Video Cards/Systems for UltraMode?

I have tried a number of searches, but either I get no hits or get overwhelmed with results.

Could someone point me to consensus suggestions about video cards that will run Ultra Mode without melting, and the underlying configuration (RAM, etc.) needed to support it? I am not looking for the 7ee1 ultragaming starship computer, but something that will take it in stride given a Windows 7 platform. If I know about what I should be looking for, I am much more likely to find it.

Many thanks!

just search my posts.

The starting point for Ultra Mode in low is RadeonHD 4850 on the AMD side, and Geforce GTS 250 on the Nvidia side.

You'll need at least a 350watt power supply to back an HD 4850 reliably, and you'll probably want closer to a 450watt to power a GTS 250.

The starting point for Ultra Mode in High is the RadeonHD 5770 on the AMD side, and pretty much any of the Geforce GTX 2xx series or the GTX 460 on the Nvidia side.

You'll want at least a 450 watt power supply for an HD 5770.

You'll be wanting 550watts or higher sustained for the GTX 260, 275, and for the GTX 460.

Now I've got extremely long posts in these forums detailing why you shouldn't waste your money on the GTX 470 or 480... and the GTX 450 is almost just as bad a purchase even though it will chow along quite happily on a 450 watt power supply.

The low for ultra mode is a bit lower than most realize. It depends on more than just the video card. I know people that are able to use it on a 9600GSO yet my 9800GTX+ is having trouble with it. The rest of my system is getting a bit too old to handle the game with ultra mode.

The best videocard you can buy in terms of value/performance right now is the 1gb Nvidia GTX 460. It'll only set you back about $230 and at (I'm assuming 1680x1050) you'll be able to max out this game and most other PC games out there right now. If you buy the latest EVGA branded revision it will come with higher than standard clock rates (performance).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130570

Don't be fooled by the GTX465. It's totally different.

If you can't afford that, then the AMD 5770 should do you well. It'll lag some in zones with all the pretties turned on, but it runs like a champ (well above 60FPS if you don't have vsync on) when you're in missions.

Ultramode in Pratoria and UM in the rest of the game are about a difference of app. 20 FPS for my 260GTX, albiet on a lowend AMD 4400, 2 gigs ram. If your not going to Pratoria, lower can suffice.

Im running a GTX 460 1gb on my desktop, I can run the game at max ultra mode, but its not exactly playable, I turn off ambiant occlusions and turn down reflectoins, and keep the rest maxed out, and very playable.

One thing i have to say that i love about the GTX 460, it runs cool. under load she hits about 140° F. it idles about 93°F. A lot better than my old 9800 gt.

i Have one question for ATi users, how does the 5750 run? I see that the 5770 will run COH very well for ultra mode, but, Im trying to look at a budget build and just wondering if anybody has used a 5750


-AG

The 768mb version of the 460, as the name suggests, not only has less memory, it has lower memory bandwidth as well. On average it's 5-10 FPS slower than the 1gb version depending on what you're doing.

See this for a comprehensive review of the 460. Benchmarks include several GPUs, including the 1gb version. That should give you a good idea of the performance difference between them.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/gra...b-gpu-review/1

It's the amount of memory the video card has. Also the 768MB card only has a 192-bit video memory bus Vs 256-bit that the 1GB card has.

This roughly translates into an 8-10% difference in performance. However the 768MB GTX 460 is still nearly 20% faster than the older GTX 260. The 1GB GTX 460 is as fast as the older GTX 280 (not the GTX 285).

After doing my own benchmarks with COH and the GTX 460, the only benefit i can see with having the 1gb version (For CoX) is being able to turn up FSAA. Turning up FSAA to its max (x32 on mine) chews up all the video memory.
I turned off ambiant occlusions to increase performance, and a personal preference, its not as visually apealing to me anyway when its maxed out. so for me, its a win win having it off. I have reflections on medium. everything else maxed out, FSAA at x16 and i have an average of 50-60fps.

If I run at Max ultra mode, my average FPS is about 20.

Now, all that is when im outdoor. If im in a mission map, where there is less to reneder, i can turn just about everything all the way up, and still have some nice fps. (but, as i said earlyer, i don't really like the ambiant occlusions)


But, to sum it up, I think the GTX 460 is a great card. IF you have a good system behind it, it will run great. If your running an older system, it may not be as nice for you.
For me, TBH, is the environmental benefits of using it is win. it runs cool, even under load. Im a stickler for stock cooling for everything, so, if it runs cool on its own, its a winner.

for those who wonder:
Phenom II @ 3GHz
4GB DDR3 @ 1600
Gigabyte GTX460.

Tom's Hardware provided this list on their website, which helped me settle on the on-sale 5770 for Ultra Mode:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...pu,2732-7.html

As a bit of empirical data on Ultra Mode, I have an older workstation class laptop with an Intel Core2Duo running around 2.5GHz and an Nvidia 7950GTX mobile video card. I can run UM with some of the features enabled at medium level on that machine and still pull in ~30-40fps in Paragon City @ 1680x1050.

Now I do have to pick and choose carefully what I turn on and how high I crank it but from what we've been told about UM requirements that laptop shouldn't be up to the challenge... but it can do it albeit at a lower level. Things I can activate on that machine: UM shadows @ medium, water reflections @ medium/high. Things like occlusion do really throw out an anchor on performance and taking FSAA above 4x is also a no-no. Frankly I don't recall all the settings on that machine but I was able to get good quality results while maintaining more than 30fps in combat. I'll admit that I was surprised at just how much I could use on that computer.

Unfortunately my brand new i7 based Alienware MX11 with an Nvidia 330 really sucks on UM, the only setting it'll even allow is shadows. It's great at crunching numbers on things like video encoding or Photoshop though which come to think of it IS what I bought the thing for.