Upgrading: How far can I push this game with this Spec?

[Richter]

I've just ordered the following components with a copy of FFXI:

Graphics Card: Gainward GeForce FX 5950Ultra/1800 256mb "Golden Sample".
Memory: Corsair TwinX Pro PC3200 1024mb (2x512) DDR RAM.
Mother Board: Asus P4P800 Deluxe - i865PE Springdale.

I already have:

Connection: Broadband (Freeserve).
Processor: Intel P4 2.66.

Question: How far will I be able to push the game graphically? Will I be able to maintain a steady/respectable FPS (I'll be playing from the UK.) in dense areas and populated cities?

Thank you in advance.

[Zaleshea]

Depends on your monitor. You may be able to max the output to 2080x2080 or something like that according to some people. However the standard is 1024x1024(this is background resolution).

Graphics as a whole, your computer can display FFXI at amazing resolution with those specs. Especially your graphic card being a 256.(How is that possible...I though they could go up to 128...)

Your connection determins how well the FPS will remain in stable integrity. You can find out it's status by looking at the gauge during gameplay in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

S-number
R-number

Sent is just the information you send back. Recieved is what matters, as the lower this value is, the lower the FPS is. Therefore it would be wise to not have a suck connection while playing this. And that of course is not including the lag the servers themselves may cause.

This may only apply to my connection, so don't quote me on it. But you will always have natural slowness(it is very mild) when passing through the city.

[Aludra]

I don't think the connection speed has anything to do with graphic FPS. My system is about the same as yours Richter and I play at 1600x1200 usually without a problem. I'm using a Radeon 9800 Pro with a ABIT IC7 MAX3(Intel i875) mobo and 2.4GHz P4. It runs really smooth in FFXI.

[Sizzle]

You'll run everything fine. Memory, motherboard and gfx card are all good. Processor is good too and you can always buy a fan for like $40-50 and overclock it a bit. People ill tell you to get a 9800xt instead of the 5950, but there really all the same since FFXI has its FPS capped at 30. And 256mb on a gfx card wont make that big a difference on a game like FFXI, but if you do stick with it you'll be more future proof. IN some cases 256mb on a gfx card has been known to slow its memory clockspeeds by just a pinch.

[Richter]

Thank you everyone for answering my questions.

Since I created the thread I have bought and installed my components. I got the following results when I ran the benchmark:

4477 - L
3794 - H

Using the features of my new motherboard I was able to overclock my processor, so my spec is a little different:

Graphics Card: Gainward GeForce FX 5950Ultra/1800 256mb "Golden Sample".
Memory: Corsair TwinX Pro PC3200 1024mb (2x512) DDR RAM.
Mother Board: Asus P4P800 Deluxe - i865PE Springdale.
Connection: Broadband (Freeserve).
Processor: Intel P4 2.66 (Overclocked to 2.94GHz).

I've got a problem though; when I check the "Nview" device manager it says that my card's BUS is "AGP (PCI mode)", yet it should be "AGPx8", right?

If anyone is familiar with the new GF FX 5950 then they'll know that the card requires additional power, which I've supplied, yet I don't feel that the card is running at 100%.

Infact, when I run the "DirectX Diagnostic Tool", in the "Display" section the "AGP Texture Acceleration" option is greyed out and not available.

Anyone have any ideas?

[The Heretic]

Im getting sick and tired of seeing the same topics all the time in the computer forum, "will my comp run FFXI well???!!???". Im just going to stay out of this area entirely

[Devryn]

Originally posted by The Heretic
Im getting sick and tired of seeing the same topics all the time in the computer forum, "will my comp run FFXI well???!!???". Im just going to stay out of this area entirely

If you refuse to be constructive don't post.

If you had bothered to read it he was asking how far he could push the game, not if he could actually run it.

The correct answer is you can push the game to all of 30 FPS. The reason being is that SE forced that framerate.

[The Heretic]

Dont tell me when not to post. Im back, by the way.

And if people would bother to use the search feature, this question has been answered many times. In fact, the sticky above could have answered this question.

[Doppelganger]

Originally posted by Richter
Thank you everyone for answering my questions.

Since I created the thread I have bought and installed my components. I got the following results when I ran the benchmark:

4477 - L
3794 - H

i have one thing to say:
You wasted your money on a really crappy system there...

with my computer as it was when i ran the bench a while ago, i got 4400s for low, 3200-3400 for high, but i only had 2.53gh p4, 512mb 800mh rambus (running on only 16 bit channel instead of usual 18 bit), and a 64mb ti 4200 (first edition w/ ddr memory). your comp should be getting much better than those scores...

try installing forceware drivers+dx9, that should solve the texture problems...


The Heretic, Devryn, if you don't take this fight off the forums (use pm or a chatting tool), ill see to it that both of you have consiquences (pai, rico, tbotb, zero radius, all of them are closely tied, 3 of them are in the same clan as me, so ill have them look at your posts and decide for themselves what to do)

[Devryn]

Originally posted by The Heretic
Dont tell me when not to post. Im back, by the way.

And if people would bother to use the search feature, this question has been answered many times. In fact, the sticky above could have answered this question.

Is your brain awake? Did you not read his post or what I said? He asked how far he could push it, not if he could run it. I HIGHLY doubt someone had his exact specs and asked this question. Once again if you're not going to be constructive and insist on being a prick STFU.