Recomend me a card!

D

djBon2112

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jul 29, 2006
Messages
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Yes, OK, I know it's been done to death and everyone asks it, but I'm still looking for some advice ;)

System specs as of right now:

AMD Opteron 170 at about 2.4 GHz
2 GB DDR 400 RAM
Asus A8R32-MVP Deluxe (AMD/ATi Xpress 3200 chipset, dual 16x PCIe1.0 slots)
Triple-booting Windows XP Pro SP3, Windows Vista Business x64 SP1, and Linux Mint 5

The monitor is a 20" BenQ LCD that does 1680x1050.

I'll be using this computer for light gaming (I'll get to it in a sec) under Vista, and general computer usage (internet browsing, watching movies, music, etc.) under both XP and Linux (XP for the family, Linux for me ;))

I'll only really be playing 4 games (in order of use): Oblivion, Battlefield 2142, Unreal Tournament 3, and perhaps Fallout 3 (it looks like a game I'd like), plus a bunch of older games who's system req's would barely make a dent.

I was originally looking at a 4850 for $220 (I'm Canadian for the record), but I'm wondering if any other cards would be a better value for me, such as a GTX 260 or a 4870?
 
The 4850 can run all those games, but the GTX260 or 4870 can run them significantly better for a slightly higher price.

At your resolution, I'd go with either of the latter at that price range. Not sure about the Canadian pricing though.
 
What PSU do you have? Kind of pointless to be getting a new video card if the PSU can't handle it.

Anyway the HD4850 would be a good choice for the games you listed at that resolution but if you want max eye candy for Oblivion and Fallout 3, then go with the GTX260 (any version) and the HD4870 (Any version)
 
Take a look at the 9800GTX or the GTX260..Either should fit the bill..
 
djBon2112 said:
Yes, OK, I know it's been done to death and everyone asks it, but I'm still looking for some advice ;)

System specs as of right now:

AMD Opteron 170 at about 2.4 GHz
2 GB DDR 400 RAM
Asus A8R32-MVP Deluxe (AMD/ATi Xpress 3200 chipset, dual 16x PCIe1.0 slots)
Triple-booting Windows XP Pro SP3, Windows Vista Business x64 SP1, and Linux Mint 5

The monitor is a 20" BenQ LCD that does 1680x1050.

I'll be using this computer for light gaming (I'll get to it in a sec) under Vista, and general computer usage (internet browsing, watching movies, music, etc.) under both XP and Linux (XP for the family, Linux for me ;))

I'll only really be playing 4 games (in order of use): Oblivion, Battlefield 2142, Unreal Tournament 3, and perhaps Fallout 3 (it looks like a game I'd like), plus a bunch of older games who's system req's would barely make a dent.

I was originally looking at a 4850 for $220 (I'm Canadian for the record), but I'm wondering if any other cards would be a better value for me, such as a GTX 260 or a 4870?
Click to expand...

For the games you listed you're not going to beat the 4850 for value. Your Opty is a tad light for something like a 4870
 
GonzoP said:
For the games you listed you're not going to beat the 4850 for value. Your Opty is a tad light for something like a 4870
Click to expand...

What about Crossfired 4850s? I ask because I almost forgot about that element ;) I can get 2 ATi cards and crossfire them (one now, one later) should I find the single card lacking. do you think I'd be really bottlenecked there, in those games at that res? What if I OC'd the opty a little more to ~2.6 or 2.7?

Also, my PSU is a 500 watt, solid manufacturer (I can't remember who though right now, I'm not near the computer).
 
If you have the money get HD4870 1GB if not then HD4850 would be the best bang for buck.
 
Yeah your processor is in the same boat as mine, it's just about capable with some of last years games, but the graphics card being an X800 refuses anything with Cell Shading 3.0 (I have been waiting to play Splinter Cell: Double Agent, for two years!!!).

you may need to look at more than the GPU for upgrading.

System specs below (not done too badly for a 5 year old system, killed two ATi cards but still going, will switch to nVidia again on the next one coming up), I would go with the 260 myself, after my track run of two dead ATi's and no dead nVidia's.
 
wait tell black you might be able to snag a 4870 for almost the price of a 4850 or 9600gt/9800gt for sub 100 bucks.

Based on your specs you might need an entire computer upgrade not to long from now so you might want to get a lower end card like a 9600gt for much less money and save up for a new system with a higher end card. This is what I would do I'm running fallout3 at 1920x1200 with a 9600gt everything on high just fine light to no AA.
 
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