Hardware Video card recommendations?

[dgatsoulis]

I think it's about time i gave my P.C. a little upgrade.
Here is what i currently have:

Processor: Intel Celeron Dual Core E3300 2.50 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM DDR3 1333 MHz
Graphics: Intel GMA 3100 (onboard)
O.S.: Windows Vista
HD: a)1TB + b)160GB
DVD: ±RW Double layer DVD-R22x

I've hooked up my 36" TV on this and i used to get an average of about 30-40 FPS on Orbiter2006 (1024x768) when i was flying around in my favourite ship (XR2).
(Actualy the FPS range from 120-140 *interplanetary* to 15-20 *close flyby over Overton Island*)

I'm thinking of getting me another 2GB of RAM and a new Video card.
The budget is 300-350 Euros.

Any recommendations?

I want to be able to run Orbiter2010 with the OGLAclient and to get the best visual settings i can.

Thanks in advance
Dimitris

 

[KosmoKen]

You can get an Nvidia GTS 200 series, or a 400 series if you want to use your whole budget. What's the wattage of your PSU? Because that's going to give you a limit.

 

[dgatsoulis]

Thanks KosmoKen, the wattage is 400. (But i think i doesn't cost much to go to 550W, right?)

 

[Moach]

the NVIDIA 9 series has cheapened up quite a bit since i bought my dear old 8800...
those are some serious cards which support the latest in shader tecnology... more than you need for Orbiter, actually :thumbup:

they don't make the 8 series anymore,.... and all the new ones have HD support, now that it's become "trendy"


i can run orbiter2010 in low-specs on my GPU-impaired laptop, getting about 15-17 FPS... not great, but also not too terrible, considering that's pretty much what i get out of FSX in my not-exactly-subtle 8800GTX


but if you got yourself a buck to spare, check out the GTX480 - the NVIDIA site doesn't show anything more extreme :tiphat:

 

[RisingFury]

GTX 470 is in the 350€ range and the second most powerful card...

 

[Moach]

i think you'll need a beefier power supply for that... mine is a 700 Wt, juicing up the 8800 as well as 4 hard-drives and an untold number of assorted coolers

all that stuffed into a large CPU case which i got for free 'cause parts of it were held together by tape :thumbup:


do mind tho... those insane GPUs are considerably overkill for orbiter... perhaps with the OGLA client you can have give it a good run for it's money, tho :hmm:
mine does lag out a bit with post-process FX and full shadows...

 

[RisingFury]

If you're gonna run OGLA, then no amount of computing power is too much.

There's also the upcoming release of Deus Ex 3, which will probably force me to upgrade my computer...