New GPU or keep stock HD 4290/890GXM

[jaydoubledub]

Hello folks! Secondly, thanks to all the pimpastic people for all the help they offer! Egg-head and noobs alike, that have good info are cool in my book.

Onward. Here is my HTPC/slight gaming setup:
890GXM-G65
AMD Athlon II X2 250 3Ghz
8gb DDR3 1600 RAM
Happauge 1600 PCI TV Tuner
Happauge 1250 PCI-E 1x TV Tuner
500GB WD Caviar HDD 7200/16MB/SATA-3G
CoolerMater 500w PSU
Apex DVD/RW

No overclocking done or planned on.

OS: Windows Vista SP3
Monitor: Samsung 42" LCD Tv

Future addition:
AVerMedia AVerTV HD DVR (for XBox recording)

Budget:
~$60-80ish

Possibility to go Crossfire is good, for even further upgrading in the future.

Okay, there are two reasons I'm thinking about upgrading my GPU. Primarily, I want better image quality from my tv signal. Next reason is for the times that I play WoW (and rare/occasional SC2). I am pretty sure that upgrading my GPU won't effect my TV image. I'm not certain though. (I'm assuming it has to do with the Tuner card/s.)
I also play WoW every now and then and I'm wondering how much better I can get the graphics, in my price range.

As far as graphics cards, I've been researching the ATI family and it seems that the HD 4670 and the HD 5670's both fit in the price range. I would like to know how much of an improvement there would be from my 890GX/HD 4290 integrated graphics there would be and if it's even worth the upgrade? Also, why are the prices nearly identical in two different lines of GPUs? Which pairing would be the best for my price range?

I normally do my online purchases on Newegg, CircuitCity, and ChiefValue. I recently started browsing NCIX as well. I plan on purchasing the card(s) anywhere from now to 2 weeks from now.

Any help would be phenomenal!

 

[jaydoubledub]

Also, I was wondering if the ATI All-In-Wonder HD TV tuner cards would work and suffice? I couldn't find anything about them being able to pair with each other in crossfire mode. If so, then they may be a solution to my TV tuners AND gpu.

 

[henydiah]

depend on your need
for software hard & Strong like (game,Video editing,graphic 3D, Rendering ) need VGA Card, better VGA newest

for soft browsing, office, use HD4200 very very enough... but need more RAM size minimal 4GB, this integrated GPU good for support playing HD

 

[jaydoubledub]

Well, I kinda of want to upgrade my unit (haha I said unit)... and get better quality of gaming, for the times I do play. I'm not a "hardcore" pc gamer though.

 

[jerreece]

What's the resolution on your TV? 720p? 1080i? 1080p?

What case do you have these components installed in?

A new video card isn't going to solve your picture quality problems if they are TV Tuner related. The only reason it would be worth upgrading your GPU would be for gaming purposes.

Because you're currently using an Integrated video card, just about anything you buy is going to be substantially better. Integrated chips, quite frankly, do not play games. If you're playing WoW Cataclysm you'd probably benefit quite a bit from a GPU upgrade (let alone for SC2).

 

[jaydoubledub]

Ah yes I figured the tuner cards would be the culprit for that issue.

My TV resolution is 1080p.

As far as the case, I'm using a nMediaPc 1000b (and loving it btw), with the LCD screen.

 

[henydiah]

hmm no problen this feature your OGP 4290 :

Features & Benefits
- Microsoft® DirectX® 10.1 lets you enjoy awesome gaming performance, stunning 3D visual effect and dynamic interactivity.
- ATI Stream Technology enables better balanced platforms capable of running demanding computing tasks faster than ever1,2.
- ATI PowerPlay™ reduces system power draw, enable a more energy efficient PC2.
- Scale up your graphics performance - up to almost twice as fast in some cases1,2 with ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology.
- With DisplayPort you'll be able to connect to ultra-high resolution monitors or full 1080p HDTV to enjoy premium video content 2,3.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-4000/ati-radeon-hd-4200/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-4200-overview.aspx

 

[jaydoubledub]

Best answer selected by jaydoubledub.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar