amd 3870

Really. How do I do that?

To uninstall drivers:
Start -> Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs -> NVIDIA Display Drivers -> Uninstall/Remove.

This will remove all NVIDIA display drivers from the system, making your 7900 GT useless (until you reinstall the drivers). Only do this ocne you are ready to physically swap out the card.

Then you should use the older, free version of DriverCleaner to completely wipe out the drivers.

Ok thanks. Do the ATI drivers come with the 3870, or do I have to actually go on their site and download them?calzy

[QUOTE="calzy"]Ok thanks. Do the ATI drivers come with the 3870, or do I have to actually go on their site and download them?Indestructible2

It's better to first install the drivers on the CD (as it comes with .Net Framework 2.0--necessary for Catalyst Control Centre) and then go to AMD's website for the latest drivers.

I wouldn't upgrade to that card from a 7900GT - wait another generation, or at least until the next iteration. The performance difference isnt' enough to warrant an upgrade in my book.RayvinAzn

Yea I suppose. But I am not looking to spend big bucks on a card. Something like the 3870 is within my price range. Do you guys reckon there will be a card in the upcoming Geforce 9000 series which is about the same price as the 3870?

I wouldn't upgrade to that card from a 7900GT - wait another generation, or at least until the next iteration. The performance difference isnt' enough to warrant an upgrade in my book.RayvinAzn

Yea I suppose. But I am not looking to spend big bucks on a card. Something like the 3870 is within my price range. Do you guys reckon there will be a card in the upcoming Geforce 9000 series which is about the same price as the 3870?

calzy

Yea I suppose. But I am not looking to spend big bucks on a card. Something like the 3870 is within my price range. Do you guys reckon there will be a card in the upcoming Geforce 9000 series which is about the same price as the 3870?

calzy

3870 is a great card... AND has good potential specs wise. Hopefully new drivers will let it live upto what it can do. If you wanna really upgrade wait till January and get a HD3870 X2 card.

A 3870 craps on a 7900 GT. It's well worth the upgrade.karasill

How many games is the 7900GT not going to be running at high settings on resolutions of 16x10 or less? Better yet, what games that the 7900GT can't run on high will the HD3870 be able to? I could list them on one hand.

Sure, the HD3870 is a good bit faster than the 7900GT, but that's not what makes an upgrade worthy - it's when your graphics card isn't performing well enough for modern games, and you've got your money's worth. Unless he picked that 7900GT up at launch, he probably hasn't even had it for two years, and even if he did pick it up at launch the card is still a powerhouse.

[QUOTE="karasill"] A 3870 craps on a 7900 GT. It's well worth the upgrade.RayvinAzn

How many games is the 7900GT not going to be running at high settings on resolutions of 16x10 or less? Better yet, what games that the 7900GT can't run on high will the HD3870 be able to? I could list them on one hand.

Sure, the HD3870 is a good bit faster than the 7900GT, but that's not what makes an upgrade worthy - it's when your graphics card isn't performing well enough for modern games, and you've got your money's worth. Unless he picked that 7900GT up at launch, he probably hasn't even had it for two years, and even if he did pick it up at launch the card is still a powerhouse.

If he's gonna be playing games like Crysis,UT3,Oblivion,Bioshock where shader power is needed more than older games,he shouldn't expect highpast 12x10 or even no high at all with that 7900GT,this is especially true with Crysis.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9

If he's gonna be playing games like Crysis,UT3,Oblivion,Bioshock where shader power is needed more than older games,he shouldn't expect highpast 12x10 or even no high at all with that 7900GT,this is especially true with Crysis.

Indestructible2

Correct me if I'm wrong, but those are usually max settings, not a little lower (which would be high). For Oblivion if you turn down AA to x2 or x2, AF to x4, and get most settings on high or nearly high, then the 7900GT jumps back up into playalbe frame-rates easily. Bioshock and UT3 are the same way, Crysis being the only real exception on that list, and even then the HD3870 is not that impressive in terms of performance either.

[QUOTE="Indestructible2"]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9

If he's gonna be playing games like Crysis,UT3,Oblivion,Bioshock where shader power is needed more than older games,he shouldn't expect highpast 12x10 or even no high at all with that 7900GT,this is especially true with Crysis.

RayvinAzn

Correct me if I'm wrong, but those are usually max settings, not a little lower (which would be high). For Oblivion if you turn down AA to x2 or x2, AF to x4, and get most settings on high or nearly high, then the 7900GT jumps back up into playalbe frame-rates easily. Bioshock and UT3 are the same way, Crysis being the only real exception on that list, and even then the HD3870 is not that impressive in terms of performance either.

And yesd,i KNOW it was done with HD 3850 and 7950GT,just showing a example.

Heh,good point,but i don't think there's a way of finding out how high their settings are.

And yesd,i KNOW it was done with HD 3850 and 7950GT,just showing a example.

Indestructible2

I know the HD3850 and HD3870 are a huge improvement over the 7900GT - but they're not one that I would say is worth the money. FPS charts can be misleading, as they focus only on frames-per-second, but one of the things I look for in a graphics upgrade is significantly better graphics with better frame-rates, not just the frame-rates.

[QUOTE="Indestructible2"]

Heh,good point,but i don't think there's a way of finding out how high their settings are.

And yesd,i KNOW it was done with HD 3850 and 7950GT,just showing a example.

RayvinAzn

I know the HD3850 and HD3870 are a huge improvement over the 7900GT - but they're not one that I would say is worth the money. FPS charts can be misleading, as they focus only on frames-per-second, but one of the things I look for in a graphics upgrade is significantly better graphics with better frame-rates, not just the frame-rates.

Don't forget higher resolutions.Indestructible2

If you're not playing at your native resolution (I'm assuming LCD monitors), then it's time for a graphics upgrade. Playing at a non-native resolution just bugs me.

[QUOTE="Indestructible2"] Don't forget higher resolutions.RayvinAzn

If you're not playing at your native resolution (I'm assuming LCD monitors), then it's time for a graphics upgrade. Playing at a non-native resolution just bugs me.

I was mainly referring to someone with a old 1024x768 monitor upgrading to a 19 or 20 incher.Indestructible2

Wait...what? You mean they got a new monitor at the same time as a graphics card?

[QUOTE="Indestructible2"]I was mainly referring to someone with a old 1024x768 monitor upgrading to a 19 or 20 incher.RayvinAzn

Wait...what? You mean they got a new monitor at the same time as a graphics card?

You could put it that way,i meant that a newer card will allow them to play on a higher res monitor than said 1024x768 CRT.Indestructible2

If that's the case, then a graphics upgrade is certainly a good idea - but that's not the case with a 7900GT.

[QUOTE="Indestructible2"]You could put it that way,i meant that a newer card will allow them to play on a higher res monitor than said 1024x768 CRT.RayvinAzn

If that's the case, then a graphics upgrade is certainly a good idea - but that's not the case with a 7900GT.