What's my best option given the system I have and the limited cash I have to play today's games?

[mh1314]

Hello all. I have read all your replies, and I definitely agree that buying this card is not the wisest investment.

However, my cousin is still in high school and I think this computer is all he's got for the remainder for his high school years (3 years). With this in mind, I thought the best I could do is to buy a card that would

1. Allow him to play games like Guild Wars and AOE III with some better graphics
2. Allow him to watch tv in his room

The problem is me however. I am an unempltoyed college student that doesn't have a lot of savings, so I can't afford to buy him a new system. However, the jury is still out discussing whether my cousin would be better off taking the $100 and saving it for his future computer.

Another bottomline for me when I made the purchase is: 9600 is already a huge leap from his old video card, the Radeon 7000. Christmas is all about giving, and I think it's the best I can do for him: to get him a decent video card that has more memory, and a card that allows him to use his computer as a tv as well.

I know there are a lot of holes in my post. If you feel like, please point them out

Great discussion here for people who cannot afford the latest graphic cards
(btw, I am still using integrated graphics card on my laptop - -)

 

[mh1314]

Also, Merry Christmas to all!
I really appreciate your feedbacks!

 

[Wolfshanze]

Great discussion here for people who cannot afford the latest graphic cards

Well, in this case, we're not really talking about being able to afford the latest graphic card (I can't either). What we're talking about is an out-of-date system, and what best to do with it.

If you had say a 1.7GHz P4 or better, then a cheap video card like the 9600 might indeed be an okay investment until a better system can be had.

However, this is one of the few cases where a video card upgrade just isn't going to cut the mustard. A 1GHz-P3 is just not fast enough for todays games. Yes, a Radeon 7000 is not exactly cutting-edge, and a 9600 is definately a faster card, but there are times when "enough is enough" and a bottleneck is a bottleneck, and there's nothing you can do to get around the situation. A 1GHz-P3 with a GeForce-1 or a GeForce-6 really isn't going to make a big differance in today's games... you still have a huge CPU bottleneck here.

AoE-III is one of the games you're targetting to play... I got news for you... after blowing $100 bucks on that 9600, you're STILL not going to be able to play AoE-III happily... while "technically" the MINIMUM system specs is an 800MHz system (yeah, right), I flat-out had the game playing slow on my wife's 2.4GHz GeForce 6600GT system... she still had to turn stuff down to get it to run smooth!

Not trying to be harsh, just trying to be straight-up with you. There's a time in every computers life when it must be put to pasture. A 1GHz system was pretty cool in 2000, but that was five years ago.... that's ancient history in computer terms. It's long overdue to put the system to rest (or at least bump-it down from the "primary" system).

I understand you have money issues... if so, all the more reason why you should've resisted the urge to throw money at the problem when you don't have enough money to fix the problem to begin with. If I wanted to compete in some underground street racing, and knew I would need something like a Porsche 911 to compete, but I only have enough money to buy a Ford Pinto, maybe it's not a good idea to buy the Pinto and enter the race anyways. Perhaps it would be better if I waited to get more money.

Believe it or not, all problems CANNOT be solved simply by buying a faster video card! I think the thread is mistitled... instead of "What video card upgrade do you recommend for this computer?", the thread should read "What's my best option given the system I have and the limited cash I have to play today's games?".

That's my take on it. The answer to the retitled post would be; SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

 

[mh1314]

Thank you Wolfshanze for replying. Yes, I have learned the main point you are trying to convey, and that is it is better to replace the system rather than trying to patch it up with an upgrade here and there.

That said, my friend is looking to upgrade his video card to the BFG 6600GT OC. From this list (http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=cpl&id=PS.808), which PSU would you recommend for him? (~$60 USD budget).

Thanks!

 

[Wolfshanze]

Funny stuff... as for your friend, I don't know the rest of his system, but if you're buying a new PSU in today's world, I wouldn't buy one under 400watts (and it MUST be from a quality manufacturer). Always nice to have a little room to grow and the PSU is the last place you should be cutting corners.

I would recomend any PSU at 400w or more from any of these manufacturers:
Fortran
Seasonic
Enermax
PC Power & Cooling
Antec

I think you should be able to find what you are looking for under your price-cap from one of those manufacturers. If you're REALLY tight on a budget, Enlight makes some decent PSUs for a budget company.