New Detonator Drivers: 43.00

[Freedom]

These are all very interesting results.

Actually, when it gets down to it I only see FPS improvements when running 800x600. When I run at 1024x768 (which is what I normally run) I saw now FPS difference between the 41.09 and the 43.00. I did, however, see benchmark increases with the 43.00's.

I was just reading some reviews of the new Radeon 9800 Pro. Wow. That thing rocks! About 10 to 15% faster than the 9700 Pro. They also did some quick OCing and got another 15% boost. It is suppose to come out this month for $399. They will be releasing a 256MB version next month (no price tag as of yet). Something to think about for people like me who will be buying a card sometime in the next month or so.

[Kristov Profile ICQ]

41.09 are the last nVidia drivers to be WHQL certified, and those are the ones I'm sticking with for the time being. I'd used the 42's without any problems, updated to 43 and everything SEEMED good..until I tried to start the Freelancer demo up again.. Tried disabling DirectDraw, no go, so I had to uninstall the 43's and go back to the 41's(I don't have the 42's on my system for some reason..no clue what happened to them..then again..when I installed them..my drivers were reported as the 41.09..so..).

Now, the funny thing is, the error I was getting with the 43s&Freelancer is directly related to using an AMD cpu and VIA chipsets.. Which is rather funny since I use an Intel mobo with an Intel cpu..go figure.

[Silverfox]

Freedom, where did you read the reviews on the new 9800 pro? I`m like you, being still really undecided on what to buy, just yet.

[Cpl. Bingham]

Sites currently featuring reviews of the Radeon 9800:

AnandTech
Beyond3D
Bjorn3D
Gamers Depot
[H]ardOCP
HEXUS.net
Hot Hardware
SimHQ.com
The Tech Report
Tom's Hardware Guide
UK Gamer
FiringSquad

[Silverfox]

Thanks for the info! With all the various sites. Yeah, I read where ATI will also release the R350 256mb radeon 9900 in possibly May. When will this spiral end! All these speedburners being released that support 9X, and I haven`t heard of any 9X version games released as of yet! With all the talk and hype about these new soon to be released cards, it just keeps people like myself and others not buying anything! They are saying the 9800 pro is 40% faster than the 9700 pro, which even if it is only 20% would be amazing! Lord, only knows what this 9900 pro 256mb speed will be! Nvidia is probably squirming a little bit, even with their deep pockets!

[Freedom]

I think nVidia is doing more than squirming. I think they are panicking. It's bad enough that their card is being released nearly half a year later than they originally said - and not getting the initial results everyone was expecting.

I love nVidia products but with the 9800Pro and 9900Pro coming out so soon at the same price as the 5800Ultra - I just might have to give one of those (most likely the 9800Pro) a shot. Even getting a 9700 and overclocking it might be a thing to do. They are only $299 now (cough.. only).

Kristov - Iam running the demo of Freelancer with the 43.00 drivers and haven't had a problem yet. Would the retail version be different? But then you also said it's giving you a VIA error (which is especially weird since you don't have a VIA chipset) and I have the nForce2 chipset.

On a completely unrelated note - I picked up one of those new AMD Barton CPU's the other day. It runs really fast and also runs really cool (37 degrees celsius). I also found a website that tested some hacked BIOS (yep - that's right) that allows you to unlock your Barton CPU without shorting any of the jumpers. I haven't tried it yet but the website that I was reading about it said they OCed the Barton 2500+ (which runs at only 1.83GHz) to 2.1 GHz (which is the equivalant of the Barton 3000+). I'm very intrigued because the 2500+ is $190 and the 3000+ is $650. I'll wait to see a couple other test it out before I give it a try.

[RCinator]

Originally posted by Freedom
I think nVidia is doing more than squirming. I think they are Even getting a 9700 and overclocking it might be a thing to do. They are only $299 now (cough.. only).

