fronzz Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Hi, I'm looking to buy a new Graphics card, and am wondering what would be a decent one to get? I'd like Nvidia, I've heard good things about them, but any others are up for consideration. Thanks for the help, Peter when you have steel barsTHE GREAT RACE TO 99 FM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloter Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I tend to agree with you and would go with nvidia. There big competitor ATI i don't prefer but there is nothing wrong with them. Do you have a price range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fronzz Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 $50-$150 I think. I can go a bit more, but that would be my preferred range to stay in. when you have steel barsTHE GREAT RACE TO 99 FM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NuckingFuts Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%204027%201305520548&name=NVIDIA ^ All of those look like they could do a decent job. I'm unsure about what specifics you will be wanting though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I tend to agree with you and would go with nvidia. There big competitor ATI i don't prefer but there is nothing wrong with them. Do you have a price range? ATI currently kicks NVIDIA's [wagon] with their HD series. I haven't heard much about their current drivers, but for example: ASUS HD4850 512MB $140 The next closest NVIDIA card would be EVGA 9800GTX 512MB $150 In benchmark tests the HD4850 often beats the 9800GTX at large scale resolutions (1680x1050 and up) where as the 9800GTX tends to do better at lower resolutions. You could spend another $20-$30 though and get HD4870 512MB $180 Which has been known to get close to the 1GB GTX280 on a lot of benchmarks, like within 3-5 FPS. Or if you want a cheaper card for for a 9800GT, $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fronzz Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Most of them look good, I'll only ever run a 1024 x 768, its just the right size for me, So i might go with the Nvidia one. Keep bring suggestions if you have any. Also, if someone could give me a heads up on installing one? when you have steel barsTHE GREAT RACE TO 99 FM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 What are you using this graphics card for? I mean, are you playing the latest games or what. I'd rather you not spend $150 if you will only be playing runescape. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloter Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I tend to agree with you and would go with nvidia. There big competitor ATI i don't prefer but there is nothing wrong with them. Do you have a price range? ATI currently kicks NVIDIA's [wagon] with their HD series. I haven't heard much about their current drivers, but for example: ASUS HD4850 512MB $140 The next closest NVIDIA card would be EVGA 9800GTX 512MB $150 In benchmark tests the HD4850 often beats the 9800GTX at large scale resolutions (1680x1050 and up) where as the 9800GTX tends to do better at lower resolutions. You could spend another $20-$30 though and get HD4870 512MB $180 Which has been known to get close to the 1GB GTX280 on a lot of benchmarks, like within 3-5 FPS. Or if you want a cheaper card for for a 9800GT, $100. I never said that they weren't bad i just prefer nvidia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJoe Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 HD4670/4830 or 9600/9800GT if you just play at that res... You'll be able to play any new game with high settings and get good frame rates in that res. J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff moviesJe trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vieJe ne me reconnais plus dans les gensJe suis juste un cas désespérantEt comme personne ne viendra me réclamerJe terminerai comme un objet retrouvé Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I never said that they weren't bad i just prefer nvidia. I figured so. Wasn't really trying to prove you wrong or anything :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloter Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I never said that they weren't bad i just prefer nvidia. I figured so. Wasn't really trying to prove you wrong or anything :P I will say i have heard the HD series is suppose to be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Yeah. reason I said something is because I've been looking up benchmarks for NVIDIA vs ATI lately, as I'm kind of looking for a new video card. When I saw the HD4870 benchmarks I was blown away, like I said it was just kicking [wagon] even with the 512mb version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fronzz Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 I don't really play rs anymore, so I would be using this card for better gaming. I feel left out in the way of gaming. I have pitiful CoD 1 and that hardly runs on this gfx card, so I really need an upgrade. when you have steel barsTHE GREAT RACE TO 99 FM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 What's the rest of your computer? I mean, do you even have a PCI-E slot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folmer_veeman Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I really recommend the HD4870, it's cheap and very good. I can run all games I've tried on the highest settings with it (Even FarCry 2, Company of Heroes dx10 and Crysis). I plan on getting the HD4870x2 next year, it will shred anything that gets thrown at it :twisted: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJoe Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I really recommend the HD4870, it's cheap and very good. I can run all games I've tried on the highest settings with it (Even FarCry 2, Company of Heroes dx10 and Crysis). I plan on getting the HD4870x2 next year, it will shred anything that gets thrown at it :twisted: 4870 for 1024x768? Right... J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff moviesJe trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vieJe ne me reconnais plus dans les gensJe suis juste un cas désespérantEt comme personne