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Graphics RE - Custom PC March 2014....

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by AlienwareAndy, 11 Feb 2014.

  1. AlienwareAndy

    AlienwareAndy What's a Dremel?

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    Would you buy a graphics card for one game?

    I'm referring to the article in Custom PC March '14.

    Ben wrote an article pertaining to Physx and how he would not buy a GPU for it for one game.

    So my question is this; would you? have you in the past? ever ordered a GPU just because you wanted to play just one game on it?

    I'll confess here; I have. When I heard BF3 was coming out I bought a 6970 Lightning. It was a good thing I did because my GTX 470 fell woefully short of the VRAM requirements for it to be ran at full pelt with everything turned on. Basically BF3 at max settings had a VRAM usage of 1.5gb on Nvidia cards. Any lower than that and the card would 'texture stream' (this is Nvidia's fancy name for using your paging file for vram. As you can probably imagine it's less than ideal).

    When I heard about BF4 and Mantle I got a 7990. Note though, this is not a regular occurance for me (to own such a high end GPU). My lady came into some money and with my 40th birthday approaching fast (and much to her disgruntlement) she bought it for me. She wasn't that happy about it at first, but did realise in a sensible debate that nothing I buy apart from PC parts and software ever gets touched or used.

    Back in the late 90s I rushed out to PC world to buy a Voodoo card (Righteous Orchid) so that I could play Quake 2. Actually the more I think about it the more I realise that one game on the PC stands out and makes me want the technology to run it.

    And I think I've even worked out why. Hear me out on this...

    Basically a hard hitting PC title is like nothing else. It has the graphics to edge it into the next generation and when one comes along it's like nothing else. Kinda like a true look into the next generation. If the title in question is also good underneath (or even semi good like Crysis etc) then it's even better.

    I've always craved that sort of thing. You know? sitting there and going "wow, that's amazing !". And for the past decade or more for me that has only happened on the PC. It did before that, and probably even more so (Quake, Quake 2 and so on) but it still rings true to this very day. If you're a technology junkie like me, or even a graphics whore (fair play, I raise my right hand firmly on that one) then the PC is where you can get your fix..

    So thoughts? have you or would you buy a GPU or even upgrade your entire rig in anticipation/receipt of a single game?
     
  2. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Having moved from Nvidia to AMD recently I miss Physx, it adds depth to the likes of Metro Last light and Batman titles for example, on my 290s without these effects the game doesn't look as nice, so if I could pop a card in for Physx yes I would as I want full eye candy not a gimped experience.

    I have bought a 360 Just to play Forza which I suppose is also no different, so yes I would buy something if it adds to the experience.
     
    Last edited: 11 Feb 2014
  3. AlienwareAndy

    AlienwareAndy What's a Dremel?

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    I really like Physx. It's a shame it's closed source tbh. It could have been a game changer but instead it's just a nice thing to have and a bonus for me, not a purchase decision.
     
  4. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    Did I read somewhere on the forums that you can add an nvidia gpu to an amd setup and install the physx driver to run physx
     
  5. MSHunter

    MSHunter Minimodder

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    To be blunt the only reason to buy a GPU is to play games, it is what it is designed for. (bar CAD and video editing to some extent) So to buy a GPU to play game X makes perfect sense. I got my 580 to max out BF3 and figured since I buy only once every 3-4 year I might es well get something I would enjoy having. Now that I upgraded to a U2711 I wish I had a little more vram. BF4 in window mode in full screen isn't bad though. Still find it amazing that window mode in full screen uses less power then "actual" full screen.
     
  6. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    You can but it's not worth the hassle.

    Not ever brought a card for a game no.

    Rarely even read reviews in truth especially with recent generations you can guarentee it will be 10-20% faster than what the old high end is.

    Looking forward to 20nm as it should reduce heat and power and improve performance. That will be the real game changer and whoever gets the lead there could really blow away its rivals.

    If intels performance gains between the 2 are anything to go by your looking at big gains.

    Mantle great as it might be in 1 years time is not there yet and it might never be at the high end that I buy in. AMD has the chance to push it into games. Thief should be a better example of mantle as it's been coded from the start not just hacked on.
     
  7. Shirty

    Shirty W*nker! Super Moderator

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    The Witcher 2 made me upgrade my GTX 280 to a GTX 580. Did the trick too, until I upgraded that to a 670 and realised what I'd been missing.

    It's not just sound cards though, I distinctly remember getting bought Chuck Yeager's Air Combat and Wing Commader in the early 90s and begging my mum to buy me a Sound Blaster 1.0 to replace the disappointing AdLib nonsense I was using. I also bought an original CH Flightstick for those games with my pocket money. I had to save, mow lawns etc for months before I could afford it.
     
  8. Jaybles

    Jaybles Minimodder

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    I did. I bought a 7950 upgrade from my 6870 for Tomb Raider so I could try out TressFX with decent frame rate.
     
  9. Parge

    Parge the worst Super Moderator

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    Yes, totally, and I’ll be doing it again for Star Citizen later this year/early next.

