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JimmiG

Anyone flying with ATI 9700(pro)? How is it?

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I'm thinking about defecting to ATI from NVIDIA because of the 9700's performance especially with FSAA and AF. These are real important for flight sims.How is the card working for you in MSFS 2002, IL-2 or other sims? Is there tearing, missing textures, alot of stuttering....etcI've been happy with my GeForce 3Ti200 but I'm ready to upgrade.Has anyone else made the switch? Are you HAPPY??I would like to know before I decide on Ti4600 or 9700(pro).ThanksMark

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Guest kyle

Same here. It sounds like ATI will be dropping the price in the next little bit. I have my eyes on the 9700 too.

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Guest

Ditto. I'm looking for replacement options for my GF3 Ti200, and I'm looking for a descent performer on the FSAA front, both in speed and quality (geeze I miss my Voodoo5 FSAA - the GF3 was a step backwards in FSAA quality IMO).Gary

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Guest

It's great! However, I wanted to upgrade my Dell with it but didn't have enough of a power supply. So (since I needed to replace my office computer anyway) I ordered a new Dell 2.4GHz with the 9700Pro (and took my old machine to the office). I only ordered 256MB of RAM. (the price to add another 256 seemed too high compared to Crucial's ads)Sometimes flying is smooth as silk with framerates above 70. Sometimes if there is add-on scenery and an add-on plane, framerates get down to the mid-forties. But SOMETIMES (and I haven't been able to figure out why yet) I get some very slight stutters and on a couple of occasions I've gotten stutters long enough that when the screen started moving again I was already doomed. EndItAll used to improve framerates with my Win98 machine. Doesn't do a thing for XP and this machine. I can be surfing and go directly into FlightSim and have silky smooth high framerates and absolutely no stutters. Then the next time I'll have small occasional stutters even after a fresh reboot. Hasn't been any rhyme nor reason that I've found that consistantly makes those little irritating stutters come or go. The bigger stutters that I used to get are what caused me to stop flying for months until I could get the new computer. The 9700Pro was what I really wanted, and just ended up getting a new computer around it.I have all sliders except terrain mesh complexity set all the way to the right. That one I have set to 60 and seems to make a huge difference in framerates. If I set it to 100, framerates go down into the mid-thirties and the stutters increase. I have reflections and details set on the water (and now wouldn't fly without 'em). Oh, and I have "sound quality" sit to the middle but I'm not convinced it makes any difference yet. Only been experimenting for a couple of months so far.So -- the conclusions I've reached: 1. the card is awesome, if the computer can support it.2. it doesn't seem to make much difference what programs are running in the background (or else EndItAll would have stopped the little stutters from happening ever) but that is probably XP more than the card from what I've seen in other posts.3. 256MB of RAM seems to be satifactory for smooth flying with high framerates (although I have another 256 stick coming now from Dell as Crucial doesn't carry RDRAM). I'll know this weekend if the additional memory makes a difference4. From other posts and links here, I've found the best framerates happen if I set the framerate limit to about 98 or 100 but NOT "unlimited"Sorry to make this answer so long, but I wanted to 'tell it like it is', which is another way of saying "I still can't figure out how to ALWAYS have FS2K2 perform flawlessly, but sometimes it just does".I got this computer and video card so I'll be ready to start over again as soon as FS2K4 is released. Some of us are gluttons for punishment, and some of us spend more time changing settings than flying and I qualify as both. HOWEVER -- those times (which IS most of the time) that the framerates are above 70 and there are no stutters and the setting sun is shining across the harbor.... it's flightsim heaven!

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Guest

I've been running mine now since September. Not one single blurp in FS2002 or IL2 or CFS2. They all run perfectly. The Image Quality will make you drool all over your keyboard. Note: The Dash7 by Milton locked up when I selected that aircraft. I can't run it and it's such a great aircraft. Must be something specific to the 9700?? Other than that, it's awesome. And to think, I used to be an Nvidia fan. I owned a TNT v4400 and a GTS64 Herc card and they were both impressive cards in their time. But, it only took one ATI card. Be warned though, you need a decent processor, a 300 watt PS, and need to research problems with specific motherboards over at www.rage3d.com before you leap. PHIL; you need to get another 256mb ram for a total of 512mb especially if your running XP. You also need to turn that max framerate slider down to around 20-25 fps. I run all my terrain sliders maxed including the mesh. You'll be amazed at how much more terrain will draw with that framerate locked down to a reasonable level. I have no problems with any stutter.

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Guest dpc

I am running the 9700 on an Epox 8KHA+ motherboard. I mention the combo because video card and motherboard combo is very important and is usually overlooked by folks looking at video cards. I suggest doing some homework on the combo you would end up with. TomsHardware.com is a good place to do some research. That being said, I am VERY happy with the 9700. VERY! I'm running 1600x1200x32 with 4x AA and usually run in the 25-30 FPS range using high end add-ons for A/C and sceneries.Dave

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Guest

This is a great card for simmers...I've been using mine since September and it runs like a dream at 4X/6X AA, which is a thing to behold. The bug with the Dash 7's locking up has been cured in the recent driver releases. I have not one negative thing to say as I upgraded from a GF4 4200 to the 9700 Pro. Settings at 1280x1024x32, 4X AA and 16X AF. Fast, smooth, and beautiful. Not to mention rock stable.cheers,Greg G

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Guest

Well, nobody told me. What drivers are you running???

