BF2S Forums Expected better graphics with my new X850XT PE card. Is this normal?

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

I'm not going to get into the NVIDIA vs ATI arguments, as it all depends on what you're playing, the system you're playing it on and the set of drivers used.

To clear this up, the Asus P4C800 Deluxe is AGP8X. However, a bottleneck of the P4C800 is its 800MHz FSB. My own AGP8X BFG 6800 video card runs BF2 on my ASUS A8V Deluxe mainboard (and 2x512MB of CAS2-2-2-5 Corsair memory) without much difficulty.

The X850 is indeed a significant leap beyond the 9800, but with the X850XT priced at $400, I'm unsure why you didn't just grab a PCI-e motherboard and a $350 X1800 XL, or just get a regular old X850Pro for $260.

But don't feel bad. People are still making the mistake of grabbing very pricey 6800U's when they could get 7800's for alot less.

Well I got the x850 XT for $265 actually. A great deal I know. Which is why I went with it instead of just getting everything new with PCI-E.

I have a Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000-G with 800 FSB. I have 2 Gig of Kingston memory in 4x512mb sticks with a dual mode. Pentium Prescott 2.4 ghz.

What kind of Processor do you have? I'm trying to figure out if my processor is my bottleneck.

Thanks in advance.

kilroy0097 wrote:

Ali wrote:

I have a similar system.
Everything on High, AA on 4x and 1280x1024 (19" Hyundai LCD with max 1280x1024)

Runs perfect but my shadows are also ugly

Curiously. What processor and memory specs do you have?
I'm trying to narrow down my bottleneck with my X850 XT.

I wasn't replying to you. Just in case you thought so because I posted right after you.

Specs:
CPU: Intel Pentium D 830 (3 GHz Dual Core)
RAM: 2 x 1024MB G.e.I.L. Ultra DIMM DDR2-667 PC2 5300 Dual Channel CL3 4-4-8

Ok posting this because I learned quite a bit in the past 6 hours doing research and conferring with an IT collegue of mine.

I have a Pentium Celeron(R) 2.4 ghz processor in my machine. As you know the L2 Cache on that chip is pathetic (128 KB) and the FSB is 101 MHz. It is absolutely the bottleneck in my machine forcing my PC3200 RAM to downclock to a pathetic 134.7 Mhz. So even though I have 2048 MB of RAM it's not taking full effect of it.

So after much research and forum reading I have decided to get the following CPU upgrade:

Pentium 4 3.2 GHz Prescott with 1MB of L2 Cache and 800 MHz FSB which my Mainboard can handle well.

As this machine will become my girlfriend's computer once I get a new computer in a year or so I don't feel so bad upgrading now instead of getting a new machine.

BTW There are two programs I highly recommend if you are looking at your computer specs for gaming. You can google either one and get them.

CPU-Z   This is freeware based on the CPUID Detection Engine. It will give you ALL the details on your computer. CPU, Memory, Cache, Mainboard. Very nice.

Also the mainstay in Graphic testing benchmarks:  3D Mark 2005. Very useful tool.

I will try and remember to update this thread with the performance upgrade and how it all turns out.

Cheers.

What means FPS????????

fikraag7 wrote:

Try a new monitor--I had an old Gateway CRT and it f-ed up all the time...get a decent LCD or borrow one from a friend

A new monitor may look nice but I dont think it will effect my FPS.

SuB wrote:

this sounds odd.. it's almost as though you didn't clear the drivers out completely

The only thing that will be limiting you is that CPU
2GB of ram is AMPLE
that said what hard drives do you have? this might be having and effect if you have a slow drive.
cooling ok? no issues with heat/downclocking of the setup?
have you upgraded your power supply since the 9800 or are you still running an old low powered low amp one
this CAN have a big effect on the system if there isn't enough power being given.

My primary system runs BF2 from a SATA150 HD. The secondary system I tested on was only an ATA100 IDE drive. Cooling looks good, none of my fans crank up too high and my CPU temp is in the high 40C's. I am using the powersupply out of an old Alienware system I had, I think it is 380W. I am probably pretty close to the powersupply rating with this new card but I dont believe there is any problem with that. Power supply "recommendations" ususally come with at least a 100W window for future upgrades and good measure but that doesn't mean that it wont work if you use a 350W supply on a system that draws 350W. Besides, something as complex as a graphics card doesn't just drop a few FPS off your game if it doesn't get enough power.

xilix wrote:

Is this a PCI-E or AGP card and what model mobo?  Newer Mobos allow you to incrementally increase voltage to video BUS via the BIOS.  If yours supports that, you may give it a shot.

