Cheap Card for Halo PC at 1920x1200

PCI-E or AGP?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130073

There you go.

Yea, but he's running Halo PC, which probably doesn't need a X1950XT or 8800GTS.

I thought Halo PC was hard on videocards because it was so poorly optimized for the PC.

Well, if an X1950 PRO or 7900 GS works, that'd definitely save a couple $$...

yes it can, it's an extremely badly programmed game for the pc. You need a very powerful PC to max out the settings and run such an exceptionally high resolution, because it could have been better programmed by monkeys.

My x850 plays HALO at 1680x1050 all maxed out. Avg of 70 FPS, min of 40 FPS....

It is the first system in my signature. X850s can be had for less then $100 now.

Everyone has different tollerences I suppose, because if mine was dropping from 70 - 40 I would lower the settings to stay above 60 for as long as I could. My laptop does on with the exception of when I zoom in far with the snipe when alot of people are there, but I can somewhat deal with that!

Best,

3Ball

And you're playing at 1920x1200?...

Halo is a tough game. My (now deceased) X800SE 128mb would sometimes stutter at 1024x768, while my friend's FX5200 would do just fine at 800x600.

I would personally go for the 7900GS. It offers a lot of power for only $140 after MIR. That card should be able to play Halo at HIGH at a resolution of 1680x1050. While resolution is nice, you most probably wont be able to tell the difference between 1280x800 , 1680x1050, and 1920x1200 unless you squint at the monitor the whole time.

So, from personal experience, I would suggest the 7900gs as a poweful and budget card that can be easily overclocked to 7900gt levels.

good luck

based on your suggestions I've narrowed it down to 3 cards that are in my price range let me know what you guys think here they are.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 814121548R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125028
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125022
remember I want to go the cheapest route possible this card is only temporary.

Umm... ok.

-mcg

Out of those cards, the X1600 XT is the fastest.

But the X1650 XT is MUCH faster, for about the same cash:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161054

I play halo every day and was playing before I saw this thread, I can barily play on my laptop when compared to my desktop because of the quality and frame rates that I am used to on my desktop. I promise you I can tell a difference between 35 fps and 60 fps. I can tell a difference between 55 fps and 60 fps. Believe me, I am very picky about FPS in most games! Not trying to be a dick, but my roommate is just like you in the since of he cant tell. When I watch him play on his comp even when i am not sitting in front of the comp and playing I am able to see the frame loss and the blurriness thats 40 FPS! He thinks Im crazy and he drives me crazy when he claims he cant see it. I flat out dont believe him because its so obvious to me. I think he is just tryin to piss me off! I think he may have succeeded...lol

P.S. I didnt notice his post on his budget and the ones he was looking at, so I would stay with cleeve on this one and go with the X1650XT, but dont expect great gameplay at that res. Or atleast by my standards. Im only tryin to help!

Best,

3Ball

Yeah as long as it stays over 30FPS its fine with me. Cleeve do you the extra money for the X1650 XT would be worth it I would like to go as cheap as possible because I'm going to be replacing this card as soon as the DX10 cards are in the $200-$250 range.

there's nothing humble about your opinion cleeve.

Ok I think I'll go with the X1650XT I'll let you know how it goes when I get the card. Thank you guys for all your help and sorry for being such a cheap ass.

For reference, my X600 gets ~40-60 fps on large multiplayer maps in Halo PC (768x1024). Close quarters with lots of action bring it to its knees, ~20 fps. Halo was poorly ported by Gearbox software. The X1650 is your best bet in all likelihood.

I ran halo at 1280x1024 on a 5600 maxed out and it ran fine. The 7600GT is more than he needs, but I also suggest the 76.

wow - halo PC... that's an old one. However, does anybody have pictures of mid resolution vs. fully maxed out.

I'm really curious to see the difference and how it compares to games in 2006 (@ mid resolution).

Can anybody post some pics?

I know im a couple years late, But FYI, I use a Intel Core 2 Quad running at 3.2Ghz and a Nvidia Geforce 9600GT 512MB PCI-e to play Halo, I can get anywhere from 250 "full loaded 16 man server with grenades everywhere" to 1000fps "basically looking at the sky or in small maps like RatRace" @ 1600x1200 maxed out "the max my monitor will support".
And if you want a good ATi card for it, I've also used a Radeon 4830 512mb and got similar results.