GeForce 4 ti 4200 128 DDR

[Guest]

Can someone please tell me what kind of performance this card (chipset) will get me. I don't want to spend over $200. I will really only use this card for FS. I just need something better than a VooDoo 3 3000 - though it has been good until now.

[btrjet 0]

I've just upgraded to an ABIT Siluro GeF4 Ti4200 with 128MB DDR from a GeForce 256 DDR (32MB) and am mightily impressed with the visuals and performance. Like you I didn't see the necessity to go for the top of the range cards when this card was available at a reasonable price.I guess I'm now seeing FS2002 as MS intended. It is particularly good at handling high density scenery add-ons including the National Parks package which stuttered a bit with the previous card.To give you a typical example a friend of mine brought his PC around so we could directly compare performance on the spot with all settings the same. We got an interesting result.His PC:- Pentium 4 2.53Ghz with GeF4 MX440 SE (64MB)My PC :- Athlon XP 1600+ with GeF4 Ti4200 (128MB)At the FS2002 default airports he was getting 15-20 higher frame rates.But at places like Gary Summons' London Heathrow and Chris Wilkes West Indies and similar I was getting 10-12 better frame rates than him.But, forgetting frame rates, it's the visuals and smooth performance that is most impressive.BTW, the 64MB version of the card has faster memory (500 as against 440).Pat

[Guest]

I get very good quality and performance with my ASUS GF4 4200 128MB. Just remember this is not a upgrade to get better FPS. I do not max out everything either.I got a good balance of visual quality and performance . I currently use FSAA 4XS Antisotropic Texturing 2X and get the same performance I got with my GF3 ti 200. My GF3 setting were the same except I did not use FSAA 4xS but FSAA 2X and no antisotropic texuting. Just texture sharping. It's a worth while upgrade if you want a nice balance but just be aware that maxing out everything with tweaks etc .. is going to make the best of systems run into the dirt. With that said find a good balance and pop in the GF4 and I think you will be impressed :) Capt.Richard Dillon (KATL)www.jetstarairlines.comhttp://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpghttp://jdtllc.com/images/RCsupporter.jpg"Lets Roll" 9/11 -----------------------Specs AMD 1600 XP MSI KT 266t pro2 512MB DDR 2100Asus GF4 ti 4200 128MBSBliveCh Products Yoke and Pedals(usb)Windows 2000 Serivce Pack 3

[Guest]

The GF4 T14200 is a really solid performer. It's a great choice for MSFS. The difference in the way things will look is nothing short of stunning. You won't believe how poorly the V3 renders MSFS textures. I think it's a good pick.Trip

[Guest Bill Kunert]

Depends to a great degree on how powerful your CPU is. If you're running a 1 GHz processor you probably won't get much over 17-20fps in moderate scenery areas. It will allow you to turn up detail without having much impact on frame rates. A GeForce 4 4200 is a good card but overkill on slower computers.Bill

[Guest]

I don't think it's overkill even on a slower CPU Bill. With MSFS the framerate is going to be determined by the CPU speed anyway. The texture rendering on the GF4 Ti4xxx is so much better than any comparably priced card that I'd recommend it to anyone with an AGP slot. I've used the 4200 on several CPU's ranging from 600Mhz to 2700Mhz and it looks just as good on the old P3 as it does on the faster chips. With MSFS and older CPU's it's all about rendering quality, not framerates. And the 4200 is still the best of the bunch for those machines.Trip399x599999 bytes

[Guest]

I originally upgraded my 16Mb Voodoo3 3000 to a 32Mb GeForce256DDR and found that my smoothness increased quite a bit in FS2000. I most recently upgraded from a 32MB GeForce256 DDR to the 128MB GeForce4 4200 and here is what I found. The picture quality increased very much so. Screen shots don't do the improvement justice. Movement in the virtual cockpit is faster. Framerates did indeed go up but only away from the heavy scenery areas like ATL and LAX. It seems that in the heavier scenery areas, the CPU is mostly involved due to the high geometry that is around the scenery. You won't tell a difference between the two versions of 4200 you mentioned. Get the better cost version if you have a choice.

[Guest FS_freak]

What about an ATI Radeon 9000 128MB? More or less the same price as a 128Mb Geforce 3Ti 200. Which one is better?

[Guest Bill Kunert]

Trip;Agree with you 100% The benefit of a high powered card on a slower machine is the "eye candy". The ability to run maxed out video setting with out having much impact on frame rate. Some people don't consider that, however, and think a GF4 will give much improved frame rates over a GF2 on a 1GHz machine. RegardsBill

[Guest ront1]

I just put a ATI Radeon 9500 PRO in my system. The rest of my system is now the bottle neck. I doo like the 9500 PRO. It replaced a VooDoo 5500 which IMHO is still the FSAA King, but this card does a pretty good job. Hoope it is ok to post one screen shot here. It is taken with the 9500. Hope this does not confuse things for you.Ron

[Guest]

Yep. That's one of the things about MSFS that we always have to get across to folks. It just doesn't act and behave like most of the games we run. I can't count the number of times I've seen a really disappointed simmer who just upgraded the video card, didn't know about the CPU-intensive nature of the sim, and didn't see much, if any improvement, for a very expensive investment. What a shame. I really, really, really hope MS does something to alleviate thereliance on the CPU. We've reached the point that most of the math is already coded and what's being implememented is eyecandy. So, MS, let the GPU do what it was designed to do - render the eyecandy. Trip23990 Pixels9999 Bytes

[Guest]

If you're trying to save a buck or two, look for your GF4 4200 on Ebay. I picked a brand new one up there for $150 (USD) a few weeks ago -- It's a terrific card and the 128K makes all the difference!David

[Guest]

I saw a 128MB 4200 for $134 at a Best Buy in Atlanta yesterday. It just keeps getting better and better. Trip23999 Pixels9999 Bytes

[Guest]

Yeah, I work for a computer store and can get one cheap. I am not really looking for vast frame rate improvements. The VooDoo 3 3000 still does a decent job, relatively speaking, right now with FPS. I do however want to see the visual quality that I know FS2K has. I am tired of looking at blurry textures. I am also tired of all the PAI black fleet planes parked all over the place because I can't render high quality textures. I've got an AMD 950 and 256 RAM...I will definitelt put as much RAM as possible in the thing too. An upgrade might be around the corner! Good thing I work where I do. I usually can get a good deal on stuff. Thanks for all the advice and replies.

[Guest]

Hmmm...employee discount huh...let's see...hmmm...3.08Ghz CPU....hmmm 2GB 1066 RAMBUS...hmmm... :-)