DirectX9, DirectX10 and DirectX11

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Microsoft already released directx10 but only for WindowsVISTA since DirectX10 is built from ground up, on a totally different architecture. They started with a clean slate which means that more than half of the games and applications you used to run under XP with good old DirectX9 simply don’t work anymore with DirectX10 installed.

Directx is a collective name for a programming interface, Direct3D, Direct Draw, DirectSound etc, and is used to handle tasks in multimedia applications. Mainly used with video games, basically how well a video game looks.

If you want to fully utilize the power of directx10...you need to buy a new graphic card that support directx10 (as far as i know Nvidia 8800 series/ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT or higher) and obviously, you also need to buy a new OS "windowsVISTA" if your still using windowsXP. Oh and by the way...buy new games and applications that already support/utilize directx10. Sounds like we're going to spend a lot of cash just to catch up with directx10.


Here's some pictures taken from games regarding the difference of Dx9 and Dx10...

FLIGHT SIMULATOR X
with DirectX9












with DirectX10












AGE OF CONAN
with DirectX9















with DirectX10















Sample Videos from games:
CRYSIS with DirectX9 vs DirectX10


COMPANY OF HEROES with DirectX9 vs DirectX10


If you have windowsXP it stops at DirectX9.0c. DirectX10 is NOT backwards compatible as they claim at Microsoft. People call it "artificially" backwards compatible which means it will only "emulate" DirectX9, but that’s not the real step back since it’s built on a totally different architecture.
It will take years for most gamers to catch up and take advantage of DirectX10 since Microsoft excluded XP and Xbox360. Bad move for their marketing strategy and I hope Microsoft will realize that they needs to work on the backward compatibility issue since its a big deal especially with end-users.

Here's some benchmark from the game ‘Lost Planet’ DirectX9 vs DirectX10



























































More info about DirectX10



There is an on-going project for DirectX10 to run on WindowsXP which is called ALKY PROJECT by an independent group. Its already on ALPHA version and it is said to be working for some users. So if this group pull this one out for XP, then we can use those money to upgrade videocard instead of buying a new Operating System...hahaha!

About DirectX11, Microsoft will release it for Windows7...hopefully this one will have better review when it comes to backward compatibility. For more info about
DirectX11, click here.

Batch conversion of audio files MP3, WMA, OGG, and WAV

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I found this software that converts/support multiple audio format like MP3, WMA, OGG and even WAV files. What makes it different is that it can support BATCH conversion even if you're going to convert multiple file-types together. So it means you can convert MP3 to WMA, OGG to WAV and WMA to MP3 at the same time... you can just sit and relax while this software converts all your audio files :)

Its "Advance WMA workshop" by LITEXMEDIA

this converts...
MP3 to WMA
MP3 to WAV
WMA to MP3
WMA to WAV
OGG to WMA
OGG to WAV

it also support the ff Bit Rate, and Sample Rate with added features...
FOR MP3
- bit rate: 32kbps, 40kbps, 48kbps, 56kbps, 64kbps, 80kbps, 96kbps, 112kbps, 128kbps, 160kbps, 192kbps, 224kbps, 256kbps, and 320kbps (can also convert to VBR "variable bitrate")
- sample rate: 32000hz, 44100hz and 48000hz
- Channel mode: choose between joint-stereo, mono or dual-channel mode
- with options like: enable ID3 tag, automatically load ID3 tag from source, delete source file after processing

FOR WMA
- bit rate: 5kbps, 6kbps, 8kbps, 10kbps, 12kbps, 16kbps, 20kbps, 22kbps, 32kbps, 40kbps, 48kbps, 56kbps, 64kbps, 80kbps, 96kbps, 112kbps, 128kbps, 160kbps, 192kbps, 224kbps, 256kbps, and 320kbps
- sample rate: 44100hz and 48000hz
- with options like: enable digital rights management, enable ID3 tag, automatically load ID3 tag from source, delete source file after processing

FOR OGG
- bit rate: 32kbps, 40kbps, 48kbps, 56kbps, 64kbps, 80kbps, 96kbps, 112kbps, 128kbps, 160kbps, 192kbps, 224kbps, 256kbps, and 320kbps (can also convert to VBR "variable bitrate")
- with options like: enable ID3 tag, automatically load ID3 tag from source, delete source file after processing


This software helps me to organize my audio files in a fast and easy way...if you want to know more about Advance WMA workshop, click here.

