Now that 85 is out with it's upgraded graphics as a response to the many concerns over gfx and fps, I assume (rightly or wrongly?) that the next updates will improve further on these 2 areas. So my question is "should I look to upgrade my graphics card ?" My current is a Radeon HD 5750 (reasonably low end, I know) and I was thinking to upgrade to Saphire HD 6950. I ran build 85 last night with the 3.5's at Estoril - racing cars now, good job! - and in private testing I got a steady 58-63 fps with all max except crowd, road reflection and occlusion, then added 16 ai vehicles and got a drop of @ 15fps even when only 1/2 cars were in the frame. Fxaa and HDR were off. AA was 1 and sync was video. 1920 x 1080 res, 60hz refresh. Shadows were low as this just kills everything. My specs are in my profile, so any guidance is much appreciated.
I think there've been similar threads started before... I imagine you're not actually asking 'if' you should upgrade (who would say 'no'?), but whether or not you're going to see significant improvements by upgrading to the 6950, correct? IMO, if you're planning on upgrading specifically to play rF2, then wait 'till it goes 'Gold'. That is, if you can hold out 'till whenever that may be. Right now there's no 'warranty/guaranties' for performance, since it's a work-in-progress.
Ati Radeon HD4890 1GB DDR5 not exactly able to push rf2 either, realy have to experiment with settings each time we get a new build to get max performance vs acceptable gfx, still able to run rf2 well enough for my liking. I'm planning on doing that untill rf2 is Gold and then go for a new gfx card. who knows how long it takes anyways, if you buy one now you might want another one when its gold hehe RF2 is beta, i treat it like that and as long as my League is not going for rf2 i see no reason to upgrade.
With my 6850, at 1920x1080, i have everything max and get 25-65 fps in a session, but AI cars kill performance for me so i keep to 5-6. I've just ordered a 'small' upgrade to a 7850 which according to most benchmarks in most games should see a 30-50% frame rate improvement. I didnt want to go nuts just yet incase it does nothing, but at full quality the game is gorgeous now and just about playable for me. I'm hoping the 7850 is a nice improvement at least until it goes gold. I've currently a Sapphire card and upgrading to same, as they have great cooling and overclock VERY easily. I'd recommend them for sure! EDIT: Here's a direct comparison chart which i found very useful. This link shows what you are talking about, 5750 v's 6950, across a wide range of games. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/537?vs=510
Just wondering if we'll be beta forever! Benchmark test show better results as I would expect. Obviously top end 7000 series are going to be better than 5000, but what, in that case, is a good recommendation for a mid range card? I hope we don't get to the situation where rf2 is going to be aimed at high spec users because of all the graphical issues. Don't get me wrong, I can still run rf2 with enough ai, I just have to turn everything down. If I want to run everything full whack then of course I'll have to look at spending Squllions on a top end system. As in any game. My original post I suppose is asking then "as things currently stand, what do people think is the best Radeon card to run rF2?" IMO graphics will only improve till gold release, and as things stand the ATI cards are properly struggling. So as a small upgrade then (by £50) will I gain any improvement? If I upgrade now could that future proof me for a year or so?
You have a very similar setup to me. I have the Phenom II 965 3.4, running at 3.7 though Overdrive which helps too. If you havent, bump yours up a bit too. Looking at benchmarks, i *think* a 7850 will do it for me. It depends what you call a bargain, but i picked up a 2GB 7850 for just £180~. The REAL answer is, get the best card you can afford. I would have gone for a 7970 but as i said, i dont know if RF2 is optimised yet and that might be overkill at gold. Hope to have my 7850 mid week, if so i'll report what changes from my 6850 and if its in line with other games to benchmark off of. Edit: I was advised to avoid the 7870 as its £50 more and the 7850 can easily be overclocked to within 5% of it, or even closer if you push it.
Haven't considerd o/c my cpu so will give it a go. O/c'd my 5750 a while ago and rf2 crashed on load up. Suppose what level ISI are pitching rF2: gamers: dedicated racers or hardcore simmers.
Why are you limiting yourself to just ATI are you playing other games better optimized on ATI? If rFactor2 is the only game you care about go green and get nVidia they are much better for rF2 at a similar price range you will get approx 10 -15fps more. For eg I took the plung and took everybodies word for it and now I DON'T regret the advise they gave me I came from an eyefinty 5870 setup and got a gtx680, since build 85 I now run everything on and maxed out with HDR on 3 screens multiview and OMG its beautiful looks pretty much perfect my minimum fps is 40 at lowest but thats with 25 AI. It looks fantastic too without HDR btw. The effects and visual detail also appear better and sharper on nVidia as well as faster to similar ATI compared card 7970. Granted you dont need all that power if you run on 1 screen a 680 will be overkill and with each updated build ISI bring out speed improves, graphics are better and less demanding so you wont need as much grunt when the game goes gold. Also I have noticed I feel ISI develop on nVidia and then port code for ATI so to me it looks like its always going to be better on nVidia. My advice would be wait for gold save and then buy, you may not need as much power as beta demands to run on max if money is a problem and at the time of gold you will be able to buy a much better card if you save. If you can't wait and want it now get nVidia you will get more punch for your pound, its smoother and looks way better IMHO refering to the last build and the one prior to that, I cant compare on build 85 as I don't know yet for comparisons but its near perfect for me. At the end of the day you want max graphics and min 60fps with 20+ AI in SP, my advice would be get a second hand nVidia 560Ti from ebay around £100 for a 1gb or new £166 lowest but again I suggest 2gb for max settings and I think the min is around £217 IMO you need 2GB. I think the way its heading with development and updates a 560Ti looks par for max set and 60fps min on 1080p when gold arrives.
GTX670 O/C http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1387&products_id=20209 Keeps up with Vanilla GTX680s and HD7970s np.
