What GPU should I get for these games...

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I want to not upgrade for 2 to 3 years, I want to max skyrim, arkham city, and atleast equal console graphics on BF3.
Price Range
100-140$
Was thinking of GeForce GTX 550 Ti
I dont mind buying an 800 watt PSU, my processor is 2.6Ghz two core, tell me if I need to upgrade this to max with 30fps please.
Also all these games I want to 30fps.
Thank You for taking your time to read this message.
Also, my motherboard is '07 should I upgrade it? It's top of the line '07 I know it supports PCIe 2.1 x16, I run XP pro 32bit, due to it being a universal motherboard. Thanks!
Also, not upgrade for 2 to 3 years means I want to equal console graphics and have 30-60fps.
Not sure if this goes in gaming, but I assume it does.

 

[Supernova1138]

Okay, first off if you want to play BF3, you have to upgrade to Windows Vista, or Windows 7. Windows XP is not supported for BF3.

Second, for a card in the $100 to 140 price range, you do not need an 800 Watt Power Supply.

Third: For BF3 at least, you aren't going to get great performance in BF3 due to CPU bottlnecking, BF3 really likes the quad cores. A medium speed dual core isn't going to do all that well in that game.

Whether the 550Ti will give you decent framerates at max will depend on your screen resolution. The 550Ti may struggle to max out Skyrim and Arkham City if your res is 1080p. If you are running at 720p or similar, the 550Ti will do quite well. If you want the card to last for 2 to 3 years, and you are running at a higher res, you probably are going to want to aim higher than the $140 price bracket.

To make a better recommendation we need more information. What kind of dual core do you have? Intel, AMD, Athlon, Phenom or Pentium?

Also what kind of PSU do you have? If you have a sufficiently decent one, you won't have to upgrade that, and can invest more money in the graphics card.

 

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PSU 500 WATT AMD 2.6 GHz two core, not sure which CPU it is exactly, was thinking of getting this about two months after the gtx 550ti, phenom II X4.
Should I go Linux? I'm not buying another shitty windows

 

[Supernova1138]

If you're gaming, you definitely need to get Windows. There are virtually no games that can run natively on Linux, the only two I can think of off the top of my head is a Linux port of Doom and FreeSpace 2 Open though I'm sure there are a few others. You can try running games on WINE, but that is very much hit or miss and is probably more trouble than it's worth, especially with more recent games. Only a limited number of games work with WINE, and even if the game runs, there's a good chance that it will be quite buggy or unstable.

The Phenom II X4 would be a large step up for gaming performance over any dual core AMD, though a 550Ti should not be bottlenecked by your current CPU.

I would need to know more about your power supply to recommend a card. Many PSUs are marketed with wattages they cannot actually deliver under normal operating conditions. Things like brand, model number, and how many amps are on the +12V rail would help. A good 500 Watt power supply would be more than enough for a 550Ti, and could even power most high end single GPU configurations. A bad 500 Watt unit may not even be able to deliver enough juice for the 550Ti, and you would have to upgrade unless you wanted to go for a lower power card, something below the $100 price range.

 

[Error 404]

If you're gaming, you definitely need to get Windows. There are virtually no games that can run natively on Linux, the only two I can think of off the top of my head is a Linux port of Doom and FreeSpace 2 Open though I'm sure there are a few others. You can try running games on WINE, but that is very much hit or miss and is probably more trouble than it's worth, especially with more recent games. Only a limited number of games work with WINE, and even if the game runs, there's a good chance that it will be quite buggy or unstable.

The Phenom II X4 would be a large step up for gaming performance over any dual core AMD, though a 550Ti should not be bottlenecked by your current CPU.

I would need to know more about your power supply to recommend a card. Many PSUs are marketed with wattages they cannot actually deliver under normal operating conditions. Things like brand, model number, and how many amps are on the +12V rail would help. A good 500 Watt power supply would be more than enough for a 550Ti, and could even power most high end single GPU configurations. A bad 500 Watt unit may not even be able to deliver enough juice for the 550Ti, and you would have to upgrade unless you wanted to go for a lower power card, something below the $100 price range.

Point me in the direction of some cheap, good PSU's that will use this card to the full extent.

 

[envymert]

Cheap good PSU's do not exist....... Good PSU's come at a premium and are possibly the MOST important part of ANY build. You cheap out on a PSU and you will have many headaches if not failures. Especially in 2-3 years of longevity.