DOOM3 has gone GOLD! August 3rd U.S. date, U.K. the 6th!

[Sonikku]

w00t!

:prayer: :prayer: :prayer: :prayer: :prayer: :prayer: :prayer:



Finger toddh@idsoftware.com

Welcome to id Software's Finger Service V1.5!

Name: Todd Hollenshead
Email:
Description: CEO
Project:
Last Updated: 07/14/2004 12:36:49 (Central Standard Time)
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7-14-2004 11:52 AM CDT

IT'S DONE!!!!!!!

Yes, this is the official word that DOOM 3 has been code released and has been approved for manufacturing! It won't be long now until the anticipation ends and the PH34R begins ;-)

We literally just hung up with Activision and have confirmed that our latest release candidate has been mutually approved and is finally GOLD. Thanks to everyone for their patience (yeah right! =) and for everyone at id, Activision and our numerous partners for helping us create what I believe is absolutely the best game we have ever made.

So, the next question is release dates. Retailers in the States will be allowed to pick up games starting at 12:01 AM on August 3rd. The official street date is actually August 5th in the U.S.A., but some of your favorite stores will probably have it early for those of you who have to have it first. Check with your local retailer for that information.

Internationally, the game will take a few more days to make it to the store shelves. The UK will probably get it first, on or about August 6th. Everywhere else will probably be Friday, August 13th (que Twilight Zone Theme) or close to that date, with just a few exceptions (e.g. Russia and Poland). This isn't because we don't have love for you folks outside the U.S., but the localization and manufacturing process takes a bit longer outside the U.S. where we will have JVC run 24/7 to get the units built. I guess the European manufacturers prefer to give their employees nights and weekends off. Go figure!

The champagne is flowing here at id and smiles abound!

I'll update again with some DOOM 3 preparation tips (not what hardware to buy - you'll have to wait for a programmer for that sort of thing). In the meantime, I want to see those "DOOM 3 GOLD!!!" threads set new records for swamping message board servers, destroying productivity, and post counts ;-)

Recapping today's headlines....DOOM 3 GOLD!!!

:Hangman: :snipe:

Some pics:

http://www.igz.it/dep/pc/doom3/3.jpg
http://www.black-ash.net/games/doom3/screens/chainsaw.jpg

Requirements (according to PC Gamer Review [Score: 94%]):
PC Gamer recommends:
2Ghz CPU
512 MB ram
Radeon 9800
5-channel audio

Lowest supported GPU is a Geforce 4 MX (worse than Geforce 3)
Supported cards:
GF 4 MX
GF 3
GF 4
GF FX (and higher)
ATI 8500s, 9000s and higher

Looks like my P4 3.4GHz HT w/1.5GB RAM and Radeon 9800 should work

:smt033

[madhatter256]

What about HL2???

You need a souped up PC if you want to run the game well.

[Metal_4evr]

HL2
1.2 GHz Processor
256MB RAM
DirectX 7 level graphics card
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard

http://www.driverheaven.net/dhinterviews/doug/


You need a souped up PC if you want to run the game well.

Those are NOT high specs. If you cannot run that then you are in DIRE need of an upgrade if you want to be gaming these days...

My sub $700 CDN rig (AMD Athlon 1700+ at 2.255 Ghz, 512MB RAM, Geforce FX 5200 (Only paid $40 CDN and came with aftermarket cooler) will be able to run both of them aswell

[Greatsaintlouis]

Nobody cares about HL2, it's overhyped anyways. ;-) ;-)

Seriously, this is great news. That preorder I placed back in January is finally going to get used!! :smt040 :smt040

And this will be the true test of my system's mettle. I've surprisingly been able to squeeze out UT2K3, UT2K4, NWN, and a few other fairly intensive games on my current rig, and hopefully Doom 3 works, otherwise it might just be time for an upgrade.

