<$200 Card - AMD Radeon HD 6000+?

[samwisegamgie1]

Hi,

I have a stock pc from best buy, less than a year old, since i basically know nothing about graphics, figured i'd ask the experts!

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Processor 3.00 GHz
ATI Radeon HD 5450
win 7

My question is, why can't i play current generation games? from what i've learned so far it's probably the HD 5450 holding it back, but again, i have no idea.

(specifically games Assigns Creed, Batman Arkham City, and ESPECIALLY "NFS the run" which is unplayable as it is)

so is AMD's Radeon HD >6000 the way to go? does it matter? is it processors i should be looking at- or some other component i'm totally ignorant of? most game become playable at the lowest possible graphic setting.

any relevant info i neglected to mention let me know, cheers!

 

[jryan388]

Yes, it's the 5450. It has 80 SIMD cores.
The Radeon 6850, however, has 960 SIMD cores and only costs $130 after rebate on newegg. You could also go with a 6770 for $100. It would probably max all of those games anyway.

 

[kajabla]

GPU's definitely the issue here.
The 6850 will not max any of those games, but it will be quite nice on medium-high settings. Get a 6870 if you can afford it. Sapphire, $145 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948
How much RAM do you have? 4gb+ should be fine.

 

[Zero_]

its not about the first number of the graphics card, but the 2nd. you have a HD5450, which is a x4xx card, really low end. x9xx and x8xx cards (5850, 6870, 4890 etc) are considered high end usually, and are much faster and better in gaming than the x4xx card you have.

the first number simply denotes how new the card is. when comparing similar cards from different ranges, the new one is usually faster.
Eg: 54xx vs. 64xx. 64xx cards will be faster even if they are the same class.

NOTE: General guidelines here. There are a few exceptions when it comes to actual performance.

EDIT: Oh yes, the suggestion. Get a HD6850 + Corsair CX430

 

[inanition02]

Note that you may need to replace your current power supply. Also, is your PC low profile or standard form factor?

 

[kajabla]

Yes on the PSU. Zero's right: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&Tpk=cx430
I still support a 6870. Only you know how much you're willing to spend.

 

[samwisegamgie1]

Thank you everyone! espicially you zero_ the break down was MUCH appreciated.

I'll be going with the 6870: link

I'll be waiting a few days to get it, so let feel free to comment if you fell strongly the HD 6870 is a mistake. thanks all!

 

[samwisegamgie1]

Best answer selected by samwisegamgie1.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey