Support NeoGAF

[metareferential]

I really don't know which gpu to choose now; neither do I know anyomore if I want to go the 3D route.

I've seen that the 5870 eyefinity 2gb is about the same price tag as a gtx480. So damn tempting.

I could even skip the 3D altogether; though it would defeat the initial purpose for buying a new rig.

Damn you GHG! :lol

 

[professor_t]

Wow that was fast :lol

Tell me about it. I've been raising our first child for the past 8 weeks while working 60-70 hours per week, and I think trying to get Crysis to run has been considerably more stressful (okay, not really, but I think my hair DID go gray overnight).

Install the latest video card drivers from nvidia or ati for you proper operating system.
Then go under settings and make sure everything is set on fullscreen + high.

If you installed Crysis it should have installed Direct X for you. I think Catalyst 10.4 is the most recent out.

I ran the DXDiag tool and it indicated that my 5850 is relying on driver version 8.723.0.0. I installed Catalyst Display Driver v. 10.4 from the ATI website. The diagnostic also said I have DirectX 11.

When I choose to play Crysis, I can either "Play Crysis" or "Play Crysis 64-bit." I'm not sure which one is best, though I would suspect the latter because I have the 64-bit version of Windows 7.

In any event, the game still game runs in the upper left-hand corner of my screen in a very low resolution and the mouse cursor does not line up (e.g., I have to hold the cursor below and to the left of the button I actually want to press).

Any other suggestions? I'm trying to play this on my big screen television, so I'm going to try a standard LCD computer monitor to see if it makes any difference.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Crysis likes to launch in Window mode for me from time to time. I just have to go into the settings and check the full screen option for it to go back to normal. As far as the resolution goes, I don't know what that would be,

 

[GHG]

I really don't know which gpu to choose now; neither do I know anyomore if I want to go the 3D route.

I've seen that the 5870 eyefinity 2gb is about the same price tag as a gtx480. So damn tempting.

I could even skip the 3D altogether; though it would defeat the initial purpose for buying a new rig.

Damn you GHG! :lol

The 2GB 5870 is pointless. Look at reviews and benchies. If your going to get a 5870 just get the standard 1GB version and reinvest your money elsewhere.

You gonna go eyefinity instead of 3D? I would have gone multi-monitor instead of 3D if it wasn't for the damn bezels.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I could see the 2GB version being useful for games like GTAIV and Metro 2033. Those games definitely hit the 1GB VRAM limit if I'm not mistaken.

 

[metareferential]

The 2GB 5870 is pointless. Look at reviews and benchies. If your going to get a 5870 just get the standard 1GB version and reinvest your money elsewhere.

So the 2gb 5870 comes nowhere near a 5970? So it seems, I was fooled thinking it could be a 5870x2 version. xD

You gonna go eyefinity instead of 3D? I would have gone multi-monitor instead of 3D if it wasn't for the damn bezels.

I don't know where I'm going?

Jokes aside, I really want to try 3d gaming. I just don't know which tech to choose. 120hz or not.

It seems that the nvidia solution should offer more compatibility in the near future, since every big hdtv company is adding 120hz support.

And since I wanted to get a gtx480 anyway (which is as close as one can get to the performances of a 5970), 3vision and sasmung display seems a good deal to me, although it is a little more expensive.

 

[Minsc]

I could see the 2GB version being useful for games like GTAIV and Metro 2033. Those games definitely hit the 1GB VRAM limit if I'm not mistaken.

I'm sure there's one or two titles that may sway things, but over an average of 20 different games, it is about 1-2% faster than the 1GB model.

 

[slidewinder]

In any event, the game still game runs in the upper left-hand corner of my screen in a very low resolution and the mouse cursor does not line up (e.g., I have to hold the cursor below and to the left of the button I actually want to press).

Any other suggestions? I'm trying to play this on my big screen television, so I'm going to try a standard LCD computer monitor to see if it makes any difference.

Have you tried deleting the config file so that it'll go back to default and you can try again? I don't own the game so I don't know where it'd be kept, but googling something like "where crysis config" should do it.