Don't bother with the 9700 if you just want to OC it. I have a 9700pro now, and had a 9700 standard. Both are terrible overclockers. I got about a 5% OC overall, but only after going with some extremely aggressive cooling that forced me to abandon the adjacent PCI slot. Also, don't even think about boosting the FSB speed with this card on a system that doesn't support AGP frequency locking - if the AGP freq goes off even slightly, the card cries like a baby. Not worth it just for OC IMO.

That said, I now run the 9700Pro at stock speeds, and it is by far the best card around (for at least the next couple of weeks anyway). I'll be for sure going with the 9800Pro/256 as soon as it comes out.

[Silverfox]

RCinator, what size power supply are you running. Did you change your stock supply out, before installing any of these power hungry video cards. I know ATI recommends at least a 300W supply. Many of the up to date PC`s 2.0Ghz- 3.0. say they only come with 200 watter`s. True or False? I want to make sure and get my power supply wattage correct before installing one of these expensive cards.

[Cpl. Bingham]

300 watt power supplies are fine for a standard system, even with a powerful vid card.

You really only need to upgrade to a 350 or 400 watt unit if you plan to have a load of case fans and internal lighting setups.

[Freedom]

Thanks for the info regarding OCing a 9700. I forget which one of the reviews on the 9800Pro that I read but they said it OCed very easily. Granted, I think they only pushed it about 15% higher than standard but they ended up with almost an equivalnt boost in scores and frames.

It looks like it will be the 9800 Pro for me. I don't know if I'll wait (or want to pay for) the 256 MB version. I'd love to have it but am a little leary of the price. If it's within about $50-60 of the 128 MB version I'll grab it though.

On the OCing front, I did a little fiddling with my system last night. I bumped my CPU up to 2.0 GHz (11x181) from 1.83 originally and my Ti4200 to 300/520 (stock is 250/446) without doing anything else (cooling, ram timing, etc.). The thing has been running tests all night and is very solid and still running at 39 degrees celcius. My 3DMark scores jumped another 1000 points on the 2001 test and another 175 points on the 2003 test.

[RCinator]

Originally posted by Silverfox
RCinator, what size power supply are you running. Did you change your stock supply out, before installing any of these power hungry video cards. I know ATI recommends at least a 300W supply. Many of the up to date PC`s 2.0Ghz- 3.0. say they only come with 200 watter`s. True or False? I want to make sure and get my power supply wattage correct before installing one of these expensive cards.

I use a 350 because I have a billion drives and PCI cards in my computer. You needs will depend largly on what processor you use and how many drives/add-in cards you use. If you're starting from scratch, it never hurts to go for a few extra watts with your PSU - it's fairly inexpensive to do so.

That said, MOST users will never come anywhere near using the entire 350.

[Silverfox]

Thanks for the input and help! I`m like Freedom and a few others, in more than likely, getting the 9800 pro. Man! $399.00+tax is mighty steep. The 9900 Pro which may be released in May, to me with the 256mb, is a little overkill, unless you figure on gaming as strong as you do now for another 3-4yrs. It`s kinda like HDTV. Been selling it now for quite a few years, and still very little HDTV programming! I think the 9800Pro 128mb coupled with any 9X release games will be about all anyone would need. But just a week ago, alot of folks were ready to break down and buy the 9700Pro or the FX (If you could find one!), UNTIL! all the hype and release of the new ones coming out shortly! Best thing to do is just buy what you like and don`t read any more advertisement`s and hype about the NEW BIGGEST ,BADDEST ,FASTEST, card coming out, or hell you`ll be like me and Freedom and never upgrade at all. Thanks again for all the help.

[RCinator]

Originally posted by Silverfox
BIGGEST ,BADDEST ,FASTEST, card coming out, or hell you`ll be like me and Freedom and never upgrade at all. Thanks again for all the help.

Or you'll upgrade constantly like me . . . I had to start a company just to subsidize my upgrade-aholism!