ATI Tray Tools - Radeon 9550

I just downloaded the new ATI Omega Drivers and i noticed the very nice overclocking feature it came with. My question is though--how much can i get out of this with my video card?

ATI Radeon 9550
256MB RAM

I posted a screen of what it's currently at right now, i haven't touched it at all.



Whats nice about the ATI Tray Tools Overclocker too is the emergency shutdown it has when you go overboard. Even if you exceed the memory speed to 999 Mhz, it will say "No Signal" and all you have to do is restart and it will reset itself. Here is my PC specs if needed (Trust me, they aren't too great).

AMD Sempron 2800+ 2.0 Ghz
HDD Space: over 200 gigs
RAM: 1 gig

Yes i know, i need a new processor... <.<;

I was noticing how i was getting crappy fps in FFXI at times, especially in dynamis getting under 5 fps for you FFXI players. I know that's normal but i really think its my processor. I even put the gfx settings all the way to LOW where everything just looked like 1 big pixel and the fps difference was maybe like 2.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

It's not your processor. Change your gfx card. At least an x1600 if you're sticking with ATI, and at least a 6600GT if you're going with nVidia. I've gotten exceptional framerates on FFXI:

Sempron 3000+ Socket 754 (playing stock at the time, which is 1.8GHz)
GeForce 6800GT OC (BFG)
1.5GB DDR3200 184-Pin

What speed is your ram btw? It should be at the bare minimum PC2700 (333MHz)

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yep, PC2700's. Keep in mind your gfx card is a bit better than mine. Nvidia cards work better with most games these days including FFXI. I think my friend has the same gfx card as you but its PCI (mine is AGP) and while i'm getting 10fps, he'll be getting 20+ easily. He also has an Athlon instead of a Sempron, and i hear that does much better. I may just switch to the X1600, but i have a feeling my current processor may be burnin' out. :/

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Sempron is a budget processor than Athlon/X2. Athlon whips Sempron's ass all over the PCB. If it's absolutely necessary, upgrade your processor first. If you think your processor's going out on you, you shouldn't buy a decent graphics card only to have the processor be a bottleneck. BUT, since 754's and AGP's are on their way out the door, I would suggest you upgrade to a 939/PCI-E, that way you can at least keep your ram--even then I'm suggesting you upgrade that too. Athlon processors are going hella cheap right--Newegg has a S939 3500+ Venice for 88 bucks. My S754 Sempron 3000+ Palermo was 120 bucks back in January. You can mostly thank Intel with their release of the Core 2 Duo series. =/ Hope that helps a bit.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by SCHWARZE-5

Sempron is a budget processor than Athlon/X2. Athlon whips Sempron's ass all over the PCB. If it's absolutely necessary, upgrade your processor first. If you think your processor's going out on you, you shouldn't buy a decent graphics card only to have the processor be a bottleneck. BUT, since 754's and AGP's are on their way out the door, I would suggest you upgrade to a 939/PCI-E, that way you can at least keep your ram--even then I'm suggesting you upgrade that too. Athlon processors are going hella cheap right--Newegg has a S939 3500+ Venice for 88 bucks. My S754 Sempron 3000+ Palermo was 120 bucks back in January. You can mostly thank Intel with their release of the Core 2 Duo series. =/ Hope that helps a bit.

S939 is obsolete now as well. AM2 is the new standard for AMD's chips with it's successor, AM3, possibly making an appearance in Q2 2007.

An upgrade to an Athlon X2 system can be pretty damn cheap although the price to performance ratio king right now is Intel's Core2 Duo lineup. The E6300 which is incredibly close to the FX-62 performance-wise is only $180 vs the $800+ for the FX-62. I'd go Intel if you wanted to upgrade.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Well, I was talking about upgrading budget-wise. Obviously the smart answer would be AM2 or Core 2 Duo if you're going to Intel. With that said, you'll be upgrading your ram to DDR2, the standard.

How ya doing, buddy?