How to Boost XP Performance

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I usually tweaks or adjust my windows settings together with virtual paging file to boost the performance of my PC. I prefer to use a fast and simple look on my operating system rather than having an eye-candy settings but suffers in loading and performance.


Here are some TIPS and basic TWEAKS to maximize the performance of your PC.


1. To adjust the look of your windowsXP
-----go to CONTROL PANEL and select SYSTEM
-----select the ADVANCED tab (upper portion)
-----under the PERFORMANCE, press the SETTINGS button
-----you'll notice that "LET WINDOWS CHOOSE WHAT'S BEST FOR MY COMPUTER" is selected and all the BOXES below is checked, now select the "ADJUST FOR BEST PERFORMANCE" instead and notice that all the BOXES below is now unchecked.
-----then check this 3 boxes only..."USE A BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR EACH FOLDER TYPE", "USE COMMON TASKS IN FOLDERS", and "USE DROP SHADOWS FOR ICON LABELS ON THE DESKTOP"...now click the APPLY button (your windows will now look like windows98). This setting will help decrease the loading time.


2. Adjusting the VIRTUAL PAGING FILE/VIRTUAL MEMORY on windowsXP
-----go to CONTROL PANEL and select SYSTEM
-----select the ADVANCED tab (upper portion)
-----under the PERFORMANCE, press the SETTINGS button
-----select the ADVANCED tab (upper portion)
-----under VIRTUAL MEMORY, press the CHANGE button

by default, SYSTEM MANAGE SIZE is selected...but the thing is, the default size is not enough to launch large applications/games so it means that the smaller your system VIRTUAL MEMORY is the more often your system needs to refresh that space just to compensate the required virtual file needed for the aplication/games being launch or used...which eat-up performance of course. So I prefer this VIRTUAL MEMORY to be large.

-----select the CUSTOM SIZE then set the INITIAL & MAXIMUM SIZE between 3500 (MB) to 5000 (MB), usually I set mine to 4000 (MB)... well it depends on how much size you can spare for this.


3. Remove rarely used programs automatically added on the system tray
-----As much as possible, just maintain minimal programs running on the system tray (active/running programs beside the clock)... since most of the time, programs automatically add icons on the system tray as you install them (apps like: winamp, winzip, nero, bearshare, limewire). Removing them on the system tray does'nt mean you're uninstalling it, you're just removing those icon to keep the apps/programs inactive while not in use. This will decrease loading time as well. Check each program's setting on how to disable it OR you can use REGEDIT command if your familiar with it.


4. Defrag your harddrive, to use your Windows default disk defragmenter
-----go to START MENU then select PROGRAMS
-----select ACCESSORIES then SYSTEM TOOLS, click Disk defragmenter
-----select the drive you want to Defrag and click ANALYZE
-----after analyzing, windows will advise you if you need to defrag your hard disk already

Fragmentation is usually caused when an operating system breaks a file into pieces because there is not enough space on the storage device where the file was originally saved. One example of this would be where a file was originally saved, then modified causing the file to be larger in physical space than first anticipated, the operating system will then break the file into 2 or more pieces and store them in different parts of the storage area. The system would then keep arecord of where the different parts of the file are stored, this is achieved through the use of a File Allocation Table (FAT) or similar file system such as NTFS. Then, when the operating system requires the file again, it will query the file system (FAT/NTFS/ or other) to find out where the different parts of the file are located on the partition (drive).

Defragmentation is the term given to the process of scanning the file system and rejoining the split files back into consecutive pieces. The process of defragmenting can be time consuming, but it is one of the easiest ways to increase the performance of your PC, the frequency of which a PC should be defragmented will directly depend on the amount of usage.

I tried using PARAGON Hard Disk Manager 2009 for defragmenting and it works great. Result is way better than using default Windows Defragmenter. If you want to know more about this software, click here.


