Best option for Gaming card
 

Hi,
Im looking for a new PCI card, mainly for gaming and encoding DVDs from time to time.
Not wanting to go all out for a top end card, but at the same time im not wanting to go super cheap.

Any and all suggestions welcome.

BTW im currently running a PCI ATI Radion X1300 I believe...

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Price range and pc spec includeing operating system would help. Also what games you intend to play. As alot of the new games need a mid end card to run proper

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Are we talking about PCI or PCI-e?

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Im running XP SP3 - Mainly play racing sims, Rfactor, GTR2, Live for speed, not exactly FPS hogs, but would be nice to have more eye candy. Saying that my current card plays all the above fine, but I think its time to plan for future releases.

Heres some other info

Current card spec
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2008/12/23.jpg

Motherboard
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2008/12/9.jpg

Ram
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2008/12/10.jpg

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

That does not look like its got a graphics slot at all. Could you download everest and look for the motherboards model number as that report does not give it. If it does not have an AGP/ PCI E then your stuffed

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Eh!? The GFX card is listed at the top of my last post. Radeon x1300. Ive had it out in the past to give the fan a clean, so its deffo in there.

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

then will you do as I asked and get an everest report with the mobo spec. All your spec sheets says is 6 pci

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

The i945p chipset definitely came with PCI-E compatibility... however the vanilla X1300 also came in PCI-E, AGP and PCI flavours.

The board sounds like a ASUS P5LP-LE, in which case the image you posted is mis-labelling the amount of PCI slots, or not labelling them correctly.

You should have one free PCI-E x16 slot, which would enable you to buy any GPU you like, but you may also need a new PSU if that's the case.

Since you aren't too bothered about graphics, and the card you use at the moment seems to play your games, i'd recommend something along the lines of an ATI Radeon 4670 which will completely blitz your current card. I'd suggest the 4650, but it uses DDR2 memory and your bandwidth would be severely limited as a result, so the 4670 is worth the extra £10-15

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Ok
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2008/12/8.jpg

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Looks like i was right :)

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Thanks for the friendly help :) - So im looking for the 4670, do you know the best place to pick it up?

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=GX-104-HT medium range card

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...)%20-%20Retail bit higher price but not sure if it is any better not to sure with ati these days.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...)%20-%20Retail high end but cheap ati card

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...)%20-%20Retail low end nvidia

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...)%20-%20Retail medium nvidia with out spending to much.

if you wanted any better than these then imho you would be looking at either the 4850/70 x2's, or the nvidia gtx 260/280's but these are all over £200.

in my oppinion if you want to play the latest games then i suggest the 4870 or 9800gtx as these, will let you play latest and new releases quite easily dependent on cpu and ram etc.

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

Great - plenty to look at there and think about. Thanks a lot.

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

personnally i would look at the 4870 or the 9800gtx cost more than the others but far better performance but it depends, on budget and the games you want to play if you wanted to grid or need for speed games then you will need, something good i get a high fps from those games but only because i run 2 gtx280's in sli.

Re: Best option for Gaming card
 

dude the machine does not need a card that good. The 4670 will be more than adequate. What size screen and what res does it run at also needs to be asked