 

[KernelPanic]

My trusty old 3870 is beginning to show artifacts. I'll have to dust it out more and do more tests but if it's dying I'll have to replace it.

This thread has pretty much sold me on the 5770, seems to the best bang for the buck, plus it seems to suck up the least amount of juice (I like my case cool and quiet).

I only play MMOs so I can put the savings toward a CPU upgrade, my x2 4200+ prolly ain't cutting it anymore.

 

[-COOLIO-]

man, in 5 years computers are gunna be awesome

 

[Hazaro]

Any other suggestions? I'm trying to play this on my big screen television, so I'm going to try a standard LCD computer monitor to see if it makes any difference.

Ah did you set your display type to HDTV? That would probably fix it.

 

[Red]

Any other suggestions? I'm trying to play this on my big screen television, so I'm going to try a standard LCD computer monitor to see if it makes any difference.

Crysis has issues on HDTVs. Try hitting alt+enter a couple times after the game boots to resize the window. If that doesn't work, make sure you have your refresh rate set properly for the TV you're using.

edit: what res are you trying to run the game at? And what TV are you using?

 

[Dead Man Typing]

Looking to get into PC gaming, but with baby steps.

I'm running XP, my CPU is an "AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.70GHz" with 3.37GB of Ram.

Any suggestions on what would be a good graphics card, I was looking in some of the cheap rig threads, but would appreciate some fresh advice instead of trying to fumble my way through.

Only looking to run at 1360x768 on my TV, so I was thinking of something like the ATI Radeon 3850, mentioned in the $400 Crysis thread. but I imagine it's fairly cheap to get something more powerful, but I would be worried about power supplies and cooling. These are things I've only heard of, but have no experience.

Maybe I should just wait a while and do more reading, but any help is appreciated.

 

[Red]

Looking to get into PC gaming, but with baby steps.

I'm running XP, my CPU is an "AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.70GHz" with 3.37GB of Ram.

Any suggestions on what would be a good graphics card, I was looking in some of the cheap rig threads, but would appreciate some fresh advice instead of trying to fumble my way through.

Only looking to run at 1360x768 on my TV, so I was thinking of something like the ATI Radeon 3850, mentioned in the $400 Crysis thread. but I imagine it's fairly cheap to get something more powerful, but I would be worried about power supplies and cooling. These are things I've only heard of, but have no experience.

Maybe I should just wait a while and do more reading, but any help is appreciated.

I would skip the 3850 and jump up to a 5770 (about $60-80 more). I'm also guessing you have 4GB RAM installed, but are only able to use 3.37GB because you're on a 32 bit OS. Can you give a full rundown of your current specs?

 

[C.Dark.DN]

What are the best and most affordable cases with CPU retention holes/removable back plate? To replace cpu cooling without having to unmount the mobo.

Sorry to ask again. My post got lost on the previous page.

 

[TouchMyBox]

Looking to get into PC gaming, but with baby steps.

I'm running XP, my CPU is an "AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.70GHz" with 3.37GB of Ram.

Any suggestions on what would be a good graphics card, I was looking in some of the cheap rig threads, but would appreciate some fresh advice instead of trying to fumble my way through.

Only looking to run at 1360x768 on my TV, so I was thinking of something like the ATI Radeon 3850, mentioned in the $400 Crysis thread. but I imagine it's fairly cheap to get something more powerful, but I would be worried about power supplies and cooling. These are things I've only heard of, but have no experience.

Maybe I should just wait a while and do more reading, but any help is appreciated.

If you want a cheap card that's a sure bet for whatever powersupply you might have in that thing, you might want to consider the radeon 5670. Just make sure your motherboard has a PCI-Express 16x slot in it. If your PSU is above entry-OEM level, you might want to look at the 5770 as a next step up.

 

[Hazaro]

What are the best and most affordable cases with CPU retention holes/removable back plate? To replace cpu cooling without having to unmount the mobo.

Sorry to ask again. My post got lost on the previous page.

Would something like this be ok?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
I've built 2 computers with these but totally forgot if the holes line up. :lol

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Would something like this be ok?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
I've built 2 computers with these but totally forgot if the holes line up. :lol

for 30 bucks more, i think only the CM690 II Advanced has the rear retention plate
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6638

which is basically what i'd be willing to pay.

looks like some cpu locations on i5 and i7 socket mobos don't line up.