5. Be sure to keep your Windows Registry clean
Using some "registry cleaner software" you can clean, repair and optimize your Windows® registry. Problems with the Windows® registry are a common cause of Windows® crashes, slow performance and error messages. Problems can occur for many reasons including being left-behind after the un-installation or incorrect removal of software, by missing or corrupt hardware drivers, or orphaned startup programs. Using a registry cleaner regularly and fixing registry errors your system should not only be more stable but it will also help improve your system performance. I prefer using "PCtools Registry Mechanic" for this since it can perform deep scan on Windows Registry... you can check its features and latest version (HERE)


6. Delete Temporary Files
Some of us take this for granted and say "its just temporary files"... WRONG. We should realize that Temporary Files dont just eat-up space on our hard drives, it also increase the loading time of a computer.

Go to this directories and delete all the files on it... don't worry, all the files on it is temporary files and you can delete it with no harm.


For WindowsXP...
-----go to C:\Documents and Settings\"your user name"\Local Settings\Temp
-----go to C:\Documents and Settings\"your user name"\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
-----go to C:\WINDOWS\Temp

For Windows98
-----go to C:\WINDOWS\Temp


As you delete all the files, Windows will sometimes prompt you that "file name" is currently in use and cannot be deleted. Skip the mentioned file and continue removing all the remaining temporary files.

What games & image quality can my VideoCard Play?

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VII. What games & resolutions/image quality can my Video Card Play?

This compilation was done by Guru3d.com and i thought it best to add it under the request of other members. :) Note that only recent cards are included and please do not request for other cards/games from me since i wasn't the one who compiled this.

From Guru3d:
Examples how you could use these charts:

* If you want to purchase a certain graphics card, yet do not know how well a certain game will perform at 1280x1024. You just check the card versus resolution and look at the color coding or pictogram for your answer.
* You want to play F.e.a.r at a decent framerate at 1600x1200. What would be the cheapest card for that ? Just look up F.e.a.r. versus 1600x1200 and observe where performance is acceptable enough for you.

Test Setup:

*
nVIDIA nForce 680i SLI (eVGA) (FOR SLI)
Asus P5E3 Deluxe X38 (For CrossFire)
nVIDIA nForce 790i SLI (For 3-Way and Quad SLI)
*
Core 2 Duo X6800 Extreme (Conroe)
Core 2 Duo E8400 (Penryn)
Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (For 3-Way and Quad SLI Tests
* 2048 MB (2x1024MB) DDR2 CAS4 @ 1142 MHz Dominator Corsair
2048 MB (2x1024MB) DDR3 1333 MHz Corsair
* Enermax Galaxy 1000 Watt Power Supply
* WD Raptor 150 GB
* Dell 3007WFP - resolutions up-to 2560x1600

OS related Software

* Windows Vista 32-bit
* DirectX 9/10 End User Runtime
* Latest graphics cards drivers available
* NVIDIA nForce 590/680iplatform driver 9.53


This is gonna be long... First UP!!
3DMark 06
Default Settings

External Image


3DMark Vantage
Default Settings (Performance)

External Image


Crysis V1.1
Medium Graphics settings (DX10 where compatible), No AA, 16X AF

External Image



Call Of Duty 4
All Settings MAX, 4x Anti-Aliasing, 16X AF

External Image


F.E.A.R
All Settings MAX,Soft Shadows Disabled, 4x Anti-Aliasing, 16X AF

External Image


Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW2)
* Edge Smoothing Anti Aliasing
* 16x anisotropic filtering
* Dynamic shadows HIGH

External Image



FrontLines: Fuel For War (GRAW2
External Image


Warfront: Turning Point
4x AA
16x anisotropic filtering

External Image



World In Conflict
Medium Dx9
4x AA
16x anisotropic filtering

External Image


S.T.A.L.K.E.R
* In-game Software Anti Aliasing enabled
* 16x anisotropic filtering
* Dynamic lighting enabled

External Image


LASTLY

Enemy Territory - Quake Wars
* 4x Anti Aliasing
* 16x anisotropic filtering
* Soft Particles disabled (as it's not supported by the Radeon HD cards).

External Image


Again, this all came and was done by Guru3d.com. Hope this may help you in your problems/inquiries. :)


if you want to learn more about graphic cards / video cards performance, speed, ranking and benchmark, (click here)

Video Card AVOID list

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I know a lot of you guys are lost when it comes to videocard specifications. I found this on tipidpc... just want to share this guide/referrence with you, enjoy!


