Upgrade from Radeon HD 3200?

i decided to start playing some games on my HTPC which is connected to my 50inch 720p plasma TV. The only game I'm playing right now is Lord of the Rings online which seems fairly graphic intensive on max settings with DX10. The video card I have is onboard Radeon HD 3200 (780G chipset) and I can run with the basic settings on high and some of the "Extra" settings on low and it seems pretty smooth. What would I need to really run everything on max, smoothly? I was looking at the GeForce 9500 GT series. Good idea?

Whats your budget ?
HD 3470 (Is the highest card where you can still go crossfire) but i dunno how well it works
4850 get pretty much everything on max.
9800 GT is the lowest id go nvidia wise.
But it really depends on your budget. B/C ppl will say 4870 which is the ideal card, or a 260 which is a nice card also and will play pretty much alot of stuff on max.

And that screen is mighty big.

I don't want to spend a whole lot because I don't know how long/how many games I'll even get to play before the fiancee stabs me. I'd say up to $100 bucks, but naturally the cheaper the better.

What is your power supply, and do you have room for a full length card, full height, or do you have less space?

You top picks at about $100 on neweg.
Sparkle/ZOTAC 9800GT 512MB $99 isnt too power hungry

SAPPHIRE/PowerColor 4830 512MB $99.99/$89.99 > $84.99/$74.99(Rebate)

You picks for well under $100 newegg
EVGA 9600 GT 512MB $99.99 > $69.99(Rebate)

SAPPHIRE HD 4670 512MB $74.99 > $64.99(Rebate)

i personally like ATi better for HTPCs b/c their image DOES look diff but its minor and really not noticable unless you a detail freak.
But for gaming i use Nvidia they do tend to have better compability with high end games.

I have both Ati and Nvidia 3870 and 8800 and i like them both !!! =D

+1..

you want a HD 4670. good power for games cheap and no extra power plug needed. best option for your htpc.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102820

Originally Posted by iPearl

Whats your budget ?
HD 3470 (Is the highest card where you can still go crossfire) but i dunno how well it works
4850 get pretty much everything on max.
9800 GT is the lowest id go nvidia wise.
But it really depends on your budget. B/C ppl will say 4870 which is the ideal card, or a 260 which is a nice card also and will play pretty much alot of stuff on max.

And that screen is mighty big.

^^ what he said.

at such a low res of 720p, 4670 would be your best choice. 9600gso's would also be a comparable nvidia choice.

Originally Posted by kioras

What is your power supply, and do you have room for a full length card, full height, or do you have less space?

430 watt PS, in an Antec Fusion 430 HTPC case. It's on an mATX board, I think it would accept a full height card, not sure about the length.

In terms of video quality for Blu-Ray, who is better at this point, ATI or NVidia?


/edit mobo is ASUS M3A78-EM.

ATi Personally for this application.
Both companies have decent cards for low power consumption.
So no worries there really 430 is quite enough.

4670 look very compelling atm. especially for a HTPC

Originally Posted by nitefallz

430 watt PS, in an Antec Fusion 430 HTPC case. It's on an mATX board, I think it would accept a full height card, not sure about the length.

In terms of video quality for Blu-Ray, who is better at this point, ATI or NVidia?


/edit mobo is ASUS M3A78-EM.

ATI for this, and I believe that PSU is the same as an earth watt so a 4850 would be fine, fit you budget and max out everything at 720p. and you can run some really neat shader functions for your video.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/accele...he-gpu-guide/1

4670

The HD4350 can be used for Hybrid Xfire I believe.

I ended up ordering the the passively cooled 4670 from Newegg, but tried to cancel it to place an order for one of their 4830s, but was unable to. So when the 4670 arrived I decided to give it a whirl and I have to say I'm impressed. It's a big jump from the integrated HD 3200 and I'm able to play my game with max settings at 720p with no problems. No fan noise is an extra plus too. I'll probably pick a 4380 up in the next few months as the prices drop, who knows.

thanks for everyone's input!