Good graphics card to get?

Net

Golden Member
Aug 30, 2003
1,592
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i'm a noob to graphics cards. sound is a huge concern to me. i'll only consider quiet cards, the cards with zalman fans look nice.

my system

AMD 4000+
1 GB PC3200
psu 380 watt
1 pci-e slot
case http://www.newegg.com/product/...t&ATT=11-129-012%0D%0A

so i was looking at the geforce 8600 gt since there are a lot of mail in rebates for them. i'm on the hunt for the best deal. i'm a super poor college student who is getting an obsession with the idea of being able to finally play the cool pc's games.

which one do you recommend? if not in the link below then what?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...eforce+8600+gt&x=0&y=0

i'm not even sure what card my system can handle, i only have 380 watts.

what new games could i play? and what kind of card would i need?
 

Cutthroat

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,104
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The EVGA card at the top of the page is your best bet IMO, it's a good brand, and the price is right. The Asus one is cheaper, but really ugly.

You will be able to play all the newest games with that for now, not at the highest settings, but they will be playable.

PSU *should* be OK, need to know the specs to be sure, but I think you'll be fine.
 

Net

Golden Member
Aug 30, 2003
1,592
3
81
dang, the deal ends tomorrow. how can i find out for sure about my power supply?

someone in the comments said they had to buy a 500w

the only thing is that card only has 256mb. :( crysis recommends 512mb
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
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Originally posted by: net
dang, the deal ends tomorrow. how can i find out for sure about my power supply?

someone in the comments said they had to buy a 500w

the only thing is that card only has 256mb. :( crysis recommends 512mb

512 isnt going to do squat for an 8600gt for gaming becasue the card is too weak to run modern games at setting that would utilize more than 256mb. also with your cpu and only 1 gig of ram Crysis is going to suck no matter what card you get. also you dont need a new power supply for an 8600gt. you have VERY basic system that wouldnt even pull anywhere near 200 watts under full load with an 8600gt. my system has been running with the stock 300watt psu and 8600gt for 15 months now uses about 175-180 watts under load in Crysis.
 

Cutthroat

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,104
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Don't worry about your PSU, I'm 99% certain it will be fine unless it is a very crappy model.

You are nowhere near being able to play Crysis at anything above low setting, but it will run. The 8600gt is no powerhouse, but it does support modern features.

You should try to get your hands on another 1GB RAM, that would do wonders for your system.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
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Originally posted by: net

toyota: what games can you play with your evga 8600 gt?

all of them at 1024x768 or 1280x960. Crysis is the only game that I couldnt run highest settings on at 1024x768. I played it on medium until the snow level and then it was all low settings. lol.

everything else plays fine if you dont mine playing at such a low res. with your cpu and ram, you wont be playing modern games smoothly even with a better gpu.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
Originally posted by: net
not even with a 9600 gt super clocked?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...False&Keywords=&Page=2

so with that 8600 gt will i be able to play all the games except crysis.

will i be able to play all the call of duties, far cry and what ever else is good?

the original Far Cry of course. Far Cry 2 will be sluggish because of your cpu and memory. I dont think you understand how bad your single core cpu and only 1 gig of memory is going to hurt you in modern games. the best video card made isnt going to make up for that. theres no point in putting anything better than an 8600gt in your outdated system.