Videocard - Check. GeForce FX 5200
RAM - Check. 512MB - a little on the small side, but it's the max my motherboard can handle.
Soundcard - Check. Soundblaster Live 5.1
Processor - The real test. Will Doom 3 run on an 833MHz Pentium III? :smt043 :smt043 Might just have to save up for a 2GHz Athlon or something...

[cahaz]

in an interview about doom 3 in a serious video game show , the creator of doom said that he could be able to run doom 3 on a p3 800 mhz.

great news for you ,greatsaintlouis :smt023


Nobody cares about HL2, it's overhyped anyways.

overhyped , why?
:smt017


and i care about hl 2, sequel of a historical game!!! :smt024

[madhatter256]

HL2
1.2 GHz Processor
256MB RAM
DirectX 7 level graphics card
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard




You need a souped up PC if you want to run the game well.

Those are NOT high specs. If you cannot run that then you are in DIRE need of an upgrade if you want to be gaming these days...

My sub $700 CDN rig (AMD Athlon 1700+ at 2.255 Ghz, 512MB RAM, Geforce FX 5200 (Only paid $40 CDN and came with aftermarket cooler) will be able to run both of them aswell

Not to offend you at all but I hope that FX5200 will be able to run the game well because it barely runs Farcry (which is a DX9 game) at low settings but it does well with DX8 games but HL2 isn't a DX8 game. But your CPU and RAM are enough to handle the game very well. I just meant that if you want to experience the game with good graphics then you have to meet the recommend requirements which are:

2.2GHZ CPU (AMD equivilant IE ATHLON XP2200+)
512mb RAM
DX9 video card

But again. Valve wants to achieve what HL1 achieved back then where you don't need a souped up PC to run the game. I remember running HL1 in software mode on a Pentium 133mhz and it ran smooth and looked good. It looked even better on my Pentium Pro 200mhz PC with a 32mb TNT2 card. Valve wanted HL2 to run on a 733mhz P3 with 128mb RAM.

BTW. Is the 1700XP Overclocked or not? Here are my system specs which I do know that HL2 will run fine but I'm not too sure about Doom3.

2500XP (1.83ghz)
512mb RAM
9600 Pro All In Wonder (I'm getting HL2 for free by buying this video card).

I do plan on overclocking the CPU and getting better ram thats good for OCing to squeeze a few extra years out of this CPU.

[Evangelion-01]

i have:

P4 1.8
256 ddr ram
32mb on board video card ;)

will i be able to play it xD?

[Metal_4evr]

It's one of the infamous dlt3c Tbred B's which I picked up for $50 used. The FX 5200 is fine if you are used to console games. I only recently got back into PC games and I play most of them at 800 by 600 because that is what I'm most comfortable with. I don't think I will ever view frame rate the same after playing Socom 2 online... I don't want to even guess the average fame rate at peak hours... Overclocking ram is highly over-rated these days. I would only suggest getting some high performance stuff if you are a benchmark freak or have lots of extra cash. It all depends on how high of a FSB you are trying to obtain...

[SilverBolt]

I have bad news for both GSL and metal fever, your FX5200 cards won't be able to run nor doom3 or half-life 2 anywhere near smoothly because both games are DX9.0 games and your FX5200 basicly can do shit in DX9.0.
The card has even worse performance then a 2,5 year old GF4 TI4200 :Hangman:

For both games you'd better get a mid range card like a ati9600 pro or better if you want it to run anyhwere near smooth.
AIT cards are the wat to go with both those games.

http://www.hl2fallout.com/articles/index.php?lang=1&skin=1&CODE=02&id=17

Just a quote from the site:

If you have slightly newer hardware in the DX8 category like the GeForce4 Ti or Radeon 8500+, then HL2 should run pretty well and with some of the shader effects. However, you may still want to upgrade if you have the money and it's definitely a good idea for owners of low end GeForceFX cards. The GeForceFX 5200 is barely capable of rendering a scene using DX9 technology and has been know to go slower than a GeForce4 Ti. ATI's very low end offerings are much better either and can subsequently be treated like a DX8 card.

