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Would a new vid card help?

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zhadows   12-09-2007 at 10:38:26 PM

Hey, I am currently running on a Gateway PC, Pentium 4 2.8ghz, 1 gig of ram, and an *Integrated video card*. I get extremely low FPS, I made a post before about getting 4-8 FPS in World of Warcraft.

I run Native resolution on a 22'' widescreen.

If I were to get a 8600 GT and 2 gigs of ram, will it improve my FPS by alot? Or will my Processor hold me back in the 10-20 FPS range?

Thanks.



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nightscope   12-09-2007 at 10:45:27 PM
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So I guess you have a pci express slot?

The 8600 GT is not a powerful card. It would certainly improve your performance, and it can probably play WoW, but it's just not a wise investment.

If you can pay a little more and get a HD 3850, it would certainly be a wiser investment.

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frozenlead   12-09-2007 at 11:22:27 PM
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i don't think your processor can handle a 3xxx series, you'll bottleneck it and waste your money.
At the most, I'd get a x1900/x1950 if you can find out, or an HD 2600. chances are your power supply can't support any of these cards anyway.

Now, that's if you have an AGP slot. If you have a PCI-e slot, then it's a bit different.

i'm not a pci-e expert, seeing that as i still run agp.
However, if you have a pci-e slot, then I would still go with the same class card, maybe a 3850, but only if you can afford it easily and you have a PSU powerful enough to back it up.

Reply to frozenlead
nightscope   12-09-2007 at 11:47:50 PM
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Why would you buy a 1950pro when the 3850 is MUCH better and is around the same price?

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to nightscope
zhadows   12-09-2007 at 11:57:45 PM
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I have a PCI-e x16 slot.

But my processor is pretty slow, and only a 300w.PSU

Reply to zhadows
FrozenGpu   12-10-2007 at 02:56:32 AM
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nightscope wrote :

Why would you buy a 1950pro when the 3850 is MUCH better and is around the same price?



I think frozenlead was talking about if the guy has an AGP slot...now we know he has a PCI-Express, he should probably drop like $185 and get a HD3850... :)

Oh right and get a more efficient PSU at least 500 watt with decent 12v rail(s) [Combined maybe 24-38 Amps] at least 80% efficiency or higher.

1 Gb of ram is golden though, in you situation I would just get better PSU and a HD3850!


Message edited by FrozenGpu on 12-10-2007 at 03:00:32 AM
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zhadows   12-10-2007 at 03:07:52 AM
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Wouldn't the P4 CPU bottleneck it though? Someone made a post and he used a P4 with a 3850 and he was getting really low FPS reads in games.

Reply to zhadows
Grunge   12-10-2007 at 03:36:33 AM
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Chances are it will bottleneck, but the 3850 will allow you to keep it for future upgrades. If in a few months you decide you want to build a computer, thats one less thing you have to buy. Honestly thinking about your current situation, even though a 3850 may bottleneck it just seems to be the best for your money. This is of course without upgrading your whole system.

Reply to Grunge
Cleeve   12-10-2007 at 06:13:12 PM
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OK, slooow down fella.

1. If all this fellow wants to play is World of Warcraft, all he needs is a half-decent card.
WoW is extremely easy on the videocard.
A sub-$100 2600 PRO would be more than he'd ever need for that game, even at 1650x1050, and it would show him a COLOSSAL increase over his integrated video.

2. If he DOES want something more powerful for other more demanding games he might want to play, I sure as hell wouldn't jump him to a 3850 on a single core Pentium 2.8 GHz. A Radeon X1950 PRO would be much more suitable for him, and he'd need a new power supply for that, even.


Sure... maybe if he plans to keep it through his next upgrade a 3850 would be a good investment, but does this guy even play games other than WoW? And does he plan to upgrade the rest of his syustem in the near future? We're assuming a bit much methinks. :)


Message edited by Cleeve on 12-10-2007 at 06:21:46 PM
------------------------------ Cleeve
Hardware Editor, Tom's Hardware Guide
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