Graphics Cards

[Romolus]

I would stick to the RAM since the 256 you have aren't that much and Falcon is more depending on processor power and memory than on the graphics card.

Also the GF4 Ti4200 isn't that much better than the GF3 you have.

You also didn't post what OS you have. Switrching from Win98 to Win XP makes a big difference with newer hardware but you need more RAM since XP alone uses about 200MB.

So I'ld say save your money until nVidia and ATI battle with their DX9 graphics card and get more RAM and an up to date OS in the meanwhile

[Butcher_ss]

quote:Originally posted by Romolus:
I would stick to the RAM since the 256 you have aren't that much and Falcon is more depending on processor power and memory than on the graphics card.

Also the GF4 Ti4200 isn't that much better than the GF3 you have.

You also didn't post what OS you have. Switrching from Win98 to Win XP makes a big difference with newer hardware but you need more RAM since XP alone uses about 200MB.

So I'ld say save your money until nVidia and ATI battle with their DX9 graphics card and get more RAM and an up to date OS in the meanwhile

I agree with Romolus. The GF4 isn't that much better in Falcon at least since the GF3 can run it really well. In fact I had a Ti200 and bought a Ti4200. There is a problem with all GF4Ti4x00 with Anisotropic filtering. If you turn it on in Falcon bridges become pink, HUD letters become blurred. If you apply 8x anisotropic filtering, the cards can only produce 4x(problem). So for Falcon it is not worth buying a GF4.

Butcher_ss.

[SHINOBI]

How about the Matrox Parhelia?
Anyone tested yet?
Not just with Falcon, but is it worth all that bucks?

[Romolus]

I just fired up a Falcon 4 campaign to check the numbers. This is what I got:

Falcon is using 140mb of my 512mb memory, and the Task Manager tells me that there are 205mb left that are free.
So Falcon 4 and the OS alone is using about 307mb of the memory. This means that when you have only 256mb that 50mb have to be swaped to the slow HD instead of beeing in the fast RAM.

This swaping is mostly recognized in stuttering because the program is waiting for the data to be read from the slow HD instead of the RAM.

You don't get more fps in F4 from more RAM unless you have a really low amount of RAM and you get constant stuttering from that.
But a GF4 wouldn't give you much more fps than your GF3 either.

A 1.8gHz Athlon with 512mb RAM and a GF3 should normally be enough to run Falcon 4 "smooth".
Of course not with max settings, 1600x1200, 4xFSAA and a campaign running. You better get a Voodoo5 for FSAA

Compared to other up to date games Falcon 4 is depending much more on RAM and especially processor power than on the features of the graphics card simply because it doesn't use this features which all the other games are using so they can afford to look much better because the graphics card is doing all the work.