[Calpis]

500MHz, 256Mb PC100, 32Mb TNT2... hmm I wonder what I can play...

[madhatter256]

If you have slightly newer hardware in the DX8 category like the GeForce4 Ti or Radeon 8500+, then HL2 should run pretty well and with some of the shader effects. However, you may still want to upgrade if you have the money and it's definitely a good idea for owners of low end GeForceFX cards. The GeForceFX 5200 is barely capable of rendering a scene using DX9 technology and has been know to go slower than a GeForce4 Ti. ATI's very low end offerings are much better either and can subsequently be treated like a DX8 card.


I was going to say that but I didn't want to offend GSL because of an arguement we had about the FX5200 lol.

Also, I didn't mean to say that I was going to get RAM that I can OC. I meant that I'm going to get ram so that when I oc my CPU, the ram doesn't get all screwy. I have PC2700 DDRAM. When I OC my CPU, the ram can't keep up because the CPU is going at 400mhz and the ram is going at 333mhz. I'm just going to get 400mhz RAM.

[Metal_4evr]

:smt043 I know my card is shit but I only paid $40cdn which is probably around $30 American and it still beats a GF4 MX which I can get for $50cdn. I bought it fully aware of its capabilities. My next upgrade will be to either a 9800pro or I might wait a bit and get a 6800. It is true that the 5200 is a joke when it comes to DX9. I know that I won't be able to run Doom 3 BUT if HL2 can run on DX 7 cards then it obviously comes with ability to disable the DX 8 and 9 features that are not essential to gameplay. With 9800pros going for so cheap it is not a good idea to recomend a 9600 card unless they really can't afford a 9800pro.

[SilverBolt]

:smt043 I know my card is shit but I only paid $40cdn which is probably around $30 American and it still beats a GF4 MX which I can get for $50cdn. I bought it fully aware of its capabilities. My next upgrade will be to either a 9800pro or I might wait a bit and get a 6800. It is true that the 5200 is a joke when it comes to DX9. I know that I won't be able to run Doom 3 BUT if HL2 can run on DX 7 cards then it obviously comes with ability to disable the DX 8 and 9 features that are not essential to gameplay. With 9800pros going for so cheap it is not a good idea to recomend a 9600 card unless they really can't afford a 9800pro.

Well there is a big gap between a 9600 pro (costing around100-110 euro's) or a 9800 pro which is arround 200 euro's.
So i'd recommend the 9600 pro because it's good enough, not the best but good ennough.

[Taemos]

As it's been said, let me express my opinion as well: GeForce FX 5200's are shit. I bought one to play Deus Ex 2 with (how did Ion Storm screw up so badly?!), and the thing runs all of my games horribly. There is occasional slowdown in Baldur's Gate II :Hangman: .

With that said, which are better: Radeon 9600 Pros or XTs (I've heard the SE's are 'budget models' or somesuch)?

[Johnny]

Thank god i just had a PC upgrade:

AMD Athlon XP 2800+
512Mb Ram DDR400
New Asus motherboard (forgot the model right now)

+

my old and reliable Geforce3 Ti200 64Mb

:smt023

The old motherboard + the P3 600Mhz cpu + 512mb Ram PC133 will probably go to my Dad's office, since he is in need of another PC.

[Johnny]

in an interview about doom 3 in a serious video game show , the creator of doom said that he could be able to run doom 3 on a p3 800 mhz.

great news for you ,greatsaintlouis :smt023


Nobody cares about HL2, it's overhyped anyways.

overhyped , why?
:smt017


and i care about hl 2, sequel of a historical game!!! :smt024


And let's not forget HL2 will use the Source engine, one of the most amazing engines ever. And the other good thing: CS, DoD and TFC will be ported to the Source Engine! :smt024

[SilverBolt]

As it's been said, let me express my opinion as well: GeForce FX 5200's are shit. I bought one to play Deus Ex 2 with (how did Ion Storm screw up so badly?!), and the thing runs all of my games horribly. There is occasional slowdown in Baldur's Gate II :Hangman: .