NOTE:
These are mostly based on PC-EXPRESS and various tipidpc sellers' price lists


AVOID THE FOLLOWING:

I. PCI

well actually, you only have the MX440, FX5200 and FX5500 to contend with.. and ALL of them should be avoided because they are overpriced and perform poorly compared to AGP and PCI-E cards of the same price

II. AGP 2/4/8X
ATI
Radeon 7000 = really really really old. did i say it's really old?
Radeon 9200/9250 = DirectX 8 pa to.
X700/9550SE/9550ULTRA/9550pro = very slow and very old. Unless the most graphically intensive game you're gonna play is DOTA, avoid.
9600XT = A 7600GS AGP for 4k is even faster than a 9800XT in Crossfire! (if ever there is one -which of course there isn't ) hehehe
9700Pro/9800Pro/9800XT - A 7300GTDDR3 will beat the crap out of these old school "monsters"
X1300pro = Being similarly priced as its bigger X1600 bretheren, and bested by its Nvidia competitor the 7300GT, this overpriced card is not a good deal.
NVIDIA
Geforce 2 MX400/Geforce 4 MX4000/MX440 etc.. = old outdated technology and sometimes overpriced. AVOID at all costs. Geforce4 MX440 is just a Geforce 2 MX400 on steroids. Don't be deceived.
Geforce 3 Ti300/500 = Magmano kayo when you see these because they should have been buried a long time ago. Still if you see a used one selling for only around 300 bucks, then it's a steal :)
Geforce 4 Ti4200/4400/4600/4800 = Once king of the hill 5 years ago is no longer an option to buy..Even for second hand.
Geforce FX5200/5500/5600/5700/5800/5900 = many people fall for this especially the 5200... poor shader performance, and very deceiving despite their costs. (many people will think.. ok na to geforce 5 naman eh. WRONG.)
Geforce 6600 series = these older gen cards should have died along with its 5 series predecessors. If you really need to have one of these, make sure to stay away from the "LE" ones.
Geforce 7600 512mb DDR2 = This is marketing at its best, giving people delusions of greater speed with 512megs of memory. But the truth is, the 7600 128bit architecture won't be able to fully use this to its advantage, making it just the same speed with the 256mb version. Get that instead.

