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First Impressions: GF FX5600


Steiner14

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Yesterday i bought the MSI FX5600 VTDR, because i couldn't stand anymore the lack of fog with my Radeon8500LE (Connect3D).

I had bought it for CMBB only and replaced a TNT2Ultra with it.

First i had to notice, my computer didn't boot with the Radeon - the frightened 4 times beeper - initialization failed.

After several days of searching on the net, i found an interesting article: it mentioned, that not the PSU has to be it, but it could be a voltage breakdon on the VIA motherboard.

I followed the instructions, soldered directly a cable with a switcher from the power supply +3V (IIRC) to the mentioned transistor on the mobo and prayed, that it will help.

And it helped!

So this time i was a bit afraid, that this time, my PSU (300W) would be really to weak for the FX5600.

I installed the card, switched on the computer and couldn't believe it, that the computer booted without the additional voltage-supply being connected.

Until now, i booted around 20 times and didn't need it once.

So the Radeon8500LE already needed more current on initialisation, than a FX5600!

And finally FOG FOG FOG! CM looks fantastic with fog again (since my TNT2 days)! I'm really happy about that like a child at christmas. :rolleyes:

The 2d picture quality of the FX5600 is really excellent, too and a big improvement compared to the Radeon8500, which already makes a very good 2d picture.

I decided for the 5600 because the 5200 would have been slower than the 8500LE and the performance with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing seems much better than with a Ti4200 (otherwise i would have gone with a Ti4200).

Now i run CM with 4 times AA and 8 times AF without any performance problems and it simply looks fantastic.

Another point for me to choose a MSI VTDR was that it's almost silent: 28dB!

This card is also mentioned in a few revies as a good overclocker - haven't tried it yet, 'cause it's fast enough for CM anyway.

Another positive argument to decide for the slightly higher priced MSI VTDR was it's infrared remote control: the infrared receiving-diode is on a quite long cable (~1m) and therefore i hope (if the software does what i expect), to be able to control the computer from the next room (with a hole in the wall).

If it is of interest for some of you: the card comes with full versions of Ghost Recon, Morrowind and Duke Nukem Manhattan Project.

The other 7 included games are demos only.

5 other CDs with programs are included, too.

It's TV-out is also mentioned in some reviews as very good (S-VHS to S-VHS cable included), although i haven't tested it yet.

I also don't really need it, because i have a standalone DVD, but the remote control in conjunction with MSI's Media Center software, really seems worth to give it a try: controlling the music or DVDs from the next room in front of the TV or recording via the card's VideoIn, without the need to be at the PC.

I was a bit sceptical, due to the bad press nVidia has nowadays, but if you want fog and speed with AntiAliasing and AF on for CM (and who doesn't), there's nothing better for CM than the new GF5600 upwards.

Now it seems to me, the press and the big reviewers are doing everything, to make a hysteria against the new GF5. Forget about that, if you need a good card for CM!

No one is mentioning ATI's table fog problem or the needed high current at initialization.

I also didn't want to wait any longer, 'cause CM is my main game (every other game has turned into peanuts for children) and when CMx will come out, then i will have used the 5600 for a decent time to make an upgrade again - maybe.

AMD TB 1.4@1.53

Via KT133A

512 MB

325W PSU

DualBoot Win98SE(CombatMission) / XP(music only)

Update (21.09.03):

Today i found some time, to take a look at the software, that's included.

InterVideo's WinProducer v2.0 FullVersion :eek:

and InterVideo's WinCoder -> MPeg4, DivX support :eek:

A lot of special effects and filters.

Seem's to be very easy, to make DVDs with menus with it.

Another CD contains InterVideo's DVD Player WinDVD 5.1 channel.

In the meanwhile i tested the TV-out: much better than from the Radeon8500. Very good.

[ September 21, 2003, 08:00 AM: Message edited by: Steiner14 ]

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Yes, I too recently got a FX 5600 Ultra (PNY brand) and have been very happy with it.

Up till then I had a GeForce 3 Ti500 which was probably the best card I have ever owned.

I have not had any problems with the FX and it seems more than fast enough for what I do with it.

