Is My ATI good enough

[kasper hauser]

Hi I just recently joined the forum and got very good help on other threads with some problems I developed whilst trying to do somethin about my performance. This site sofar has proven the best for helping an inept PC gamer like me

I have an ATI Radeon HD 3450, usually for my purposes this is a good enough card and I can usually run all my programmes & games without any real issue.

Here's the problem:
I recently bought a new game that barely runs with this card. My PC specs are fine and I went to the benchmark for the game and I get a score of about 25% the minimum. It seems that the advice out there is to have the most up to date card (nothing new in that with a new game) and there seems to be a bias toward nvidia. I know I may not have the best or most recent card on the market but I really thought that I would get a better performance than 25% the minimum benchmark, there are people out there with other, older cards and are getting better results.

I tried to download ATI tools in an attempt to over clock the card but it doesnt seem to let me change the default settings. Overclocking in bios hasnt worked either.

Can anyone suggest any ways I can properly overclock this card or am I resigned to ditching a relatively newly purchased graphics card (or a brand new game) simply because of incompatability?

Any other novel suggestions for how to improve the performance etc would be a help.
Thanks
Kasper

 

[turboflame]

The HD3450 is really not a gaming card, it's barely a step up from integrated graphics. What's the game you're trying to play?

 

[kasper hauser]

FFXIV
So its new card time? A friend was buying the HD3450 and told me it was a good card to get at the time, I acceded to his usually better knowledge on these things so I didnt question it

 

[turboflame]

A quick google search shows that the minimum graphics card required is:

Nvidia GeForce 9600 or higher with 512 MB VRAM or more
ATI Radeon HD 2900 or higher with 512 MB VRAM or more

So it looks like at bare minimum you'd need to buy something like a HD4670.

 

[kasper hauser]

thx for the info, guess I need to go shopping, is there any way I can overclock this one in the meantime while I save for a better card? And is the ATI a better option than the Nvidia generally?

 

[halodude23]

thx for the info, guess I need to go shopping, is there any way I can overclock this one in the meantime while I save for a better card? And is the ATI a better option than the Nvidia generally?

Not really, I suggest you go with the GTX 460, like I am, it's more worth it than the Radeon's, unless you would spend a couple of hundred more for the 5850's and 5870's, The GTX 460, will be a pretty good card for 2-4 years+, if you like it, you probably should go for some card that comes out later from Nvidia that's even better or almost the same price as the GTX 460, but always check the reviews and Benchmarks of the cards before you buy it, you see, I thought the Radeon's were the best before, now I just think Nvidia Pwns ATI, not all that much, but it still wins..........

 

[kasper hauser]

Thx man, thats what i need to hear, when my mate recommended that 3450 last year he said it was a good card and would last me ages... guess I put more faith in his knowledge than he deserved I dont need (or want a top end flashy card, just one thats reliable and will last for a few yrs before the need to upgrade... wish i had come on here before I bought that other one now

 

[jryan388]

The 460 1gb at $210-230 doesn't beat the 5770 at $130 price/performance-wise... But if you want real power, get a 460.

 

[kasper hauser]

lol yea price beats power right now for me tbh...i just want somethin reliable that will do for a few yrs....would like to b able to overclock the one I have and save up for somethin decent though.

 

[halodude23]

The 460 1gb at $210-230 doesn't beat the 5770 at $130 price/performance-wise... But if you want real power, get a 460.

Actually, it does
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/293259-33-5770-benchmarks

 

[halodude23]

lol yea price beats power right now for me tbh...i just want somethin reliable that will do for a few yrs....would like to b able to overclock the one I have and save up for somethin decent though.

Thing's just tend to be degraded every year..... There's always a new graphics card...... Just never seems to end yet

 

[decode]

I'd recommend a GTX 460 1GB version, However a 5770 is cheaper and will also do the job.

What is your power supply?

... P.S if you wait a little bit the 6770's are due out soon and there meant to beat the GTX 460 performance wise, or atleast match it. Im guessing a lower price too.

 

[kasper hauser]

I actually got a decent enough power supply. I guess I ll go for a cheap quick fix like the 4670 or somethin until I can save for a higher end card. Would somethin like the 4670 be better than a 4850?

 

[kasper hauser]

lol problem is I have just begun to understand the ATI jargon and so feel comfortable knowing what I am getting atm. would 5770 not be much preferable to the 5650?.. I havent a clue about the nVidia's yet but I might do some reading up, unless your good self can refer me to a thread on here explaining the various options or give me a quick rundown Also... is there any compatability issues with ATI or nVidia on an AMD motherboard?

 

[decode]

5770 is preferable compared to a 5650. It'll play 99% games on decent-good settings

 

[halodude23]

lol problem is I have just begun to understand the ATI jargon and so feel comfortable knowing what I am getting atm. would 5770 not be much preferable to the 5650?.. I havent a clue about the nVidia's yet but I might do some reading up, unless your good self can refer me to a thread on here explaining the various options or give me a quick rundown Also... is there any compatability issues with ATI or nVidia on an AMD motherboard?

Everything varies on the chipsets, e.t.c, for me, I never got a broken Item....... Maybe you will, and maybe you won't there's always this slight possibility that something may break once you unbox it, always test the item out, or look at the product itself and look for external damage, or anything you see that catches your eye that seems burned or chipped off... The 5650 is weak, now the majority of the people complain about the ATI drivers being crappy, for me, I built my bro's pc with a 5570 and it seems pretty good, that part is also gonna vary for every card and driver, I used the online version though..........

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/285845-33-geforce-radeon-5000-series-reviews

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