Overwritten.net
Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: ScaryTooth on Sunday, August 01, 2010, 08:26:06 AM
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I think it's about time I upgrade my video card. I'm running a Geforce 7950 GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130061) and I'm thinking of buying a budget card. Like this...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+RADEON+HD+4650+1GB+DDR2+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9254585.p?id=1218069451494&skuId=9254585 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+RADEON+HD+4650+1GB+DDR2+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9254585.p?id=1218069451494&skuId=9254585)
Since I haven't been keeping up with PC stuff lately, I was just wondering if it would be worth it.
My current system is
Intel Core Duo 2 @ 2.4GHz
2GB of ram
Geforce 7950 GT.
It's just now starting to struggle with newer games. I mean, it's going to bottle neck some, but I can't really afford to slap in a whole bunch of components right now.
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No.
First of all the 7950GT was a damn fine card. It was a good performer at that price. I bought two, one for each of my siblings.
At $90, the 4650 isn't a good option. I am not sure how much of a performance upgrade you'll see, but it can't be much.
The rest of your specs are pretty good. The processor is more than enough for your gaming needs.
What OS are you on? If it is XP, then the RAM is OK for your gaming. It would be better if you had 4GB on a 64-bit OS, but I think you are looking for a stop gap solution for now.
I'll look around a bit for a video card and post again.
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Well here are the cards I suggest, that will run most games (aside from Crysis) at full HD (1920x1080) on high to max settings with at least 30 fps.
1. Radeon 5750 (price from $125-$140 on newegg)
2. GTS 250 (price from $110 to $140 depending on make and video memory)
3. Radeon 4850 (price from $105 to $125 on newegg) -- this runs a touch hot, but is a good performer.
4. 9800GT (You can get an eVGA make for $99 on newegg):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=9800+GT&x=0&y=0
The 9800GT with 512MB RAM is a good stop gap solution if you are gaming at max. 1680x1050.
What resolution do you game at?
Each of the cards listed above will do a decent job, but remember, you get what you pay for. If you can find a good deal on any of those, you should be happy.
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Thanks, Pug. Looking into it.
I usually run games around 1280x1024.
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Ahh at that resolution video memory of 512 should be OK. If you plan to upgrade to a full HD LCD soon, I'd recommend 1GB.
Happy hunting.
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I bought a 5770 a few months ago on sale for roughly a hundred dollars (I think...can't really remember how much it was). More than happy with the performance of it.
The good news is that due to SLI and shit, there's a market for your old videocard. Put that bitch on craigslist and help pay off the new one that way.
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Does anyone know if an external gfx card for a laptop exists? My cousin was telling me they do and he is usually pretty knowledgeable on computer stuff but after a quick google search I didn't see anything. I've certainly never heard of it before.
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I've never heard of such a thing. I can't imagine how it would work unless someone came up with some sort of external PCIe port.
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I don't know if they were ever released (probably not), but there were certainly plans. If I recall correctly (again, probably not), ATI wanted to include a new port on high end laptops that would basically serve as a hook up for an external gpu (there would also be an internal gpu). I remember the claim being that it would be close to PCI express speeds. Now, what I don't remember at all is if the signal would then be routed back to the laptop or if you had to use a separate monitor. I do know that a working model was present as some trade show (CES?) a few years ago, but I haven't seen anything since that story on Digg....I also don't know if that was the ATI solution or something completely different.
That said, when I was looking for a card a while ago, I didn't come across anything external while looking at sites, so I'd say they either decided it's not feasible or it just isn't ready yet.
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external video cards? yeah they exist - well, sort of. you can get pci-e to pcmcia adaptors, such as the following...
http://sewelldirect.com/ViDock-2-ExpressCard-External-Video-Card-Solution-Empty-Chassis.asp
not cheap...