9800gt died, seeking advice on a new card!

[casualgamer29]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Now BUDGET RANGE: Any

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: A few WoW dungeons and battlegrounds here and there, would like to play around with Diablo 3 a bit.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: GPU - 8800gt a friend had in reserve, PSU - Rosewill Green Series RG630-2 630W

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: CPU - AMD Phenom x4 9650 2.3, MoBo - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P, Memory - Kingston Hyper X DDR2, Case - Cooler Master Centurion 5 ATX Mid Tower

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg/NCIX/Any reputable site COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I am a casual gamer, 4-6 hours a week, 10-12 hours on a heavy week, which seem to be disappearing as I near 30. I would prefer a card that tends toward the quieter side if possible. I am not concerned with running everything at the highest settings, I just want to play at a decent graphics level and have some fun. I don't have an actual budget, although convincing myself to spend an enormous amount for something which sees limited use might be tough.

Thank you to anyone taking the time to read this and reply. Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[casualgamer29]

After reading further through the forums and through the Best Graphics Cards for the money article, it looks as though GeForce GT 440 GDDR5 may be a good fit for me. Exceptional 1680x1050 performance on the label in the article and my current board has the correct slot. Is the GT 440 GDDR5 a good fit, or should I be look at something a bit heftier?

 

[carlosb]

Yes that card will run Diablo 3 and WoW, obviously not on max settings. This tough, is a downgrade from the 9800 gt so what I recommend is you find another 9800 gt. Alternatively you can go to the next level of video cards and get a radeon 6850 for 60 bucks more, thus allowing you to enjoy the graphic detail more.

 

[casualgamer29]

Yes that card will run Diablo 3 and WoW, obviously not on max settings. This tough, is a downgrade from the 9800 gt so what I recommend is you find another 9800 gt. Alternatively you can go to the next level of video cards and get a radeon 6850 for 60 bucks more, thus allowing you to enjoy the graphic detail more.

Thank you Carlosb for taking the time to read and respond, it is appreciated!

As I move to the Radeon 6850 or beyond, am I going to reach a point in which the far outdated components of my current PC limit the card I should be purchasing? If I buy a GTX 680, am I going to see the same performance out of it that someone with an up to date PC would see?

 

[carlosb]

A gtx 680 is overkill for the games you're gonna play and would likely be bottlenecked by your current specs. The 6850 is good for your current system and shouldn't have any problems, except that maybe your cpu might get a little hot. This is something you should not worry about, however it is always good to check your temperatures when putting a new component in. As you move up video cards it will become more and more likely for them to be bottlenecked

 

[casualgamer29]

After a bit more research and review reading, chose the ASUS 6850, ordered and on the way. Thanks again Carlos!

 

[casualgamer29]

Best answer selected by casualgamer29.