Graphic Cards Upgrade for SH3 + GWX3.0

Victor Schutze · 01-18-12, 02:12 PM

I noticed that I have 12-14 fps in Kiel or when I zoom down on my u-boot in the map, I am left with 8 fps. I am looking for a solution to this problem.

My rig specs are:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (2.6 Ghz overclocked through mobo BIOS)
Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI SE Motherboard Socket 939, Nvidia NFORCE4 SLI
Graphic cards : 2 of EVGA 01G-P3-N959TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card in SLI.
RAM: 4 GB (3GB used by windows 7?)
OS: Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
Sound card: Diamond XtremeSound 7.1/24 bit Sound Card ( XS71 )
PSU: PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5
I exclusively play SH3 GWX3.0 with a long (

) list of mods.
I would like to be able to enable heavier mods such as "fm interiors" as well.

So, I am contemplating to replace my 2 graphic cards with this choice:

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-M...=30ZGK8T9NSVEA

My question to you people is: Does it make good sense? Does it worth it?
What will be the gain in terms of fps? Maybe I should consider changing the whole mobo/processor/RAM combination? Not the same price though....

Any thoughts?

PeriscopeDepth · 01-19-12, 01:45 AM

Putting a ~$170 vid card in that machine, while it may help, is not a cost effective solution IMO. I would save up for a cheapo ~$600 gaming desktop (prebuilt that is, if you can build your own that would probably be far better), I think it would be a far better long term investment. It's not cheap by any means, but PC gaming tends to be that way. :/

Your processor (and thus your mobo, probably) and vidcard definitely need to be replaced for what I would consider mid range gaming (SH3 with a ton of higher end mods).

Processor tech has come a ways in the past ~6 years. As a comparison, my 1.5 year old phone has a processor with the same size L2 cache as your desktop, and is built on a 45nm chip (vs 90 for your current processor, smaller is better)

.

kiwi_2005 · 01-19-12, 08:13 AM

I would think those pc specs should be able to run SH3 / GWX without a hitch, unless I missed something, I use to run the game on a far lower spec than what's here and it ran fine. Try taking the cpu clock back to default. Sometimes an overclocked cpu can cause problems in old games & have you tried running the game on one graphics card?

Victor Schutze · 01-19-12, 01:55 PM

Thank you for your thoughts PericopeDepth and kiwi_2005!

Ok guys, you know what I'll do?:
I'll go for one GPU at first, then go for a second one (SLI) in a second phase, then for a processor/mobo/RAM change as my last move.

It should allow me to improve the overall performance of my rig gradually without being broke.

Whot ya think?

CCIP · 01-19-12, 02:02 PM

The low FPS is not caused by video card in that case, I can tell you that for certain - it's a CPU limitation. There are simply a lot of ships and other stuff in Kiel, and the issue is not graphics but physics processing etc. No video card upgrade here will help you, in fact I suspect you won't even get 1 extra FPS out of that upgrade. And to get a new processor, you'll need a new motherboard. And at that stage, you might as well get a new system. Your current one is more or less at the limit.

12-14fps - if only in Kiel - is not bad though. It improves elsewhere in the game, anyway, and I played like that for years.

Arclight · 01-19-12, 03:23 PM

If you exclusively play SH3, then forget about SLI altogether. Doesn't really work.

A single GTX550 will work just fine, it's (probably) quite a bit of overkill for something like SH3.

Though I agree that that CPU could do with a replacement, note that a 9500GT is a joke of a graphics card.

danasan · 01-20-12, 08:27 AM

Maybe you can get one Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or higher for a couple of bucks through Ebay, if your Motherboard can handle that dual cores, and yes it can. The performance is significantly better

Like these

Victor Schutze · 01-20-12, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danasan

Maybe you can get one Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or higher for a couple of bucks through Ebay, if your Motherboard can handle that dual cores, and yes it can. The performance is significantly better

Like these

This is a good idea danasan!

I've never tried ebay though... these are second hand CPUs, right?

My mobo (Asus A8N-SLI SE Motherboard Socket 939, Nvidia NFORCE4 SLI) can handle one Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2!

