ATI Radeon 9800 XT (256mb)

[Chuck Dreier]

I'm building a new system. Does anyone have experience with the new ATI Radeon 9800 XT (256mb) card as it relates to FS9? If so, is it worth the dollars? My system will be built around a P-4 3.2HT, 1 gig of Corsair registered RAM, and a Seagate 160 hd. In other words, I'm trying to go "all out" but don't want to waste money if the 9800 XT isn't worth it in terms of added performance. Thanks!!!

[michal]

One thing I am certain that having 256 Mb is wasteful for FS9 (unless you play with extreme resolutions). But I am not sure about the "XT" part.Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

[Chuck Dreier]

Michael,Assuming others agree with your assesment that 256 MB is a waste, what card would you recommend? I'm also looking at a "eVGA nVIDIA GeForce FX5900SE, 128MB DDR". What's your thoughts on this card? Thanks everyone!!

[Guest Staggerwing]

Chuck,The ATI Radeon card also comes in a cheaper 128mb verson called the 9800pro.

[Chuck Dreier]

Are you recommending the 128MB Radeon 9800 Pro over the Nvida card I mentioned above? Is there a preferred video card for FS9? Thanks!

[michal]

For the money 128Mb Radeon 9800Pro is probably your Best Buy for FS9.Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

[Guest Staggerwing]

>Are you recommending the 128MB Radeon 9800 Pro over the Nvida>card I mentioned above? Is there a preferred video card for>FS9? Thanks![i/]Like many others, I like mine :-) With any card, you have to tweak your settings to work best on your system and software. It's always a compromise between quality and performance no matter what you buy.There is much talk about this subject here, why not do a "search" and you'll get lots more input. At least it will give you some reading while you are waiting for more input in your thread :-)

[Guest Xtra]

Just one word: It ROCKS.

[Chuck Dreier]

What rocks? The ATI Radeon XT 256MB? If you're running this card, do you agree that it's overkill for FS9? Can you compare it to what you had been running previously?

[Chuck Dreier]

Tom, I've taken your suggestion and looked at many of the related threads. It seems apparent that the 9800 Pro is the card I'll be going with. Thanks!

[Guest Xtra]

The 9800XT absolutely leaves what I had previously, a GeForce 4 Ti4200 8x AGP for dead. Absolutely no contest. Image quality with the XT is brilliantly rich, not only in FS, but other games, notably shoot-em-ups and DVD's.It really should be your first choice. I've never looked back.

[Chuck Dreier]

How about frame rates in FS9? Now vs. before? Have you any specifics on this?

[Guest Staggerwing]

>Tom, I've taken your suggestion and looked at many of the>related threads. It seems apparent that the 9800 Pro is the>card I'll be going with. Thanks!You're welcome, I'm sure you will be happy with it if you install and set it up properly in it's own "tools" and in FS9 settings.I too went 'round and 'round when I wanted a new graphics card... so many to check out and everyone with good and bad experiences with ALL of them. I'm glad I bought the Radeon 9800pro this time. Good for my FS9 AND everything else I run on this system.Best,

[michal]

Go to tomshardware.com. They have a set of graphs showing performance for the XT card in FS9. I believe it is about 5-10% faster over the 9800Pro.Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

[Guest Xtra]

I can't really describe the effects the 9800XT has on the FS2004 world. Hopefully my image will help; all sliders maxxed out, 1600x1200x32 resolution, loads of clouds, PMDG 737, complex scenery, bucketloads of AI, holding 25+ strong. Included topped out AA and AF.Frame rates are 45-50% faster than Ti4200.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/63391.jpg