It is the AGP version.

Rofl_My_Waffle wrote:

what type of ram do you have DDR P400? or something lesser, because it may be your ram not being able to transfer quickly enough.

Im using 4x512KB PC3200 Kingston HyperX 2-3-2-6-1

onthelam wrote:

Punkbuster takes screenshots every 20 seconds, a bit excessive if you ask me..
Change the amount of time between screenshots by opening console, type pb_sleep 500, then pb_writecfg
I have a similar system and that tweak made the biggest difference for my stuttering problems.

Interesting suggestion. I will try this and if it makes a difference for me I will report back. My stuttering/lag would happen everytime I move the mouse quickly though, not just every 20sec.

Rakasan wrote:

I run an X850XT, but the AGP version.  I run 1024x768, 4x AA, everything on high without no probs.  Try using the Omega Driver, delete the files in the BF2 cache dir (there is another one in SF), startup BF2 and let it optimize the and shaders.  Once in the game, type: renderer.drawFps 1, then game.lockFps 200 (I do this every BF2 startup once loaded).  You also might want to change renderer.allowAllRefreshRates from 0 to 1 in the VideoDefault.con file.

edit: I'm running AMD 3200, 2 gigs RAM

I have did the cache clearing previously to no effect. What does the allowrefreshrates command do? I have read in several places that the Omega drivers do not provide a noticable difference over the Catalyst drivers. Maybe ill give them a shot anyway if only to look for a difference in my 3DMark score.

Ali wrote:

I have a similar system.
Everything on High, AA on 4x and 1280x1024 (19" Hyundai LCD with max 1280x1024)

Runs perfect but my shadows are also ugly

Can you please provide the details of your system and a 3DMark05 score of you have it?

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

I'm not going to get into the NVIDIA vs ATI arguments, as it all depends on what you're playing, the system you're playing it on and the set of drivers used.

To clear this up, the Asus P4C800 Deluxe is AGP8X. However, a bottleneck of the P4C800 is its 800MHz FSB. My own AGP8X BFG 6800 video card runs BF2 on my ASUS A8V Deluxe mainboard (and 2x512MB of CAS2-2-2-5 Corsair memory) without much difficulty.

The X850 is indeed a significant leap beyond the 9800, but with the X850XT priced at $400, I'm unsure why you didn't just grab a PCI-e motherboard and a $350 X1800 XL, or just get a regular old X850Pro for $260.

But don't feel bad. People are still making the mistake of grabbing very pricey 6800U's when they could get 7800's for alot less.

I purchased the X850XT PE becuase I know I would have spent a shit load more if I made the choice to upgrade the MBoard. I am not the kind of guy that can but low end parts to save money, I would have purchased a 7800GTX and by the time I was done I would have spent at least $700 and been annoyed because I would be using my 2GB of 3200 RAM when I know I could get the faster type. Can you just get a new MBoard and plug all your components and HD in and expect your system to work the same without doing a reformat/reinstall? The last time I did it I had to reformat anyway. I did not want to have to do a full reformat reinstall of all my stuff.

Other comment: I get a 3DMark05 Score around 6100. After looking at different testing sites I see that this is not that bad for my setup. This really leads me to believe that my system IS performing around where it should be. I would love to read the 3DMark05/06 scores of all you guys that have a similar system and say  that you play on all High with 4xAA.

For perfect performance I still have to play:
Lighting, DLighting, DShadows, Filtering = Medium
2x AA
Rest on high
1280x1024

Thanks for your help!

Well here is my update on my system after the upgrade I said I was going to do.

The upgrade was from a 2.4Ghz Celeron(R) CPU to a 3.2Ghz Pentium 4 Prescott
Remember the 2.4 was the main bottle neck in the enter system.

Current Specs in much detail: Link

3DMark2005 Report: Link

That's all the technically stuff.

Bottom line is this. This single upgrade punched my FPS in Battlefield 2 in the following ways.

Before: Average FPS 25-30 on all LOW settings 800x600 resolution.
AFTER: Average FPS 70-80 on default HIGH settings (Medium Dynamic Light/Shadows) with x2 AA at 1280x768

Now THAT is a noticable difference.
Best Upgrade I have ever done.