What I actually don't know is the maximum frequency of the processor I can install: The AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ seems to be the most powerful I can install on this mobo or not?!

My mobo user guide says that it is best to use a 500 watt PSU for an Athlon 64 FX-55.

Does this mean the Athlon 64 FX-55 processor is the most powerful CPU I can buy and install? I don't know.

The mobo's user guide does not say anywhere about what maximum specs CPU I can install.

I have to research this on the web I guess. Any ideas?

danasan · 01-20-12, 11:46 AM

Here you are...

The best value for your money ( most bang for bucks ) is the AMD Athlon 64 3800 X2 IMHO, it is the cheapest. Look for the Toledo cores

Sorry for German writing, but you should get an impression here

Victor Schutze · 01-20-12, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danasan

Here you are...

The best value for your money ( most bang for bucks ) is the AMD Athlon 64 3800 X2 IMHO, it is the cheapest. Look for the Toledo cores

Sorry for German writing, but you should get an impression here

Fantastic! Thank you again, danasan!

I'll buy this AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Processor Socket 939!

edit: I found this: http://www.amazon.com/AMD-Athlon-480...7080678&sr=1-1

Check the price!

Why does an old CPU is so expensive?

danasan · 01-20-12, 12:41 PM

You'd better buy two 3800s second hand for 50 $ both together, overclock one, wait until it burns and then use the second one

My 3800 X2 @ 2000 MHz gives me with an AMD HD 5570, 4 GB RAM and WIN 7 64bit around 25 FPS in Kiel

Victor Schutze · 01-20-12, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danasan

You'd better buy two 3800s second hand for 50 $ both together, overclock one, wait until it burns and then use the second one

My 3800 X2 @ 2000 MHz gives me with an AMD HD 5570, 4 GB RAM and WIN 7 64bit around 25 FPS in Kiel

Well, I guess this is another option. I hope overclocking the 3800 won't fry anything else though...

danasan · 01-20-12, 01:49 PM

There is no need for overclocking. 2000 MHz is the standard setting. It should satisfy as it is.

Victor Schutze · 01-20-12, 02:28 PM

Guess what danasan!

I found one AMD-Athlon64-X2-4800-2-4GHz-Dual-Core-ADA4800DAA6CD-CPU-w-copper-heatpipe-fan on e-bay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Athlon64...#ht_3331wt_956

This should make my day!

Thank you for your advice danasan!

danasan · 01-20-12, 03:10 PM

It's already sold. Did you get it? Price isn't too bad. Imagine buying a new Motherboard, CPU, RAM, Cooler....

If it is yours now, I am a bit envy...

01-18-12, 02:12 PM	#1
Victor Schutze Chief Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Drowning in mods soup Posts: 327 Downloads: 466 Uploads: 0	Graphic Cards Upgrade for SH3 + GWX3.0 I noticed that I have 12-14 fps in Kiel or when I zoom down on my u-boot in the map, I am left with 8 fps. I am looking for a solution to this problem. My rig specs are: Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (2.6 Ghz overclocked through mobo BIOS) Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI SE Motherboard Socket 939, Nvidia NFORCE4 SLI Graphic cards : 2 of EVGA 01G-P3-N959TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card in SLI. RAM: 4 GB (3GB used by windows 7?) OS: Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit Sound card: Diamond XtremeSound 7.1/24 bit Sound Card ( XS71 ) PSU: PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 I exclusively play SH3 GWX3.0 with a long ( ) list of mods. I would like to be able to enable heavier mods such as "fm interiors" as well. So, I am contemplating to replace my 2 graphic cards with this choice: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-M...=30ZGK8T9NSVEA My question to you people is: Does it make good sense? Does it worth it? What will be the gain in terms of fps? Maybe I should consider changing the whole mobo/processor/RAM combination? Not the same price though.... Any thoughts? Last edited by Victor Schutze; 01-18-12 at 03:39 PM.

