I've considered buying Bioshock, but I'm not sure if my PC can handle it. Here are my specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo e6600
Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB
2GB DDR2-800 Dual Channel RAM

I don't overclock anything so it's all stock. Will this PC be able to run Bioshock? Also, would buying a second 8800 GTS and using SLI improve my performance greatly? My PC runs just about any game at high settings, but sometimes stutters with Medal of Honor: Airborne.

Well, I picked up Bioshock earlier today. I can't say much about the game because I only played it for 15 minutes, got the electricity in my hands. I can run it at the highest resolution that my monitor supports (1680x1050) at medium detail settings without a hitch. I don't know of a way to monitor my actual framerate in Bioshock, but I would guess it to be in the 70s with medium settings. The game is playable at the highest settings, but I would estimate the framerate to be 40 or so, which is a little too low for my tastes.

Would replacing my 8800gts (320mb version) with a 768mb 8800 GTX make a huge difference? I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I'm afraid my e6600 processor might bottleneck it, and I'd end up with a $500 card that doesn't outperform my $250 GTS.

25FPS is extremely low and almost unplayable, 60FPS is where it starts to get smooth. I prefer to play all games with a minimum of 70 though, especially shooting games.

Ok, I tried fraps, and at the highest settings my framerate varies anywhere from 40 to 80, depending on the area, and stays over 100 at medium settings. High settings are very jerky and hard to play with.

This message was edited by Mule on Nov 02 2007.

This link explains it better than I can. http://www.100fps.com/how_many_frames_can_humans_see.htm

Basically it explains that television media (movies, tv shows, etc) is motion blurred to make it viewable at 25fps, whereas computer games aren't.

This message was edited by Mule on Nov 03 2007.

That makes sense, but I've seen people with the exact same rig as me playing Oblivion with the highest settings, even with FRAPS running, the only difference is they have the 768mb 8800 GTX and I have the 320mb 8800 GTS. I have it completely disable grass and HDR and AA/AF to be able to play Oblivion at 1024x768.

What about 2 8800 GTS in SLI? Would that be better?

quote djjimmy2k2

ah right. i just know that when i was on an animation course at uni i was just told that 25fps was the universal framerate. i guess uni tutors are just a bit stupid.

What he told you is true, it just doesn't apply to video games. Movies, tv shows, and basically anything else (besides video games) on a television runs perfectly smooth at 25fps.

If that's the case, then he is entirely wrong and should have his teaching license revoked.

I get FPS in the 30s on highest settings in Oblivion, and it seems very jerky and is almost impossible to play. 30fps, to me, seems almost like a slideshow. I guess FPS isn't the only factor in smooth gameplay.

Maybe 25fps with an e6700 and an 8800 GTX is different than my fps.

This message was edited by Mule on Nov 05 2007.

My screen isn't smooth and has stuttering, and the FPS is reported to be anywhere from 30 to 100+ depending on the area and what I'm looking at. In oblivion, even at the lowest resolutions and HDR disabled, even the slightest amount of grass, even as low as 1/10th of the slider, kills my performance and makes the game VERY jerky. If I disable the grass completely, I can play Oblivion with all other settings maxed, 1680x1050 resolution, and AA+AF. I'm no expert but this makes me think my hardware just doesn't cut it.

The real question I need answered here is if I need to upgrade that card or not.. It seems to me that going from a 320MB card to a 768MB card would have to give me some performance increase. Also, there's always the chance that my 8800 GTS is damaged, but I don't know how to test that. I've never really tried tweaking my machine either because I was udner the impression it couldn't really increase your performance noticeably. Is this not true?

Also, you didn't upset me at all and I can't imagine why you think you did.

This message was edited by Mule on Nov 05 2007.

You make a good point about those upcoming 9 series cards. When they come out, the prices of the current 8800s will probably drop. I can save a dime and still get an 8800 GTX. I guess it's settled, I can wait another month.

I've also been thinking about getting a new mobo, this Asus 650i has problems.

This message was edited by Mule on Nov 05 2007.