Help I need a new Graphics Card!!

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Infinatex

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May 19, 2009
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This is kinda a continuation of my dead computer post but I figured I'd make a new thread now I know what I need!

Okay so apparently I need a new Graphics Card & power supply. I don't know too much (whatsoever) about what I need but the guy recommended an XFX 5850 which is of course the most expensive they sell! (money is not really an issue, I just wanna make sure I getting the best bang for my buck, so to speak) I want to be able to run current games at awesome quality on a 42" screen. The computer is running a Intel® Core?2 Quad Processor w/ 4GB DDR3. (I don't know if this affects compatibility with different cards??) What do you guys recommend? HEEEELP!!!
 

Infinatex

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May 19, 2009
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Darkside360 said:
If you want the latest and greatest go for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 295. Hell get two of them and SLI it if you really want to feel awesome. Personally with the 200 series cards, one is enough.

I honestly didn't think too much when I got my power supply. I just went to tigerdirect.com and looked at customer reviews. Got a 750 watt power supply. Works great.
Does a power supply play a big part in performance? Or will it just not work with the wrong one?
 

Horticulture

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Feb 27, 2009
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If you can wait a couple week or so for them to actually become available, nVidia is releasing new cards [http://twitter.com/NVIDIAGeForce/status/9503345711]. Prices will hopefully come down a bit with some real competition from nVidia. The best card really depends on your budget and motherboard- the 5850 is a great card, but at $300+ it's a little overpriced right now. It will max out just about anything at 1080p, however. Most of nVidia's cards are also overpriced. The best values for demanding settings at that resolution are the Radeon 4890 at around $200 or a Radeon 5770 for $150. Neither is as fast as the 5850, but the prices are much more reasonable. Don't bother with dual-GPU cards like the GTX 295 and HD5970 - they're way overkill for a 1080p display.

For power supplies, just make sure you pick a reputable brand (Corsair, Seasonic, BFG Tech, PC Power and Cooling, Antec). Some power supplies are poorly made or don't provide the advertised wattage. 550w is plenty for most systems (600-650 for 2 5770s). You'll also need the right number of 6- or 8-pin PCI-express power plugs for the video card, but any quality PSU should have plenty.

edit: realized that I assumed your monitor is a 1080p HDTV. If it's 720p, get a 5770. Anything more would be a waste.
 

Infinatex

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May 19, 2009
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Horticulture said:
I might wait a bit and see how the new nVidia cards stack up then. It's only a couple of days till they are released so it's probably worth the wait. I don't want to buy one and then have it superseded a week later. I also don't want to take the cheaper option because I've done that before and I know I won't be as satisfied if I do.

I'm assuming you prices are in USD?
 

Horticulture

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Feb 27, 2009
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XinfiniteX said:
Horticulture said:
I'm assuming you prices are in USD?
Didn't think to check if you were using other dollars. This chart [http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2569-6.html] is a good way to compare cards on overall performance, regardless of currency.
 

Infinatex

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May 19, 2009
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I've had enough waiting and I've gone and got myself an HD 5850 Black Edition $ Power supply to match! It's awesome!!! I've never been able to play game at this quality before with no drop in frame rate! Very impressed!