2.0 PCI-e Card in a PCI-E X16 slot?

[thejesus1]

I built a computer in August of 2008 and here are the specs:

Gateway 22" monitor at 1680 X 1050 resolution
GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
4 GB of G.SKILL 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
PNY VCG86512GXPB-OC GeForce 8600 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5000DOBOX - Retail
Antec 500 Watt power supply

I use the computer only to play WOW and have all settings set to Ultra High. Getting 10 fps with these settings. My question is can i get a better video card with 2.0 X 16 and will it work with my motherboard? Or do i need to get a motherboard with a 2.0 X 16 dedicated slot? If i can use a card like that can you recommend a decent card so i can get fps of 40+? Thanks in advance for all your help = ).

 

[bige420]

A PCI-E X16 2.0 card will work fine in a regular PCI-E X16 1.0 slot, and if you could provide a price point we can tell you what card to get.

 

[coozie7]

Do n't play it myself but it seems even fast cards have problems with large raids so you might want to lower your settings and expectations first.
I am reading conflicting reports on this game: In some cases medium end cards are playing it very well and in others higher end cards are struggling, there seems to be no pattern other than a change of card chip maker.
I will be cautious, since you have not given a budget: GTX260 216 is the top choice but the most expensive, but it will also play other, more demanding games. 9800GTX, 9800GTX+ or GTS250 cheaper and slower. 9800GT or 9600GT depending on budget are slower and slowest choices.
I have restricted my choices to Nvidia because I think this will prevent problems.

 

[dirtmountain]

After a recent patch WoW has an option for an "Ultra" setting. Don't use it, it's still bugged, even people with core2 quads at 3.6GHz and GTX275s get poor performance set at "ultra". Instead set your "video" to custom and arrange the individual settings until you're happy with performance/visuals.

 

[photonboy]

Your CPU will limit the graphics card you can make use of. Your CPU will be maxed out (on average) by an HD4770.

I have an HD3870 (roughly 20% less performance) and an X24800+ and 4GB RAM and WOW runs really great.

I'd either use the HD4770 or get one of the NVidia 40nm when they come out. The HD4770 in your system is going to play many games nicely. Just because you can't play Crysis on high doesn't mean there aren't lots of great games to play (Bioshock, Starcraft 2, Half-Life 2 etc, Mass Effect etc)

 

[EXT64]

Yep, 2.0 in a 1.0 is fine and I second (or third) the 4770 as a very well rounded (power, performance, and price) card for WoW and others.

 

[thejesus1]

Thank you for all the help guys......went on newegg.com to get a HD 4770 and EVERYONE IS SOLD OUT = P.......so I guess that is a good sign (now if I could just get my hands on one= P).

 

[coozie7]

try Tigerdirect looks like they have some stock, but it is $120!

 

[thejesus1]

The HD 4770 seems like the way to go till i found this at newegg:

SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

After rebate it is only $75 AND in stock. Looking at the 3d mark06 charts on Tom's Hardware, this card scores a 19305 where the 4770 scores 14528. So now i am confused....should i get the 3870 or the 4770 and will either of these cards be a big difference in FPS for playing WOW....Thanks in advance for all the help guys.