Running Oblivion with a Supported Card...

[darkcool]

After reading over the Oldblivion forums, I have decided it would be worth it to buy a supported Graphics card and just play without the use of these crazy programs, However I hear some people play with oldblivion even with a supported card.

If I buy a ATI Radeon 9700 or 9500 Series, plus my 1.5 Gigs of RAM, Will I be able to play Oblivion at an enjoyable quality and framerate without the use of Oldblivion?

 

[SNGX1275]

Not really, 800x600 is about the best you will be able to do without Oldblivion. Even then the beautiful colors and all the other visual goodies aren't going to show up.

I went from a 9600pro to a 7800gs and the difference in graphics was very substantial.

 

[darkcool]

Not really, 800x600 is about the best you will be able to do without Oldblivion. Even then the beautiful colors and all the other visual goodies aren't going to show up.

I went from a 9600pro to a 7800gs and the difference in graphics was very substantial.

So Basically I need a 500 dollar card to run it without tweaking every option. I swear ATI And Nvidia Have had something to do with this

So EVEN With a Supported card such as the ATI Radeon 9700 series AND 1.5gigs I'll need to run Oldblivion just to reach a resolution higher than 800x600?

 

[Sharkfood]

Hi DarkCool,
I wouldn't be too concerned as you'll be able to play Oblivion JUST fine on a 9700 Pro or better videocard.

Oblivion does have a ton of fancy eye-candy and bells/whistles, but even at medium settings it looks amazing.

More modern games are trying to create a wide range of capabilities for all users and this is a good thing. Those that dropped $2K on a top-of-the-line, dual-core, SLI or Crossfire rig can ramp resolution and turn on every single option and drop their PC to it's knees. While at the same time, folks on $400 budget pc's with older hardware can turn some settings down, reduce resolution and still tune and experience the utmost that their hardware can handle.

Oblivion can be totally tweaked and tuned and you can find a playable/decent set of settings that will yield incredible graphics even on a 9700 Pro. Will it compare to dual X1900XT's with HDR and AA and all the effects up? Of course not, but it'll still look really good and be a fun game for you.

My roomie played for a while on a 9600XT but recently upgraded to an X800 GTO as we got one of these in AGP for a steal ($120USD).. he was able to boost resolution and crank up a few more settings. It was still great looking and played nice on the 9600XT- he just wanted more eye candy. He's really happy now with the budget upgrade.

If you're planning on upgrading your videocard, I'd stray away from the 9700 or 9500 series- it's just not worth the money or time/effort. There are plenty of budget upgrade cards that will yield better performance for around $100-$150 budget (USD) such as:

X1600 Pro AGP
6600GT AGP
X800 GTO AGP

Price these in your area and I'd recommend a 256mb version for Oblivion. All of the above cards play the game great and are good budget/entry level 3d cards for more modern games that don't break the bank.

 

[darkcool]

Hi DarkCool,
I wouldn't be too concerned as you'll be able to play Oblivion JUST fine on a 9700 Pro or better videocard.

Oblivion does have a ton of fancy eye-candy and bells/whistles, but even at medium settings it looks amazing.

More modern games are trying to create a wide range of capabilities for all users and this is a good thing. Those that dropped $2K on a top-of-the-line, dual-core, SLI or Crossfire rig can ramp resolution and turn on every single option and drop their PC to it's knees. While at the same time, folks on $400 budget pc's with older hardware can turn some settings down, reduce resolution and still tune and experience the utmost that their hardware can handle.

Oblivion can be totally tweaked and tuned and you can find a playable/decent set of settings that will yield incredible graphics even on a 9700 Pro. Will it compare to dual X1900XT's with HDR and AA and all the effects up? Of course not, but it'll still look really good and be a fun game for you.

My roomie played for a while on a 9600XT but recently upgraded to an X800 GTO as we got one of these in AGP for a steal ($120USD).. he was able to boost resolution and crank up a few more settings. It was still great looking and played nice on the 9600XT- he just wanted more eye candy. He's really happy now with the budget upgrade.

If you're planning on upgrading your videocard, I'd stray away from the 9700 or 9500 series- it's just not worth the money or time/effort. There are plenty of budget upgrade cards that will yield better performance for around $100-$150 budget (USD) such as:

X1600 Pro AGP
6600GT AGP
X800 GTO AGP

Price these in your area and I'd recommend a 256mb version for Oblivion. All of the above cards play the game great and are good budget/entry level 3d cards for more modern games that don't break the bank.

Thanks. I Figure after 2 years it is time to upgrade anyway, Might as well get something that will last. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[SNGX1275]

You don't need a $500 card to play it. My 7800GS SC was $300

but seriously, you can play it with an older card if you are in it for the gameplay. My gripe with that is that the gameplay isn't that good.

Thats been sort of my crutch in an argumetn for several years, graphics don't make gameplay. Thats a big reason why I played starcraft for so long.

Oblivion's gameplay is not that good IMO, and now upgrading my vid card, now its visuals are so fantastic that it actually is worth struggling through the craptactular gameplay.

 

[darkcool]

You don't need a $500 card to play it. My 7800GS SC was $300

but seriously, you can play it with an older card if you are in it for the gameplay. My gripe with that is that the gameplay isn't that good.

Thats been sort of my crutch in an argumetn for several years, graphics don't make gameplay. Thats a big reason why I played starcraft for so long.

Oblivion's gameplay is not that good IMO, and now upgrading my vid card, now its visuals are so fantastic that it actually is worth struggling through the craptactular gameplay.

I haven't plyed Oblivion yet, but from the others in the series I don't think it deserves the title, "Craptacular". I think for some players you may not get a sense of achievment while playing such an open-ended game however I Loved the GOTY Edition of Morrowind just because even after a year I can still pick up the game and do something. I suppose I'll go ahead and get an ATI X700 Pro for 50 bucks and play But again, your case seems rare in light of other reviews.

****
I have called home and I found out I have a PCI-E Interface, So I am almost certain to get one of ATI's X### Series cards.

 

[tifc8lraz]

What's OldBlivion?