hello, i'm wondering wich grafics card my computer can handle.
 
specs= pentium4 630 3 ghz  
2 gig ram ddr2
PSU 600 Watt 2x 6 pin connector
now i have the 8600GT
 
wich graka will my pc maximum assist, and i mean with this, my cpu or mobo would not burn at tiny pieces if i play cod4 or other games.
 
plz help me, i want to milk my pc so long as possible!
 
greetings and thanks! ps, i don't want to go for ATI

all I know is I had the same processor and the x1950 pro was a good card and even that was limited by the cpu. it got better once I got an e2180 @ 2.7 ghz.  
 
but even with the p4 i could play cod4 and bioshock and it was pretty smooth

look for 8800gs great price in the US

yeah the 8800gs can be had for $120 after MIR on newegg.com

dump that 8600 as fast as you can and go with the 8600gt ,,then,,if,,you want to or'clock you can do it on your own time,why pay $50.00 plus for something you can do yourself,,if you should ever want to..

8600gt is still a weak GPU, and albeit the 8800gs won't be full utlized it will still beat the 8600gt like it stole something...

I agree with them. If you need something cheap, go with an 8800 GS 384 MB version. If you have a bit more to spend, the 768 MB version has much higher clocks, and has shown capable of using them. Thing is, you'd still be bottlenecked by the CPU. It'd probably be best to get an 8800 GS (either version), and at least a low end Core 2/Pentium Dual-Core of some kind.

Unless you're selling the GF8600GT, there's little use in going with a GF8800GS which is a very crippled card, so it's $120 I prefer to put in a new build.
 
Sure it will boost you short term, but IMO, ride out your GF8600GT optimizing game settings, and put that $120 towards a better 'next build'.
 
BTW, there is NO POINT in buying a graphics card and limiting it to what your currently own, either buy a solid graphics card like the GF9600GT or HD3850 (don't know why you are so anti AMD but I'll mention it anyways since they're wise purchases, wiser than a GF8800GS) and then next upgrade move your CPU up. Always buying DOWN to the lowest common denominator means when you finally do upgrade now you have a crap GPU to 'limit yourself to'. Always buy something to push the next build forward so you can grow into it.
 
Either buy the best graphics card for the money right now that shows a significant 'worthiness boost' over what you currently have or else save the money for a full upgrade later.

I agree. And that counts for PSU's as well, because as we upgrade, we usually use more power along the way. I mention this as I see alot of people wanting to upgrade, and they dont consider the power usage/ cost of a psu

I agree with what greatgrapeape and jaydeejohn, In fact i was thinking about mentioning that, but the Op never asked anything about upgrading his platform...I doubt he will want to since he did not ask, its hard to convince somebody to upgrade their entire platform and spend anywhere between 400-900 [possibly less] just to be able to "fully utilize their rig's performance" .
 
besides he did say milk his pc...let the man milk his pc, it isn't reccommended, but I bet you anything he will be happier with just a 8800gs, than getting a whole new system, b/c I bet you anything he doesn't want to go that far...
 
The trick is to present them with the best way to go, looking at whats best long term wise, but keeping in mind some people are just set on doing only a couple things and do not to spend a whole lot...
 
I cna just tell he doesn't want to do all that, it sounds like it took him quite a bit of effort in just putting this post, i assume his english isn't the greatest...
 

hmm, i've got similar setup with pentium D (2.6/2.8), will 9600 do me?

well i assume you know the limitations...but yeah sure the only reason why i said go for it is b/c the 8800gs has performance pretty close to a 9600gt, so yeah either way would be ok, and for older machines it will show a definite improvement but keep in mind, it depends on what gpu card u have previously.
 
Although u do have a presler possibly smithfield core, since it at least has dual core to say the least, just check what your power supply is rated it and what kind of PSU is it? b/c the other guy is ok to upgrade b/c he at least ahd a 600 watter, not taking into account other things im sure it will do fine...
 
but for u, check what ur psu is and what are ur sytem specs.

ati hd 3870, not bad. 180 on newegg, with game cables yadda yadda. I think they have agp version of the card out as well. Low power requirements, built more aroud dx10/foreward looking. Improving performance with driver releases. good for hd playback too if you want that. hdmi output, blah blah blah. anyway. have fun

 
well I sure hope the 9600 won't do u, b/c that would be the first sentient love-making graphics card I've ever heard of...          

oh, don't forget the 12v rail... 600w should be okay as long as it has a decent 12v rial?

exactly, I would also look at things liek effeceincy at 20%-100% load is like, and other smaller things.  
 
12 v rail combined should be at least 26A to be on the safe side of things, although I'm sure you can get away with less given the different situations..

Buy a grafix card and bring it forward to your next build if you want. no higher graphics card will perform worse than your 8600gt. I'd look at a 9600gt in your shoes.

If you have a PCI-express x16 slot, just get the best card you can, you can upgrade everything else later.

thanks for the posts.
my english is not so bad actualy. my readings are fine, but since i quitted my languages school, my typing suck. but i did understand everything ^^

oke, the 600W psu of mine is made for sli or crossfire, i bought it october 2007, so i guess i can handle a new card without problems. but, i was planning to upgrade my mobo and cpu, but i don't see why. i play every game at high settings. only the fps is low. drops at 30 fps, but i play everything at 1280x1024. even cod4 owns on my old rigg.

but, i want to lower my gaming 'addiction' but still i am playing during te week. and i love high settings. i'm quite happy with the 8600Gt (it performance was twice so good as the 6600Gt 256mb i owned) .

next question i want to ask is, if i buy a 9600GT or 8800Gs (at the charts they have almost the same streight) could i play crysis for example? or farcry2. because my p4 3.0 would be (in farcry2) the minimum cpu requirement for playing that game.

i was just wondering, the n6800Gt was the heaviest card when i builded my rigg, now the 8600Gt scores better than that old highend card. so i'm thinking, if i put a 8800gs or 9600Gt my machine, would i notice some difrence AND wouldn't my machine blow up his mobo and cpu while playing a newer game (coming up this year?)

the 8800Gs here in Belgium is cheaper than that new 9 series mid end. so i guess i should go for that one. and i only have a samsung 740BF 2ms, the 384mb version will do fine.

or, option 1 i guess, save the money, untill i realy need it when my pc blowes up...

thanks and hopefully you all will keep awnsering this topic

what resolution do you use?
 
most graphics comparisons are done at low resolution, but if you play at higher resolutions, like say 1650x1020 or more, the graphics card does more work for the amount of work done by the CPU.  
 
the 9600gt has a few advantages over the 8800gs, that the rankings don't show. (none of this is first hand, just what I read)
better color reproduction,
lower energy consumption,
and works better in SLI.
 
the last one realy only counts for you next upgrade, but its still something.

thank you, but maybe you can read that i play only at 1280 resolution, because my 17 inch can't handle higher! i can't understand what your last sentence says ^^