Need advice on a graphics card

Hey all.. I never used this forum before so I'm sorry if this seems rather simple, but I was looking for some advice...

Currently I am looking for a new graphics card... most importantly a viable upgrade for my run of the mill HP a6000n, M2N68-LA (Narra) motherboard.
I have 3 gigs of Ram and a ATI card 512Mb 1600 series.. but its just not cutting it 20-30 fps in games.. if that when the game goes nuts. I was looking at some 768Mb cards ..

1.)Would any such improvement make enough of a difference to have 50-80 fps?

2.) If yes which cards do you reccomend given my computer?

3.) Is the shotty performance I am witnessing amplified by the fact that my card is ATI and my board is NVIDIA..?

Thanks for your time .. just trying to understand
Niles

ANy input

 

Need more info about your comp...Whats ur processor speed? Most cards with 512 Megs of dedicated ram should really help improve your gaming, I know mine did...Id say its probably your processor...definently not a lack of RAM

 

My computer is a AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ (2.2 GHz)... hope that helps.. I appreciate any and all input

 

What games are you trying to run?

 

Welcome to MajorGeeks resevil2!

Is this your computer? http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/e...3156-12133158-12133158-12133158-79732772.html

If so, you have a PCI x16 slot. I say, for the best bang for the $, get a Nvidia 8800GT with 512Mb RAM. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121263

Shop around, you may find better deals. The Nvidia 9800 is a few $'s more, I am not sure what the difference is. I am planing on doing some benchmarks with my main rig so I can see what the difference is between the 8800GT and my ATI 3870 X2.

E

 

I ran 3D Mark 06 http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4935 with my 'new' Nvidia 8800GT and got 13k. Not too shabby. I am running an Intel Q6600 overclocked a bit, with 2GB RAM on Win XP pro. I got 16k on 3dMark06 a while back with my 3870 ATI X2 card. Dang, that thing is noisy, and can't fold very well.

You should run 3D06 with your setup, and then compare scores.

Post up your 3DMark score! We will have you running benchmarks in no time!:-D

E

 

Hey Resevil2.

I don't think that having a nVidia chipset motherboard will hinder the performance of an ATI graphics card. It sounds like your CPU is average, not exactly bad for gaming - with the right graphics card you would be fine. 2 gig of RAM is a minimum for todays games ... maybe 3 with Vista.
If you DO have a PCI-E slot, and are looking for a mid range card, you should be fine with a top end ATI 3800 series, like the 3850 or 3870pro. I heard the 4850 is good value in terms of performance, but it will cost a little more. A mid Geforce 9 series card would be about the same, such as the 9600GT, for all modern games.
I don't think the ammount of RAM counts much towards frame rates, it's more about the GPU. A 512MB x1900 Radeon is much slower than a 256MB 3850pro, for example, because it's 2 generations behind.
Spend wisely and check benchmarks online.

 

Yikes.. you guys really do read these things...

Ok so here we go...
1.) The game I've been playing is Age of Conan (AoC)
2.) Yes that computer you put up is my model.. the a6000n Pavillion

As for benchmarks.. like I said I'm a novice... I use to think that the size of the RAM in the video card determines what is best.. however that would be just to easy.

1.)So if I buy the NVidia 9800 or 8800 GT does it matter what company version I buy.. in the sense of which manufactuer or are you guys just talking chip sets... as in buy any card with that set in it?

2.)I upgraded my power supply once.. would this change now require 700+ watt supply or even a 1000?

Just wanna make sure I get the right card, right price and a solid improvement..

 

Lets make it simple.. would this be a bad purchase?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3759153&CatId=3585

What would you reccomend for power supply?

Thanks again

 

Looks like a good card. NewEgg has one very similar for a few $'s less.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130376

Don't think you can go wrong with either one.:-D Just for fun, run the 3DMark benchmark in my other post. Then run it with your new card so you can see how much better it is! :-D

E

 

You are right it is not the size of the RAM on the Video Card (in fact some with more RAM have performed worse than those with less for exact same make and series), what is more important is Memory bus width, e.g. 256Bit and how effectively that card can utilise this.

What is your current PSU? You might not have to upgarde if it is an efficient make/model.

I would seriously consider a 4850, they are keeping pace with the 9800GTX. Visiontek offer the best warranty (LIFETIME) compared to all others:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...48&StoreType=2&bop=And&SrchInDesc=4850&Page=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112

I was getting 13.7k in 3DMark06 and upto 14.5K with OC on my Sapphire 4850.