III. PCI-Express 1.0/2.0
ATI
X300/X550/X700/X700Pro = very old and very slow. period.
X1300hi mem/X1300 = also old and slow.
X1300PRO = "No Thank you. For the same price, im way faster than you!" - 7300GT DDR3
X1550 = this is an X1300 on steroids.
X1600PRO/X1600XT = the newer HD3xxxs are out and for the same price
X1650XT = Now that the affordable 8500/8600 series has come, i dont see any reason to buy this.
X800GTO/X800GT - SM2.0 lang, getting old narin because it's twice more expensive and just a bit faster (the GTO) than a 7300GT ddr3.. the X800GT is even slower.
X800XL/X800XT/X850XT = Thankfully nobody's selling these anymore! If you see one, they're not worth any more than 1.5k :)
X1800XT 512MB = its more expensive yet slower than an X1900XT 256/512mb. also try to avoid any other X1800 series of cards as newer, faster and cheaper alternatives are already out
X1900XTX / X1950XTX = Yup the HD4850 is twice faster and will eat this alive. not worth any more than 3.5k second hand.
HD2900 XT = Power hungry, and needs a big *ss power supply. It's performance is also not too inspiring. I'd get the HD4830 or the 9800GT, both of which are faster and cheaper....and consume less power.
HD2400 and HD2600 = No. Just no.
HD3450 and 3650 DDR2 version = The 3450 is simply pathetic. The 3650 however shows it can be faster than an 8600GT given that it has gDDR3 memory. So avoid the DDR2 version.
HD3850 = Unless you can source one for around 3k, then this card would be overpriced.
HD3870 gDDR3/gDDR4 The 4670 and the 4830 have now replaced this card, and should be priced no more than 4k brand new or second hand.
HD4870X2 = OH YES. As of March 12, the 4870X2 remains equally priced to the GTX295 (locally) even if the GTX295 beats it hands down. This does not help the fact that the X2 is still being plagued by poor driver support in some games. So unless prices come down to around 21k, avoid.
NVIDIA
Geforce 6200/6500/6600LE = They shouldn't be selling these anymore!
Geforce 6600/6600OC/6600GT/6800XT = these were once the best performing cards for their price, but the 9500gt ddr3 now trumps all these for only 2.8k!!!
Geforce 6800/6800GT/6800ULTRA = The fastest of the 6 series back then is now 4 generations old... don't buy these unless given at a low 2nd hand price(<2k)>Geforce 7100GS = oooh you can SLI this thing! but who cares? unless you need a simple GPU then stay away from this!
Geforce 7300LE = Again, the 9500GT is here.
Geforce 7300GT DDR2 / 7300GT DDR3 = DX10 is here and so is the 9500GT priced the same as the 7300GT DDR3 in some stores. The 9500GT is a lot faster, and has more features. The rest is common sense. :)
Geforce 7600GS = DX10 has come and so has the 8500GT/8600GT/and 8600GTS which will replace the 7600GS/7600GS(T)DDR3/7600GT! The 8500GT will be the wiser choice vs. the 7600GS ddr2. It has roughly the same performance but is future-proofed by DX10, is cheaper, and supports all new G86 features like accelerated H.264 decode.
Geforce 7600GT = Almost all Geforce 7 series cards have now been put into the avoid list since the 8 and 9 and GTX series has come out, and despite the 7600GT's replacement the 8600GTS not quite living up to it's name.
Geforce 7800GT/7800GTX = these are the older and slower and more expensive cards that are slower than the 7900gt in almost everything, except for the 7800GTX 512. so avoid :)
Geforce 7900GS = Unless priced under 3k, the 8600GTS would be faster, but then again, you should avoid that card too.
Geforce 7900GT = like the 7900GS, only get this if selling for less than 2k, second hand. :)
Geforce 7900GTX 512mb & Geforce 7950GX2 1gb ddr3 = These cards should be avoided since everyone knows that the 8 series has already come out. Now unless you can get used/2nd hand samples of these under 3k since the HD 4670 512mb (4k) is faster than these. A single 8800GT 512mb is also FASTER than two 7900GTX in SLI :o :o or Even two 7950GX2s in QUAD SLI :o :o :o :o :o
Geforece 8500GT (all models) = no point in buying this now since the 9500GT costs 500-1000 more but is 2x faster. ...not unless you REALLY REALLY need that 500 elsewhere... you're still wasting your money though
Geforce 8600GT gDDR3 = The advent of the newer and faster 9500GT(but not much faster) costing cheaper than this is enough to make you stay away.
Geforce 8600GTS = Honestly, i was very disappointed with its performance, slotting in between the 7900GS and the X1950Pro. I was expecting more performance (7900GT levels) just like the 6600GT and 7600GT did when they came out. (6600GT faster than 5950XT ; 7600GT faster than 6800ultra). Stay away from this.
Geforce 8800GTS 320mb AND 640mb = with the release of the 8800GT 512 and the 8800GTS 512mb, these two cards suddenly became obsolete. don't buy unless offered 2nd hand under 4k. The 9600GT costing 4.5-5.5k is even faster than these.
Geforce 8800GTS 512mb = This is debatable... The 9800GTX is dropping its price to around 9-10k, so old stock of the 8800GTS will sell for 11k. That's the only reason this should be avoided, if ever.
Geforce 8800GT (G92) 512mb = Yep! You can find the new 9800GT much cheaper than this. Although the 9800GT is a renamed 8800GT, there are small differences such as hybridSLI and HybridPower which allow for huge power savings... given you are using the right Nvidia board and chipset
Geforce 8800GTX 768mb AND 8800ULTRA 768mb = These older model G80 chips are phased out and for its performance should cost around 7-9k second hand, with the Ultra costing around 10k.
Geforce 9400GT (all variants) = unless you really need that 500, I'd suggest using that and get the 9500GT (256mb gDDR3) instead and experience a 50% increase in performance. The 9400GT is no more than a rebadged 8500GT.
Geforce 9500GT 512/1gb & DDR2 = the best performing 9500GT (and the cheapest) is the 256mb gDDR3 version as well.
Geforce 9800GTX/GTX+ = As of March 12, These 2 cards have already been replaced/rebranded as the GTS250 which comes in at a very affordable php7,500. While the GTS250 is essentially a rebranded 9800GTX+, which is a smaller die 9800GTX, which is a rebranded 8800GTS 512, avoid the GTX/GTX+ unless you can have them for 7500 or less brand new.
Geforce GTX 260 896mb = This is the non-core 216 version, and of course the older 65nm fab. Avoid this card if priced above 11k brand new or second hand.
Geforce GTX 280 1gb = The advent of the GTX285 suddenly made owners of 280s insecure. Avoid this card if priced above 16k brand new or second hand, as the faster GTX285s can be had for 17k

