Hi Folks - I've been reading over the data put out by ID Software of Mesquite, Texas last summer on the testing they did on ATI's X800XT-PE and Nvidia'S 6800 Ultra video cards using the video game DOOM 3. It appears that the 6800 is better in several categories including frame rates. 1. How does FS 2004 operate on these cards? Are these the best cards out there for Flight Simmers or are there others that give better performance? 2.What is the best processor to use with these cards to get optimum performance? Thanks, Ken

John Carmack is in the board of both nVidia and ID software. the 6800 was custom made to run Doom 3. It features "Ultrashadow" which only works in Doom 3 and no other game what so ever. So Doom 3 is not something you can really use as a benchmark :). The 6800 ULTRA is still a good card though I would say pretty much on par with the X800XT PE.But this thread will be moved to hardware section where there is more threads similar to this one already :)

1. X850 XT :-)2. fastest you can afford

There really is no best for all things. I have a 6800GT in my machine and I just helped a friend build a new machine with the same processor and memory, but with a X850 XT. Running the same settings in FS9 and with the same add-ons the FPS appear to be identical. Go with a high-end card from a maker you trust and you will be happy.

Hi, I to have a 6800gt on a new intel 3.73ee but have not been able to get it set to my likeing , can you give me a clue as to settings that work for you and what driver are you using ?ThanksTONY

I run with optimizations enabled and 2 or 4x aa and 8x anisotrophic if I can afford it :). The detail slider to quality. High quality disables the optimizations which give you higher IQ at the cost of performance.Also make sure you get the mip map slider in FS 2004 to 4 or you will get shimmering.

I think the X800 XL is the best bang for the buck right now - as fast or faster than a 6800GT for like $280.

I have a X800 XT PCIE in my basment waiting to be put together with the rest of my comp on friday. How much performance diff is there between the X800 XT and the X850? tyty

The X800XT PE and X850XT performs the same really.The X800XT well you will have to look at benchmarks :). It

Im considering Overclocking the GX card but a)im not sure I will do it right b)Im not sure if my case has sufficent cooling to handle thatany ideas?thanks(btw my case will have the heatsink, the PSU 120mm, and 2 80 mm fans)

Well all new video cards have hardware monitoring so you can check the temps. Also otherwise you just have to test it yourself. There is great programmes like artifact tester which can help you as well. Otherwise I find 3DMARK03 and 3DMARK2001SE to be great tools. Possibly 3DMARK05 but don

Doom3 is bias towards Nvidia. The funny thing is... when it was first announced ATI was the "official video card"Anyway enough of that marketing BS. Doom3 is a bland game with an unbelievable engine. If it's something you care about, you might want to get an nivia card as most new games of that genre will be using that engine. ATI still has driver troubles but not as bad as they use to. I'm very happy with my setup which pushes FS9 to its limits. Thankfully I have great credit cards to help me afford it!

Correction doom 3 has always been a nVidia sponsored game from the beginning. 5800 FX and 5900 FX was both built as well to run doom 3 but Doom 3 got delayed. However you will see that these cards perform really well in Doom 3 as well :) However in early benchmarks ATI showned favourable because nVidias video cards couldn

I'm thinking of upgrading my old ati9800 pro to an 800xl. Think this is a worthwhile upgrade? My current system is a P4 3.0 ghz with 1 gig of ram.