB is a HUGE improvement. Get the cheapest 256MB ou can find, doesn't even need to be fast. Oblivion needs space, otherwise your money will go to waste. Better to get a slightly lesser card and save some money for RAM than to get a faster card and have it be bottlenecked even more by the RAM.

So overall consider this as a good combo for $100;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102038
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141401

 

[prozac26]

So overall consider this as a good combo for $100;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102038
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141401

Yea, that looks reasonable for $100.

 

[LabaR]

You can get a 7600GT off ebay for less than 100. That would be the better option I think if ebaying is something you do. Like the other guy said, you need more RAM, PERIOD! And you will thank yourself once you do; not only for Oblivion but for how much better your PC will run.

 

[pauldh]

He needs AGP, which would be difficult to find a 7600GT even used for $100.

But I agree, more RAm is a must and staying under $100 a X1600 pro like GrApe said would be as good as it's gonna get for Oblivion. A used X800XL or even X800 pro would also provide good Oblivion performance, but you give up the ability to use or even try HDR.

 

[Heyyou27]

Listen to Ape, you need more RAM and the X1600 would be good for a casual gamer.

 

[plguzman]

It all depends of the resolution. what's your monitor size?

 

[niz]

This is what you need:

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37205

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Well first of all it's unlikely that GF8300 will be AGP anytime soon, second how can you recommend it until you actually know how it plays? :?: :!: :?: :roll:

 

[kdsns]

Yeah my monitor size is 19 inch. but thats the thing, im not looking to play with realllly good gfx just decent and id like a good frame rate. yeah i know RAM is really important but see the thing is with what i have now I cant even PLAY games like this because my card cant even handle it.

Maybe like 800x600 reso with medium or low settings would be fine and maybe with the pixel shaders on too? Im not really sure what they do or how they affect performance but i know that pixel shaders are the reason that my card cant run the game and from what ive seen they make games look way better so id like to see some of that on. ANyway thanks for the suggestions guys so far

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Just understand what I'm saying, the 256MB is not even really a suggestion, it's as required as the PS2.0 compliant card.

The X1600Pro is the best value for what you want to accomplish, and will give you future looking features for a while to come, and the 256MB is a must, because without it you will still be looking at a slideshow.

Add an X1950Pro to your rig with 256MB system memory and it will still be slower than the X1600 of GF7600GS with 512+MB. It's THAT important.

The PixelShader 2.0 is just as important as the memory and that's why 512MB is listed as the MINIMUM spec for the game, and really IMO even that's just being optimistic. My rig chugged at 512MB with the X700, but moving it to 2GB and voila smooth as silk. 256MB is just going to make anything you put in there useless. Heck if you were someone I knew from the forum I'd probably send you a stick for free. Find a friend who has some memory or else buy the combo I listed, you won't regret it, and your other computer tasks should improve greatly as well.

And really you can't turn the pixel shaders off and on, they are integral to the game, turned off much of the image is just plain white (that's what FX users originally saw before driver updates fixed that, it was weird, like playing against a hollywood greenscreen only it was white).

 

[GeneticWeapon]

And really you can't turn the pixel shaders off and on, they are integral to the game, turned off much of the image is just plain white (that's what FX users originally saw before driver updates fixed that, it was weird, like playing against a hollywood greenscreen only it was white).

That's awesome sig material :lol:

 

[niz]

Well first of all it's unlikely that GF8300 will be AGP anytime soon, second how can you recommend it until you actually know how it plays? :?: :!: :?: :roll:

Because his budget is $50-$100 and its a new card in that range so it's not going to be slower than other older cards in that range is it? :roll: :roll: :roll:

also it supports DX10.

 

[pauldh]

Because his budget is $50-$100 and its a new card in that range so it's not going to be slower than other older cards in that range is it? :roll: :roll: :roll:
also it supports DX10.

Please answer a few questions so I can decide whose side to take on this one. :roll:

When can he buy an AGP 8300GT? How much will it cost? Street prices for an AGP still in his budget range? Exactly how will it do against say an X1600 pro or X1650 pro he can buy now? And what shall he do until then? How will it do compared to RV610 and RV630? WIll it be available before them? Are any of these cards even coming to AGP? Some links to back up your answers would also be appreciated.

Oh, on a positive note, he should be able to find Oblivion for $9.99 come that time(if it ever comes), so there is a bonus waiting. :?

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Because his budget is $50-$100 and its a new card in that range so it's not going to be slower than other older cards in that range is it? :roll: :roll: :roll:

also it supports DX10.

Those suppositions are nice, but like Pauldh mentioned, some links would be nice (especially regarding AGP availability in the near future) to prove you aren't just blowing some nV FUD.

As for it supporting DX10, I doubt it'll make much difference gamewise, as the support will be like all other entry level cards' support for the latest and greatest, as a slideshow option only.

For a readily available solutions the GF7600GS and X1600/X1650Pro are the solutions within his price range, and due to his needs the combo I suggest fits his best option for Oblivion (and the extra memory should help alot of new games).

So stop rolling those eyes and instead use them to find those links to the AGP availability and some performance figures, since your A$$-umptions about performance are pretty ignorant considering previous mis-steps in this area. And considering your being distracted by the DX10, what makes you think they wouldn't give you the features without the performance? Both ATi and nV have done it before when going from generation to generation.

Until there are figures pitting them against current cards (and the X2300) in Oblivion, then recommending it is simply optimistic, not something based on fact, and when guiding someone on how to spend their hard earned money, you need more than hope. You can gamble your own time and money on such things. M'kay !?!

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

That'd be one heck of a long sig. 8O

I tell you it was funny trying to get it to work on the old Dell for the friend I sold it to. It was like playing an unfinished game, which is what I would've thought had I not already played it on the MRX700, X1600, and GF6800 prior to trying to get his to work.