Graphics Card Help?

[saadzaman126]

I getting a new graphics card for a custom PC and I'm need some help deciding. I like to play games but top resolution isn't absolutely necessary but I don't want it to be bad either. The comp has a 2bg ram,
([PROCESSOR]) - AMD Athlon™ X2 5200+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology proccessor,
([MOTHERBOARD]) - Asus M2N-SLI NVIDIA nForce 560 SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, IEEE 1394, USB 2.0, Dual PCI-E MB
([HARDRIVE]) - 250 GB
([POWER SUPPLY]) - 600 Watt

I was thinking about the Nvidia GeForce 8600 Gts or 2x Nvidia Geforce 8500 Gt or the ATI Raedon HD 3650/ OR 3850 which is best?

-Thanx for the help

 

[Silverel]

3850 512mb

Way to be helpful Ninko...

 

[mullered07]

none of the above

wow thats got to be the most unhelpful post ive read all day, you must be proud.

back on topic, of those listed the 3850 is your best buy but you should maybe consider a 8800gt if your budget can stretch that far there not all that expensive and overclock well depending on what brand you get

 

[yogurt_21]

8800gs or 3850. or if you can swing it a 9600gt would be best.

 

[alexp999]

What PSU is it?? If its a cheapo 600W you dont want to be sticking your nice new 38xx/88xx Gfx card in with it

 

[spearman914]

I getting a new graphics card for a custom PC and I'm need some help deciding. I like to play games but top resolution isn't absolutely necessary but I don't want it to be bad either. The comp has a 2bg ram,
([PROCESSOR]) - AMD Athlon™ X2 5200+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology proccessor,
([MOTHERBOARD]) - Asus M2N-SLI NVIDIA nForce 560 SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, IEEE 1394, USB 2.0, Dual PCI-E MB
([HARDRIVE]) - 250 GB
([POWER SUPPLY]) - 600 Watt

I was thinking about the Nvidia GeForce 8600 Gts or 2x Nvidia Geforce 8500 Gt or the ATI Raedon HD 3650/ OR 3850 which is best?

-Thanx for the help

It would be helpful if you let us know ur budget since most gamers have a budget build. And it would be a rip off if you buy 2 8500 gt and sli them while 1 8800 gt can outperform them. The 3650 might be a good card since it's also available for AGP. Or else get the 8800 gt.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

I'm gonna go with 9600gt / 8800gs on this one for perf vs. price.

 

[WhiteLotus]

i would go for he ATI 3850 but i agree with the others - 8800GT if you can stretch it. and check your PSU as well as said above.

 

[JrRacinFan]

What is your budget? 8800GS is looking quite grand for your system right about now.

 

[NinkobEi]

well I'm sorry for the useless post above, just being a little sarcastic. of "those" set cards you listed the 3850 is the best. better late than never I suppose

 

[..'Ant'..]

The 3850 or the 8800GT one of the two both are great cards.

 

[erocker]

well I'm sorry for the useless post above, just being a little sarcastic. of "those" set cards you listed the 3850 is the best. better late than never I suppose

I have stripped you of your lame post! Try not to do it anymore. I agree with your second and much more helpful post though. The 3850 512mb would be a perfect card.

 

[saadzaman126]

Whats so good about the HD 3850 256 MB cause thats what I'm leaning towards... would it be able to todays newest games and one that are going to be coming out soon like Starcraft 2. Also is it worth it to add $40 and get the HD 3870 512 MB. Also are these better than 2x Nvidia Geforce 8600GT 512 MB. Also what size of power supply would you reccommend for each of these graphics cards?

-Thanx alot for the help...

 

[Black Panther]

When purchasing a new graphics card take note of the PSU supply on the +12V rail.

You have a 600W PSU, I don't know how much it delivers on the +12V rail. I have a 550W PSU with two +12V rails one 16 Amps and one 18 Amps.

I power up an 8800GT overclocked as in my system specs with no problems. (And rails don't just add up).

An 8800GT would be happy with a mere 400W PSU as long as it delivers 26Amps on the +12.

About the 3850 afaik it's slightly more power hungry and needs 28Amps on the +12V rail.

All this is assuming you have a 'normal' pc... if you got one with a ton of dvd drives and hard-disks, fans or pumps for water-cooling you would be needing a much more powerful PSU.

Edit: I just saw your last post - if you're into gaming definitely go for the 512MB versions. It will perform better in general and especially when you use anti-aliasing (smooth edges) or anisotropic filtering (greater detail in long distance view).
Just a small question - what type of monitor have you got? Expensive graphics cards would be overkill if you've got a small one.

 

[saadzaman126]

When purchasing a new graphics card take note of the PSU supply on the +12V rail.

You have a 600W PSU, I don't know how much it delivers on the +12V rail. I have a 550W PSU with two +12V rails one 16 Amps and one 18 Amps.

I power up an 8800GT overclocked as in my system specs with no problems. (And rails don't just add up).

An 8800GT would be happy with a mere 400W PSU as long as it delivers 22Amps on the +12.

About the 3850 afaik it's slightly more power hungry and needs 26Amps on the +12V rail.

All this is assuming you have a 'normal' pc... if you got one with a ton of dvd drives and hard-disks, fans or pumps for water-cooling you would be needing a much more powerful PSU.

Edit: I just saw your last post - if you're into gaming definitely go for the 512MB versions. It will perform better in general and especially when you use anti-aliasing (smooth edges) or anisotropic filtering (greater detail in long distance view).
Just a small question - what type of monitor have you got? Expensive graphics cards would be overkill if you've got a small one.

I'm confused so you're saying that I don't need such a strong power supply a 420w would do for the HD 3850 and the HD 3870? Also what do you mean by overkill with the monitor...? If I have too strong a graphics card it would mess up my monitor?

 

[mullered07]

I'm confused so you're saying that I don't need such a strong power supply a 420w would do for the HD 3850 and the HD 3870? Also what do you mean by overkill with the monitor...? If I have too strong a graphics card it would mess up my monitor?

1. you need a good quality psu (450w would be fine) rather than a cheap one with 700watts or so, a good make like ocz, corsair, antec, thermaltake etc if you can find oout the make of it that would help us help you

2. overkill with your monitor means theres no point on spending lots of money on a top range uber graphics card if your only going to be playing at low resolutions but i dont think theres a problem here if your lookin g at a 3850 anyway thats not going to break the bank and is about right for the rest of your system specs, and no your graphics card wont mess your monitor up

 

[saadzaman126]

would 420 watt be ok for the HD 3850 and the HD 3870??

-THANX...

 

[KainXS]

yes, I have run an hd3850 on a 380watt psu with no problems but the psu had 2 18A V12 rails on it also and I think it was rebranded so it probably wasn't 380Watts.

I still use it as a backup psu

the 3850 should run happy on 20-22A while the 3870 might need about 24-26 since it runs at higher voltage

I would say wait for the 4850's though

but don't run out and buy a cheap card like the HD2900GT, a friend of mine bought that card for 90 bucks to replace the 7950GT I gave to him and the 2900GT was slower, don't do it.

 

[Black Panther]

I'm confused so you're saying that I don't need such a strong power supply a 420w would do for the HD 3850 and the HD 3870? Also what do you mean by overkill with the monitor...? If I have too strong a graphics card it would mess up my monitor?

Mullered answered it all basically, but to elaborate further, on a power supply you normally have got a sticker on the side quoting numbers in voltages and amperes, to put it plainly. Something like this:

Now if you google say a particular card and its system requirements, it will not only give you the wattage of the PSU but also the +12V rail amperage which is important to deliver enough power to the graphics card.

The +12V rail amperage would be listed on that sticker on the side of the PSU.

For example if you see the Evga site for the 8800GT it says that the minimum specs are a 400W PSU delivering 26 Amps on the +12V.

That means a 450W PSU is OK if it delivers 26A on +12V, but a 700W PSU might not be OK if it delivers 22A on +12V.

As regards the overkill if you have a small monitor:
A graphics card generates graphics (obviously), now if you have a monitor with max resolution of 1024x768 that means that the card has to constantly generate graphics for 786,432 pixels. On the other hand if your monitor's resolution is 1900x1200 the card has to work for 2,280,000 pixels which is nearly 3 times as much!
Consequently, if you get a card capable of maxing out on 1900x1200 yet your monitor is only 1024x768 it would be overkill because you can get a much cheaper card which would still give you the same results of maxing out 1024x768.

 

[mullered07]

would 420 watt be ok for the HD 3850 and the HD 3870??

-THANX...

what make is your psu ?

 

[saadzaman126]

k now, since I don't want to waste money buying a graphics card that is too good for my monitor what graphics card would preform max on settings up to -

1600 x 1200 -

1280 x 1024 -

1024 x 768 -

- thanx for the help

 

[Hayder_Master]

the best card for your system take 8800gt or forloer price 9600 gt but if you want cards what you chose in take 8600gts or 3850 it is same dont take the 2*8500gt cus i think your mobo dont support 16x/16x and dont have pci-e in cards and mobo so the 2*8500 dont have a verry good performance

 

[saadzaman126]

ok so the 8800 gt is that better then palit 9600 gt

 

[NinkobEi]

8800gt is better than the 9600, yes.

 

[Gam'ster]

I +1 on the 3850, especially the His variant with the iceq3 cooling.
Hope this helps.

Cheers
Gam