With that said, which are better: Radeon 9600 Pros or XTs (I've heard the SE's are 'budget models' or somesuch)?

The 9600pro is the older brother of the 9600XT which is a bit newer and a little bit faster, the SE is the slowest of the 3 but is 30-40 euro's cheaper then it's bigger brothers.
In my oppinion it's best to go for a 9600 pro because their being replaced with the little bit faster XT version making them cheaper.

[TheDeathcoaster]

In August I'm finally buying the PC I've been saving for all year. Forget a 9600 going into it, I'm getting a Radeon X800 XT Pro Platinum Edition :smt040

[SilverBolt]

In August I'm finally buying the PC I've been saving for all year. Forget a 9600 going into it, I'm getting a Radeon X800 XT Pro Platinum Edition :smt040

Then you must be loaded those abay's go for over 550 euro's here , damn i can buy a verry nice complete pc for that ammount of money and still be able to play the newest games pretty descently. :Hangman:

[cahaz]

500MHz, 256Mb PC100, 32Mb TNT2... hmm I wonder what I can play...

mm....lemmings? :smt043

ey , thats just a joke my pc isn't better than yours, i own a 633mhz
256 mb pc133 with a 16mb card....(no name..)

i can't upgrade more my pc!!
i don't a a AGP slot , i can't go further than 256 mb of memory,
and i can't change my cpu ! :smt022

next time i whant a new system , i create it by myself.... no surprise when it comes to upgrade!

[TheDeathcoaster]

In August I'm finally buying the PC I've been saving for all year. Forget a 9600 going into it, I'm getting a Radeon X800 XT Pro Platinum Edition :smt040

Then you must be loaded those abay's go for over 550 euro's here , damn i can buy a verry nice complete pc for that ammount of money and still be able to play the newest games pretty descently. :Hangman:

Loaded? I wish ^_^ I've just been saving my pennies all year and been doing some sales of Junk I have in my room. I know a PC for the same cost can do all I'd need it to....its just I won't be able to buy a PC for quite a while (being on a students budget and all) so I've decided to get the best I can now so it lasts the longest :)

[Alchy]

The UK will probably get it first, on or about August 6th.
GO ON MY SON! Nice one Hollenshead.

But why? It doesn't make much sense, id software are American.

EDIT: re-read the article, it's coming out in the US before the 6th. Ignore me.

[Metal_4evr]

I bought one to play Deus Ex 2 with (how did Ion Storm screw up so badly?!), and the thing runs all of my games horribly.
Did you really buy it thinking it would play Deus Ex 2 well? I hope you didn't pay too much for it. I played with clan on ET once and they all bought 5200's and they thought they were high end they all paid $200+...



I'm getting a Radeon X800 XT Pro Platinum Edition
Before you buy one of those take a look at the 6800 series as they perform about the same and have Pixel Shader 3.0

[Taemos]

I bought one to play Deus Ex 2 with (how did Ion Storm screw up so badly?!), and the thing runs all of my games horribly.
Did you really buy it thinking it would play Deus Ex 2 well? I hope you didn't pay too much for it. I played with clan on ET once and they all bought 5200's and they thought they were high end they all paid $200+...



I'm getting a Radeon X800 XT Pro Platinum Edition
Before you buy one of those take a look at the 6800 series as they perform about the same and have Pixel Shader 3.0

I knew what I was buying (I had a VERY limited budget), I was complaining about the lack of story/atmosphere in Deus Ex 2 :). I just bought the cheapest card I could find that had pixel shaders (the local Staples had a GeForce FX 5200 (which I bought), and a Radeon 7000 :Hangman: ).