ne viendra me réclamerJe terminerai comme un objet retrouvé Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLancer Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I got Sapphire Radeon HD 3850 and it plays all games including new ones like GTA 4, Crysis, etc.. At almost-full details on 1440x900 resolution, totally no lag, about 30-50fps at all times. (Over 100-300 fps in games like unreal tournament and some pre-2007 games) Would say it costs somewhere around $90-$110 these days, definitely recommend it. I don't really play games that much anymore.. Then again, if I were to build a new system, I'd definitely fork the extra 30 bucks for a HD 4850 like suggested above and get even better quality graphics. (The 4870X2 and other dual cards seem a bit too expensive IMO... At least I wouldn't spend $300-$500 *just* to get a slight FPS upgrade and run more anti-alias or shaders etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJoe Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I got Sapphire Radeon HD 3850 and it plays all games including new ones like GTA 4, Crysis, etc.. At almost-full details on 1440x900 resolution, totally no lag, about 30-50fps at all times. (Over 100-300 fps in games like unreal tournament and some pre-2007 games) Would say it costs somewhere around $90-$110 these days, definitely recommend it. I don't really play games that much anymore.. Then again, if I were to build a new system, I'd definitely fork the extra 30 bucks for a HD 4850 like suggested above and get even better quality graphics. (The 4870X2 and other dual cards seem a bit too expensive IMO... At least I wouldn't spend $300-$500 *just* to get a slight FPS upgrade and run more anti-alias or shaders etc.) You can get a 4670 for 70$, which performs the same as the 3850 but with just a 128bit bus... Pretty amazing. Yum yum, veggie-burgers and some fries for dinner... Now a coffee! J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff moviesJe trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vieJe ne me reconnais plus dans les gensJe suis juste un cas désespérantEt comme personne ne viendra me réclamerJe terminerai comme un objet retrouvé Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLancer Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I looked into 4670, according to the name it should be a higher and thus "better" series, but it's really pretty much weaker than 3000-series and the 4800-series cards http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-radeo ... 0-review/2 514 million transistors (4800 series has nearly 1 billion, 3800 series 666 million) memory clock 2ghz (4870 has 3.6ghz, 3800 series 2.25ghz) 128-bit bus (all others in comparable series 256) math processing rate: 480 Gigaflops (4000 series 1000+, 3800 series 497+) Positive: Very low power consumption, half of comparable medium-high end chips That's not to say it's still not a steal for that price (seriously underpriced by ATI?), but it will suffer in performance compared to gpu's within the same price range +30-50 dollars. I personally wouldn't buy it unless on a very, very restricting low budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJoe Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 4870 uses gddr5... That's why it has it's insane speed. 128bit bus, yes, but it still performs the same as the 3850 which has 256bit... It's pretty amazing that it has it's performance but with just a 128bit bus and it also makes it much more cheaper for us consumers. You could also go on about the 4870's 256 bus, but since it uses gddr5 it doesn't need a 512 bus, take a look at GT200 which uses gddr3 and it's bus is 448 and 512 (if remember correct)... Which makes it more expensive to produce. As i said, it depends on what resolution you play on, the budget and how often you play games. For me, playing a bit then and now with a 19" widescreen... It's the perfect card. Performance/price ratio is very good (as with all the 48xx series cards). And since that dude only plays on 1024x768 he doesn't need a 4850/9800gtx+ to play with high settings for a good frame rate. J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff moviesJe trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vieJe ne me reconnais plus dans les gensJe suis juste un cas désespérantEt comme personne ne viendra me réclamerJe terminerai comme un objet retrouvé Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Exactly. And as I said before we don't even know if he has a PCI-E right now, or what he plays. May have to recommend something else entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fronzz Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 I'm a virgin when it comes to manually upgrading computers. So can someone tell me what a PCI-E slot looks like? I'll take my computer apart and check it out if someone can give me a decent explanation of what one looks like. A pic would be nice too. when you have steel barsTHE GREAT RACE TO 99 FM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracion1 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 PCI-E slot: Also, how many watts does your PSU give? If it's a prebuilt computer it probably won't be very high as they only just cover the components contained inside the case. You can easily buy a decent cheap one to upgrade though. "In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fronzz Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 How do I find out how many watts it gives, and your image doesn't work. when you have steel barsTHE GREAT RACE TO 99 FM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryomancer Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Your PSU should have a label on the side saying some information, your psu will probably be between 300-500W. Take a picture of it if you're still not sure and post it here. A pci-e slot looks like this: It's the blue one, but yours might not necessarily be that colour, it varies. Note the division of the slots, and the bit hanging off the end. The white ones below it are pci slots, which are still quite common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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