 

[professor_t]

Ah did you set your display type to HDTV? That would probably fix it.

I haven't tried that, but I'll give it a shot. Do I set the display type within the game (at the main menus), or is this something I configure through the main control panel of Windows 7.

Incidentally, after messing around with my mouse settings, using alt+enter to change the size of the window, and changing the resolution to 1080p, I did get the game to run.

However, I'm still not sure if I'm getting the expected performance.

The key facets of my rig (I think) are:

CPU: i7 860
GPU: Radeon 5850 1G
RAM: 8GB DDRs 1333mhz

I'm running the game in 1080p with everything set to "high," vsync enabled, full screen, with no AA, and I'm getting about 45-50 fps, on average.

Does that seem right? Should I be getting better performance?

 

[Hazaro]

I haven't tried that, but I'll give it a shot. Do I set the display type within the game (at the main menus), or is this something I configure through the main control panel of Windows 7.

Incidentally, after messing around with my mouse settings, using alt+enter to change the size of the window, and changing the resolution to 1080p, I did get the game to run.

However, I'm still not sure if I'm getting the expected performance.

The key facets of my rig (I think) are:

CPU: i7 860
GPU: Radeon 5850 1G
RAM: 8GB DDRs 1333mhz

I'm running the game in 1080p with everything set to "high," vsync enabled, full screen, with no AA, and I'm getting about 45-50 fps, on average.

Does that seem right? Should I be getting better performance?

I believe the HDTV option is a display setting in Catalyst options. You might need to enable/disable overscan. That is a known issue.

As for fps that seems about right. You might want to think about installing HP's 1.3.1 very high or Mster config. Should boost your frames / draw distance / change lighting.

 

[professor_t]

Crysis has issues on HDTVs. Try hitting alt+enter a couple times after the game boots to resize the window. If that doesn't work, make sure you have your refresh rate set properly for the TV you're using.

edit: what res are you trying to run the game at? And what TV are you using?

I'm using a Samsung HL67A750. It's the 67-inch version of this TV: Big ass TV

I think the refresh rate might be an issue that is interfering somewhat with my performance. I think the game is running at 60Hz, but my TV has a refresh rate of 120. I don't have access to my computer right now (working on my laptop), but can I change the game's refresh rate to 120hz? Where do I change that?

Thanks again to everyone for the help. I'm finally making some progress!

 

[Red]

I'm using a Samsung HL67A750. It's the 67-inch version of this TV: Big ass TV

I think the refresh rate might be an issue that is interfering somewhat with my performance. I think the game is running at 60Hz, but my TV has a refresh rate of 120. I don't have access to my computer right now (working on my laptop), but can I change the game's refresh rate to 120hz? Where do I change that?

Thanks again to everyone for the help. I'm finally making some progress!

Your performance is right on par. If alt+enter got it working, you should be okay. You want to make sure you have the correct resolution for your TV (seems yours is 1080p), otherwise you'll likely have issues with both performance and presentation (icons not working where they should be, edges of screen bordered or cut off). These problems are mitigated when using a monitor, but I know how much of a pain it is playing Crysis on an HDTV. Warhead was even worse, and I couldn't get it to run on my Series 4 Samsung except in windowed mode.

If you were having a conflict with refresh rates, you'd either have problems with getting the game to fully display or be greeted with a "mode not supported" message every time you tried to boot the game. Seems whatever Crysis is set to right now is compatible with your TV, and the problem lies elsewhere.

 

[JRW]

Is the soundcard for music/movie/producing purposes, or gaming? Price range? And what speakers are you using? A soundcard isn't going to help you if your output isn't good to begin with.

It would be mainly used for Gaming and Music, Im currently using Logitech Z5500 speakers. Price range Preferably $100 - $120 but I can go a little higher if there's something really worth getting.

 

[Red]

It would be mainly used for Gaming and Music, Im currently using Logitech Z5500 speakers. Price range Preferably $100 - $120 but I can go a little higher if there's something really worth getting.