[Yceman]

I'll probably just play Doom 3 to see the graphics, because I really don't like its kind of gameplay. I'm waiting more eagerly for HL2, but please let's not start a flame on Doom 3 vs HL2. I'm just saying I prefer the gameplay of the Half-Life series than the Doom series

[Metal_4evr]

I just bought the cheapest card I could find that had pixel shaders (the local Staples had a GeForce FX 5200 (which I bought), and a Radeon 7000
Yeah I had the choice between a Radeon 7500 and the 5200, needless to say i took the 5200 because it is not only fastee than a 7500 but I don't like spending half my time playing with bad drivers :smt043

[Greatsaintlouis]

Just a few little comments:

For those of you having trouble with Deus Ex 2 on ANY videocard, have you downloaded the patch? There was something with the game that made it run like sloppy ass on nearly any machine right out of the box, but a patch was released to remedy that. Just checking...

Cahaz & Kyuusaku: No need to feel bad or anything on your rigs, compared to most people here, mine is pretty weak too, but when the main things I use it for are internet surfing, MAME, shmups, and oldskool classic adventures, I don't need anything too terribly speedy ( something madhatter has a hard time accepting in our IM conversations when I mention I'm not in much of a hurry to upgrade ;-) :smt043 ). About the only reasons the thing is as fast as it is are Photoshop and Maya/Cinema 4D, otherwise it prolly would be a 500 Mhz or something. Of course, if your rig happens to run it and you find UT2K3 for $15, then why not buy....

There's nothing wrong with an older computer!! :smt024

Oh, and for people planning on buying a new videocard for Doom 3: I'd strongly recommend the GeForce 6800 over the latest Radeon (not sure of the model) NOT because of any sense of fanboyism, but because Doom 3 was developed mainly using GeForce cards that the 6800 hardware was based off of (I believe), and even in a few .plan files on the subject, Carmack was quoted as saying that while they both ran the game well, the GeForce card rendered a little bit faster due to the way the card handled the game. No flamewars or fanboyism, just a little comment on something I read a while back. I'm not sure what is the preferred card for HL2, tho, as I'm a diehard Doom fan anyways.

[SilverBolt]

The preferred card for half life 2 is an ATI card , and seeing as a whole lot of games are going to be based on the scource engine from HL2 i'd rather buy an ati card ofver a geforce card.

[Greatsaintlouis]

The HL2/ATi pairing makes sense, as I remember someone (not sure who) telling me that a lot of the Radeons include a coupon for a copy of HL2 or something like that...

[madhatter256]

The real reason is because the nvidia card can do OpenGL operations BETTER than ATI cards. Doom3 is all OpenGL, thats why carmack recommends it. HL2 is strictly DX9 code and the ATI card executes the code better than an Nvidia card. All I have to say is wait until Unreal 3 comes out to see if the 6800 or the X800 is worth buying.

GSL, I'm getting HL2 for free because I bought the 9600Pro All In Wonder. You get the game plus Hl1 for free too.

[Taemos]

Yes, I did download the patch :). The game is playable, I'd just enjoy playing it at a resolution over 640x480 :). I'm normally not a graphics whore, but my new computer has spoiled me :toimonster: .

[Greatsaintlouis]

In case anyone's interested, the website www.doom3.com now has actual content in it, as well as confirming the August 3rd ship date. :prayer:

[Survival Tobita]

I'm half convinced PC gamers don't actually play games. "Dood, that new $984908 video card so roxxxorz!" and various system specs is all I ever hear the guys at work talk about when it comes to gaming, rarely about actually playing games or anything that happens in them. Maybe I just don't get PC gaming... :smt017

[Greatsaintlouis]

It's because those of us who DO play games are the ones constantly being told how bad our systems suck, so we usually keep on the down-low. :smt043 :smt043