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I had two Radeon 9700s and sadly had problems with them. I think it was more to do with what was in my box rather than the cards themselves. I just changed my motherboard, so I'm planning on getting another Radeon. As they say 3rd time lucky. Lets hope so :)


Cheers,

John Tavendale
Textures by Tavers - https://www.facebook.com/texturesbytavers

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Hi!I recently replaced my GeForce3 Ti200 128MB with a new Radeon. Due to some strange order problems at my local computer store here in Germany (maybe also because of the price ;) ) I decided to go for the 9500Pro and not for a 9700 version.To give a short conclusion, the overall texture quality definately improved but I can't get any of these monster frames reported! I get very stable 25fps in cockpit view (e.g. PSS ones) but the frames dramaticaly drop in outside view down to ~10! I also didn't find a solution for the extreme blur effects I get on terrain textures.It's not a 9700er I own and it also might be some config problem on my system, but I'm a bit disapointed about the upgrade. Don't expect to much. My old Geforce did some overall lower frames but had't that big drops.Toby

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Guest SlimDady

>Hi! >>I recently replaced my GeForce3 Ti200 128MB with a new >Radeon. Due to some strange order problems at my local >computer store here in Germany (maybe also because of the >price ;) ) I decided to go for the 9500Pro and not for a >9700 version. >>To give a short conclusion, the overall texture quality >definately improved but I can't get any of these monster >frames reported! I get very stable 25fps in cockpit view >(e.g. PSS ones) but the frames dramaticaly drop in outside >view down to ~10! I also didn't find a solution for the >extreme blur effects I get on terrain textures. >>It's not a 9700er I own and it also might be some config >problem on my system, but I'm a bit disapointed about the >upgrade. Don't expect to much. My old Geforce did some >overall lower frames but had't that big drops. >>Toby could be a result of a low performing cpu or ram. Also a 9500pro is nothing similar to the 9700pro.A 9700pro teamed with a good high powered processor will perform very well.

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mgdbottled,don't know why, but I get thirsty every time I see one of your posts.yep, as I mentioned deep in my long post, I have another 256MB that should be delivered today and installed and flown this weekend. I didn't get 512 originally because I thought Dell's price was too high compared to the ads (like Crucial) for memory. Found out later that RDRAM isn't sold by Crucial so finally this week went back to Dell for it.What I didn't say in my post was that those framerates I mentioned are all in exterior view. From inside the cockpit there are no stutters and framerates are always above 70. It's just the fact that most times I can be in exterior view (spotter plane?) and still have framerates above 70 and absolutely no stutters and silky smooth flying. Everything the same but different day, then there's little stutters and framerates of about 50.There was a link in these forums to a page discussing how the framerate limit slider worked (I used to have it much lower) and since I tried putting it a 98 or so (but NOT unlimited) my exterior shots of my planes in flight are usually perfect. It had something to do with where the built-in "minimum" framerate would start making changes in the program to maintain those minimums, somewhere in the 40's I think with it set to 98. But it had a lower "minimum" if it was set to unlimited. Can't remember the details (wish I could order more memory for ME) but I tried that slider in every position numerous times and 98 gives dynamite performance (usually, except for those dang little stutters sometimes).The 9700Pro IS everything I wanted though. I hope the extra 256 solves the occasional stutter problem but that has nothing to do with ATI's awesome card. I did install DX9 and the 3.0 Catalyst drivers within a week or two of getting the computer and don't have a feel for how that change affected anything.I know this all belonged in the Hardware forum, but it wasn't me that started it ;o)

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Guest

OK; I thought you were referring to in-cockpit views. That extra 256 bits of ram will go a long way for you in making everything better for you. Expecially if you're running with 4xAA with AF going. It likely that your harddrive is being accessed way more than it needs to and that'll cause blups once in a while. It's not even noticeable with 512mb of ram. I have found that with a couple addon aircraft that when in outside view, my scrolling isn't smooth. One example was an A330 200 with the Frontier textures. Scrolling was very jerky. Got rid of it. A couple other Posky aircraft that advertise high res 32bit textures without bitmaps also cause uneven scrolling in outside view and are rather slow in updating aircraft textures upon switching to outside view. Those are airplane specific though and I usually just delete the trouble makers. Most everything is instant. I'll have to try a higher frame lock. I've tried 40max but that resulted in loss of terrain textures at a distance so I settled on 20max. At that lock, the frames don't move more than 3 up or down in any given situation. I interpreted that as a good thing.

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Well, dang. Got the 256 stick today. Then read in the manual that RDRAM must be installed in pairs. On the one hand, you'd think that being over 50 would mean that I'd read the directions first.... on the other hand, "...boys and their toys...". My only answer to the question of "how much did it cost?" was "you don't wanna know" and she let it drop at that.So the only 'logical' thing was to order ANOTHER 256 stick (that'll give me 768, which be even better than 512?!I've got plenty on my 'honey-do' list to keep me busy this weekend, while anticipating the next stick's delivery Monday. And, under the circumstances, I'll be trying to complete that list.And --- here it is AGAIN!!! I read a post of yours and I'm immediately thirsty!!Oh, so the forum police are happy:'The Radeon 9700Pro is the most awesome card I have ever owned.' As an aside: This UD program for cancer research is great. Not only do I have it running on all my computers and my coworker's computers, but at a district meeting this morning I installed it on my district manager's computer (with his blessing, of course, as his wife just completed her final chemo treatment) and added some more members to our AVSIM team. And if you are reading this and HAVEN'T joined the team and installed the program, click the link below and waste no time in getting it installed and running:http://members.ud.com/services/teams/team....C1-F9EE49F2D4FE

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Works great!!; not only with fs2002, but with every game; no problems at all.Only: when upgrading an existing PC, think about the power supply; a standard supply of 250W is not suffici

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