Graphics card puchase help

hj2k_x

hj2k_x

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So, I need help regarding what to look for in the next GPU I get, but I thought this thread might help a lot of others out there as well, with some basic info in this regard.I could not find anything similar in the FAQ - if there is, please disregard and forgive me :p

To start with, my situation.
I am currently running the following
AMD Athlon X2 5200+ @2.6ghz
Gigabyte mobo
6GB DDR2 800 RAM
Win7 RC Build 7100 (64 bit)
HD2400 256MB 64 bit
2 x Samsung T260 (25.5")

Now, the GPU I have is doing a fair job of running the two 26s but clearly I will need to upgrade it at some stage.
For now, I only use the PC for browsing and watching movies. If I game, it is rare and will be C&C/Starcraft and that kind of thing.

So what do I need to look for in a new card?

The size of the VRAM is to do with bigger resolutions, right? SO I would want at least 512MB, if not 1GB to be sure?

Then there is the speed of the VRAM - how fast is fast enough?
And the bus size? 64bit vs 128bit vs 256bit. Yes, clearly, the bigger the better, but what does this actually do?
And then the clock speed? So the actually CPU part of the GPU - is it also always just a case of the faster the better?
And how to tell when a big GPU will bottleneck a weaker CPU and PC?

Hope this made sense

Thanks

:)
 
Silverlight said:
Get a 4890 or 5850 if possible. Hope someone else can answer the rest of your questions
Click to expand...

Hehe, cool.

Guess I should have mentioned budget. Which is zero right now. Looking to save up for at least a few months...Then spend maybe R1000 or so. Was looking at the 4860 - 1GB, 256bit....
 
cerebus said:
Maybe come back in a few months when you have a budget to work with.
Click to expand...

Well basically I am looking for general advice so I know how much I need to save. Like what it is that I should be looking for in a GPU. Hence all the questions above :)
 
Save as much as possible and get the best possible card with what you have. If I had R2k I'd buy a 4890. If I had 1k I'd buy a 4850. For gaming at 1920 you'll want at least a 4870 which in a few months will probably be at the r1300 mark or so, round about. Rather go for 1gb cards because you'll need the extra bandwidth with that monitor.
 
cerebus said:
Save as much as possible and get the best possible card with what you have. If I had R2k I'd buy a 4890. If I had 1k I'd buy a 4850. For gaming at 1920 you'll want at least a 4870 which in a few months will probably be at the r1300 mark or so, round about. Rather go for 1gb cards because you'll need the extra bandwidth with that monitor.
Click to expand...

That's the kinda advice I am looking for. So bandwidth is for resolution. What about all the other specs? What are they good for? Is it simply a case of more is more?
 
Like is a card which is 256bit twice as good as one which is only 128bit, if all else is equal? Can you do that with all the other specs as well?
 
More is just more, it's difficult to equate like for like with graphics cards. Nvidia is good at obfuscating performance with big statistics and rebranding and that sort of thing - the only way really to know what a card is capable of is through real-world benchmarks.

E.G. the 200 series took the route of increasing bus width - so the 260 has....i forget something like a 512 bit bus. ATI instead went the way of upgrading the ram from gddr3 to gddr5 which effectively doubled the bandwidth and compensated for its relatively narrow 256 bit bus - so even though the 4870 had a lower bus it overtook the 260 in real world tests because of the faster ram, and sat somewhere between the 260 and 275.

Or for another example with the 8800 series - the first cards out were the 8800gts in 320 and 640mb variants (plus the gtx and ultra) that were based off the g80 architecture. Then halfway through the range they updated to G92 PCB which was single slot and reissued a new set of cards called 8800gt. Now like for like an 8800gt would beat a gts - which is contrary to the traditional Nvidia naming convention and totally confusing unless you understood the history of the development.

That's just an example and i'm not being biased against Nvidia cards. The best is to go to Tomshardware or Guru3d and pore over some benchmarks to get an idea of where hierarchy sits in terms of graphical power.
 
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cerebus said:
Save as much as possible and get the best possible card with what you have. If I had R2k I'd buy a 4890. If I had 1k I'd buy a 4850. For gaming at 1920 you'll want at least a 4870 which in a few months will probably be at the r1300 mark or so, round about. Rather go for 1gb cards because you'll need the extra bandwidth with that monitor.
Click to expand...

If I game, it is rare and will be C&C/Starcraft and that kind of thing.

All he plays are strategy games if anything at all. Don't think he needs anything near even a 4850 really.

Graphics Card HD4350

This should be more than enough
 
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Alan said:
If I game, it is rare and will be C&C/Starcraft and that kind of thing.

All he plays are strategy games if anything at all. Don't think he needs anything near even a 4850 really.

Graphics Card HD4350

This should be more than enough
Click to expand...

Going for just over R400 at Esquire till Saturday :eek:

The 512MB bus gonna be enough?
 
Oh..yeah that's true hey. Well do a favour to yourself and at least get a 4850. It's comforting to know that you can play a reasonably demanding game if the situation presented itself :p


Hj2k...go for it if you have it. it'll tide you over at least till you can make plan 2. Atm i gather your current card isn't able to keep up with the demand.
 
Im sure hes not going to be playing those games for the rest of his life. So rather get the best card you can afford instead of buying a cheapo one and suffering later on

*Suffering later rather than sooner
 
Just to be clear the 512mb isn't the bus... the bus on that card is 64 bit. To which the answer is enough for what? For serious gaming? No way forget about it. But it isn't a gaming card. Enough for Starcraft? Yes.


So you need to be clear what your real needs are going to be.
 
cerebus said:
Oh..yeah that's true hey. Well do a favour to yourself and at least get a 4850. It's comforting to know that you can play a reasonably demanding game if the situation presented itself :p


Hj2k...go for it if you have it. it'll tide you over at least till you can make plan 2. Atm i gather your current card isn't able to keep up with the demand.
Click to expand...

Yeah perhaps if Henry is interested in getting Starcraft 2 and the latest C&Cs than a 4850 is probably the best option.

I'll sell you mine Henry if the offer is right :D
 
cerebus said:
Oh..yeah that's true hey. Well do a favour to yourself and at least get a 4850. It's comforting to know that you can play a reasonably demanding game if the situation presented itself :p


Hj2k...go for it if you have it. it'll tide you over at least till you can make plan 2. Atm i gather your current card isn't able to keep up with the demand.
Click to expand...

My current card is doing the job well enough - but fullscreen playback of videos is a bit jerky when the action is fast-paced :o
 
cerebus said:
Just to be clear the 512mb isn't the bus... the bus on that card is 64 bit. To which the answer is enough for what? For serious gaming? No way forget about it. But it isn't a gaming card. Enough for Starcraft? Yes.


So you need to be clear what your real needs are going to be.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry. That's what I meant :o
 
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