Comparing video cards

[Macgyvercas]

If you have the money and really want to spring for a good card, get a GTX 400 series.

This.

I have a GTX 480 and it is nothing short of awesome.

I have a 460 (768 version), is the 480 a much bigger improvement?

I wouldn't know. The only thing I have to compare it to is integrated graphics.

This should help though [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_400_Series#GTX_400_Series]

 

[Stoic raptor]

Save up twice that and get yourself something really good. I bought a radeon hd 4870 about a year and a half ago and I haven't looked back. also you should try going to tigerdirect.com or newegg.com they are usually cheaper and you can compare proformance.

I dont have a job, so I have no stable way of getting money. Could even be up to a year before I get a job.
And buying online is not an option anymore.

I heard a HD 5670 is a good card and costs little, so go for it.
If you can use your money on a HD 5770. Awesome card, can max Metro 2033.
Also, sorry if i missed it, but whats your RAM, CPU and other stuff?

6 GB RAM, Quad core processor at 2.6GHz, Win 7 home premium 64 bit, DirectX 11

 

[Stoic raptor]

I got the card and put it in, but the moniter cable wouldnt fit into the card.
So is there a problem? Or can I put it were it was before?
Seems that my card uses DVI, but the monitor is VGA
But the computer doesnt even notice the card. Does it have to connect to the moniter for the computer to find the card.

 

[Stoic raptor]

I got the card and put it in, but the moniter cable wouldnt fit into the card.
So is there a problem? Or can I put it were it was before?
Seems that my card uses DVI, but the monitor is VGA

There should have been a DVI-VGA converter in the box. My last three graphics cards have come with them.

But the computer doesnt even notice the card. Does it have to connect to the moniter for the computer to find the card.

You might have to disable the on-board graphics in the BIOS. Also, have you made sure that the graphics card is fully hooked up, including all extra PCI-Express connections to the PSU?

All fixed. It didn't come with a converter, so I went and got one. I also found out I didn't push it in hard enough. Now its in with all the drivers. I also cleaned the comp too, the card is at a 50C at idle. I finally got it.

 

[Hateren47]

All fixed. It didn't come with a converter, so I went and got one. I also found out I didn't push it in hard enough. Now its in with all the drivers. I also cleaned the comp too, the card is at a 50C at idle. I finally got it.

Grats on your new card and have fun with it.

 

[Stoic raptor]

All fixed. It didn't come with a converter, so I went and got one. I also found out I didn't push it in hard enough. Now its in with all the drivers. I also cleaned the comp too, the card is at a 50C at idle. I finally got it.

Grats on your new card and have fun with it.

Man it is good. Never knew how good my games could look or how fast. They are not max, but they are close.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Should I do it? How would it affect performance or temperature?
Im learning so much from this thread

Yes. It will give you better performance when you play and conserve power when you don't. As I said it will stop clocking up when your card becomes unstable, for example because of heat, so it completely safe.

It's not a great overclock by any means but it's perfect for inexperienced users. And don't worry about your screen going stripy for the duration of the test. Just let it be until it's done. It can technically crash your computer, but if that happens it rolls back to your previous setting when you reboot. If you have 2 monitors you can follow the test on the second monitor but if you only have one you're gonna be stuck with the stripes until it's over.

Again it's completely safe. And for good measure, don't panic.

I was about to, but it warned me that it may damage the processor. Now im scared. Besides, it is working fine the way it is.

 

[Hateren47]

I was about to, but it warned me that it may damage the processor. Now im scared. Besides, it is working fine the way it is.

I said don't panic. If your card cant handle it it's obviously defective and has to be swapped with one that does work while you still have your store warranty. The program is designed for that card. I recommend getting the full CCC from www.amd.com/ and not using the one from the CD. The newest version is 10.9 .

