Does your GPU really affect...

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Evolution.

Evolution.

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Does your video card really affect the speed in games?

Alot of games I play that have some pretty nice graphics generally slow my computer down. This sometimes puzzles me because I have a 2.3 GHz AMD Athlon processor, 512 MB of RAM, up to date drivers and everything but I'm left with a dirt-poor NVidia GeForce 4 MX video card. Can it really cause my games to lag? The general idea you collect from gossip and rumors is that the better your video card is, the better it looks. Now of course if you go from a 16 MB VRAM video card to a 128 MB VRAM video card it will be faster, but will it really make less lag in a game going from say a GeForce 4 to a 5500 FX? I really want to know (I'm taking that it will make it faster, but I want a few more expert opinions before I spend $150 on my new parts).
 
It depends on what kinds of games you want to play. If you want to play the new games that are coming out, a good graphics card is necessary. If you're playing CS: Source, I would recommend nothing less than a 6600gt.
 
If you have the graphic options set really high in the game and it lags, but doesnt when you have them set low, yes it affects game lag. Not ping lag, but FPS lag. (Frames Per Second).

Only way to run that game you love to play at its highest quality is to upgrade that video card! Trust me, it will be 150$ well spent.
 
Don't bother with the fifth generation (FX series) of GeForce cards. They're just not worth it. Definitely get at least a 6600GT.

Check pricegabber.com before you buy, always.
 
Well, don't go for a FX5500, those generation nVidia cards are rubbish. If you want to go for that generation (which I discrouage) go for a 9800pro, depending on whihc games you play. THe only game I can think of that I know is mainly dependant on CPU power and RAM and NOT GPU power is Unreal Tournament 2004.

I would suggest a 6 series nVidia card or an X series Radeon, because the 9 series is dated.
 
From my experience, the GeForce4 MX440 is about equal to the FX5500 in terms of performance. And I know tons of people with MX440s and, with some decent overclocking (5-10% core + 20-25% memory ... not recommended on cheap-brand MX440s), they'll run just about everything, although with pretty ugly graphics.

I'd go with a GeForce 6000 series ...
 
The MX series was horrible. The GeForce4 MX440 was not much faster than a GeForce 2 apparently. And if an FX5500 is only that much better... :boggled:

For today's gaming, anything other than at least a 6600GT won't cut it.
 
If you want to play games, you have to have a relatively decent graphics card. Buy a good graphics card and you'll really notice the difference. Continuously buying cheap cards will mean you're always miles behind the average user and you won't be getting the most out of your computer.

6800 LE 👍
 
It most definitely affects FPS lag, probably more than any other component in your computer.

If you don't have a problem unlocking, or overclocking of sorts, then get the 6800LE. If you do, get the 6600GT. You'll be happy with both, but ultimately, if you're a bit risky, you'll be able to squeeze more performance out of the 6800LE.
 
If you have a fsirly good budget to play around with I would reccomend a GeForce 7800GT, the 7800GT will ice practically every other card (bar its bigger brother the 7800GTX and some of the new ATI cards) in framerates and at £200 it is very good value.
 
Flame-returns
If you have a fsirly good budget to play around with I would reccomend a GeForce 7800GT, the 7800GT will ice practically every other card (bar its bigger brother the 7800GTX and some of the new ATI cards) in framerates and at £200 it is very good value.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the 7800 is PCI-E and he has an AGP slot and also:

MachOne
I want a few more expert opinions before I spend $150 on my new parts.
Click to expand...
 
Event
Well, don't go for a FX5500, those generation nVidia cards are rubbish. If you want to go for that generation (which I discrouage) go for a 9800pro, depending on whihc games you play. THe only game I can think of that I know is mainly dependant on CPU power and RAM and NOT GPU power is Unreal Tournament 2004.

I would suggest a 6 series nVidia card or an X series Radeon, because the 9 series is dated.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I stupidly bought a 9800 Pro over the summer because I still thought they were the ****. Now I have F.E.A.R. and can barely play it unless I turn the graphics way down.

Needless to say, I'm going to be looking to upgrade my video card in the coming months. :banghead:
 
VTGT07
Yeah. I stupidly bought a 9800 Pro over the summer because I still thought they were the ****. Now I have F.E.A.R. and can barely play it unless I turn the graphics way down.

Needless to say, I'm going to be looking to upgrade my video card in the coming months. :banghead:
Click to expand...
Yeah, my settings for FEAR are all on the lowest. Shadows are out of the question for any new games. I do have particles, shells, and SE on high though, because they're awsome in FEAR. I can't wait to upgrade after x-mas. :D
 
I have a 9800PRO 256MB and I run half-life 2 flawlessly so if that matters to anyone...

I was kind of shaky about the brand new X series of ATI cards, so at least I know the card I have won't ever fall apart anytime soon.
 
#17
I have a 9800PRO 256MB and I run half-life 2 flawlessly so if that matters to anyone...

I was kind of shaky about the brand new X series of ATI cards, so at least I know the card I have won't ever fall apart anytime soon.
Click to expand...
I could too. Half-Life 2 was came out when the X series was brand new, so a top of the line 9 series would be able to play it. But now it's 2 generations behind.
 
A bad CPU can always bottleneck GPU's, and also a mix of ram speeds. Can also do another kind of bottleneck.
 
