Quick 7600GT question

[geepondy]

In putting together a new system, I think I'm going to put my budget money towards a higher CPU (E6600) and "settle" for a 7600GT video card for now. Will this combination play Half Life 2 and the Lost Coast add on at 1024x768 with major bells and whistles turned on. Right now my current P4 2.26, 9800 Pro struggles at this setting and even at 800x600. I just feel it's better to initially put the money towards a better CPU and can upgrade the video card later but wondering if the 7600 GT will hold out for a while for casual gaming.

 

[Matt2]

A 7600GT should be more than capable of running HL2 and LC at 1280x1024.

 

[tuteja1986]

7600GT will do but you can get better cards for the same price... X1950gt is the same price , X1950pro goes for $150 , 7900Gs is a few dollars more expensive.

 

[Matt2]

Yeah but is his PSU gonna be enough for the better cards?

 

[Nightmare225]

Originally posted by: geepondy
In putting together a new system, I think I'm going to put my budget money towards a higher CPU (E6600) and "settle" for a 7600GT video card for now. Will this combination play Half Life 2 and the Lost Coast add on at 1024x768 with major bells and whistles turned on. Right now my current P4 2.26, 9800 Pro struggles at this setting and even at 800x600. I just feel it's better to initially put the money towards a better CPU and can upgrade the video card later but wondering if the 7600 GT will hold out for a while for casual gaming.

You should be fine. Heck, you should be able to run Ep 2 reasonably well.

I would recommend looking into some better cards near that price, like the X1950 pro or 7900GS.

 

[BassBomb]

That CPU will struggle abit,

the video card will definatly handle it 1024x768 with some AA

If you are on 9800 pro i would reccomend turning off AA (but then theres no point in lost coast! LOL)

 

[LOUISSSSS]

wth thats a small monitor lol. should upgrade that along with your PC
i'd drop the CPU down a notchand raise the GPU a notch... i'm pretty sure Valve based games tend to do better with ATi GPu's...

 

[Munky]

I would do the opposite of what you're thinking - get a cheaper cpu and don't skimp on the video card. The main reason is that Intel C2D cpu's overclock very well, and you could save some money by getting a e6400 or e6300 and oc'ing it past e6600 clocks. The video card, though, has a set number of shaders, and there's no way you can get a 7600gt to perform on par with more expensive cards that have more shaders. The 7600gt will be fine for Lost Coast at 1024x768, but with some newer games it will struggle even at that res, unless you turn down some settings. And most importantly, do not skimp on a cheap PSU, as it can damage your whole system if you overload it, and will limit your future upgrade choices.

 

[geepondy]

Thanks for the suggestions. Lots of suggestions for the X1950Pro and Toms Hardware had it listed as a recommendation in the $160 price range. Also another big plus, Tom's HW said it ran on a different less power hungry core then some of the other GPUs. But why the wide variances in video card prices? I was looking at Newegg and I saw a X1950 Powercooler board for $130 after rebate to X1950Pro cards costing considerably in excess of $200. What is a least expensive but decent quality video card using this GPU?

 

[yh125d]

Powercolor, HIS, Sapphire are all good makers. I think theres a sapphire 256 1950pro for 135 AR, and the 512 version for like 165 AR

 

[geepondy]

Off subject a little bit but if I picked out a 1950Pro card, will a 450W PS be sufficient? I will only be running the single video card, as mentioned a Core2 duo CPU and at the most two hard drives and two DVD drives although I am thinking seriously of going external for the second hard drive and may start off the system with only one DVD drive. Probably stick with onboard sound unless convinced otherwise.

 

[yh125d]

its not wattage that matters, it's the amperage on the 12v rail. look on the side of the psu, and tell us what amperage. 26+ is recommended

 

[daveybrat]

Originally posted by: yh125d
its not wattage that matters, it's the amperage on the 12v rail. look on the side of the psu, and tell us what amperage. 26+ is recommended

It's also not just the 12v rail either, it's also the brand of the power supply and the quality. I've seen a lot of POS generic power supplies...i.e. Raidmax and others that claim one thing but deliver another. Let us know the make and model of the power supply you have.

 

[geepondy]

I don't yet have a power supply other then what is in my current system which I am replacing which is why I'm asking all these questions. I have budget constraints and I really need to get the best value for my money instead of going all out and buying top of the line. I've had my current P4 2.26 system ever since the P4 2.6 was top of the line and whatever system I get next will have to last me although I am willing to upgrade the video card every couple of years or so. I am most interested in CPU raw power as for video editing and such but am a casual gamer as well but would be quite happy with a video card that runs smoothly with most bells and whistles enabled at 1024x768 for hopefully a couple of year's worth of games.

I'm hoping I can put together a box with a Core2 CPU with MB, 2 gig of memory, ok video card, ok hard drive and ok DVD drive (I know they are very cheap now) for I'm shooting for not more then $800. Just the box, I have monitor and other peripherals. Stability is important to me so I'm not sure I want to play the over clocking game, particularly when it involves buying extra cooling equipment other then what is stock which is why I'd really like to get a E6600 be done with and just run it at stock unless I could be thoroughly convinced I could overclock a lesser CPU without additional hardware and be pretty much guaranteed of the same stability. But I don't think I can do it all for just $800

I hope to just buy everything thru Newegg as well.

Originally posted by: daveybrat

Originally posted by: yh125d
i

It's also not just the 12v rail either, it's also the brand of the power supply and the quality. I've seen a lot of POS generic power supplies...i.e. Raidmax and others that claim one thing but deliver another. Let us know the make and model of the power supply you have.