"Feel free to add more cards and comment on my post :) Obviously its not perfect :) "


IV. On Multi-GPU Gaming (SLI/TRI-SLI/QUAD SLI/CROSSFIRE/HYBRID CROSSFIRE/HYBRID CROSSFIREX) (OMGG)
Multi Core gaming is now becoming mainstream. Whereas SLI and Crossfire before is reserved for enthusiasts, mainstream consumers are realizing the potential that SLI and Crossfire wields.

Crossfire and SLI performance scaling has also been improving with each generation of video cards and each release of drivers.

Years ago, you'd have to spend 50+k on a single 7950GX2 dual core video card. Now, you can get two 9800GX2's with less money, or beat the monstrous GTX280 with two HD4870's!. The GT200 chip of Nvidia and RV770 chip of AMD has definitely made things more interesting. Nvidia now holds the fastest single and dual chip graphics cards in the world (GTX280 & GTX295), while ATI is holding on to the best value for money cards right now.

With the new releases, Nvidia and AMD are fighting once again for market share. Here is a rough breakdown (in philippine PESO)

2-4k = 9500GT/HD4670
4k = 9600GT
5-6k = 8800GT/9800GT/GTS240/HD4830
7-8k = HD 4850, GTS 250
11-13k = GTX260 Core 216/ HD4870 512/1gb
17-18K = GTX285
23-27k = HD4870X2 / GTX295

- HD4850X2 still has no pricing here.

- The GTX260 has finally dropped its prices locally to compete with the 4870! The GTX260 is faster than the 4870 with AA enabled, while the 4870 is faster w/o AA, but overall, the GTX260 is now faster due to newer drivers. Get the Core 216 version. It's faster than the 4870 1gb.

- The 9800GT has been rereleased and renamed as the GTS240

- The 9800GTX+ has also been rereleased and renamed as the GTS 250


V. Warning!!!! READ THIS!!! (WRT)

AVOID and do not be fooled by cards with DDR2 (as much as possible, get cards equipped with at least gDDR3), lowend cards with 512mb RAM, or midrange cards with 1gb of ram.


Let's do a little example. Examine these cards and their prices
512mb Palit 8600 GT Super (128bit) DDR2 pcie ---- php2810
1gb Palit 8500 GT Super+ (128bit) DDR2 pcie ---- php2840
256mb Palit 8600 GT Regular (128bit) DDR3 pcie ---- php 3050
256mb Palit 8600 GT Sonic (128bit) DDR3 pcie ---- php3450
1gb (1024mb) Palit 8600 GT Super+ (128bit) DDR2 pcie ---- php3560
-they are arranged according to price, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO PERFORMANCE/SPEED.

Here is the real list from slowest to fastest:
1gb Palit 8500 GT Super+ (128bit) DDR2 pcie ---- php2840
512mb Palit 8600 GT Super (128bit) DDR2 pcie ---- php2810
1gb (1024mb) Palit 8600 GT Super+ (128bit) DDR2 pcie ---- php3560
256mb Palit 8600 GT Regular (128bit) DDR3 pcie ---- php 3050
256mb Palit 8600 GT Sonic (128bit) DDR3 pcie ---- php3450

1. See how the most expensive card with 1Gb is not the fastest?
2. See how the 8600GT with 512mb DDR2 is slower than it's 256mb gDDR3 counterpart?

if you want to learn more about graphic cards / video cards performance, speed, ranking and benchmark, (click here)

Maximum amount of memory for Video Cards

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What is the maximum amount of memory for my Video Card without wasting money?

