Help please !

[lukapavkovic]

Hi all here is my spec before the question :
AMD athlon dual core x2 4200+ 2.20 GHz...CPU
1GB x2 Kingstone ddr2 800 mhz RAM memory (so its 2gb)..(works in dual channel couse its 1 gb x2... )
GPU: ATI HD 5450...512 mb...64 bit...dx11...new card but not for gaming....
Motherboard is gigabyte with nforce520 chipset i think....classic standard motherboard for am2+ socket procesors...and 4 spaces for ram memory ddr2 800 mhz's......
And psu is 400 wat microlab that come with comp case....now question....:
I want buy HD 4850...512 mb 256 bit that is dx10 card that is good for gaming as i heard.....and i think it's class with 9800 GT but im not sure.....is it worth buying it and if i buy it does will work with my spec...by the way i dont know do i have 4/6/8 pin cables that i hear that is needed for stronger graph's card....and i dont know does 4850 need it.....and also which is better for gaming 9800GT from nvidia or ati's..4850....also will i be able if uprgade to play modern warfare 2/3 on high settings with 1366x768...it's not so big resolution )

 

[Sunius]

Hey there, although I am not really experienced with HD cards, but I want to tell you about how memory works.

1GB x2 Kingstone ddr2 800 mhz RAM memory (so its 2gb)..(works in dual channel couse its 1 gb x2... )

Dual channel doesn't increase the amount of memory, it increases it's speed. The amount of memory is decided by number of RAM stick multiplied by capacity of each stick.

 

[CaedenV]

The 9800 card would be appropriate to the old build, but I am quite ignorant of AMD mobo's so I am not 100% sure that this is true.

What I am sure of is that I just upgraded from my good ol 9800GT last month, and must say that it is no longer a solid gaming card. The newest game I played on it was Dragon Age Origins (fun game! but hardly 'new') and while it kept up OK, it got pretty rough in parts (always the exciting bits lol), but that was with high detail. Newer games will be even rougher, and I dobut you could play any game made in the last year on high settings.

That said, I was playing at 1920X1200, so if you are running at a lower res you may get some decent use out of one (or an AMD equivilat). But just go into it knowing that you are going to be at the most entry level of performance with no AA or effects running. Also, adding more memory (4GB minimum) will also help you in performance for gaming because modern games will chew through 2GB with ease, causing you to run off the HDD which slows everything down.

Also, keep in mind that the 9800GT is only a re-branded 8800GT (some of the later ones had a die shrink, but still the same chip and ram), so if you find a 8800GT for a good price then jump on that instead.

You may need a bigger power supply to run the 9800GT as most will require a 6pin power connector, but it has been a while sense I looked up the official specs (but they may have changed by now with die shrinks over the years if buying new).

@Sunius, I think he knows what duel channel means. He said he was running 2GB in a 2x1GB kit. But the performance of single vs duel channel memory really isnt much. Hardly noticeable in real life.

 

[4745454b]

4850 is better then the 9800GT. It's on par with the 8800GTX/9800GTX/GTS250/GTS450, etc. I do strongly doubt your PSU will be able to handle it however.

 

[jrodfry]

How long have you had the computer? If you've had it for a while you might look at changing the power supply. Usually the power supplies that come with computer case are pretty wimpy. The HD 4850 is okay (it requires a single 6-pin connector). The 4850 would do fine with MW3. The only things I would advise for your computer would be to stick to a DX 11 card if you want to be upgrading your computer less frequently and the RAM.

I checked the system requirements on for MW3
http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=1400&game=Modern%20Warfare%203

Unfortunately, you computer specification would not meet the minimum required settings for MW3.

But, you could probably still play other older games at decent settings. It looks like you'll need to upgrade your computer to an AM3 socket triple core cpu with 3gb or RAM or more, inorder to have MW3 playable on your computer.

I hope this helps.

 

[lukapavkovic]

Thank you guys..i'l go for 4850 if i collect around 20 euros....im still in middle school so it's hard to earn money...and i live in Serbia it's ******* crazy here...