NVIDIA nv40
I know I shouldn’t be surprised by hardware anymore, but the new NVIDIA nv40 solution is amazing. Yes it is an order of magnitude faster than the previous generation, but look at this. First, in order to be powered properly, the card will require it to be connected to TWO 4-pin molex connectors and draws 110 watts. Start thinking about needing a 500W power supply. Second, while the first version will have an AGP interface to the nv40 chip, the next and future versions will have a PCI Express interface. PCI Express will replace AGP pretty quickly I think, and is a nice standard overall for peripherals. Third, it will cost about $500 which is nearly the same as a top of the line Pentium 4 chip, which shouldn’t surprise us since it has more transistors than the Pentium 4.
Filed under: Computers
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*sigh* not all of us are high-paying management-types that can stay at the forefront of video graphics technology that costs $500. Is that card going to draw as much power as the rest of my system?
Wow, an ATI 9800 Pro for $190 at ben’s bargains
In tests yes – the graphics card draws more watts than the rest of the system. Of course, this depends on what else you have in there.
And still I struggle to get Farcry to run with my ATI 9800 w/o crashing. The only solution I’ve found that works consistently is to turn AGP down to 4x.
Still, even with that I’m able to run with all the bells & whistles at 1280×1024. Sweet lookin’ game, but I’m finding it to be a bit more difficult than I need it to be at Medium level. And what’s up with the screwy weapon-swapping mechanism? Still, a very, very engrossing game.
What I don’t understand though, is why did your system worked OK when you opened the case and had a fan pointed right at it?