<Crocodile Hunter Voice>
The PC gamer, while being a reclusive buggah in real life, is very active online, where it will socialize with other PC gamers, and where indeed a sort of 'pecking order' is established. When the normally shy PC gamers are in a group, they become a thoroughly vocal lot, offering multitudes of advice, anecdotes, hearsay, etc. etc. on which piece of PC hardware is, in their eyes, 'the best'. Often times, these are merely personal preferences or ideas generated upon the numbers produced by arguably worthless benchmarking software and are no real indication of a piece of hardware's viability for it's purpose, but try telling a PC gamer that, and by croikey, you'll see the colorful displays of fanboyism that even the multitudes of console gamers cannot match!
</Crocodile Hunter Voice>

It could also have something to do with the fact that about the only real types of games for the PC are FPS games and strategy games, both of which, it can be argued, are bringing fewer new ideas and concepts to the world of gaming, hence not much to talk about software-wise.

[sayin999]

I recently got my current comp a couple of months ago and it has 2.6ghz 512mb ram and 2 dvd roms (1's a burner) but greatsaintlouis I can feel your pain. Even though I feel my specs are adequate, my friend is always telling me how theres no way I will be able to play Half Life 2 due to my video card which is a nvida geforce fx 5200. Always saying "dude your only gonna get like 15 frames at most, even for doom 3. It's annoying to hear since i feel my video card gets the job done as far as emu and such go. Even games that use 3d don't really slow down that much. I really dont want to get a ati card since i'm afraid they'll end up like voodoo (which died by their video card). BUt due to price i might be forced to go for radeon. Nvida's new card is a bit expensive ($400). Anyway to get back to the point, i find its ridiculess how many new video cards and chips they release a year. PC gaming and console gaming seem drasticly different. Pc gameres are always getting the latest cards and processors half the time. Meanwhile console experiance is alot easier due to the fact half the time the system lasts 5 years and even then the old ones are still good.

[madhatter256]

Yeh. I can call myself a PC gamer because not only do we talk about games but most of the time hardware.

One of the other sites I frequent is www.pcper.com the gaming forum is most of the time dead but I go to the hardware forums and help ppl out and look at pictures of other people's PC. Before I had my 2500XP, 512mb RAM, 9600Pro AIW PC, I had a crappy 200mhz Pentium Pro, 168mb, 4gig, 32mb TNT2 card PC and it didn't play the games I owned nor play Star Fox for SNES at over 5fps on zsnes.

That wasn't until I got a job and saved money to build what I have today. Thats the key. Its to have money. That and desire to play PC games/build your own system.

Most of us probably weren't spoiled so we mainly played with what we have, and most of us owned a console not a PC and thus thats why we are here and why some of you own FX5200. I ddidn't get one because I was a PC Fan a few years ago when I was living with my dad and during that time, our PC could run any game you threw at it until Quake 3 came out and because my dad was stingy, he didn't want to upgrade so I had to go back to console gaming. But it was the knowledge I gained back then that made me not buy an FX5200.

[Greatsaintlouis]

Again, I guess I'm not liking the insinuation that you're either some poor white trash or totally ignorant if you own a FX 5200. It is in reality a very good card, at a price that can be afforded by normal people. I needed something good to play UT2K3 and Neverwinter Nights, and the FX5200 was an excellent card that completely fit the bill.

Could I play Half Life 2 with it? Probably not.
Do I really care? Absolutely not.
Can I run Far Cry with it? Yes, it is doable if I want to tweak things.
Do I really care? See answer to HL2.
Can I run Doom 3 with it? According to specs, yes.
Can I run Doom 3 with photorealistic shadow effects and lighting and bling-bling like Flava Flav? Probably not, and see answers to FarCry and HL2.
Can I run MAME, 2D shmups, UT2K3, Gunbound, Doom, graphic adventures, and Warcraft 3? Yes. And that's all I really need. Therefore, I'm getting a perfect deal for my money, and am showing if anything, an utter lack of ignorance, as the card performs exactly as I wanted it to when I bought it. No problems there.

