Which graphics card??????

[rags_20]

Right, so I have one of the worst computers possible now:
P4 @ 2.66 GHz
1 GB DDR
160 GB SATA
Win XP Pro
GeForce 6200 LE TurboCache

So, i was thinking of getting this from Dell:

Inspiron 530
Core 2 Quad q6600 @ 2.4 GHz
4 GB DDR2 @ 800 MHz
250 GB SATA
Windows Vista Home Premium
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB


Is this enough to run games like Crysis in medium graphics smoothly???

Or should I get an XPS 420 with the GeForce 9800 GT?? [it costs a lot more]

Is Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB comparable to the 8600 GT?

HELP!!

 

[cjl]

That wouldn't run Crysis at all well. The 2600XT (and for that matter, the Geforce 8600) are midrange cards with mediocre performance. What is your budget? If you want to get a prebuilt, and do any games, the Dell XPS 630 is a great choice for a budget. Of course, the best value will always come from building it yourself.

 

[rags_20]

Which is the best value for money graphics card now? I was thinking of getting the Inspiron 530 with the stock Intel graphics media accelarator and then put in an XFX 512 MB 9600 GT on my own?

Does this violate Dell's warranty? Do they sell products without a graphics card?

 

[rags_20]

And does the Inspiron 530 mobo support PCI-E 2.0?

 

[themyrmidon]

2.0 is no big deal at all, I don't know about it voiding the warranty, but that is a good base system and by popping even a 9600GT in there you would get a decent Crysis performer, definitely able to do medium.

 

[rags_20]

Also, could I use the 9600 GT for 2 more years with good graphics with upcoming games?

 

[Nils]

What about a HD 4870?
What mobo do you have in that rig? If it's a good one you can OC your quad a little to get a very decent gaming system.

 

[boop334]

yeah the best price/performance video card right now is the radeon 4850

 

[tenaciousleydead]

the 2600xt would run med-high 1280x960 res, my x1950 pro could. opening the case on a dell computer does void the warranty

 

[tekzor]

why not build a cheap rig

 

[dagger]

2600xt cannot run Crysis high settings at that resolution at playable frame rates, not by a long shot.

Here's a frame rate chart of different cards. Note that they're average frame rates, and on heavy scenes, it will dip below that. Also, it's at medium settings, high will decrease fps further. The conventional wisdom is you'd need at least a 8800gt (around $120) to get playable frame rates in Crysis (35+) on high settings.

 

[rags_20]

Where's the frame rate chart?

 

[shaundwm]

Be careful on buying an OEM PC to upgrade..
They usually only supply a power supply that BARELY powers what ti already has, let alone a dedicated high end gfx card.

Build it! More fun!