Upgrading a Nvidia GT 9400, suggestions?

[zex_vex55]

Hello, coming from somehow with little to no knowledge about graphics cards, I am looking to get myself a new card to play and enjoy the games I like alot more. I currently have a GT 9400, and it doesn't seem to get the job done. I'm looking to upgrade, however I'm clueless as what to get. My price limit is around $100, obviously the cheaper the better, but you get what you pay for.

Does it matter between ATI and Nvidia? Which card(s) would suit me well for playing games such as Call of Duty Black ops and World of Warcraft?

Thanks!

 

[zex_vex55]

heres some of the specs:
Manufacturer: emachines
model: ET1161-07
Processor: AMD Athlon(TM) Dual Core Processor 4050e 2.10Ghz
Memory 3GB
System Type: 32-bit operating system

If any other type of information is needed I'd be glad to find out!

 

[zex_vex55]

The power supply is a DYNEX
Model: DX-400WPS

 

[zex_vex55]

Thanks a bunch for your help it's appreciated. I'll look into this card, and look further into how to go about update my BIOS/processor! I'm not very good at this stuff. Thanks again.

 

[purple stain]

I would second the Radeon 5670.

Here is a single slot version for $95 $75 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150467&cm_re=5670-_-14-150-467-_-Product

A Radeon 5770 would be the best bang for your buck, if you can spend about $30 extra.But stick with the 5670 it is the second best choice,if money is an issue get the 5670 but if you can spare the extra go for the 5770,i have a 5570 and play COD Black Ops at 1600x900 and i can't get good FPS with settings on high and it isn't to much different from a 5670.

What resoultion are you playing at?

 

[zex_vex55]

I play wow at 1600x900 and only experience graphical lag when there is alot going on. In COD my current card can't really handle black ops, where as i played MW2 pretty well on any on a mediocre resolution. I definitely prefer to play on 1600x900. I'm assuming if i did get tthis card i would experience any graphical lag what so ever in wow, and I'd actually be able to play black ops on a decent resolution.

I get 20-30 fps on my current card in black ops on 1200x800 I think it is.

 

[zex_vex55]

Is there much of a different between the 5670 and 4670? they seem to be the same price everywhere. also DDR3 and DDR5, that's just the memory type correct? So it doesn't make much of a difference if it's ddr3 or ddr5 right?

 

[purple stain]

He is right, maybe just a simple O.C. is what your system needs,your not playing anything to demanding so i don't see the need for a overhall.

What is your diserable FPS you like to play at?
I tryed playing Black Ops at 1600x900 on high but was only getting 20-30FPS and i can't play at that low FPS.So i switched it to 1280x720 and i get 50+ on high settings.I don't think you will have any problem playing WoW close to max settings.The FPS drop is normal when entering a city or something,all graphics cards do that.I really think you should save up some more money to get the 5770 is almost double the amount of performance of the 5670 and would play everything you could throw at it on max settings.

 

[zex_vex55]

I'm just looking to get 50+ fps in black ops and I would be satisfied. As for wow, if I could maintain 50-60+ I would be totally satisfied, 30-40+ when stuff is actually going on. I could save for the 5770, but is it needed for me? I don't play games that are too demanding, so the 5670 should meet my needs pretty easily right?

Generally speaking, how much would it cost to upgrade my processor to what is ideally needed?

 

[zex_vex55]

scratch that price question

 

[purple stain]

Do you play any other games besides WoW and Black Ops?
The 5670 will run WoW with 50+ on high settings but will drop to 25-30 when their is alot of stuff going on,when you say that do you mean when your battling lots of things or just entering a big city?
A prossesor upgrade should be around $50-$70 depending on what you get.
I don't know what type of mobo you have so i can't help there.
If your planning on making this computer last another year or 2 i would reccmoned getting a new prossesor and the 5770.
The 5770 would be the best bang for your buck and the best FPS. I would highly reccomend saving the extra $20 for it if you are not going to upgrade your prossescor.


What do you mean "scratch that price question"?

 

[Avro Arrow]

I have one thing to say... this card is $120, has a $30 mail-in-rebate (which I have personally received) and it kicks the crap out of every card from the Radeon HD 5750 and below, hell it even narrowly beats the 5770 and even more narrowly beats the GTX 260!. Say hello to the card that slew the green nVidia monster... The mighty ATi Radeon HD 4870 1GB!!!
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6941705&CatId=3669

 

[plastichairball]

I have one thing to say... this card is $120, has a $30 mail-in-rebate (which I have personally received) and it kicks the crap out of every card from the Radeon HD 5750 and below, hell it even narrowly beats the 5770 and even more narrowly beats the GTX 260!. Say hello to the card that slew the green nVidia monster... The mighty ATi Radeon HD 4870 1GB!!!
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6941705&CatId=3669

Wow, are they paying you commission or something?

