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d a v e
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graphics card suggestions - 9/25/2009 15:24:49
i'm amazed after buying a computer about 1 year ago that my machine has to play colin macrae rally 2005 at lowest res, native screen size with all the nice bits turned down (no ansiotropic filtering, low z depth etc). i recently trialled codemasters DIRT and it ran so slowly it was completely unplayable (on the lowest quality settings) :(
my machine is
dual AMD 64 x2 5000 2.6 GHz
3gig ram
500gb sata (7200rpm) drive
ATI Radeon hd 2400 256mb graphics card
machine is defragged, virus free, and i use iobit's game booster to free up ram and shut down unecessary services before playing adn it's still not smooth.
now my potential budget is around 125 euros (about 180 US dollars, but don't forget it's more like worth 125 dollars, bearing in mind that stuff in the states is way cheaper than anywhere else.)
now what sort of card am i looking at to get reasonable performance, assuming of course that it's my card at the root of the problem? i'm assuming 512mb but other than i have no clue.
oh yes i think my mobo is pci express. i'm just looking for reasonable performance on a budget
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swoosh
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/25/2009 15:39:36
suggested system requirements from gamng site:
Pentium 4 2 GHz,
512 MB RAM,
graphic card 64 MB (GeForce 3 or better),
3 GB HDD.
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swoosh
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/25/2009 15:48:02
Seems like those requirements I posted would be some type of overclocking of the CPU..........but also acorrding to the above list, your video card has more than enough memory.
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d a v e
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/25/2009 17:05:32
how old is that info? 512 MB RAM, is barely enough to run windows 98 .... :)
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/25/2009 19:15:28
quote:
512 MB RAM, is barely enough to run windows 98
Actually, 512 Runs XP Pro nicely
Anyways, I'm going to assume the info from the gaming site I got that from was someones personal opinion. The contrast between the CPU speed and the ram seems to be off base. Then again, I'm not a gamer :)
These requirements are from the Fan Site of the game:
System Requirements
Operating System: 2000/XP
Direct X version: 4.09
Processor: 2000MHz
OS: Windows
RAM: 512MB
Video RAM: 64MB
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BobbyDouglas
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/27/2009 3:23:25
That CPU is more than powerful enough to handle the game. The biggest drawback is your video card. The one you have right now is really slow.
The memory isn't the problem as much as the speed of the GPU.
I would go with a 512mb for sure, depending on the price and availability, I would buy in this order:
Geforce 8800 GT
Geforce 8800 GTS
Radeon HD 3850
Radeon HD 4850
All of the above cards are under $100 and will handle any game you put at them.
What's the model of your motherboard? Sometimes there are conflicts with video cards manufacturers and motherboards. I've personally received boards that wouldn't run ATI cards, but booted perfectly fine with an nVidia card.
Whether you go with ATI of nVidia, it matters on price completely. Everyone has their own personal preference on which one to go with, neither company is better than the other. If you find the Geforce for $20 cheaper, then buy it over the Radeon.
If none of the cards listed are easily available, then do some research on what you can find, and list the models/price here.
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d a v e
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/27/2009 7:06:39
thanks bobby!
i was just trying to paly a demo of colin macrae DIRT and it was painfully slow - unplayable on all but the lowest setting of 640px x 480, 50hz refresh, everything else (textures etc) set to lowest :(
from trying to work out browsing cards and specs and recommendations i too came to the conclusion that it's the speed of the gpu - so would a 512mb card with a possibly higher speed be better for me as a modest gamer with a modest monitor (1280 x 1024 max) than a 1gig card with lower/same gpu speed? i know i'm not the most technical person ever but even after browsing through sites it seems quite a minefield as to what card to buy ;)
i'm looking at those cards now that you recommended
this is my motherboard ECS Nettle2 (more info - http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01077676&lc=en&dlc=da&cc=dk〈=da&product=3657994 )
also i have to factor in that cards in finland probably cost 1.5 times as much than in america :) i'm also considering buying something online but i'm wary of the how it could be if i have to return the card....
i also have to clear it with my wife, or at least sneak it past her :)
EDIT: how do i i tell the power rating of my supply? i guess it's enough but don't want to be caught out?
< Message edited by d a v e -- 9/27/2009 7:12:48 >
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/27/2009 10:58:53
quote:
so would a 512mb card with a possibly higher speed be better for me as a modest gamer with a modest monitor (1280 x 1024 max) than a 1gig card with lower/same gpu speed?
- It depends on the game, usually, a faster 512mb will perform better than a slower 1gb
What's the model number for the power supply?
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d a v e
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/27/2009 11:19:24
don't know - do i need to open the case and look for it? i was trying to search for it on the net but came up fruitless. nothing in the manual either...
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BobbyDouglas
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 9/27/2009 19:22:18
It's best to look up the model of the PSU before putting in a new video card.
Couple problems I've ran into before:
1) Old PSU doesn't have enough power to run newer cards
2) Old PSU doesn't have proper video card connector. You'll need a PCI Express power connector on the power supply.
The 1st issue can cause a problem if there's a lack of power to boot the machine. Old PSUs (probably not a top of the line one) may not have enough power to boot the system with a powerful video card. Your hard drive is an incredibly sensitive component, a lack of power, power surges, etc.. are all potential causes of hard drive corruption.
The 2nd issue will just mean the video card won't have enough power to fully utilize its' potential or simply not display any video output. Usually video cards will come with an adapter to allow older PSUs to connect without a regular PCI express connector.
The motherboard you linked to seems to be pretty good. I would upgrade your video card and double check your PSU is sufficient.
Your system is powerful enough to last for YEARS. Those x2 processors are incredibly fast, especially the x2 5000.
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d a v e
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 10/4/2009 16:52:26
i got distracted by work and stuff but i have been checking out cards...
my power supply is only 300W (but if i'm not running much stuff wouldn't that be enough??) and i read that the geforce gt9800 needs 400W
bugger.
i think i could swing a new card at a push but upgrading a power supply for extra cash and when i don't know how looks beyond my budget at the moment. (don't forget i'll need to buy some shiny new games to play on it too.)
if only i researched my graphics card before my buying my pc i would have gone with a better machine then ;( but i was in a hurry and there was a limit to what was available at the time for my criteria...
so a bit of an impasse for now, but thanks for all the info and i'll just keep it all on hold for a while.
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Giomanach
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 10/5/2009 11:02:30
Colin McCrae games have always been CPU over GPU dependant. Like Crysis and World of Warcraft - they rely on a strong CPU over a strong GPU. Games like Mass Effect etc are more GPU than CPU reliant.
Anyways! on to the topic. As has been said, your graphics card is a little under and your PSU is well under. I won't run a PC on anything less than a 450W, which are around 35-40 here.
And don't touch Nvidia cards (read: geforce), always go ATI, more power, less expensive.
Not much that won't run on mine, and i still wanna upgrade it :p
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 10/6/2009 19:42:18
quote:
my power supply is only 300W (but if i'm not running much stuff wouldn't that be enough??) and i read that the geforce gt9800 needs 400W
- You won't find a decent video card that can run on your 300W PSU. Maybe you could add a new PSU to the cost of upgrading your video card? Have you done any research on available PSUs yet?
quote:
And don't touch Nvidia cards (read: geforce), always go ATI, more power, less expensive.
- No idea what it's like in the UK, here in the US, it all comes down to what the market offers.
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 10/8/2009 14:20:06
quote:
er, found this - 650 w and only 38 euros & 57 USD
http://www.pixmania.com/fi/fi/1385019/art/advance/pc-virtalahde-ea4g-650-65.html
- I've never heard of that brand before. Can you find the manufacturer's website? A 450 watt PSU from a solid company, is better than a 1000 watt PSU from an nobody. Maybe these guys are good, I'd like to do some research on their company before I would give them my recommendation.
quote:
SAPPHIRE TECHNOLOGY Radeon HD 4870 - 1 Gt GDDR5 - PCI-Express 2.0 (11133-19-20R) for only 127 euros /
186.450 USD
http://www.pixmania.com/fi/fi/3703101/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-4870-1-gt-gddr5.html
- Sapphire is one of the cheaper video card companies. They don't have a solid warranty, but their product is usually good enough. I looked around for equivalent nvidia cards and couldn't find any at that website. Looks like the Radeon HD 4870 will be the best bang for the buck. If you can find one from XFX, you'll get a much better warranty. It's worth an extra $20 to have lifetime warranty/replacements.
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RE: graphics card suggestions - 10/20/2009 15:44:02
update: unbelievably my wife said that i can go ahead and spend around 200 euros on the stuff! (gasp) so i could go for a better quality psu.
so assuming i order, how complicated is it to replace my existing psu and how can i be sure it has everything on the new one? also are they all a standard size?
i've changed ram, hard drives and optical drives before but i'm thinking maybe a psu could be a bit more complicated?
i'm also just wondering whether or not i should just buy an xbox 360 arcade or a wii for about the same price??
been looking at Corsairs and they seem to get good reviews and are just within my budget for the 550 or 650 but i'm confused as to how many 6 pin connectors i need or they have. as far as i understand i need 2 for the hd4870 ...
for example here
http://www.pixmania.com/fi/fi/675236/art/corsair/pc-virtalahde-cmpsu-520hx.html
it says Ulostuloliitnnt: Liitin ATX12V 4 pin, ATA serie 15 pin, pvirtalhde-ulostulo 24 pin, liitin 8 pin + 12 V, liitin PCI Express 6 pin so from that i understand it has only ONE 6pin connector??
< Message edited by d a v e -- 10/21/2009 3:52:46 >
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