Which graphics card should i get?

[abclichi]

Hey guys,

I am looking to get a new graphics card by the beginning of summer break. I am a bit worried about my system though. So, I am asking for some advice as to what card i should get that is the best-bang-for-the-buck for my particularly aged system:

Athlon X2 3800+
ECS Nforce4 board
2 gb pc3200 RAM
500watts psu

I currently have a X700Pro.

Thanks guys!

 

[surfsatwerk]

GeForce 9600 GT has been a great performer in benchmarks at around $170.

 

[schneiderguy]

9600gt/3870 for $170, or 8800gs for $110 AR if you don't want to spend as much money.

 

[abclichi]

Thanks for the responses guys... but would the performance of those cards be hindered by my slow CPU and RAM?

 

[dino26]

yes they would be hindered some but then again you would still see a huge performance increase nonetheless. I think thats why they are suggesting the 9600 or 3870 which I also think are great choices. You might want to also consider upgrading your cpu/mb/ram first. I think it would be a wase of money to get anything better than a 3870/9600 at the moment until you first upgrade the rest.

 

[BenSkywalker]

I would advise the 8800GS mainly as the rest of your system is going to bottleneck any of the current boards, the 8800GS will be fast enough to ensure that it isn't the bottleneck while still giving you a sizeable increase in performance for a good price.

 

[Denithor]

Just confirming, you have a PCI-E video card, not an AGP model, correct?

If PCI-E, go for the 8800GS ($120) or the 9600GT ($150). Anything above the 9600GT will probably not benefit you much because of slow cpu/ram.

IMO the 3870 is not a good value, you can get the stronger 8800GT for the same price ($180) but again I doubt you would see much (if any) advantage of this level of card on your system versus the cheaper 8800GS/9600GT cards.

 

[Sutareteiru]

The 8800 GT would probably be your best bet. I say this in the mindset of investment terms, seeing as your in the process of upgrading, the 8800 gt would be the best dollar value "bang for your buck", in that you may not be able to use the full potential now, but when you do decide to upgrade your ram, MoBo, Processor, etc you would have a great card waiting to utilize these new pieces of hardware.