If it's not out of your price range...

Omega Claro. I don't have one, but I've heard nothing but good things about it.

 

[Darkatomz]

It would be mainly used for Gaming and Music, Im currently using Logitech Z5500 speakers. Price range Preferably $100 - $120 but I can go a little higher if there's something really worth getting.

Eh... Z5500s? Well, assuming you're doing analog (if digital, a sound card will do nothing) and with some games, I was GOING to recommend you the Auzentech Forte when I realized that NewEgg (and most major computer retailers, oddly) no longer sells it for some reason.

Really, unless you want to double your budget (the HT Omega Claro is not the best card at the price point, the Xonar ST is easily), you should... get the Xonar DS. It's real cheap for a card that's pretty good, and the next step up (Xonar DX) will have no noticeable differences to most people. Ignore the negative reviews, just be sure to grab the latest drivers off their site. Oh, and there's a swappable op-amp on the card too, but I wouldn't know the best option for this card.

 

[metareferential]

So, yesterday I finally ordered a gigabyte nvidia gtx480, it's already on its way, arriving tomorrow.

So now, the other parts I still need to buy, these are my choices so far (also according to availability):

cpu: intel Core i5 750, 4x 2.66 GHz
mobo: Gigabyte H55M-UD2H
ram: 2x2gb Apacer, DDR3 1600Mhz
psu: Thermaltake, Toughpower 650W

Anything wrong?

 

[MDSLKTR]

And since I wanted to get a gtx480 anyway (which is as close as one can get to the performances of a 5970), 3vision and sasmung display seems a good deal to me, although it is a little more expensive.

Woah, am I understanding that you can use a 120hz hdtv, nvidia 3dvision, glasses and obtain real pc 3d gaming on an regular tv?

 

[metareferential]

Woah, am I understanding that you can use a 120hz hdtv, nvidia 3dvision, glasses and obtain real pc 3d gaming on an regular tv?

I think I'm missing what your point is.

EDIT: oh, I think I understand now, nevermind. xD

 

[GHG]

Woah, am I understanding that you can use a 120hz hdtv, nvidia 3dvision, glasses and obtain real pc 3d gaming on an regular tv?

No, he was reffering to the samsung 120hz monitor.

Anyway, now starting to question whether the 5970 will fit in my case. Its gonna be tight in any case if it does. Might just get that and the new PSU and see how it goes. If not, new case is in order.

 

[MDSLKTR]

No, he was reffering to the samsung 120hz monitor.

Yup. My bad, just checked on nvidia website.

 

[Minsc]

If you were ever wondering what kind of PSU you'd need to run a GTX 4-way SLI w/ 480s, well here's your review!

Spoiler

2x1200 watt PSUs with 1,520 watts reported @ load!

You do get ~43,000 3DMarks, though!

 

[GHG]

If you were ever wondering what kind of PSU you'd need to run a GTX 4-way SLI w/ 480s, well here's your review!

Spoiler

2x1200 watt PSUs with 1,520 watts reported @ load!

You do get ~43,000 3DMarks, though!

Fuck me... Would love to see some gaming benchmarks from that rig.

 

[ChoklitReign]

If you were ever wondering what kind of PSU you'd need to run a GTX 4-way SLI w/ 480s, well here's your review!

Spoiler

2x1200 watt PSUs with 1,520 watts reported @ load!

You do get ~43,000 3DMarks, though!

You'd have to cool that with liquid nitrogen.

 

[Haint]

Woah, am I understanding that you can use a 120hz hdtv, nvidia 3dvision, glasses and obtain real pc 3d gaming on an regular tv?

Nvidia is releasing software (3DTV Play) that will support consumer 3D TV's and HDMI 1.4. I'm not really clear what the HDMI limits are or what the TV's actually accept. I have always read 1080p 120Hz isn't possible with 1.4 or this first batch of TV's. I have no idea about 720p 120 or what this software will actually do. It could just convert everything to the shitty half resolution implementations (side by side, checkerboard, etc...)

