Need a new video card

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sparkplug

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I'm into gaming and I need a recommendation for a good card under $150.

My setup is a Dell Inspiron 531 with an AMD 64 X2 Dual Core 5000 (2.61 Ghz) with 3 Gigs of RAM with a Radeon HD 2600XT video card. Crysis is bearable but the settings are low. COD WaW is ok with the sliders all the way down. FSX? FORGET ABOUT IT!

I was thinking of this card. Anyone guide me in the right direction?
 
Looks like a decent card, just make sure you've got an ample power supply in the Dell to handle it. -- The below excerpt was taken from the detailed specs tab on the TigerDirect website:

450W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 24A or more (Minimum system power requirement based on a PC configured with an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor)
 
radeon's a good card, personally nvidia is a gamer's card. get the one with 1gb ddr3 ram. i'm playing oblivion (I know.. late bloomer), no hestitations on my 3ghz intel with ddr2-800 and 4gb ram.
 
I get decent Crysis playability with my Radeon 4870. The Radeon 5750 seems like a nice card and is available at Newegg for under $150. It's about as fast as the 4870 and adds DX11 capability which adds a bit of futureproofing cushion. Nvidia hasn't released any DX11 cards yet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102859

For what it's worth, I have the eye candy on Crysis turned almost all the way up on my dual Opteron 285 rig (4 x 2.6ghz cores). The video is the limiting factor for Crysis so you should be loaded for bear with your existing machine and a ATI Radeon 5750 card.
 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5316265&CatId=3585

To the OP: that card is miles faster. It is also DX 11 compliant.

Looks like FamilyGuy and I are thinking along the same lines here
wink.gif



BTW, with my 2x 4890's in Crossfire, I can run Crysis maxed with 8x AA.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL

Looks like FamilyGuy and I are thinking along the same lines here
wink.gif



BTW, with my 2x 4890's in Crossfire, I can run Crysis maxed with 8x AA.


I don't use the 4870x2 much anymore (should probably just sell it on fleabay while it's still worth something...hehe). It's REALLY noisy, but I agree that it can run Crysis at a decent frame rate with 8xAA and all the eye candy maxxed out. I've mostly gotten over my mid-life gaming phase. :)
 
Your system has a 300 watt power supply, so you'll need to upgrade it. How's the case size? Want to make sure the card will fit..(not to large)
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: chuckerants
Why not get a Nvidia card like the GTX260 216 shader and you can Fold at the same time.

http://folding.stanford.edu/

The GTX260 is probably the best bang for the $ (for Folding). If all you want is to play games, ATI is probably a better bet.


You can fold on ATI too: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-ATI

And you get DX11 compliant hardware.......... And a faster card for less money.
 
For some reason I don't understand, ATI cards aren't optimized for Folding though they can Fold, my $40 Nvidia 9600GSO gets more points per day than a much more expensive HD4870.

I have heard though that the Stanford team are trying to optimize the code for ATI cards as well which should be a great boon for ATI Folders.
 
Originally Posted By: chuckerants
For some reason I don't understand, ATI cards aren't optimized for Folding though they can Fold, my $40 Nvidia 9600GSO gets more points per day than a much more expensive HD4870.

I have heard though that the Stanford team are trying to optimize the code for ATI cards as well which should be a great boon for ATI Folders.


My 4870 and it's predecessor (4870x2) seemed to crank out the F@Home work units pretty darned quickly. However, after getting up into the top 2-3% of contributors, I sat down and thought about how much electricity I was using...and that was that.
 
As much as I am and have been a fan of AMD CPUs, right now, the Intel i5 and i7 has the lead in performance, so I second OVERKILL's suggestion.

As for the PSU, I've never heard of XION and though the +12v specs look good, I would again go with OVERKILL's suggestion and go with a known name.
 
What's your F@H username?
Originally Posted By: Familyguy
Originally Posted By: chuckerants
For some reason I don't understand, ATI cards aren't optimized for Folding though they can Fold, my $40 Nvidia 9600GSO gets more points per day than a much more expensive HD4870.

I have heard though that the Stanford team are trying to optimize the code for ATI cards as well which should be a great boon for ATI Folders.


My 4870 and it's predecessor (4870x2) seemed to crank out the F@Home work units pretty darned quickly. However, after getting up into the top 2-3% of contributors, I sat down and thought about how much electricity I was using...and that was that.
 
Originally Posted By: chuckerants
What's your F@H username?


It's my real name so I'd prefer to keep it to myself. I should probably change that. :)
 
I'm also looking into a video card. I have THIS system which has a PCI Express x16 slot available. I'm not looking for something super deluxe, mostly looking to get a dual monitor setup for Autocad (eventually). Don't play many games, but I'd like to get a good card in the $100-150 range.

Never put in a Vid card before so don't know much about them. I've seen at the store that many cards have "PCI 2.0 x16" on them. Will these work on a non-"2.0" machine?

Thanks for the help.

PS: This looks intersting:
http://www.amazon.com/HIS-H467QS1GH-Rade...mp;sr=1-3-fkmr0
 
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