Looking for better gameplay

[GamePlayerXtreme]

Hello, I am looking for a graphics card and was wondering if a single Nvidia GTS250 would bottleneck with a AMD Phenom9600 Quad, I am a quite heavy gamer and am looking for a cheap but semi-future proof upgrade from my 9600GSO...

Will it bottleneck? if so by how much. The games i am wanting to play are "Just Cause 2" "Crysis" and "Bad Company 2" with all gfx settings on max at 1280x1024... (i like games to look pretty and play 45+ fps)

I don't really build computers so i don't know much about what all the details mean, i have someone else build it for me.

Also i am on a rather strict budget of $150 or lower, and want to ensure whatever i get is going to be optimal in all departments:

1) Smooth gameplay on newer games.
2) Minimal bottlenecking.
3) Not a waste of money.

Also, will it even fit in an Xclio tower?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103010&cm_re=xclio_case-_-11-103-010-_-Product

 

[Onus]

At your resolution, anything more powerful than a HD5750 would probably go to waste; even that may be a little more than you need.
Thing is, it isn't a huge jump over your GTS250. What framerates are you getting now? What are your complete system specs? Do you have at least 2GB of RAM?
For more future-resistance though, you'll need to save a little more money. Particularly if you upgrade your monitor, you'd probably want a HD5770 or GTX460.

 

[GamePlayerXtreme]

My monitors native is that, and my specs are:

Phenom 9600 Quad @2.3
Geforce 9600 GSO 512
4GB ram
Windows Vista 64bit

Right now i can't even touch Just Cause 2, and Crysis goes at best 25fps in some places, usually around 12-18 in combat, and thats with *most* settings turned to the lowest, except ones that dramatically effect the visuals.

Will replacing my 9600-GSO with the GTS-250 be a good deal at about $150? also the GTX460 is like top notch isn't it? I'm not after the best of the best, just what will run said games with said abilities.

 

[guanyu210379]

Hmm...I think get a HD5850 or GTX460 or higher and then upgrade your monitor later on.
or
If you are looking for about $150 then GTS250 is not the answer fo you, HD5750 or HD5770 should be the best solution for you.

 

[GamePlayerXtreme]

Well I prefer to stick with Nvidia, those cards are ATI and I have seen/heard of a number of various issues with various games involving ATI cards which I would prefer to avoid.

If the GTS250 wouldn't be the best idea, which Nvidia card would be ideal for my needs? I am open to other suggestions, just try to keep it Nvidia around $150. The monitor isn't really an issue, stuff looks nice enough to me at 1280x1024 which I bought not long ago, its how it looks on the monitor that is my issue which hopefully will be resolved in the near future.

Also, someone I know has a 9800GTX which can run Crysis nearly 100% max without AA at FPS rates well enough high to not even be noticed while playing on a wide-screen resolution at like 1600x something (I don't know the wide-screen resolutions lol) and about that is what I hope for..... If all else fails i could go with a 9800GTX but that is old/older and is becoming outdated, which i don't wanna do.

 

[guanyu210379]

nVidia's 2xx series are not interesting at all and already out of date.
I would prefer GTX460 and upgrade my monitor later on.
I just found out today that GTX460 has about the same price as HD5830 (GTX465 is even cheaper than HD5830 here where I live), which makes GTX460 really attractive.
I know GTX460 is way above $150. but it worth considering.

If you aim for $150, HD5770 is the best solution. I have used ATI for more than 3 years, and I have no problems at all.
I have replaced my HD3850 4 months ago with HD5850, no problems at all, you name it, I have played almost every wellknown games : Crysis, Starcraft 2, Tropico 3, Mass effect 2, Dragon age, Prototype, etc....where is the problem here?


BTW : wide screen resolution example 1680x1050, if that is what you meant.

 

[asteldian]

At such a low resolution if you are not intending to buy a new monitor any time soon then a card like the GTX 460 or 5830/5850 would be massive overkill.

GTS250 should do you fine, but frankly it isn't much less out dated than a 9800GTX. I would ignore the stuff you hear about ATI, any big issues they had was long ago. My latest build is the first time I have gone with ATI instead of Nvidia and I have no complaints.

Having said that, the GTS 250 is as low as $80 on newegg with rebate and should suit your needs fine. With your low resolution and CPU any more than that would likely be pointless spending

 

[Onus]

I see I misread the OP; the card you HAVE is the 9600GSO. In that case, like asteldian says, with no plans to upgrade your monitor a GTS250 would be fine. I"m seeing some similar-performing HD4850 on Newegg for around $90 too. At these price points I think it is better to risk a little overkill than spend less and then feel like you wasted your money because you didn't get the performance you were expecting.

 

[GamePlayerXtreme]

Thanks for all the information guys.

If it has overkill I have no problem with it, as I don't know exactly what to expect from it until I actually do try it... Personally I think it'd be better to overkill and get as many graphical "Very High" options as possible rather than go recommended and get many "medium/recommended" options. If my budget gets tighter then I'll likely go with the GTS250 for $80, but when i checked it said $154 on newegg though. Either way if my budget stays at $150 for a card than maybe something with a little more bang to it for the extra $70, because as long as they seem to last (actually I think I've always upgraded before a card died on me) then if i upgrade some other stuff later on then whatever will be overkill now might just not be overkill anymore.

Still, if anyone has a link to said $80 GSO250 please share because all I seem to be finding is the one for $150

Feel free to recommend any good choices if there is better for $150 (Nvidia), I am always open to suggestions

 

[GamePlayerXtreme]

OK so I've been looking a little more and am seeing that the processor can have an impact on performance if it is not up to par with the gfx card, but I've heard that newer processors tend not to fit with older motherboards and since I don't know how to find what motherboard I have its been over a year since I bought it and I forgot. I have minimized some games and checked my task manager recent use and before the minimize I was seeing all 4 graphs with spikes to the top with Assassin's Creed 1, but I'm no expert and just guessing.

From my last Xfire specs scan
Manufacturer: BIOSTAR Group
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9600 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 4094MB RAM
Hard Drive: 160 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO 512
Monitor: HP L1710 Monitor
so that is up-to-date specs in my rig. (Unimportant or previously mentions specs I took off this list)

I am now leaning towards just overclocking what i have now and saving for something nice down the road maybe 6 months, I still won't have a great budget and estimate only going $1k for a new rig.

I will be doing some looking for components as best I can but as I said I don't know much of how the hardware details work, so if anyone knows a good rig build for great gaming around $1k I'd love to try get it later on.

So please share specs and price. Thanks in advance for the help

Also note that Monitor is still not a priority to me.