I'm also curious as to how much the cost might be expected to be. Basically I want to run a game such as Call of Duty 4 piped out at 1024x768 or even (hopefully) 720P, and for the future I'd like to be compatible with HD DVD and Blu-Ray drives... Any ideas?
Any recommendations for a PCI-E video card?
- Thread starter Michael Chris
- Start date
For 1024x786 you really don't need much card. More powerful cards or SLI/Crossfire are needed by people with large screens running twice that res.
The other big drain is Anti-Aliasing, which can bog down even a fast card in some games. Keeping AA to 2x or at most 4x will still give you decent image quality and decent framerates. High power cards if you want/need 8x or more.
AFAIK all the latest cards support HD and Blu. What you tend to get with lower end cards is the GPU assisting the CPU to decode, so you still get pretty fair CPU use, but the playback is fine.
So putting it altogether, look at spending about $150-$200 for a decent low res mutimedia card, maybe $250 if you don't hunt around for the best price. ATI's latest release, the HD3870 should run you around $250 for the 512mb version, with full on-board HD/Blue decoding. It's very low power consumption compared to previous generation cards, and supports the upcoming DirectX10.1. NVidia will have a new 9xxx generation card released in a couple of months with DX10.1 support. If you don't want/need the "future proofing" of DX10.1 support, like if you play games in XP with DX9, then you can find an adequate card for $100 less.
The other big drain is Anti-Aliasing, which can bog down even a fast card in some games. Keeping AA to 2x or at most 4x will still give you decent image quality and decent framerates. High power cards if you want/need 8x or more.
AFAIK all the latest cards support HD and Blu. What you tend to get with lower end cards is the GPU assisting the CPU to decode, so you still get pretty fair CPU use, but the playback is fine.
So putting it altogether, look at spending about $150-$200 for a decent low res mutimedia card, maybe $250 if you don't hunt around for the best price. ATI's latest release, the HD3870 should run you around $250 for the 512mb version, with full on-board HD/Blue decoding. It's very low power consumption compared to previous generation cards, and supports the upcoming DirectX10.1. NVidia will have a new 9xxx generation card released in a couple of months with DX10.1 support. If you don't want/need the "future proofing" of DX10.1 support, like if you play games in XP with DX9, then you can find an adequate card for $100 less.
Sorry should have mentioned, it's a x16 PCI-E. Would that be compatible with a 2.0 card?
Yes, a 2.0 card is backward compatable with your slot, you just don't get the extra bandwidth. We're really only just exceeding the bandwidth of AGP now, the new slots are ahead of their time anyway. And again, at the res you're looking at, bandwidth won't be any concern.
Cool. So if I don't want DX 10.1, the more I'm reading the more I'm thinking I don't really need it, what would be your recommendation? Since, I'll be using XP for the foreseeable future on that machine since Vista sucks, and I'm not really much of a hard core gamer, at all. I haven't even played any type of game for about a year or two. The only game that I'm at all interested at the moment is CoD4... Do you know what would be a good card, perhaps a bit better, for CoD4?
OK, first off, if you game like me: I don't tend to buy newly released games, 9 times out of 10 I buy games over a year old, usually I can get the game plus add-on packs in the bargain bin or used for $10 and they have been fully patched. So for a graphics card I only need a mid-range card and I can turn on all the eye-candy and get outstanding framerates and my card will last me 2 years or more with the type of games I play and at lowish resolution.
The reason I'd say the newly released HD 3870 is this:
1)It's half the power consumption of previous generation cards, so that doesn't mean just a lower electrical bill, also it means less stress on your PSU, less heat, less fan noise.
2)At a 1024x780 res with 4x AA you can turn on absolutely all eye candy on the latest games and still have framerates off the scale (+200fps in some games according to published benchmarks.) Exception would be Crysis which no current card can play maxed out.
3)The price is also about half the cost of last year's high end cards, sub-$250 for a card of this caliber is a steal compared to what I've paid in the past, and even last year's cards are still selling for more than that.
4)The GeForce 8800GT is probably comparable in price/performance, but I can't find anywhere selling them. If you find either card cheaper, either is a good buy.
If you go for a cheaper card, you're really getting a lot less card, which you may not care now, but over the next 2-3 years even if there are only 2 games you fancy, you can play them. If you went for the cheapest GeForce right now, or ATI XL1950 on sale it really wouldn't last you. So I'd say if it's in your price range it's the best deal.
