Graphic card help pleaseeee

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jaysonmooseknee

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Well here's the story, I currently have a xfx nvidia 8600 gt running in my computer and It just wasn't doing me justice. I play lots of fps games like css, tf2, l4d, and I also like playing HoN and wc3. I also run dual monitors and at times my fps would drop dramatically after trying to multitask. So can anyone help me out on what card would be good to run for my computer that would hopefully be around 100 dollars or around there?
 
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deadlockedworld
Hey Jayson,

First, I would like to note that the best graphics card for the money article that Jack posted was written in early December when there was a shortage of 4850s. If you read it you will see they have note about the 4850 at the $100 range. Prior to that time the 4850 was the clearly the obvious choice at a hundred dollars--because it is as powerful as a GTS 250 but costs less.

Also, Gddr3 memory is faster than Gddr2. The type on the card will not matter for your compatibility. All that matters is that the card has a PCIe x 16 interface, and that it does not use more power than your system has available. Even though its not a great PSU, your power supply looks ok for the cards we are discussing here.

The 4770 is at low...
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wa1

wa1

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Mar 16, 2009
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Multitasking is a CPU's job... :)
If u experiences some fps drop then i assume your CPU is not strong enough to do that...
And 8800GTS is just a slight upgrade, u won't see a big jump performance from 8600GT to 8800GTS...
 
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deadlockedworld

deadlockedworld

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Hi jaysonmooseknee,

An ATI 4850 would be a pretty decent upgrade from your 8600. It would probably be the most power per dollar that you could get under $150 or so.

Sapphire 4850--$99 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824&cm_re=4850-_-14-102-824-_-Product

If you wanted to stay with Nvidia the equivalent to a 4850 would be a $115-120 GTS 250. Nvidia hasnt been very price competitive lately--so I would encourage you to consider the 4850.

However--before you do this let us know your Power Supply and CPU specs--and we can let you know if its a good upgrade for you.
 
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Mousemonkey

Mousemonkey

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Sep 3, 2006
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Only about double the framerates being seen at the moment.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491.html

Here's the "winners" from THG's latest (December) GFX Roundup
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: December '09

$50 - HD 4650
$65 - HD 4670 / 9600 GSO
$85 - 9600 GT
$95 - 9600 GT / HD 4830
$110 - GTS 250 512 MB
$120 - GTS 250 1 GB
$155 - HD 5770 / GTX 260
$200 - HD 4890
$240 - 2 x GTS 250
$310 - No winner (HD 5850 Honorable Mention)
$330 - 2 x GTX 260 / 2 x HD 5770
$400 - 2 x HD 4890
$410 - No winner (HD 5870 Honorable Mention)
$465 - No winner (GTX 295 Honorable Mention)
$625 - No winner (HD 5970 Honorable Mention)
 
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jaysonmooseknee

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thanks for the replies, i've been hovering around the 8800gt, 9800gt, hd4770, and the 250gts. I've read some reviews and they all seem to be great cards, the only thing i want to do is boost up my comp's graphics, and if you guys have any other suggestions on improving my computers performance, it would be much appreciated.
 
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jyjjy

jyjjy

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Feb 27, 2006
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The HD4850 deadlockedworld linked is definitely the best deal at the moment compared to those other cards you mentioned.
Another good way to boost your performance would be a new processor. Your motherboard can handle any current AMD chip and a quad-core Athlon II or Phenom II would be a huge upgrade.
 
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jaysonmooseknee

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Since you mentioned this card i've been looking at the specs and what not, and noticed that the memory type is GDDR3, and my current video card is GDDR2. What are the differences between each, and would it be compatible with my computer? (sorry for the noob questions, i've barely got into computers)
 
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jyjjy

jyjjy

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Yeah, it will be fine. You can use a card with any kind of memory. DDR3 is faster than DDR2. The kind of memory combined with the bus width(the 128-bit or 256-bit you'll notice when looking at cards) determine a card's overall memory bandwidth.
 
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deadlockedworld

deadlockedworld

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Hey Jayson,

First, I would like to note that the best graphics card for the money article that Jack posted was written in early December when there was a shortage of 4850s. If you read it you will see they have note about the 4850 at the $100 range. Prior to that time the 4850 was the clearly the obvious choice at a hundred dollars--because it is as powerful as a GTS 250 but costs less.

Also, Gddr3 memory is faster than Gddr2. The type on the card will not matter for your compatibility. All that matters is that the card has a PCIe x 16 interface, and that it does not use more power than your system has available. Even though its not a great PSU, your power supply looks ok for the cards we are discussing here.

The 4770 is at low inventory right now--so prices have risen. Its really only worth $99--but is selling at $115. Its overall performance is a little below a 4850. It has a slower graphics processor, but uses super fast ddr5 ram to try to compensate. This card is the most power efficient of your choices, but not the best value for the money.

The GTS 250 isnt quite price competitive with the 4850, but is another Nvidia card with physx if that is something important to you.
 
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jaysonmooseknee

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Jan 9, 2010
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Thanks for all the support and answers, and now i'm starting to lean towards the hd4850. My only concern is the brand. I'm not so familiar with saphire and was wondering what do you guys think about it?
 
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