Good, Budget GPU?

Good Day Gamespot.

After reading through the "Rate My Rig" thread and running 3DMark06 I only received 1290. So, as a result, I need an upgrade (As if Bioshock at 800x600 Low/Mid didn't tell me that; despite having a 1024x768 monitor.) and GPU seems to be the biggest factor in Gaming enhancement.

Currently, I am running an Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 @ 1.86GHz, ATI Radeon X1300 256mb, and 1Gb of RAM.

I am on a tight budget, £125 (~$204), with £150 (~$244) at definite maximum. I need a new GPU and was wondering what a good one to go for is? I currently have my eye on a Radeon HD 4850 for £115, but if there are better ones at a better price please let me know.

I play all kinds of games; Oblivion, Left 4 Dead (And Other Source Games), Bioshock, Considering rejoining WoW, and would like Crysis and S.T.A.L.K.E.R:CS but have serious trouble running games like that.

Any other questions, please ask, I will try to help as much as possible.

Yeah I totally agree with gigatrainer, If you are planning to spend around $150, one of the best cards in the price range (if not the only one) is the HD4850. The cheapest I've seen one is on Newegg for $144 but i dont know if you are able to purchase it since you are in Europe.

If you do get another 4850 and have some money left over, I suggest investing it into another stick of RAM and you should be set for some great gaming. (If you are using Vista, probably want to consider a 2GB stick instead)

I can tell you that with a 4850 Bioshock will not dip below 60fps and since Left4Dead is a source game you shouldn't have a problem with that either. Nw I cant tell you anything about Oblivion or Stalker from personal experience but I think you should be ok...

Crysis should be at about 30fps on very high on 1280x1024 oh and if you have a 1280x768 monitor, then in the future I would suggest investing on a new monitor or playing on a TV (HDTV more precisely)

Newegg is American, based in CA. So I need an English/UK retailer. Besides, the U.S gets everything a lot cheaper than the UK thanks to the excessive tax level in the UK (Thanks AGAIN, Labour >:(.)

Secondly, the HD4850 is a good choice? Still, any other recommendations will be appreciated.

Finally, thanks for the RAM advice, I will look into it.

Wow, too quick for me. Besides, this reply text box is slow.

Again, thanks for the advice, and I have a1024x768 monitor, not 1280x768. I am saving up for new hardware but oh well, Credit Crunch attacks.

Thanks for the fast-ish responses.

First off, your power supply is almost certainly not up to snuff for running a card like the HD4850, or even the HD4830. Secondly, more RAM would definitely be of more benefit not only for gaming, but for general tasks as well. How much to get depends on your motherboard - if that board is using 2x512MB sticks (most likely) and has two more slots, get another 2x512MB. If it's using a single 1GB stick, get another 1GB stick. If it only has two slots and they're both filled, you'll have to replace all your RAM. You should be able to get a 2x512MB kit of DDR2 800 for less than £25 at the most (should be under £20 really).

As for the graphics card, as I said your power supply is probably not up to snuff for running a card like the HD4850. Check the sticker on the side of the power supply and find out what the maximum wattage output of the unit is, but odds are that it's not over 350w, and consequently too low to run the HD4850. The HD4670 is not entirely out of reach however - as long as your power supply puts out at least 300w you should be just fine with this card, as it's not power-hungry at all and doesn't require an external power connector. As for etailers in the UK, Ebuyer and Scan are two popular places to shop.

Ok, I am going to presume that my PSU is under 350W, so how many Watts would I need to run the HD4850? Also, how much would one cost me? Finally, do you recommend a specific model/make?

Anyway, thanks for your response, and the RAM advice.

Ok, I am going to presume that my PSU is under 350W, so how many Watts would I need to run the HD4850? Also, how much would one cost me? Finally, do you recommend a specific model/make?

Anyway, thanks for your response, and the RAM advice.

The-Nzambi

Thanks for the response, I guess it is Corsair, but I'm not sure.

But, I want a Watt number, enough to run the HD4850, and low enough to be cost effective.

Again, thanks, and please post an appropriate Watt to run the HD4850.

EDIT: How will the HD4670 run in comparison to games? I mean, how much power am I losing from HD4850 to HD4670? Also, how long would you think the HD4670 last before being outdated compared to the HD4850? I will check my PSU now.

Good Day Gamespot.

After reading through the "Rate My Rig" thread and running 3DMark06 I only received 1290. So, as a result, I need an upgrade (As if Bioshock at 800x600 Low/Mid didn't tell me that; despite having a 1024x768 monitor.) and GPU seems to be the biggest factor in Gaming enhancement.

Currently, I am running an Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 @ 1.86GHz, ATI Radeon X1300 256mb, and 1Gb of RAM.

I am on a tight budget, £125 (~$204), with £150 (~$244) at definite maximum. I need a new GPU and was wondering what a good one to go for is? I currently have my eye on a Radeon HD 4850 for £115, but if there are better ones at a better price please let me know.

I play all kinds of games; Oblivion, Left 4 Dead (And Other Source Games), Bioshock, Considering rejoining WoW, and would like Crysis and S.T.A.L.K.E.R:CS but have serious trouble running games like that.

Any other questions, please ask, I will try to help as much as possible.

The-Nzambi

9800GTX+ £150

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-007-ZT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1009&name=Zotac AMP GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Palit-nVidia-GeForce-9800GTX+-512MB-DDR3-Dual-DVIHDTV-Out-PCI-E,-Retail_6362.html

Thanks for the response, I guess it is Corsair, but I'm not sure.

But, I want a Watt number, enough to run the HD4850, and low enough to be cost effective.

Again, thanks, and please post an appropriate Watt to run the HD4850.

EDIT: How will the HD4670 run in comparison to games? I mean, how much power am I losing from HD4850 to HD4670? Also, how long would you think the HD4670 last before being outdated compared to the HD4850? I will check my PSU now.

The-Nzambi

try this

its what I'm using for my build.