 

[Raoh]

so i built my pc..

everything is great.. went with the ati 4890 card although i find the drivers to be buggy and wish i would have went with nvidia instead..

outside of that i have a question for pc gamers..


my pc is hooked up to my hdtv via hdmi.. i'm using saitek cyborg v.3 rumble pad

and a wireless microsoft keyboard and mouse.. i hate two button mice i'm about to replace this with a trackball mouse..


but here is my issue.. i want to give keyboard and mouse gameplay a try.. but i'm gaming in my living room.. the only place to lay the keyboard down is the coffee table that leaves me with back issues or laying the keyboard on my lap

both suck as options..

what are other pc in the living room gamers using to work around this issue? pc gaming is great, i'm getting back into it and loving it but:

1) pc gamers said its 2010 you can pc game in your living room you dont need a console

2) the same people never mentioned the issue with keyboard and mice in the living room from the couch

any suggestions for a better set up? any special keyboards out there, should i consider one of those frag style gaming devices?

sadly I have had mixed results with xpadder and joytokey.. at best i can at least get my saitek to be recognized as a 360 controlller with games for windows but what about the rest of the games where it doesnt seem practicle?

i'm asking the keyboard gaming nazi's to be gentle with me here too

anyone else in a similar situation?

 

[Minsc]

Get a real 360 wireless controller + Pinnacle Game Profiler = play all your games on your 360 controller, except perhaps RTS and those twitch games.

I personally prefer my desk for gaming, it's nice and comfy, and I don't have to share/fight for the TV.

 

[Anton Sugar]

but here is my issue.. i want to give keyboard and mouse gameplay a try.. but i'm gaming in my living room.. the only place to lay the keyboard down is the coffee table that leaves me with back issues or laying the keyboard on my lap

both suck as options..

what are other pc in the living room gamers using to work around this issue? pc gaming is great, i'm getting back into it and loving it but:

1) pc gamers said its 2010 you can pc game in your living room you dont need a console

2) the same people never mentioned the issue with keyboard and mice in the living room from the couch

any suggestions for a better set up? any special keyboards out there, should i consider one of those frag style gaming devices?

sadly I have had mixed results with xpadder and joytokey.. at best i can at least get my saitek to be recognized as a 360 controlller with games for windows but what about the rest of the games where it doesnt seem practicle?

i'm asking the keyboard gaming nazi's to be gentle with me here too

anyone else in a similar situation?

I'm in the absolute same situation, and here's what I do (play this way for hours): sit on one end of my couch, so I'm right next to an arm rest. Prop my keyboard on my lap, mouse on the armrest, and prop my feet on the coffee cable.

It's slightly ghetto, but I don't really have a big comfy chair to sit in, which would be ideal.

 

[LowParry]

I think it's time to upgrade from Vista to Win7 Pro. Any good deals out there or just roll with Newegg?

 

[JRW]

Eh... Z5500s? Well, assuming you're doing analog (if digital, a sound card will do nothing) and with some games, I was GOING to recommend you the Auzentech Forte when I realized that NewEgg (and most major computer retailers, oddly) no longer sells it for some reason.

Really, unless you want to double your budget (the HT Omega Claro is not the best card at the price point, the Xonar ST is easily), you should... get the Xonar DS. It's real cheap for a card that's pretty good, and the next step up (Xonar DX) will have no noticeable differences to most people. Ignore the negative reviews, just be sure to grab the latest drivers off their site. Oh, and there's a swappable op-amp on the card too, but I wouldn't know the best option for this card.

Thanks for the info, when deciding on a card does it matter if I go with PCI or PCI-E? Any advantages/disadvantages?

 

[spazzfish]

I really don't know which gpu to choose now; neither do I know anyomore if I want to go the 3D route.

I've seen that the 5870 eyefinity 2gb is about the same price tag as a gtx480. So damn tempting.

I could even skip the 3D altogether; though it would defeat the initial purpose for buying a new rig.

Damn you GHG! :lol

read this. It will give you a good idea how 5870 2gb performs:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/04/12/ati_radeon_hd_5870_eyefinity_6_performance_review/

 

[Darkatomz]

Thanks for the info, when deciding on a card does it matter if I go with PCI or PCI-E? Any advantages/disadvantages?