 

[KaosuHamoni]

http://www.evga.com/articles/00553/

Might be a bit out of you're price range but I'd go for this.
Personally I'm getting a GTX 470, due to future-proofing purposes. You might want to do the same

 

[Stoic raptor]

I was about to, but it warned me that it may damage the processor. Now im scared. Besides, it is working fine the way it is.

I said don't panic. If your card cant handle it it's obviously defective and has to be swapped with one that does work while you still have your store warranty. The program is designed for that card. I recommend getting the full CCC from www.amd.com/ and not using the one from the CD. The newest version is 10.9 .

Well, I did it, now a lot of ram is being used. 50% of it, even when I am doing nothing.

 

[Hateren47]

Well, I did it, now a lot of ram is being used. 50% of it, even when I am doing nothing.

I guess you mean it's clocked to half speed when not in use. That should conserve a little power. Anyway if you never use up 100% of your RAM it just means you have enough of it.

 

[nelsonr100]

Personaaly I'd go for the 5000 series ATI cards, I built a Pc with a 5670 and it runs stuff really well. Personally I have an XFX 4890 1GB and its awesome.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Well, I did it, now a lot of ram is being used. 50% of it, even when I am doing nothing.

I guess you mean it's clocked to half speed when not in use. That should conserve a little power. Anyway if you never use up 100% of your RAM it just means you have enough of it.

Don't games slow down when you have low RAM? Doesn't the computer slow down when you have low RAM?

 

[Hateren47]

Don't games slow down when you have low RAM? Doesn't the computer slow down when you have low RAM?

A brief explanation of RAM

Not exactly. Your RAM is a very fast storage device compared to your HDD which is your primary storage device. When your CPU needs to run a task your HDD is way too slow for your computer to actually function at a desirable level so you put RAM in between them to act as a buffer. As long as your RAM or CPU is not at 100% your computers work speed won't be affected. The more RAM you have the less you notice the speed of your HDD. It works the same way with GPUs and videoRAM basically.

It will also depend on what OS you are using as Vista and 7 likes to fill your RAM with all sorts of junk you might need next. This is not a bad thing because it will free up your RAM should you need it for gaming, etc. and your browser and other often used program will start faster.

I have 4GB in my gaming rig, and a fresh boot into Windows 7 64bit with MS Security Essentials and CCC takes up 1.4GB. After a few minutes of just sitting there it will start to fill the RAM with all its private business and it rises to about 2GB as it's start running all the background tasks a modern OS does like prefetching and searching for updates. When I start a game it drops back down to 1.4GB and starts rising again as the game loads textures etc. into the RAM.

It's not good having too little RAM but it's not bad to use what you have. If your RAM reaches 100% when you are gaming you need more though.

 

[Wolfram23]

So what card did you end up getting? The 5670?

^ That's not a bad explanation of RAM. 4gb is a good amount usually. I just upgraded to 8gb, but it's pretty rarely that it's gone over 4gb (I've used up to around 5.5gb once lol).

Generally speaking, if you got the 5670, these ATI cards are pretty decent overclockers. You can probably push another 10 fps out of your card. There's 2 considerations tho, the first is temps and the second is voltage. Firstly, raising the clocks can increase the temps, and you don't want to push the temps too high. Secondly, the maximum clock will be limited by voltage (if not by temp) but not every brand of card will have voltage control. Plus, more voltage means more heat.

If you want to OC your card, I recommend not using the ATI Overdrive utility withing CCC. It's not terrible or anything, but it's not that good.

You should consider getting MSI Afterburner. It can control gpu and memory clocks, if the card supports voltage control it will allow that, and it allows you to create custom fan profiles so that the fan will ramp up in speed with the temps that way you can have a super quiet idle but when gaming still keep the card cool enough. Lastly, the program comes with pretty good monitoring of all things GPU - FPS, temps, fan speed, clocks, voltage. Lots of stuff! It's pretty easy to set up, if it's something that interests you, you can PM me or quote me here so I'll see it.