Since there are a lot of new versions of cards coming out with varying amounts of memory, many of which make it more confusing for the consumer which one is the faster and better buy, I have come up with a simple guide on what is the optimal amount of RAM a particular GPU can fully utilize. This is so that buyers may become aware of products that offer tons of RAM, but in reality are not really that much faster with a similar GPU with half the RAM.

THIS IS APPLICABLE TO MOST, BUT NOT ALL SITUATIONS.

These are cards currently being sold in the market (03/12/09)
Video Cards Optimized for NO MORE THAN 256mb RAM
- 7300GT
- 7600GT
- 8500GT
- 8600GT
- 9400GT
- 9500GT
- HD 2600XT (gDDR4)
- HD 3450

Video Cards Optimized for NO MORE THAN 512mb RAM
- 8600GTS
- 9600GT
- 9600GSO (768mb)
- 8800GT
- 9800GT
- HD 3650
- HD 2900XT
- HD 3850
- HD 3870 (gDDR4)
- HD 4670
- HD 4830
- HD 4850

Video Cards Optimized for NO MORE THAN 1GB RAM
- 8800GTS (G92)
- 9800GTX/9800GTX+
- 9800GX2
- 3870X2
- HD4870
- GTS 240
- GTS 250
- GTX260
- GTX280

Video Cards Optimized for MORE THAN 1GB RAM
- HD4870 X2 1/2/4Gb Versions
- HD4850 X2 2gb
- GTX260 Core216
- GTX 285
- GTX 295


BEST BUYS (BBU)


LOWEND
X1550Pro AGP
9500GT 256mb gDDR3 (3k)
HD4650 512mb gDDR3(3k)

LOWER MIDRANGE
HD3650 512mb DDR2 (4k) AGP
HD4670 512 (4k)
HD4830 512 (6k)
9600GT 512mb gDDR3 (4k)
9800GT 512mb gDDR3 (5k) (Formerly 8800GT) (Soon to be GTS 240)

UPPER MIDRANGE
HD3850 (6k)AGP
HD4850 512mb (7.5k)
9600GT SLI (8k)
9800GT SLI (10k)

HIGHEND/Enthusiast
HD4850 512mb CrossFire (15-18k)
HD4870 512mb gDDR5 (11-12k)
HD4870 1gb gDDR5 (12-13k)
HD4850X2 1/2gb (13-16k)
GTX 260 Core 216 (13.8k)
GTX 285 (17k)
GTX295 (24k)

PCI slot:


AGP slot:


PCI-E slot:


For AGP, it is getting harder and harder to find good value cards as this is soon becoming a legacy interface. Good luck in finding Geforce 8 Series or ATI HD cards for AGP. The most abundant offerings are the geforce 7s. The 7300gt ddr2 is just as fast as the 6600gt, sometimes faster, but the 7300 is cheaper. The 7600gs is just a bit slower than the older 6800gt so any of the two is fine HOWEVER, ATI seems to have captured the highend AGP market with the X1650XT and the X1950Pro. Nvidia only has the older 7800GS and the rare 7600GT to compete with it. Both of which are like needles to be found in this massive haystack market. There is an HD3850 for AGP systems... good luck finding that as well. What's more, AGP cards offer a high premium since demand is low. So you get much much less performance for your money. Better skip the AGP upgrade and save up for a PCI-E system.

If you're still using PCI interface, chances are your processor is old as well.. skip the video card upgrade for there are no good ones and buy a new processor and mobo :) some onboard videos on mobos offer decent (bare minimum) gaming performance like ATI's HD3200 chipset, Intel's GMA X4500 (offering DX10) or nVidia's Geforce 9200/9300. Avoid Intel GMA/Extreme Graphics/S3 etc if you plan to play games using onboard video. Onboard video is temporary fix only until one gets enough money to buy a more decent solution. For a temporary solution, ATI currently offers the fastest onboard graphics with its HD3200/3400 780/790 chipsets. But don't expect high quality gaming with those..

if you want to learn more about graphic cards / video cards performance, speed, ranking and benchmark, (click here)

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