I did notice that frequent task switching from CM to email or browser and back will sometimes result in textures in CM being surronded by a black border. Alt-Tabbing out and back in always fixes it and it also doesn't always occur. I am testing with some beta Nvidia drivers though so they might be the culprit.

Most of the recent hysteria against Nvidia seems centered around Gabe Newells comments with regards to the FX cards and Half Life 2. Time will tell if they are justified or not.

Nvidia apparently got caught tweaking their drivers to optimize performance in a specific benchmarking program. Something pretty much every video company has done since the first Orchid 3D cards came out years ago (had one of those too).

Do you really think these companies DON'T strive to optimize performance in the most widely used Benchmarks? Of course they do, and that is a big reason why bot hNvidia and ATI contineu to release drivers that break things in CM which should not be broken.

CM was coded BY THE BOOK, in that Charles followed all the rules and procedure calls as laid down by Microsoft in their DirectDraw/Direct X documentation. The fact that issues like misrendererd Anti-aliasing continues to crop up in various drivers shows very clearly how these companies are continuing to try and cut corners to get the best performance.

I will say though that some of the things that Nvidia us *alledged* to have done in the as yet to be released 50.xx drivers seem a little shadey as it would seem they are now trading graphics quality for performance and when you pay hundreds of dollars for a new card, you dont want to hear that.

As I said, time will tell. ATI's newest 9800 cards do look sweet though and from what I have seen, other than the fog table support, their drivers are more mature than ever.

For First Person shooters, Radeons might be taking the lead. For CM, Nvidias are still the best bet, for now.

Madmatt

[ September 21, 2003, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

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I'm currently using a 9800Pro, with the latest Omega drivers, and although fog is AWOL, the effect of AF is amazing. It's also a LOT faster on the redraw than the Nvidia offering, and scrolling around the screen in the larger battles is no longer an issue. I've just upgraded from a 5900FX to this Crucial Radeon. It's just a shame they can't incorporate the best bits from both into a single design.

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I did notice that frequent task switching from CM to email or browser and back will sometimes result in textures in CM being surronded by a black border. Alt-Tabbing out and back in always fixes it and it also doesn't always occur. I am testing with some beta Nvidia drivers though so they might be the culprit.
Matt I am haveing the same problem. With a Ti 4200. And It has only began to happen recenty, If you find a solution please post it I would like to know what you find out. I too can fix the problem by Alt-Tabing out and back in.
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I will say though that some of the things that Nvidia us *alledged* to have done in the as yet to be released 50.xx drivers seem a little shadey as it would seem they are now trading graphics quality for performance and when you pay hundreds of dollars for a new card, you dont want to hear that.
When I heard that the new cards sacrificed image quality for speed I couldn't believe it. I can't imagine paying $400-$500 for a video card and having the picture actually be slightly worse than it was with your older Ti series card. What an absolute ripoff.
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Interesting comments about the FX5600 - Your rig is similar to my home away from home rig, Steiner14, but it has a Ti4600 in it. My brother currently has the new FX5600 card in our pool of computers, and I think I'll be swapping the cards around - he needs the extra horsepower of the 4600(Dark Age of Camelot, etc) and as long as CMBO & CMBB run okay with the FX5600, then that's all I require.

Phil buddy, whaddya got, cash to burn?!? ;) I just got a eVGA FX5900 (non-Ultra) for my primary rig, and it runs great - Yes, fog in CM was the only reason I didn't go ATI. (And I have told ATI that on several occassions). But esp. with AA or AF on, the 5900 does pretty well - here's a link to Tom's Hardware where you can see them tested against each other.

http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030714/index.html

While there's no doubt that the 9800 Pro kicks butt, I'm surprised you'd dump a FX5900 for it.

MadMatt - Our Gainward 64MB GF3 just got handed down to my 70 year old father - gotta keep his MS Train Simulator runnin' spiffy. It, too, has served us well for a couple of years now.

I can only pray that Battlefront goes ahead with the plan to DUMP Direct X and encodes CMX2 in OpenGL, as the rumor implies. Any news on that, MM?

Hpt. Lisse

[ September 29, 2003, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: Hpt. Lisse ]

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