 

[purple stain]

LOL...

Thats a great card but i don't think his PSU can handle it.

 

[plastichairball]

LOL...

Thats a great card but i don't think his PSU can handle it.

Indeed. It seems Avro Arrow is going through every single posted question and saying "Buy the 4870!".

Question: I have a 300W PSU
Avro: "Buy the 4870!"

Question: Which monitor?
Avro: "Buy the 4870!"

Question: My drivers are faulty:
Avro: "Buy the 4870!"

He's getting paid for it, I'm sure.

 

[zex_vex55]

Purplestank, with my current card, the 9400 i get 20-30+ fps when entering cities, but when less than 15 or so when *** is going on, like battles and what not. But yes, COD and WoW are the only games I intend on playing. I will take into consideration the 5770.

With the current specs of my computer, can my computer sufficiently handle the new graphics card I get get just fine? If I were to get a 5760, 5770, or even a GTS 250, would I have to worry about anything in my computer failing me?

I guess what I'm getting at, if I got JUST one of these graphics cards, and didn't upgrade anything else in my computer, would I encounter any problems in the near future because of the graphic upgrade?

 

[zex_vex55]

I plan on picking up the 5770 today, as long as I know my computer will be able to handle it without any problems.

Hows this
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+Radeon+HD+5570+1GB+DDR3+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9849596.p?id=1218184702088&skuId=9849596

 

[purple stain]

I would agree, save some money and go for the GTS450.around the same performance of the 5770 but it's cheaper and more of a custom fit for your situation.No you should not have any problems down the road due to the graphic upgrade,only thing that might happen is if age starts to take a toll on your computer,it is how old?

 

[zex_vex55]

Hmmm, well I'd like to keep it 120 and under, with saving up and such not applying. Regardless, I wanna try to keep it around 120sih and under. As for my computer, it's about 2 year old or so.

 

[purple stain]

Your comp is not that old,depends on how long your going to keep it b4 you upgrade but it sohuldn't be a problem.
Anyway your choice would be...GTS 450,5670 or 5770
Just finding the right price is your call.
They all perform around the same area.
You should be able to find all of those cards under $120.

Goodluck

 

[purple stain]

What type of chips does your mobo support and i can try looking around and see if you can upgrade to a better chip and card within your budget?

 

[zex_vex55]

uhm, im not even sure. how do I go about checking? >.>

 

[purple stain]

Not so sure that upgrading the prossesor and the GPU is doable with this limited budget but here's what i got so far...

Athalon ii x2 Regor@2.6 $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103908

Radeon 4830 $60

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131381&cm_re=4830-_-14-131-381-_-Product

or the Radeon 5670 $80=$65 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871&cm_re=5670-_-14-102-871-_-Product

Not so sure about the socket the prossesor use's but i think this one should work,all in all total comes to around $110 with the 4830 and $130 with the 5670.Personally i would go with the 4830 and find a better prossesor.Actually looks like you might be able to do this and get both.

 

[gtxfan]

Wow, are they paying you commission or something?

SINCE WHEN DID THE ATI RADEON 4870 1GB BEAT THE GTX 260?

ati5830=ati 4890 which is a little powerful than gtx 260>ati 4870=ati 5770>ati5750>ati 5670

 

[zex_vex55]

Not so sure that upgrading the prossesor and the GPU is doable with this limited budget but here's what i got so far...

Athalon ii x2 Regor@2.6 $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103908

Radeon 4830 $60

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131381&cm_re=4830-_-14-131-381-_-Product

or the Radeon 5670 $80=$65 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871&cm_re=5670-_-14-102-871-_-Product

Not so sure about the socket the prossesor use's but i think this one should work,all in all total comes to around $110 with the 4830 and $130 with the 5670.Personally i would go with the 4830 and find a better prossesor.Actually looks like you might be able to do this and get both.

I ended up picking up the 5670, I seem to be experiencing bad fps in cod though for whatever reason. Not sure if it's because of my settings, or because of something in my computer. I installed my drivers and all that good stuff.