New graphic card

[Arzhur]

I am planning to get a new graphic card but I have no clue what graphic slot i have. I also have a nVIDIA GeForce 8400. Should I get a support card for it or should I get a new card.

 

[FallenSniper]

You should get a new card.

 

[sirkillalot]

its PCI-E x16
some more info would help ...ie how much money do u want to spend
what size monitor do u have
what games do u play
bla bla bla

 

[Arzhur]

I am ready to spend about $220.
I have a seventeen inch monitor, windows vista home premium, 3GB memory, ADM Phenom 9500 Quad-Core Processor 2.2GHz, 32-bit operating system, 100GB free space out of 320GB. (HP a6332.uk)
I play strategy games (e.g. Medieval II Total War and planning to get Empire Total War). I also play games such as gothic, the Elder Scrolls and Beowulf (it keeps on freezing). I also play a couple of racing games.

 

[Gulli]

I am ready to spend about $220.
I have a seventeen inch monitor, windows vista home premium, 3GB memory, ADM Phenom 9500 Quad-Core Processor 2.2GHz, 32-bit operating system, 100GB free space out of 320GB. (HP a6332.uk)
I play strategy games (e.g. Medieval II Total War and planning to get Empire Total War). I also play games such as gothic, the Elder Scrolls and Beowulf (it keeps on freezing). I also play a couple of racing games.

Try the HD 4670, it's a prett cheap card these days and it'll run circles around the 8400, it costs $70 on Newegg.com.

 

[Arzhur]

Is it not worth it to spend a bit more money?

 

[Gulli]

Is it not worth it to spend a bit more money?

With only a 17" monitor? Not really, plus, it'll work with your old power supply.

 

[Arzhur]

Should I also get a new monitor then? (this is a birthday present from my parents)

 

[Gulli]

Should I also get a new monitor then? (this is a birthday present from my parents)

You could get a 19" or 20" 1440x900 monitor with that 4670 and stay under $220, so yeah, why not.

 

[Arzhur]

Thanks.
Where would be a reliable place to get the monitor and graphics card (I live in Ireland).

 

[Arzhur]

Also what is the difference with th 512MB and 1024MB versions of this card.

 

[Gulli]

Also what is the difference with th 512MB and 1024MB versions of this card.

1024mb will do a bit better, most notably at high resolutions, we're talking 1920x1200 or higher here, but I guess you should get it anyway since the price difference will be small.

BTW, I don't live in Ireland, so I can't recommend any e-shops, though you can probably walk into a real (as in a brick building) and still get the monitor and graphics card for under $220 (yes, I know Ireland uses the Euro.)

 

[Arzhur]

Would you recomend any site because Ireland can be quite expensive and I live in the west (i.e. in the middle of nowhere)

 

[Gulli]

Would you recomend any site because Ireland can be quite expensive and I live in the west (i.e. in the middle of nowhere)

Well, there is an Irish kmoplett (komplett.ie) and the Dutch version of that store is reliable, it has the 1024mb HD 4670: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=490455 but it doesn't have a 1440x900 monitor, this site does: http://www.elara.ie/products/detailsfull.asp?productcode=MMEV320009 but I can't guarantee the reliability of that site.

 

[Gulli]

4600 series is slow and should only be used for people who dont game. Get a 4770

Then he'd probably also need a new PSU, besides, the 4670 does fine on 1440x900.

 

[Arzhur]

Stupid question, is PCI-E the same as PCI-Express

 

[Arzhur]

What do you mean by PSU (I am new to this).

 

[Gulli]

Stupid question, is PCI-E the same as PCI-Express

Yes

 

[ill b ben]

4670 is definatly no slowpoke.. imo the minimum a ''gamer'' wants is either a 4670 or a 9600gso. Also dont go for the 1 gig completly useles for that card 512 is fine just get the cheapest you can find.

As for a better gpu, i doubt that first gen phenom will handle anything more. And like noted be4 the 4670 will b a save choise, psu wise

that card should handle 1680x1050 with ''med'' settings fine rly So look for cheap 22inch monitors with that res should b doable with a 220 budget

 

[Gulli]

What do you mean by PSU (I am new to this).

The power supply, it's the box inside your case that's got all the cables coming out of it: http://whitesindia.com/shoppe/images/categories/AtxPowerSupply-main_Full.jpg
It limits the kind of hardware you can use (the PCI-E slot will accept even the biggest graphics cards out there, but the power supply may not be able to power them.)

 

[JofaMang]

The 4670 is a highly underrated card. I just did an install for my brother in law this weekend, and the 4670 512mb GDDR3 was chosen for its price and lower power consumption. I was very impressed how it ran on his computer (Athlon 4200+ 2gb DDR2667 Vista Home Premium). It ran so cool, I was able to OC it to the max CCC settings (800/980) and it passed 4 hours of furmark without breaking 60c, and idles at barely above room temps, with the fan set at 30%.

For $85CAD, I was very impressed. He runs at 1680x1050, plays WoW, Fallout 3, Oblivion, Gothic3 as well as some other RPGs, and it was playing those games VERY smoothly at decent detail levels.

 

[Arzhur]

What should i get then, the hd 4670 or 9600gso (9600gso is about €25 to €30 more expensive)?

 

[Gulli]

What should i get then, the hd 4670 or 9600gso (9600gso is about €25 to €30 more expensive)?

I believe the 4670 is actually faster than the more expensive 9600GSO.

 

[JofaMang]

I don't have experience with the 9600GSO, but as you can see above, I heartily endorse the 4670, lol.

 

[4745454b]

I have the good 9600GSO, the one that is a rebadged 8800GS. Avoid the other GSOs, they are junk.

I studied the 4670/8800GS quite a bit, and found them to be more or less equals. Each wins and loses to the other, so I wouldn't call one of them faster. The GSO does have one good advantage however, they tend to be great overclockers. That is a hit or miss point however, as jofa got one that would overclock great as well.