If you want to go a bit cheaper, it's little brother the HD 3850 can be had for under $200, usually around $179 if you shop around. This is a 256mb card though, so you would want to use lower texture settings in your games, but it still rocks at the price and gives you full HD/Blu playback. In comparison, maybe a Geforce 7900 for the same price, much less card, more power consumption, more heat, more noise.
I'm not knocking GeForce cards, they take the prize at the high end, but they are low availability right now and cost more. At your resolution, you need a mid-range card at reasonable price, the 3870 will last you for years.
The reason I'd say the newly released HD 3870 is this:
1)It's half the power consumption of previous generation cards, so that doesn't mean just a lower electrical bill, also it means less stress on your PSU, less heat, less fan noise.
2)At a 1024x780 res with 4x AA you can turn on absolutely all eye candy on the latest games and still have framerates off the scale (+200fps in some games according to published benchmarks.) Exception would be Crysis which no current card can play maxed out.
3)The price is also about half the cost of last year's high end cards, sub-$250 for a card of this caliber is a steal compared to what I've paid in the past, and even last year's cards are still selling for more than that.
4)The GeForce 8800GT is probably comparable in price/performance, but I can't find anywhere selling them. If you find either card cheaper, either is a good buy.
If you go for a cheaper card, you're really getting a lot less card, which you may not care now, but over the next 2-3 years even if there are only 2 games you fancy, you can play them. If you went for the cheapest GeForce right now, or ATI XL1950 on sale it really wouldn't last you. So I'd say if it's in your price range it's the best deal.
If you want to go a bit cheaper, it's little brother the HD 3850 can be had for under $200, usually around $179 if you shop around. This is a 256mb card though, so you would want to use lower texture settings in your games, but it still rocks at the price and gives you full HD/Blu playback. In comparison, maybe a Geforce 7900 for the same price, much less card, more power consumption, more heat, more noise.
I'm not knocking GeForce cards, they take the prize at the high end, but they are low availability right now and cost more. At your resolution, you need a mid-range card at reasonable price, the 3870 will last you for years.
Go for an NVidia 8-series card if you can. Anything older will become obsolete faster than you'd expect.
This notion that cards are made to support a version of DirectX needs to stop. It's the other way around.
These new cards have certain features. Later versions of DirectX *expose* these features when earlier versions do not.
Yes, a game written to DX10 will fail on older cards, so in a sense you need a card which "supports" it. My complaint is linking the DirectX name with these advanced features.
In reality, OpenGL can access all of these features as well via extensions; and it can do it on XP, while DX10 can't. The features are an aspect of the card, not Microsoft's API.
This notion that cards are made to support a version of DirectX needs to stop. It's the other way around.
These new cards have certain features. Later versions of DirectX *expose* these features when earlier versions do not.
Yes, a game written to DX10 will fail on older cards, so in a sense you need a card which "supports" it. My complaint is linking the DirectX name with these advanced features.
In reality, OpenGL can access all of these features as well via extensions; and it can do it on XP, while DX10 can't. The features are an aspect of the card, not Microsoft's API.
DX10.1 is simply for hardware and game developers to build tighter standards around. It isn't something that will affect gamers. It simply makes already supported features, required, if you want to call a game or piece of hardware compatible. For example, a DX10.1 video card MUST support 4X AA. Well, video cards have supported 4X AA for the last decade now, the only difference now is that it is being changed to a requirenment, rather than an option.
Well, I hoping for sub $150, preferably even lower, but I'm starting to think that's unlikely based on this thead. If I do go with say a 3850 or 3870 how much more time would they be expected to give as opposed to say a Radeon X1950PRO or an HD 2600XT? My processor is an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.6Ghz. I have 2GB (1GB per stick) of DDR2 800 ram..
