Best Videocard to complement a AMD Athon X2 3800+?

[DaRkUnitX]

What is the best videocard to complement a AMD Athon X2 3800+?
I'm currently using a Geforce 6800GS and it is really showing its age.

I'm looking for a cheap upgrade to extend the life of my system (I'm really on a cheap budget), I don't plan to rebuild a new computer for about 2 or 3 years. I'm thinking of a Geforce 9600GT or 8800GT, but I'm not sure what's the wisest choice. I also do not really want to overclock my CPU. It is a AMD X2 3800+ that runs at 2GHz. What's the best choice for the videocard so that it maximizes the potential of my CPU, but also so that the CPU does not bottleneck the videocard.


And thanks for all your help.

 

[SolMiester]

Hi, I run every game @ 16x10 with 4xAA on my 9600GT excluding crysis, where I drop the AA and go to medium details, though I dont play crysis much....I guess alot depends on your monitor resolution

 

[mancunian]

I'd say the 8800GT, or, if you don't mind ATI, a 3870.


Edit: If you were to overclock that A64 to at least 2.6Ghz, maybe even a 4850 would be worth saving a few more pennies for.

 

[Marty502]

First of all, why the stance on overclocking? It's a riskless procedure if done right, and the 3800 is a very good overclocker that would give you big gains in gaming performance once you upgrade your video card; right now you won't notice it much because your video card is holding you back.

With that said, if you do manage to overclock your CPU (those usually reach 2.6 Ghz with no problems, and 3 Ghz if you invest a little and with some luck by your side) a Radeon 4850 will be a huge upgrade. But if you don't, then something like a Geforce 9600GT or a Radeon 3870 will suit you just fine.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Those chips overclock pretty easily. If you're going to keep the PC for a few more years I'd suggest giving it a whirl. As for a video card my guess is you'd be pretty happy with a 3850 on up. My overclocked 2900Pro is pretty close in performance to a 3870, for a while I gamed on my Opteron 165 @ 1.8GHz (very close in performance to your CPU) and it did pretty well.

 

[Dkcode]

Originally posted by: mancunian
I'd say the 8800GT, or, if you don't mind ATI, a 3870.


Edit: If you were to overclock that A64 to at least 2.6Ghz, maybe even a 4850 would be worth saving a few more pennies for.

Seconded.

 

[daveybrat]

ASUS EAH3850/G/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

If i had your system and cpu i'd get this card.

For $59 after rebate and with a great cooler on this card, you can't go wrong. It'll be much faster than your old 6800 card and at a great price.

 

[octopus41092]

I'd get an HD3870 or a 9600GT. If you're willing to spend a little bit more I'd go up to an 8800GT for sure. But the HD4850 would be bottlenecked by your CPU and if you're not going to upgrade anything for another 2-3 years then by then the HD4850 would be considered "slow" and you weren't able to use the full potential of that card. I don't know how well the X2 3800+ overclocks but if you could get it up q bit then it might be worth it to get an HD4850.

 

[DaRkUnitX]

well thanks everyone, I think I'll try to get the 8800GT

 

[unr3al]

My X2 4000 (2100MHz) runs 2835MHz on the stock cooling, OCCT solid, in the middle of a South African summer, with load temp never above 52'C. So I don't think 2.6GHz should be a problem whatsoever on a 3800; they used to be very overclockable too. I did remove the stock thermal paste though, but I would suggest overclocking and getting the HD4850. What a card.