    That said, it’s not as if you buy a GPU only for one game. I don’t think anybody here has only ever played a single game on a GPU have they? You might choose to bring forward or delay your purchase of a new graphics card, but sooner or later you would have upgraded anyway, and you are going to get benefits across every game you play, whether that be increased fluidity or being able to crank up the eye candy.
     
  10. GeorgeStorm

    GeorgeStorm Aggressive PC Builder

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    I guess in a way, since there may be a new game out that I want to play and can't with my current card, so I buy a new card.
    I mean it's not just for that game, no real purchase is, unless you swap out your gpu when you play something else?

    It seems normal that a certain game would make you buy a new card, not really sure why else you would. (unless you're doing a complete new build)
     
  11. AlienwareAndy

    AlienwareAndy What's a Dremel?

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    The only games I'm really looking forward to are South Park (and I'll believe it when it's released) Mirror's Edge 2 (info is very thin on the ground on this one, no doubt EA'll **** it up) and Fallout 4 which IMO Bethesda have really dropped the ball on.
     
  12. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    Not a very good list to look forward to there andy lol.

    Mirror's edge 2 will likely be delayed with the lack of info at the moment I have major douts its close to ready.

    Fallout 4 if its like New vegas they can keep it.
     
  13. deathtaker27

    deathtaker27 Modder

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    And that will stop EA releasing it? ....

    I only buy graphics cards when a card dies on me, I have yet to find a game which i go yes i would like a bit more power, and as my choices are normally more about power consumption that graphical power i don't expect that will change any time soon.
     
  14. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    Well you have a point there Deathtaker.

    3 major releases by EA have all sucked in the last year or so.

    Sim City, Need for Speed Rivals, BF4. All broken in some part on release or still are.
     
  15. Xaine

    Xaine Death... destroyer of brain cells

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    My main reason for building the one I am is WoW, my laptops onboard being too crap to cope with wow was depressing, though I don't need a 1.5k rig for that, I'll be catching up on everything from portal onward and finally be able to play anything I want.

    Looking forward to BF4 and such,

    I bought my original Xbox just for halo though I proceeded with about 60 games after that, but it depends on the game, metal gear 2 was a beautiful game Though I wouldn't buy a console just for that as I bought it at 4pm and had completed it by 5am, where as wow or elder scrolls series etc I would as they have hours and hours of gameplay equalling more bang for buck
     
  16. MSHunter

    MSHunter Minimodder

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    If you like AMD they are doing offer with GPU or CPU and BF4 Code promos.
     
  17. Xaine

    Xaine Death... destroyer of brain cells

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    Thank you, but already decided on a 290. Only thing holding me back ATM is time to build the case
     
  18. AlienwareAndy

    AlienwareAndy What's a Dremel?

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    I liked New Vegas, but then I would. I was starving for FO action and it came along after a massive gap between it and Fallout 3. I liked what Obsidian did with it, but, when returning to Fallout 3 later on the difference was more apparent. There was nothing wrong with New Vegas, it just lacked that "Everything is blown up" feel. The only part that really made the hairs on my neck stand up was when you discover the site where they'd done nuclear testing. Oh and possibly the air port, ruined by the locked buildings you can't explore.

    Whilst New Vegas had the map size and scope it lacked on the exploration of buildings and so on. Only Dead Money really added that but again, the neck collars made it feel bigger than it was.

    Fallout 4, F4llout or whatever the heck they want to call it is based in Boston apparently and will be a ground up rewrite akin to Skyrim.

    The thing is Bethesda have begun to turn into an EA. All noise and then not much action. They were very confident when they obtained the license for Fallout but since then have become too wrapped up in Skyrim to really continue the buzz.

    It's been a really long time since the launch of Fallout 3 and there's no sequel launch date set yet. Such a shame :(
     
  19. NetSphere

    NetSphere What's a Dremel?

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    Would you buy a graphics card for one game? ... No.

    Would you buy a graphics card TO game?... Yes.

    But then, I'm still a student. My upgrade was from a Nvidia 9800 to a GTX 670. So a few years ;)

    Personally, I have two or three gaming friends, and they like different things. I find it hard to play the BF games. They just don't interest me and no game grips me for very long.

    Perhaps it's just due to my low skill level, but PvP Multi player games are just an exercise in frustration, so I hop, skip and jump from game to game. Usually building a reasonable backlog on my steam wishlist which is reasonably cleared every 3-6 month with a sale.

    Can I appreciate the effect of anisotropic 2x to 16x, FXAA, etc..? If I stop long enough, which is rare. Is it worth the additional £X00 expense? Not on my student wallet.
     
  20. Modsbywoz

    Modsbywoz Multimodder

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    I will build a whole new pc for Half-Life 3. Mine is lacking even now running CSGO. If Valve decide to support the new consoles with a new version of source i'm going to have to update.

    This would be the only game however, i am just flat out not interested in any other game.
     

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