3850 or 3870 would blow away the x1950 pro or hd 2600 xt in gaming, if money is of primary concern, shoot for the 3850, can find them for around $180 online
might also want to wait a couple of weeks and see how the 8800 GT 256 MB video cards turn out, their prices could be right around $200, possibly even lower over time, and the 8800 GT 256 MB would blow away the 3850 in performance
i would steer clear of the 2600 xt, and older tech like the x1950
might also want to wait a couple of weeks and see how the 8800 GT 256 MB video cards turn out, their prices could be right around $200, possibly even lower over time, and the 8800 GT 256 MB would blow away the 3850 in performance
i would steer clear of the 2600 xt, and older tech like the x1950
If you're only playing at 1024X768, you won't need a high power card. If you look up some CoD4 benchmarks, you will see that you can run fine at your resolution without a high end card. Here's one. They only benchmark at resolutions of 1600X1200 and above, and they get playable framerates with a Radeon X1950 and above. Your resolution is only ~40% of 1600X1200, so it shouldn't be a problem with a less expensive card.
Actually, the more demanding thing you want is the HD DVD/BluRay support. If you want to be able to watch movies in HD, you need an OS, video card, and monitor that support the encryption (I forget what the acronymn, sorry). There are significant differences in the viewing experience between cards, so look into it before buying anything. Here's a good place to start. One other thing to consider with regard to HD video: the ATI cards have an onboard sound controller so that they can send digital sound through the HDMI connection. Nvidia cards only send video and require a separate connection for sound.
Actually, the more demanding thing you want is the HD DVD/BluRay support. If you want to be able to watch movies in HD, you need an OS, video card, and monitor that support the encryption (I forget what the acronymn, sorry). There are significant differences in the viewing experience between cards, so look into it before buying anything. Here's a good place to start. One other thing to consider with regard to HD video: the ATI cards have an onboard sound controller so that they can send digital sound through the HDMI connection. Nvidia cards only send video and require a separate connection for sound.
HDCP. And thank you.
Well, I decided to extend the life a little bit and go for the 3850.
Well, I decided to extend the life a little bit and go for the 3850.
A
Amaris
Guest
I'm glad you started this thread, Michael, I had the same question. Since you have made a decision, I hope you don't mind if I ask as well.
I plan on upgrading my computer. I don't have a whole lot of money, and I usually use it for more important things like family and expenses, but once in a great big while, I like to do something for myself. My computer is the one entertainment luxury I afford myself, and I like to keep it up to date whenever possible. Anyhoo, here's the deal. I have a discretionary merit bonus coming in February. I work very hard and I've been told my bonus will be a good one. Now, most of that will be used for bills and such things, but I would like to take a little money aside and upgrade my current computer to a more modern system.
Here is my current system specs:
AMD Athlon XP 2800+
PCChips A31G v1.1 Motherboard w/ 16x PCI-e slot
1.5 GB PC3200 DDR400 RAM
160GB Hard Drive
nVidia GeForce 7300 LE PCI-e (256Mb/512Mb shared)
12X DVD Burner
17" Sceptre LCD Flat Panel Display (8 ms - no DVI connection)
Here's what I want:
AM2 Motherboard w/ AM2 processor (not sure what kind as of yet)
4 GB RAM (Ram is inexpensive right now. I want 4 GB so I won't have to worry for a long time about upgrading)
250+ GB Hard Drive (preferably Western Digital)
PCI-Express Graphics Card (where I'm having the most trouble)
19" LCD Flat Panel Monitor
Now, here's the kicker. I want to keep this below $350. It's possible, I know it is. Maybe not for everything, but for much of it. The PCI-Express card is what's really getting me. I've never been an expert on graphics adapters, and don't know what to look for. I do want something that will let me play games like Call of Duty 4 or Halo 2 reasonably well. Any ideas?
(I hope I didn't hijack your thread, Michael!)
J.
I plan on upgrading my computer. I don't have a whole lot of money, and I usually use it for more important things like family and expenses, but once in a great big while, I like to do something for myself. My computer is the one entertainment luxury I afford myself, and I like to keep it up to date whenever possible. Anyhoo, here's the deal. I have a discretionary merit bonus coming in February. I work very hard and I've been told my bonus will be a good one. Now, most of that will be used for bills and such things, but I would like to take a little money aside and upgrade my current computer to a more modern system.
Here is my current system specs:
AMD Athlon XP 2800+
PCChips A31G v1.1 Motherboard w/ 16x PCI-e slot
1.5 GB PC3200 DDR400 RAM
160GB Hard Drive
nVidia GeForce 7300 LE PCI-e (256Mb/512Mb shared)
12X DVD Burner
17" Sceptre LCD Flat Panel Display (8 ms - no DVI connection)
Here's what I want:
AM2 Motherboard w/ AM2 processor (not sure what kind as of yet)
4 GB RAM (Ram is inexpensive right now. I want 4 GB so I won't have to worry for a long time about upgrading)
250+ GB Hard Drive (preferably Western Digital)
PCI-Express Graphics Card (where I'm having the most trouble)
19" LCD Flat Panel Monitor
Now, here's the kicker. I want to keep this below $350. It's possible, I know it is. Maybe not for everything, but for much of it. The PCI-Express card is what's really getting me. I've never been an expert on graphics adapters, and don't know what to look for. I do want something that will let me play games like Call of Duty 4 or Halo 2 reasonably well. Any ideas?
(I hope I didn't hijack your thread, Michael!)
J.
Oh, no problem! Good luck, J!
Whew. That's a tall order. I've seen mobo + processor combos on sale for ~$120 at my work (Fry's)--the processor's not bad (an Athlon X2 5000+, or something close), but the mobo was an ECS. I've seen some nice 19" monitors go for around $150. That right there gets you up to $270, though. Yeah, I'm afraid I'm not much help here (I built my last computer for ~$500, and it had integrated video and 1 GB of RAM).
A
Amaris
Guest
Okay, Mike. 
Thanks Alaedhros. I appreciate the feedback.
After crunching some numbers and getting a headache (I do every time I try to figure this
). To see where I stood, I downloaded Call of Duty 4's demo and installed it. I also installed FRAPS, which lets me see the FPS while running the game. It showed a frame rate average of 19 when set on low environment detail and medium model detail settings and 640x480 resolution (!). So not good, not even okay, but it did try to run and it almost succeeded.
So, with that in mind, I came up with this:
I decided to keep the monitor as it is, keep the video card for now (it's not the greatest but it is a mid range), but upgrade some crucial areas.
AM2 Motherboard w/ AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Processor
2GB PC5300 DDR2 RAM
250GB Western Digital SATA Drive
for $325.
What do you think?
J.
Thanks Alaedhros. I appreciate the feedback.
After crunching some numbers and getting a headache (I do every time I try to figure this
). To see where I stood, I downloaded Call of Duty 4's demo and installed it. I also installed FRAPS, which lets me see the FPS while running the game. It showed a frame rate average of 19 when set on low environment detail and medium model detail settings and 640x480 resolution (!). So not good, not even okay, but it did try to run and it almost succeeded.So, with that in mind, I came up with this:
I decided to keep the monitor as it is, keep the video card for now (it's not the greatest but it is a mid range), but upgrade some crucial areas.
AM2 Motherboard w/ AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Processor
2GB PC5300 DDR2 RAM
250GB Western Digital SATA Drive
for $325.
What do you think?
J.
I think to get better frame rates you need a better video card first. That 7300LE is the bottleneck in your system as it currently stands, though the CPU isn't far behind. If you're not hurting for space on your hard drive, I would forget the hard drive for now and replace the video card. You probably won't see much difference in game performance with the faster CPU if you keep the 7300LE.J. Allen said:
Okay, Mike.
Thanks Alaedhros. I appreciate the feedback.
After crunching some numbers and getting a headache (I do every time I try to figure this
So, with that in mind, I came up with this:
I decided to keep the monitor as it is, keep the video card for now (it's not the greatest but it is a mid range), but upgrade some crucial areas.
AM2 Motherboard w/ AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Processor
2GB PC5300 DDR2 RAM
250GB Western Digital SATA Drive
for $325.
What do you think?
J.
And, when you do upgrade the hard drive, look at Seagate. I've had several WD, one Maxtor, and several Seagate hard drives over the years. The Maxtor and a couple of the WD drives failed, but I've never had a Seagate fail. Seagate also has the best warranty.
A
Amaris
Guest
Hm. I'll consider that (although I've always been a fan of WD and have a profound dislike of Seagate 
), but now it brings me to Mike's question of a PCI-e card. I really don't have a lot of money to spend. $100 would be the max limit for a PCI express card. I know that's not much wiggle room, but I'm not very knowledgeable of the differences between graphics cards, something I don't usually like to admit. 
J.
), but now it brings me to Mike's question of a PCI-e card. I really don't have a lot of money to spend. $100 would be the max limit for a PCI express card. I know that's not much wiggle room, but I'm not very knowledgeable of the differences between graphics cards, something I don't usually like to admit. J.
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