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G5Unit

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 3, 2005
2,107
10
I'm calling the cops
Right now I have an Nvidia GeForce Fx 5200, and the graphics are terrible. How can I go from the left image to the right one? Any cheap flashed cards? Or ATIs?
 

G5Unit

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 3, 2005
2,107
10
I'm calling the cops
My friend has a PC and bought a card that can render the game like that. He payed 70 bucks. (Geforce 5500) Is it possible to flash that card? If not, Could the ati 9600pro or xt do it?
 

Mav451

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2003
1,657
1
Maryland
Yeah the 9600XT will probably do even better than that, but I'd go for a 9800Pro. If you want a lasting upgrade anyway.
 

Yvan256

macrumors 603
Jul 5, 2004
5,081
998
Canada
Mav451 said:
Yeah the 9600XT will probably do even better than that, but I'd go for a 9800Pro. If you want a lasting upgrade anyway.

How do you flash a card? I got a 9600XT/128MB/AGP, it's PC for now, but if we see new PowerMacs and/or if the iMac rev.B GPU/VRAM still sucks I'll probably get an older PowerMac (major price drop because of the new models).
 

AstroManLuca

macrumors member
Mar 18, 2005
86
0
Minnesota
It would help if you told us which graphics card you're using. Without that, no one can really do anything to help you at all.

And yes you only have vertex shaders enabled. Once you enable pixel shaders, BAM you get the nice looking stuff.

Actually, here's a better idea. Get an XBox for $150, an RCA-VGA converter for $50, and a copy of Halo 2 for $40. That's a much better way of spending $240 than by buying a new graphics card.
 

AstroManLuca

macrumors member
Mar 18, 2005
86
0
Minnesota
Oops, sorry, I didn't see.

Are you sure it only supports vertex shaders? The FX5200 should support NV Shaders, which should make it look pretty good. I mean, the 5200 is not super fast but it's still newer than the GeForce 3 or GeForce 4Ti, and I've seen both of those running Halo with NV Shaders on.

By the way, the GeForce 4 Titanium seems to run Halo really REALLY well. My brother had one in his 1.4 GHz PowerMac G4 for a while, and it was great with all the settings maxed.

I'm not sure why you're not able to turn on NV shaders. If you've already done all the Halo updates and OS X updates and stuff, I'm not sure what to say. I guess try reinstalling Halo? It probably wouldn't help though...
 

wangahrah

macrumors newbie
Feb 22, 2001
27
0
Your card supports pixel shaders...albeit not the best card to be running Halo with.

Hold down command (the apple key) while starting up Halo, and select some pixel shaders. NV path would be better for you, it looks not quite as nice actually, but it will run faster, and your cards not top-notch. Make sure FSAA is off. Model detail can be high, and if you want lens flare make sure you have the latest update, otherwise it will slow you down bad.

If performance is bad, turn off shadows, turn off specular, and bump down your resolution. But it will look a LOT prettier, and should run acceptably at reasonable settings.

If you want a much better card, for about $150 or a little less you can get a PC Radeon 9800 Pro, which is very, very simple to flash to Mac. If you need help with that or want more info, let me know.

wangahrah
 

G5Unit

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 3, 2005
2,107
10
I'm calling the cops
Would that card give me the equivalant to the pictures on the left? What card for the mac could I compare it to?
Anyonw know how to flash a card?
 
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