What makes a card good? And similar questions

[casemods]

I'm a lot more aware of graphics cards features now.

I know that GDDR5 is good and more ram on card is good, as well as memory bit interface or whatever it is.

But what does "Memory Bandwidth" mean? And what does "pixel fill rate" mean?

Also, GDDR came after DDR, right? So a card with DDR would be much worse than a card with GDDR, right?

Please help.

I am on a tight budget of around $50 or so - at frys electronics mainly.

Looking for something that will play GTA4 without lag (on any settings)

Last card was an HD 2600XT and it ran GTA4 with slight lag. So anything better than that will be great if you could find one on frys website for me.

Mainly I just want to play crysis on 1440x900 without lag and max out CS:S/BF2 without lag.

 

[skolpo]

Well, I can tell you right now that $50 will not get you the max settings you're looking for, even at 1440x900. What's your full computer specs?

 

[rescawen]

dude, are u serial? 1440x900 crysis or BF BC2?!?!, 50 dollars at that res at max is gonna happen 2-3 years. Seriously you should consider investing more.

GDDR5 wont affect anything at that resolution, because the memory buffer and bit interface will only affect higher resolutions, such as 1920*1080. U'll need 512mb GDDR3 ram for that res. I would also recommend investing a little more and playing the game at 720p with medium settings to reduce lag. An ATI HD 5670 would be good for ur choice.

 

[casemods]

Well, I can tell you right now that $50 will not get you the max settings you're looking for, even at 1440x900. What's your full computer specs?

I'm only looking to max out CS:S without lag.

Crysis I don't mind playing in miminum, same with GTA4

I don't play BF2 much but it's about the same as CS:S

x2 64 3800+

2x1gb pc6400 2.5-7-5-7

 

[casemods]

dude, are u serial? 1440x900 crysis or BF BC2?!?!, 50 dollars at that res at max is gonna happen 2-3 years. Seriously you should consider investing more.

GDDR5 wont affect anything at that resolution, because the memory buffer and bit interface will only affect higher resolutions, such as 1920*1080. U'll need 512mb GDDR3 ram for that res. I would also recommend investing a little more and playing the game at 720p with medium settings to reduce lag. An ATI HD 5670 would be good for ur choice.

BF2 not bad company.

I was able to max it out @ 1440x900 with HD 2600 XT. Crysis was about medium with some lag at lots of things happening.

 

[skolpo]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2569-2.html

Take a look at this article. IMO, I'd recommend at least the HD4670, but still think that you should invest a bit more money on a better graphics card such at the HD5750.

 

[megamanx00]

For $50, the best you can do is a 4650 and maybe a 4670 on sale. Not sure about prices at Fry's since there ain't one here in El Paso. Still, the 4670 generally goes for around $60, so I suppose for about $50 you can get a 4650 which is a decent gaming card. It is significantly faster than your 2600XT. A few 4650s come with GDDR3 memory, which is great if you want to overclock as it can help you reach the performance of the 4670. You may want to look at this model

BIOSTAR VA4653NH51-B Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit DDR3 $49.99 + 6.98 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141113

 

[megamanx00]

^ I just want to point out that reference 4650s only have 800MHz (400MHz base clock) DDR2 or GDDR2 while the model I pointed out has 1800MHz DDR3 providing for alot more bandwidth and helps it close in on the 4670. Also beware of the very cheap 64-bit models as those offer very low performance

 

[casemods]

^ I just want to point out that reference 4650s only have 800MHz (400MHz base clock) DDR2 or GDDR2 while the model I pointed out has 1800MHz DDR3 providing for alot more bandwidth and helps it close in on the 4670. Also beware of the very cheap 64-bit models as those offer very low performance

Yes I know about 64-bit know.

Ok, about bandwidth: is that the main thing I should look for?

"Memory Bandwidth" ?


Also the 4650 is $100 at frys, so not possible, and is this any good? Compared to an HD 2600 XT? http://www.frys.com/product/6114409?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

[skolpo]

Why are you buying from Fry's? They're hugely overpriced and only have decent prices during holiday season.

 

[casemods]

Why are you buying from Fry's? They're hugely overpriced and only have decent prices during holiday season.

It's the only option I have other than craigslist.

I just bought a fan controller/temperature sensor for $10 after rebate. It's usually $25-$35 and on newegg it's $50 + shipping.

My dad doesn't even have a credit card that I can use, only debit. And I've tried a visa gift card and it didn't work online.

I have had nothing but good experiences with craigslist, but there is no warranty and I have no idea of knowing the condition it's in or how long it will last.