UpGrading video card

[will083031]

Hi right now I have a 9800GT what would be an upgrade? The VC will be used mainly for playing games like COD,Fallout 3 ect thanks.

 

[Spydermag68]

It really depends on how much money you want to spend. "Tom" has an article "Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September '09", and a chart that compares "Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart".

He says to go up at least 3 levels so you would be look at "9800 GX2, GTX 260, GTX 275" or "HD 4870, HD 4890" at least. Might as well got for a ATI 5850 or 5870. It will keep you gaming longer.

 

[dguy6789]

It would help to know the rest of the specifications for your computer.

 

[crisium]

What resolution is your display? Also what's your CPU and RAM?

5850 is a good blanket choice, but if you game at a low resolution you might wanna pick a cheaper card like 4890 or even 5770.

 

[will083031]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
It would help to know the rest of the specifications for your computer.

MB Asus P5N-E-SLI
CPU Intel E6600 @2.66
OS Vista home premium
Memory 4G of DDR2 800 OCZ
My resolution now is 1680 x 1050 but might be getting another 23" monitor with resolutions 1920 x 1080

 

[crisium]

Eh, it would be great if you could overclock that CPU to over 3. At any rate, 5850 is a great way to ensure kick ass performance at 1920x1080. C2D at 2.66 wouldn't be pressing it all the way, so some might argue that it's a bit overkill. I'd say anything less and what's the point of upgrading from a 9800GT which isn't a slow card, but...

Let's see what everyone else says.

 

[dguy6789]

+1 vote forRadeon HD 5850.

 

[nicnas]

At 1680x1050 the 9800GT should do well in most games but if you really feel the need to upgrade, do as Spydermag68 said. Depending on your brand preference go for

ATI: 4890 or 5850;
nVidia: GTX260 216 or GTX275

or wait two weeks and buy a 5770 for much less money and less heat/power consumption but you won't feel a "performance jump" as big as with the 5850 or GTX275.