Best graphic card for a AMD phenom 9150e 1.8 Ghz

[Ojoloco1]

Hi all, I know I should just upgrade the whole aging computer but cant afford it for at least 1 year. So I'm looking for a reasonable graphic card that would give me a performance upgrade. Taking into account bottleneck issues with my cpu. Thanks in advance for any advice.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next 2-4 weeks

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming ( playing Rift,Fallout 3 and BF:BC2), watching movies and general internet usage

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: a BFG 550 watt PSU with a Nvidia 9800 GTX+

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: AMD Phenom 9150e 1.8 ghz quad core, Mother board is a Asus M2N68-LA (Narra3), 5gb of ram


PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg ,tiger direct, amazon or any trustworthy sites

PARTS PREFERENCES: Im used to Nvidia but id consider a ATI card if I could get improved performance

OVERCLOCKING: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: any card out there that will give me better performance considering my current CPU/PSU? I'm playing Rift and getting 30-40 FPS on low settings, id like to be able to get 35+ FPS on medium or greater if possible

 

[purple stain]

Your CPU is already severely bottlenecking that 9800GTX+.The 9800GTX+ is still a very fast card by todays standards and is comparable to the Radeon 5770.

The only thing in your system thats holding you back is your CPU.All you really need to do is upgrade your CPU and you should be able to play games on max settings.

Since you don't need a new GPU,what is your budget for a new CPU and Mobo?
It's very possible to find mobo's that support DDR2 RAM so you can just bring your current RAM onto the new mobo.

 

[Ojoloco1]

I did some research on the HP website and found. I should just be able to replace the CPU...

Socket type: AM2+
Motherboard supports the following processor upgrades:

Phenom with Quad Core (Agena) technology (AM2+) up to 9600 (up to 95 watt)


Would a 9600 be fast enough? I think they go for around 100 usd and is below my 150 budget . Only issue ive never done anything besides install graphic cards and memory sticks. Is installing a new cpu onto a old mobo that easy and safe?

 

[Ojoloco1]

ugh I was way off on finding that 9600 cpu for 100, newegg/tigerdirect don't carry it and cheapest on amazon was 260! and 80 for used but I dont like the idea of buying a used cpu...So may have to find a different cpu/mobo combo. I could prolly bump the budget to 200. Any ideas what combo be the best bang for my buck?

 

[purple stain]

Theirs no way putting a frist gen phenom will last.It's a wasteful upgrade path.Your gonna have to go for AM3.

This should work for your $150 budget.

ASRock AM2/AM2+/AM3 Mobo $53 + $7 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157226

Phenom ii x4 955 @ 3.2ghz $115+ Free Shipping

It should be around $170 after taxes and shipping and I realie thats a little over your budget but it's well worth it.With this new CPU should get 60+fps.

 

[Ojoloco1]

Theirs no way putting a frist gen phenom will last.It's a wasteful upgrade path.Your gonna have to go for AM3.

This should work for your $150 budget.

ASRock AM2/AM2+/AM3 Mobo $53 + $7 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157226

Phenom ii x4 955 @ 3.2ghz $115+ Free Shipping

It should be around $170 after taxes and shipping and I realie thats a little over your budget but it's well worth it.With this new CPU should get 60+fps.

thanks, looks good i can swing an extra 20 np

 

[Ojoloco1]

Best answer selected by Ojoloco1.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey