neiru

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Jan 25, 2011
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I want to upgrade my graphics card so I can play more recent games. It doesn't have to be 2011 games, just games from a few years back. This is what I currently have...

ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

TP-LINK TL-WN781ND PCI Express Wireless Adapter

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply

PowerColor AX5570 1GBD3-H Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

Will upgrade to Windows 7 64 bit. What graphics card would fit with my current computer setup. Also do I need to add more RAM? I'm only using 2 GB of RAM. Someone suggested AMD 6850, 6870, and GTX 460 before. Just want to get peoples opinions. Thank you.

If I need to upgrade my PSU what would work? My budget is $100-150. How much is Windows 7 to upgrade from Windows XP?
 

GI_JONES

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Jan 16, 2006
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If you want the best bang for buck, I would stick with the 4Gb of ram, so as to have more $ for a graphics card. Your cpu isnt that bad, and with the right card you can be playing all the latest games. The ones you listed are fine, but watch it on the gtx460's, some of them (the cheaper ones) are 192 bit instead of 256bit. Also instead of a 460, I would consider the newer version..the gtx560. Actually Nvidia is realeasing new cards some time soon, so the 460 would be 2 generations old as opposed to the 560 only being 1 behind.
As for Win7..right now 64bit oem on sale at newegg, scroll down to mid page
http://www.newegg.com/emailpromo/?cm_sp=shoppingguide_email-_-email-_-100111
Also..whats this about only using 2gb of ram?..It says you have 4gb?
 
If you're a student, you can find Windows 7 for $30 and free if you're in Engineering/Programming.

Get a 6870 on graphics because it's the most bang for your buck (although you'll want to do some of your own research): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944-8.html

Skip the RAM upgrade if you already have 4GB (2x2GB) installed. It won't help in any games but BF3 and, even then, it'll barely help.

That PSU is fine for anything up to a 6870 (and, specifically, a 7850 or 7870).

Lastly, overclock your Athlon II. Pick up a $10 Corsair A50 cooler w/ promo code EMCNGHN63: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181012