01-19-12, 08:13 AM	#3
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	I would think those pc specs should be able to run SH3 / GWX without a hitch, unless I missed something, I use to run the game on a far lower spec than what's here and it ran fine. Try taking the cpu clock back to default. Sometimes an overclocked cpu can cause problems in old games & have you tried running the game on one graphics card? __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

01-19-12, 02:02 PM	#5
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	The low FPS is not caused by video card in that case, I can tell you that for certain - it's a CPU limitation. There are simply a lot of ships and other stuff in Kiel, and the issue is not graphics but physics processing etc. No video card upgrade here will help you, in fact I suspect you won't even get 1 extra FPS out of that upgrade. And to get a new processor, you'll need a new motherboard. And at that stage, you might as well get a new system. Your current one is more or less at the limit. 12-14fps - if only in Kiel - is not bad though. It improves elsewhere in the game, anyway, and I played like that for years. __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

01-19-12, 03:23 PM	#6
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	If you exclusively play SH3, then forget about SLI altogether. Doesn't really work. A single GTX550 will work just fine, it's (probably) quite a bit of overkill for something like SH3. Though I agree that that CPU could do with a replacement, note that a 9500GT is a joke of a graphics card. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

01-20-12, 08:27 AM	#7
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	Maybe you can get one Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or higher for a couple of bucks through Ebay, if your Motherboard can handle that dual cores, and yes it can. The performance is significantly better Like these __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers."

01-19-12, 01:45 AM	#2
PeriscopeDepth Sea Lord Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 1,894 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Putting a ~$170 vid card in that machine, while it may help, is not a cost effective solution IMO. I would save up for a cheapo ~$600 gaming desktop (prebuilt that is, if you can build your own that would probably be far better), I think it would be a far better long term investment. It's not cheap by any means, but PC gaming tends to be that way. :/ Your processor (and thus your mobo, probably) and vidcard definitely need to be replaced for what I would consider mid range gaming (SH3 with a ton of higher end mods). Processor tech has come a ways in the past ~6 years. As a comparison, my 1.5 year old phone has a processor with the same size L2 cache as your desktop, and is built on a 45nm chip (vs 90 for your current processor, smaller is better) .

01-19-12, 01:55 PM	#4
Victor Schutze Chief Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Drowning in mods soup Posts: 327 Downloads: 466 Uploads: 0	Thank you for your thoughts PericopeDepth and kiwi_2005! Ok guys, you know what I'll do?: I'll go for one GPU at first, then go for a second one (SLI) in a second phase, then for a processor/mobo/RAM change as my last move. It should allow me to improve the overall performance of my rig gradually without being broke. Whot ya think?

01-20-12, 11:46 AM	#9
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	Here you are... The best value for your money ( most bang for bucks ) is the AMD Athlon 64 3800 X2 IMHO, it is the cheapest. Look for the Toledo cores Sorry for German writing, but you should get an impression here __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers." Last edited by danasan; 01-20-12 at 12:14 PM.

01-20-12, 12:41 PM	#11
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	You'd better buy two 3800s second hand for 50 $ both together, overclock one, wait until it burns and then use the second one My 3800 X2 @ 2000 MHz gives me with an AMD HD 5570, 4 GB RAM and WIN 7 64bit around 25 FPS in Kiel __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers." Last edited by danasan; 01-20-12 at 12:59 PM.

01-20-12, 01:49 PM	#13
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	There is no need for overclocking. 2000 MHz is the standard setting. It should satisfy as it is. __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers."

01-20-12, 02:28 PM	#14
Victor Schutze Chief Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Drowning in mods soup Posts: 327 Downloads: 466 Uploads: 0	Guess what danasan! I found one AMD-Athlon64-X2-4800-2-4GHz-Dual-Core-ADA4800DAA6CD-CPU-w-copper-heatpipe-fan on e-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Athlon64...#ht_3331wt_956 This should make my day! Thank you for your advice danasan!

01-20-12, 03:10 PM	#15
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	It's already sold. Did you get it? Price isn't too bad. Imagine buying a new Motherboard, CPU, RAM, Cooler.... If it is yours now, I am a bit envy... __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers."