Gaming and Video Cards

Hey there! I posted a thread in another forum, not realizing that there was a PC hardware forum here. I'm just going to C&P my original post, and hopefully I can get some helpful information :)

You can find the original post here - http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26616431&msg_id=305974962#305974962

"I've never really gotten the gist of what all the numbers and letters mean for video cards, so I'm not entirely sure what I should be looking for, or even what will work on my computer. I'm looking for a new graphics card so I can play Assassin's Creed on my PC, and I'm not really sure what to look for.

MoBo - Asus M2N68-LA

Current GPU - 128MB NVidia GeForce 6150 SE

I know I need a 256MB card (or at least that's what the box on the game says). I found a card I think would work; 512MB NVidia GeForce 7300GS DDR2Pci-e. So I guess my question is, is this a solid card for what I'm trying to do, and is it the proper size for my motherboard? If the answer is no to either question, please feel free to correct me!!"

After a couple responses, I also have this question:

"Though before I go off and buy anything, can you explain the significance "benchmarks" and why it's more important than the MB of the card? I'd really like to know, so that I can do my own shopping in the future."

that's a terrible card,

you have PCI-e 16x so that should be fine for all modern cards but it is micro ATX soyou'll have to check your case size and alsoif your power supply will support it

benchmarks show how well a card compares comparitively with other cards.

If you stick with Nvidia then *1** to *5** are low end cards, *6** and *7** are mid range and *8** and *9** series are highend. Alot of other things matter like clock rate and number ofprocessors but if you just find a modern card o you're price range on a reputable website it should be fine performance wise.

That intergrated graphics chip is extremely limited. The 7300 series of cards are also very limited, I wouldn't recommend one of thoses, they are budget cards. Your best bet is either a 8600GT or a 8800GT.

Don't just go by the memory it has little to do with the performance of the card. With Nvidia you need to look at the speed of the core, memory and most importantly how many stream processors it has. If you want to play games like Gears, Bioshock stream processors manage all of the eye candy and keep the framerate nice and quick. You could turn the details to max on a 7300 but it would be a slide show.

Memory is used to store textures and as a frame buffer. The more you have the more complex textures your system can process. It also defines what resolution you can run at, 1920x1200 takes twice as much memory to display than say 1280x768. Video ram is useless however if your card doesn't have the horsepower to render the scene.

The second thing to check is your PSU, make sure it has the wattage and amps to run these types of cards, as they require a PCIE power cable from the PSU for extra power.

Make sure your case can fit the card.

Well, I'm upgrading my card so I can play Assassin's Creed, which requires a 256MB video card (according to the box). So, why would gettin the higher benchmark be more important than getting a card with 4x the memory capacity of what I'm using now?

Please remember this is all greek to me >.< I haven't learned as much about computers as I would like, so breaking down all this stuff into their core elements would be really helpful for me.

Also, keep in mind, I AM on a budget... I can't lay down $100+ for a new video card. I need something that will do the job, and hopefully won't need to be updgraded again when a new game comes out in 6 months.

Benchmark is the performance of the card that includes all factors that make a good card including memory

I think you'll have to lay down more han $100 for a good card that can play assains creed, i've got n 8800gts 320mb that runs it well but i'm not sure what the prices are for them

What about a GeForce 8400gs? How well would that work?

Also, before I forget, when you're talking about resolution, are you just talking about the screen resolution you can change in your control panel?

What about a GeForce 8400gs? How well would that work?

Also, before I forget, when you're talking about resolution, are you just talking about the screen resolution you can change in your control panel?

Greyfeld

What about a GeForce 8400gs? How well would that work?

Also, before I forget, when you're talking about resolution, are you just talking about the screen resolution you can change in your control panel?

Greyfeld

that also sucks, you need a mid range card in the 8 or 9 series, wihich is a *6**

Yes but you can change it within the game too, it basically means the number of pixels (dots) that make up the image on your screen so the more there are the better the clarity and definition but the worse the performance. For best quality you should run at the top resolution your monitor supports.

All I think I really need to know at this point is: Can an 8400GS play assassin's creed without any serious lag or FPS issues? Even if it means running at low resolution?Greyfeld

Not really, the 8400gs is pretty much worthless for gaming. If you really want to be cheap, get a 7900 or something like that.

Get the HD4670.Sordidus

[QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.yoyo462001

It is a good enough card, lol.

[QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.yoyo462001

No, I'm more towards Nvidia, I'll recommend 9800GTX+ over HD4850 and GTX260 over HD4870.

[QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.yoyo462001

Yoyo, time to read some reviews :P

[QUOTE="yoyo462001"][QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.wklzip

Yoyo, time to read some reviews :P

[QUOTE="wklzip"]

[QUOTE="yoyo462001"][QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.yoyo462001

Yoyo, time to read some reviews :P

Because it's the best budget card...?

[QUOTE="yoyo462001"][QUOTE="wklzip"]

[QUOTE="yoyo462001"][QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.Sordidus

Yoyo, time to read some reviews :P

Because it's the best budget card...?

its a good card, the price performance isnt amazing, it would have been better if you evaluated how much someone is willing to spend rather than just say 'get the hd 4670'.yoyo462001

The price performance of the HD4670 is great.

Also the performance per watt is also surprisingly good!

But i do agree, that is a very important factor, the budget.

[QUOTE="Sordidus"][QUOTE="yoyo462001"][QUOTE="wklzip"]

[QUOTE="yoyo462001"][QUOTE="Sordidus"]Get the HD4670.yoyo462001

Yoyo, time to read some reviews :P

Because it's the best budget card...?

He said he doesn't have more than 100$ to buy a new card:roll: the 9600GT is only a bit more but he probably will need a new power supply for that...