Shannon
The MX series was horrible. The GeForce4 MX440 was not much faster than a GeForce 2 apparently. And if an FX5500 is only that much better... :boggled:

For today's gaming, anything other than at least a 6600GT won't cut it.
Click to expand...
Having owned the GeForce MX 2, GeForce MX440 and, GeForce FX5500, I think I can speak quite confidently on the speed ... MX440 is much, much faster than the GeForce 2 MX and it's about equal in speed (FPS) as the FX5500, although the FX5500 looks considerably better (DX8 support) ... I actually took the FX5500 back for this reason and because I needed the money back (financial troubles) :P

A 6600 is sufficient for most games ... Although a 6600GT or 6800 is a better investment, IMO ...
 
Flame-returns
If you have a fsirly good budget to play around with I would reccomend a GeForce 7800GT, the 7800GT will ice practically every other card (bar its bigger brother the 7800GTX and some of the new ATI cards) in framerates and at £200 it is very good value.
Click to expand...


No way in hell im wasting $700 on a new PSU, Video Card, and possibly motherboard :dopey:

Thanks for the great opinions guys. I'm thinking of going with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127147

and this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103935

My only 2 worries are:

Will the GPU be compatible with the mobo?

Will the PSU fit in this teency ass case?

I've googled this:

But if I take a picture of my PCI slots (I KNOW they are PCI) can you guys tell me if my mobo is a "PCI Express x16 slot compliant motherboard". I really wanna be deadlocked on if the card itself will even fit before I even worry about the PSU (that can be fixed with a dremel and the removal of my DVD-RW from top expansion slot to bottom).
 
If you look around you can also get a new case, extra ram. And a good 64bit CPU for that price. With the other hardware you said mate.
 
TVR&Ferrari_Fan
If you look around you can also get a new case, extra ram. And a good 64bit CPU for that price. With the other hardware you said mate.
Click to expand...

Im not looking to modify my whole damn computer.

Im content with everything else. I didn't want your opinion on a new case, CPU, RAM etc. If I'm going to buy all of that I might as well buy a new motherboard and make myself a brand new freakin' computer....

All I wanted was the opinion on the video card I'm aiming at. If you can find me a 64bit CPU, nice case, NVidia 6600 GT, 400Watt PSU, and about 512 MB of RAM for $200, be my guest on posting the link.
 
When did you get your computer? Or what kind is it? I'm guessing if you have an MX440 that you don't have PCI-E
 
MachOne
No way in hell im wasting $700 on a new PSU, Video Card, and possibly motherboard :dopey:

Thanks for the great opinions guys. I'm thinking of going with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127147

and this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103935

My only 2 worries are:

Will the GPU be compatible with the mobo?

Will the PSU fit in this teency ass case?

I've googled this:

But if I take a picture of my PCI slots (I KNOW they are PCI) can you guys tell me if my mobo is a "PCI Express x16 slot compliant motherboard". I really wanna be deadlocked on if the card itself will even fit before I even worry about the PSU (that can be fixed with a dremel and the removal of my DVD-RW from top expansion slot to bottom).
Click to expand...
PCI and PCI-Express are two totally different buses. The MX440 is an AGP card, so you'll need to find another AGP card (such as this one). PCI-E won't work unless you get a new mobo, which you have no intentions of doing by the look of it.

If your current PSU can fit in there, that one should. As far as dimensions go, PSU's haven't really changed at all.
 
Thats a pretty nifty PSU. I might have to mark that down for when I upgrade my computer.
 
Yes you've def. got an AGP slot. I still think the 6800 LE would be a better choice than the 6600GT. The 6800 LE is based on the 6800 series chip which is the same as the 6800 GT. There are only a couple of differences between the 6800 LE and the 6800 GT, enough to mean that you can never convert a 6800 LE to an exact 6800 GT, but you can get close.

I'm looking to buy a £100 graphics card this Christmas to replace my 9800 Pro and the 6800 LE is the perfect replacement. A simple flash can unlock the card to 8 vertex shaders and 12 pixel pipelines, or if you're lucky 16 pixel pipelines. Then running AtiTool should bump it up a bit in the overclocking stakes. Those two steps are software based, no messing around in the BIOS or with the actual hardware, just plain simple software. Easy 6600 GT killer.
 
MachOne
Im not looking to modify my whole damn computer.

Im content with everything else. I didn't want your opinion on a new case, CPU, RAM etc. If I'm going to buy all of that I might as well buy a new motherboard and make myself a brand new freakin' computer....

All I wanted was the opinion on the video card I'm aiming at. If you can find me a 64bit CPU, nice case, NVidia 6600 GT, 400Watt PSU, and about 512 MB of RAM for $200, be my guest on posting the link.
Click to expand...
You should be able to get all that for under $700. My rig has new and old parts, when i started work on my new rig.

With some old parts, it cost me £750. Which had a 256MB GF6800GT AGP, New Heatsink, AMD 64 3500+. Extra 512MB DDR Ram, 600watt PSU.

And a new case, if you look around a bit online. You can sometimes beat £1000 systems for like £800.

Or a £900 system with any UK person spending just £700 or £750. It all depends where you buy from, and planning the right time to order the parts.
 
Event
When did you get your computer? Or what kind is it? I'm guessing if you have an MX440 that you don't have PCI-E
Click to expand...


You guys don't get it.

My MX 4 is INTEGRATED. It isnt' a seperable card...

I know my MOBO is PCI because the slots are white...not brown. AGP = Brown. PCI= White.


BTW:

I bought my PC at Best Buy. It is an eMachine. Got it last year. Not that old.

AMD Athlon 2205 MHz
512 MB of RAM
260 GB HDD
NVidia GeForce MX 4 Integrated GPU
NVidia nForce 2 chipset.
 

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