Graphics card upgrade joy

Huw the Poo · November 11, 2015, 09:22:52 AM

Hullo!

Apologies in advance; my lady is fed up of hearing about this already so I thought I'd post here and share my joy with you all. ;)

I just installed a Sapphire Radeon R7 370 which, along with my quad-core 3.9GHz CPU and 8GB of RAM means I finally, for the first time in years, have a half-decent gaming PC again! And by god I've been putting it to the test.

I started with Metro 2033 because it's one of the most resource-intensive games I have and from what I've seen still used in benchmarks today. My PC basically laughed at me when I've tried to play it previously, no more than 4-5 FPS on minimum settings. Well, on first launch post-install it automatically adjusted its settings to pretty high levels and the game was running absolutely smooth as poo. Excellent! I'm not ready to play through it yet though, so onwards!

X: Rebirth. This is a game I do want to continue playing soon. In the Before Time I'd have settings down to minimum and it was....kinda playable but not exactly engaging. Now: with all settings turned up to maximum it's still smooth as a baby's arse. Lovely. For the first time I actually get to enjoy flying through those highway tunnel things in space. O0

Shroud of the Avatar. Previously was barely playable as long as I wasn't in a town, now smooth as poo. Excellent! It's one of the few MMORPGs actually available on Linux so I'm planning to put a lot of time into this one. And by that I mean lots of hanging around in towns, criticising other players' sartorial choices. I like doing that.

The Talos Principle. Now this one was playable in the Before Time, but this is a good example of really appreciating turning the settings up, because now I'm seeing whole effects that were previously missing...like those blue gate things now actually deform when they're touched instead of remaining static. I had no idea they even did that! (To celebrate, I just bought the Road to Gehenna expansion since my lady and I finished the base game a couple of months ago)

Interstellar Marines. I can have shadows again!!!!!

Spec Ops: The Line. Now we're talking! I remember the first time I played a Call of Duty game and being blown away by the intensely cinematic experience; I'm getting the same thing all over again with this glorious title. I'm only about half an hour in (with all settings maxed!) but so far it's been a non-stop thrill ride and just hugely enjoyable.

The card cost £90-odd. Pound-per-performance this has been an excellent upgrade. From my small sampling of my library so far, I've gone from unplayable/minimum settings all the way up to maximum settings on everything. Wow.

Don't buy a Radeon, they said! The Linux driver is even worse than the Windows driver, they said! No serious (Linux) gamer buys Radeon, they said! Bollocks! I'm having the time of my life right now!

Ahem. OK, I'm done for now. Thanks for your indulgence. ;D

sandman2575 · November 11, 2015, 09:30:41 AM

Congrats! Excellent illustration of the joy of upgraded PC hardware. Enjoy! O0

gameleaper · November 11, 2015, 09:32:30 AM

I'm running an old PC, because I don't need graphics power at present, I seem to use turn-based stuff and retro games, I use an xbox for call of duty and project cars etc... I respect you greatly huw running Linux, I loved Linux but I never stick with it and having a choice windows has more compatability for what I use.

Toonces · November 11, 2015, 10:16:44 AM

Good for you Huw! That feeling you get when you see games shining at their true potential is something that has to be experienced by every gamer at some point.

Huw the Poo · November 11, 2015, 11:04:11 AM

Thanks chaps!

Quote from: gameleaper on November 11, 2015, 09:32:30 AM
I'm running an old PC, because I don't need graphics power at present, I seem to use turn-based stuff and retro games, I use an xbox for call of duty and project cars etc

Yeah, the only way I was able to put up with onboard graphics for so long is that I tend to play turn-based games and indie games too. But it's nice to be able to play whatever I want now. :)

undercovergeek · November 11, 2015, 11:05:26 AM

lol, good for you sir

Shelldrake · November 11, 2015, 11:38:52 AM

I am delighted to hear that your new gpu is working out for you. Congrats!

Asid · November 11, 2015, 11:45:23 AM

It's like getting cataracts removed

Enjoy :)

JudgeDredd · November 11, 2015, 11:58:07 AM

So you got rid of the Commodore 64? Welcome to a new age!

The Witcher III is s superb game that will show your card off well. O0

bob48 · November 11, 2015, 12:19:39 PM

Well done, Huw!

Huw the Poo · November 11, 2015, 12:51:13 PM

Quote from: Shelldrake on November 11, 2015, 11:38:52 AM
I am delighted to hear that your new gpu is working out for you. Congrats!

Yeah, I was greatly relieved after previously trying a GPU that didn't work at all. Booting for the first time was nerve wracking!

JD: I'd love to, but I don't think TW3 is out for Linux yet. Still, I have plenty to occupy me now!

JudgeDredd · November 11, 2015, 01:59:39 PM

oh I forgot you had Linux. :(

Nefaro · November 11, 2015, 03:27:37 PM

Nice! 8)

I bet your game backlog just grew quite a bit! >:D

Huw the Poo · November 11, 2015, 03:59:20 PM

Yeah it did Nef! I don't know where to begin! I've just remembered Planet Explorers too, another game I struggled with in the Before Time. It's the most promising of the raft of Minecraft-alikes that sprung up in the last couple of years in my opinion.

-budd- · November 11, 2015, 05:50:07 PM

I'm a little envious, I'm on tap to get a new laptop in about a month. I know i could get more bang for my buck with a desktop, but i like to game outside on the deck, even in the winter, besides i'll get a big monitor a little later and have the best of both worlds. I've been pondering myself what is the first graphics whore game i will play/buy first, i'm thinking skyrim. Congrats on joining the the graphics whore club O0. How about a screen shot of all that graphics goodness.