Hope someone else in my same situation benefits from this thread and post.

Cheers.

josh's wrote:

ATI is way better then nividia un less your talking the nivida 7800 gtx whith 512 md ddr then nivida wins

Negative. ATI's Radeon X1900 exceeds the 7800 GTX. It was recently announced/released though. So it'll be pricy and hard to obtain for the first little while.

I run the X800 XL AGP and have no major issues. I'm running on a AMD64 3400+ with a gig of RAM with the Omega 6.1 drivers. I usually leave everything at 1600x1200, all medium with 2x AA. There is no real tactical advantage to setting everything to high. Shit still looks great and everything runs smoothly.

Cyberwolf wrote:

It doesn't take genious to tell that it will have a large impact though. Going from Celeron (basically the worst processor class one can buy, especially for multimedia/gaming) to a higher end processor...And a jump of almost a GHz worth of speed...

You are better off with AMD64 for gaming though. Usually the chips are cheaper too. A 4000+ is only like $400 and way out performs Intel. Just for future reference.

Not telling me anything I don't know mate.
I the only reason I did it this way was so I didn't have to go out and get a new motherboard and new memory just to get a new AMD64. This way I just had to get a new processor and that's it.

of course in hindsight before I bought my video card I could have done everything at once and spent another $300. But I didn't feel like spending that much more. Besides it's a hand me down computer after I'm done with it so it's an upgrade worth doing.

#1, And Hate to say it, your Monitor is beat. replace it.

#2, The Min i would run the Refresh rate is 85Hz.

#3, Try Omega drivers.

#4, Make sure you are NOT forceing The driver to run AA and AF, Make sure there set to Application Pref.

#5, AF at 16X Forced, Is better than Any AA setting.

#6, Turn FASTWRITES OFF.

#7, That Piece of Crap Control center Is Crap and takes up ALOT of Resources. Get the Omega Driver (Version without The CCC) And try that. The Old control Panel Is MUCH better.

#8, There is No real difference between Medium and High settings anyways.

#9, Your Processor is a bottleneck. Graphics cards are so far ahead of Processors, They will Almost Always be the Problem(Now and in the future)

#10, The Best Mobo that Money can Buy Would greatly improve performance. But Also remember, an AMD64 Processor will Vastly improve your performance in This game also.

Oh before i go, Make your pagefile 3000mb Min. And 3000mb Max.  This will help also.

You should be seeing BIG Improvements In ALL your other games with the upgraded Vid card. BF2 Graphics can Only look so good no matter what you do. Also remember, The latest and greatest Driver isnt always the best, And Benchmarks dont mean squat. The New drivers Are geared More towards the New X1XXX Cards and Do Not benefit The Older cards at all. Matter of fact, They Sometimes Hinder Performance.

Ok End Of rant.

PS, Im running a AMD64 3000+ Overclocked to a 3700+ On a crappy Mobo(biostar AKA Albetron) With a X800XL, Running Omega drivers with Regular control panel, and The Graphics on High settings. It is atleast 50% better than My Old 9800Pro. My FPS dont drop Below 50, So your doing something wrong Bud.

Harry

OaksMokedBacon wrote:

I used to ahve the 9800pro and i know from playing other games the card is  beast in comparison. I've noticed at least 50% increase if not more performance wise since the upgrade.

You are the second person that said they noticed a 50% increase. I guess my problems is that my 9800 Pro is worth $100 and my X850XT PE is worth $400 right now so im a little dissatisfied at having spent 400% more for a 50% gain. In hindsight I wish I would have put the $400 towards a new Mboard, CPU, PCIe card, but that would have cost me more like $1000.

Adonlude wrote:

OaksMokedBacon wrote:

I used to ahve the 9800pro and i know from playing other games the card is  beast in comparison. I've noticed at least 50% increase if not more performance wise since the upgrade.

You are the second person that said they noticed a 50% increase. I guess my problems is that my 9800 Pro is worth $100 and my X850XT PE is worth $400 right now so im a little dissatisfied at having spent 400% more for a 50% gain. In hindsight I wish I would have put the $400 towards a new Mboard, CPU, PCIe card, but that would have cost me more like $1000.

AMD 64 3500 with mobo = $250 (ish)
Gforce 7800GT = $300 (or less)

total = $550

add in a 1 gig kit for about $80 (on the low end side) and you've got a screamer for under $700