[madhatter256]

Dont take that post seriously honestly. I was being serious at the beginning then sarcastic at the end. i dont want to start a flame.

[Metal_4evr]

One thing's for sure, the US gets much better deals on videocards (especially Nvidia cards like the 5900xt that can be flashed to a 5950 ultra...)


I needed something good to play UT2K3 and Neverwinter Nights, and the FX5200 was an excellent card that completely

Do you find it runs Neverwinter Nights without slowdown? My friend had it running on his 5200 before he sold it to me and he said there was massive slowdown when he went into big rooms. I was thinking of buying NW but I'm a bit cramped on this 10 gb HD :smt043

[Greatsaintlouis]

Yeah, I'm getting it with no slowdowns whatsoever, but I think my RAM helps a bit on that game. If you own a FX5200 (or any GeForce card, for that matter) there's a nice little tweaking program out there called RivaTuner that can help coax a little more performance out of your cards.

And yeah, 10GB for NWN is a bit small, as it wants close to three. But, it's better than wanting FFXI, which takes 6... :smt043

[Taemos]

Again, I guess I'm not liking the insinuation that you're either some poor white trash or totally ignorant if you own a FX 5200. It is in reality a very good card, at a price that can be afforded by normal people. I needed something good to play UT2K3 and Neverwinter Nights, and the FX5200 was an excellent card that completely fit the bill.

Could I play Half Life 2 with it? Probably not.
Do I really care? Absolutely not.
Can I run Far Cry with it? Yes, it is doable if I want to tweak things.
Do I really care? See answer to HL2.
Can I run Doom 3 with it? According to specs, yes.
Can I run Doom 3 with photorealistic shadow effects and lighting and bling-bling like Flava Flav? Probably not, and see answers to FarCry and HL2.
Can I run MAME, 2D shmups, UT2K3, Gunbound, Doom, graphic adventures, and Warcraft 3? Yes. And that's all I really need. Therefore, I'm getting a perfect deal for my money, and am showing if anything, an utter lack of ignorance, as the card performs exactly as I wanted it to when I bought it. No problems there.

You couldn't have said it better, GSL :). I usually only play the "classics" (if only I could get Mechwarrior 2 running), but now that there are a few sequels coming out, I want to get a new video card... Oh well, it happens with PCs I guess...

I think you're right about it being a good card, as most of the time it's pretty stable. The problem is that everything is outdated so damn fast on PCs, which is probably why I said the card is shit earlier.

But anyway, excellent point. :smt024

[TheDeathcoaster]

Again, I guess I'm not liking the insinuation that you're either some poor white trash or totally ignorant if you own a FX 5200. It is in reality a very good card, at a price that can be afforded by normal people. I needed something good to play UT2K3 and Neverwinter Nights, and the FX5200 was an excellent card that completely fit the bill.

Could I play Half Life 2 with it? Probably not.
Do I really care? Absolutely not.
Can I run Far Cry with it? Yes, it is doable if I want to tweak things.
Do I really care? See answer to HL2.
Can I run Doom 3 with it? According to specs, yes.
Can I run Doom 3 with photorealistic shadow effects and lighting and bling-bling like Flava Flav? Probably not, and see answers to FarCry and HL2.
Can I run MAME, 2D shmups, UT2K3, Gunbound, Doom, graphic adventures, and Warcraft 3? Yes. And that's all I really need. Therefore, I'm getting a perfect deal for my money, and am showing if anything, an utter lack of ignorance, as the card performs exactly as I wanted it to when I bought it. No problems there.

Just for the record, Half-life 2 will work with your card :) I had the leaked beta running on my Geforce 2 smooth :) Only thing it lacked was the pixel shader effects....But the FX5200 supports that so you'll be fine :)

[madhatter256]

Here's what Penny Arcade.com has to say about all of this upgrade crap for Doom3.


http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040719l.jpg