Looking for advice on buying a graphics card.

[Czernobog]

I was hoping someone here who is more knowledgeable than I am about PCs could offer their advice.

I've been wanting to use my PC more and more for games lately, but my PC runs games rather poorly. I often have to run games in resolutions as low as 640x480 for them to run smoothly. I believe the main culprit is my graphics card, an ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO. My computer is a Dell Inspiron which has an Intel Core Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40 GHz and RAM 4.00 GB (3.25 usable).

So....being someone who has always bought PCs already built, I have some questions and thought I would ask here on Racketboy.

Am I correct in assuming that the graphics card is all I really need to upgrade at this point?

Being as my computer is a few years old at this point, is switching out a graphics card a simple swap or are there foreseeable compatibility problems with my machine?

Also, are there any graphics cards you would recommend under $200 dollars which would most likely significantly improve my gaming experiences (specifically being able to play with higher framerates at higher resolutions)?

Thanks in advance to anyone who's able to offer me some clarity or wisdom!

[Hazerd]

Look on ebay for a HD 3850 or HD 3870, it will be perfect for your rig and the price should be sub $50.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid= ... &_from=R40

If you dont want to go the used route, i can suggest some current new ones from newegg.com

Nvidia Route -

GIGABYTE GV-N430-2GI GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125411

or

AMD Route -

GIGABYTE GV-R667D3-1GI Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125403

Also, are there any graphics cards you would recommend under $200 dollars which would most likely significantly improve my gaming experiences (specifically being able to play with higher framerates at higher resolutions)?

IMO, any cards over $150 will bottleneck your rig, if your going to start spending that much, should just start saving for a new computer.

FYI the Q6600 came out in 2007:
The Best Gaming Graphics Cards for the Money: June 2007
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gam ... ,1624.html

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I definitely agree. Unless you're springing for a new build entirely, you should go for a 3870 or 4850 series AMD CPU, or an nVidia 8800 or 9600. All of these are within reach and should run modern games around the level an Xbox 360 would. So 720p with some concessions in graphics but definitely an overall upgrade from what you currently have.

This all said, if you're willing to save up for it, you could build a $500 computer that would beat your old one into the ground and pretty well run things for the next 3 or 4 years with no issues at all. Building a PC these days is really quite easy.

[Czernobog]

Thanks guys! I'm going to take your advice and will probably get a 3870 series AMD. I'm not going to be going the new pc route for a good while yet, methinks, so getting a used card that offers a decent boost should give me exactly what I'm looking for at a price I'll be comfortable with. Thanks again!

[SpoonyBard]

If you haven't purchased this yet, I have a BFG GeForce 9400 GT 512MB PCI-E 2.0 x16 card that you can have for the shipping cost. I got it for free several years back and never put it in anything. I opened the box when I got it, but its never been installed in anything. Not the best card in the world, but it should be somewhat comparable to the HD 3850.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814143153

[Hazerd]

If you haven't purchased this yet, I have a BFG Radeon 9400 GT 512MB PCI-E 2.0 x16 card that you can have for the shipping cost. I got it for free several years back and never put it in anything. I opened the box when I got it, but its never been installed in anything. Not the best card in the world, but it should be somewhat comparable to the HD 3850.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814143153

You mean BFG Geforce 9400 GT, BFG doesnt make Radeon cards, also that card sucks major balls, the HD 3850 blows it out of the water.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php ... &card2=546

HD 3850 scores: 579
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.p ... on+HD+3850

HD 3870 scores: 759
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.p ... on+HD+3870

Gefore 9400 GT scores: 205
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.p ... ce+9400+GT

GeForce GT 430 scores: 640
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.p ... rce+GT+430

[SpoonyBard]

You mean BFG Geforce 9400 GT, BFG doesnt make Radeon cards

You are right! Sorry about that.

also that card sucks major balls

I wouldn't actually know, I never installed it in anything. It could suck tremendously and it's old - That's why i'm not asking for any money for it. Just had it laying around and figured someone might be able to put it to some use.

[Czernobog]

If you haven't purchased this yet, I have a BFG GeForce 9400 GT 512MB PCI-E 2.0 x16 card that you can have for the shipping cost. I got it for free several years back and never put it in anything. I opened the box when I got it, but its never been installed in anything. Not the best card in the world, but it should be somewhat comparable to the HD 3850.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814143153

Thanks for the offer, but I already ordered and installed the card. A big thanks for all the help again guys. I've got the new card in and I'm able to play all my games at least xbox 360 quality with lag being a rarity on my pc now. I finally can play my copies of Dead Island and Alice: Madness Returns and at long last plan on picking up Skyrim.