All PCI-E cards of lower bandwidth (1x, 4x, 8x) can run in a 16x PCI-E slot. If you're asking if there's a difference between cards that use PCI and PCI-E, there isn't one.

 

[Dynamic3]

so i built my pc..

everything is great.. went with the ati 4890 card although i find the drivers to be buggy and wish i would have went with nvidia instead..

outside of that i have a question for pc gamers..


my pc is hooked up to my hdtv via hdmi.. i'm using saitek cyborg v.3 rumble pad

and a wireless microsoft keyboard and mouse.. i hate two button mice i'm about to replace this with a trackball mouse..


but here is my issue.. i want to give keyboard and mouse gameplay a try.. but i'm gaming in my living room.. the only place to lay the keyboard down is the coffee table that leaves me with back issues or laying the keyboard on my lap

both suck as options..

what are other pc in the living room gamers using to work around this issue? pc gaming is great, i'm getting back into it and loving it but:

1) pc gamers said its 2010 you can pc game in your living room you dont need a console

2) the same people never mentioned the issue with keyboard and mice in the living room from the couch

any suggestions for a better set up? any special keyboards out there, should i consider one of those frag style gaming devices?

sadly I have had mixed results with xpadder and joytokey.. at best i can at least get my saitek to be recognized as a 360 controlller with games for windows but what about the rest of the games where it doesnt seem practicle?

i'm asking the keyboard gaming nazi's to be gentle with me here too

anyone else in a similar situation?

Get this:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/notebook_products/cooling_pads/devices/6073

and a small keyboard such as this:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC184LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg&mco=MTMzNzg5MDM

You can also use your laptop (if you have one) as your keyboard by using Synergy which shares a kb/mouse across two systems, which is also great because it gives you an extra screen for looking at guides, chatting, etc.

 

[iNvid02]

i was thinking of getting a better pc for gaming.

currently play on the ps3, have been on consoles since ps1.

only played a few pc games on a standard dell pc.

i dont know whether to start pc gaming properly.
has anyone else made the move from console to pc, how was it?

 

[Hazaro]

I went from PS2 to playing Crysis so it was pretty awesome.
60fps 1080p with AA no compromises (Besides Crysis of course)

Also having a PS3 paired with a PC is nice because most multiplat/big 360 games come to PC.
Plus I'm cheap and don't pay for LIVE for my 360 :lol

 

[Shambles]

i was thinking of getting a better pc for gaming.

currently play on the ps3, have been on consoles since ps1.

only played a few pc games on a standard dell pc.

i dont know whether to start pc gaming properly.
has anyone else made the move from console to pc, how was it?

PC + PS3 is a pretty epic combo this generation. Even just a decent gaming machine now should last you quite a while if you don't always need the latest and greatest. I started on PC when I was young and went to consoles for a while, for the last couple years i've been mainly PC with consoles still running sometimes and it's a pretty awesome balance.

 

[Kerrinck]

Are SSDs worth it? Thinking of getting a 40 gigs one mainly to install windows on it but was wondering if the speed difference is enough to justify 100$

 

[Hazaro]

Are SSDs worth it? Thinking of getting a 40 gigs one mainly to install windows on it but was wondering if the speed difference is enough to justify 100$

imo if you can work it into your build it is the most influential thing you can do for your daily computing. Just do some research on the correct models / versions / TRIM support. Anandtech has been very on top of SSD's as of late.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Is videocardbenchmark.net the best place to compare graphic cards and CPUs?

What about motherboards?

 

[professor_t]

I believe the HDTV option is a display setting in Catalyst options. You might need to enable/disable overscan. That is a known issue.

As for fps that seems about right. You might want to think about installing HP's 1.3.1 very high or Mster config. Should boost your frames / draw distance / change lighting.

I'll be happy to give that a shot.

Spoiler

Okay, I give up. What the hell is HP's 1.3.1 very hig or Mster config?

 

[MisterAnderson]

Are there any cards 200-300 dollars that are a decent upgrade from an HD 4890 1gb?

Looking to maybe get something 3D ready, but it's not essential. Not essential for me to upgrade either just curious because my bday is coming up and trying to think of something to splurge on myself.