Yet another graphics card upgrade question

[CastorUK]

Hi

I'm currently running a GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB + 550W PSU + ASUS P5N-E SLI 1; and I'm think about upgrading the graphics card.

What are everyone’s suggestions that would:

■Not cost the earth
■Work under my 550W PSU
■Justify the cost of upgrading vs performance boosts

I was originally looking at the new ATI Radeon HD 4770 cards which look quite good but after a longer read of reviews the performance between it and the 8800 GTS did not look that great (but that may have been the 512MB version).

Any suggestions out there?

 

[coozie7]

What country are you in and how much is: Not cost the Earth?
Please tell us which CPU you have and what resoloution you play in, (I assume this is for games?), and PSU details; Brand and model.
Yes, you were probably looking at the 512Mb card, it is a faster unit than either the 320 or 640 Mb cards (G80) because it is actually based on a different core (G92), despite the similar name.
This chart groups cards together according to performance:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-geforce-graphics,review-31583-6.html

For a reasonable upgrade you should be looking 3 tiers higher than the current card.

 

[CastorUK]

Hi coozie7

I'm in the UK, so the price should be around £80 - £130.

My CPU is: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core (2.4GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz)

PSU: no idea of brand, other than its 550W

Resoloution: the highest I can get away with. In L4D and TF2 I can run it at max settings and rez based on a 22" wide screen monitor. Other games such as COD WaW not so high but not bad. It can get a bit choppy some times.

 

[coozie7]

The stuttering is down to the limited memory on your card.
In order of performance, hi to lo: 1GB HD4870 or GTX260, GTS250/9800GTX/GTX+ or HD4850.
I would recommend getting either of the top cards, any brand, but XFX, BFG and EVGA have the best warranties, just remember to register the card when you get it or you will miss out on that protection.
Site of interest: E-buyer, Overclockers, Novatech, CCL, Scan, and Microdirect to start.

 

[CastorUK]

Thanks coozie7 for the advice.

I bought a GTS 250 1GB at just over £115, just £4 more than a 512MB one.

Running like a charm.

The stuttering is down to the limited memory on your card.
In order of performance, hi to lo: 1GB HD4870 or GTX260, GTS250/9800GTX/GTX+ or HD4850.
I would recommend getting either of the top cards, any brand, but XFX, BFG and EVGA have the best warranties, just remember to register the card when you get it or you will miss out on that protection.
Site of interest: E-buyer, Overclockers, Novatech, CCL, Scan, and Microdirect to start.