Graphics Card Dilemna

[JPKC]

Are either a 512MB ATI Radeon HD4350 graphics card, a 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce 9300M GS graphics card, or a 1GB ATI Radeon HD4850 graphics suitable for a game that requires a 256 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible (Shader model 2.0) video card?

 

[rolli59]

The first two that you mention are not considered gaming cards but they meet the DX9 and shader 2.0 requirement. The HD4850 on the other hand is a good mid range gaming card.

 

[JPKC]

Will the game still be good quality on both of them, do you think?

 

[rolli59]

I think you might have some stutter since both of those cards are 1 step above onboard graphics, mostly bought to have dedicated graphics memory. Then again if the game is old it might be fine.

 

[rkwallace]

Consider this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150399528917&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

 

[sabot00]

Don't buy from EBay.
You speak of those 3 cards as if they are comparable, while the 4350 & 9300 are the 4850 is leagues off.
Get the 4850 if your game is newer & you plan on gaming at 1440x900 or bigger.

 

[capt_taco]

Those cards all will meet the minimum requirements, but only the 4850 is what you would call a modern video card out of the bunch. It really depends what you plan on doing. If you have an old computer and just have a couple of low-intensity games in mind, any of those cards should do fine. If you have a newer machine and think you'll be playing new "hardcore" games, get the 4850 or better. Would help to know the rest of your system specs.

rkwallace: Somehow, I am skeptical that a $300 water-cooled card is necessary, or a good idea for someone who probably does not have a ton of experience with that kind of thing. Personally, these days I wouldn't spend that kind of money on any card that's not DX11.

 

[sabot00]

rkwallace needs to think/read before recommending, if OP has none/little experience with graphics cards do you think he will have a liquid cooled system?
If he bought retail (ie Alienware) I doubt you can buy a PC with liquid cooling that doesn't have AT LEAST a 4650.

 

[jennyh]

Keep it nice and simple folks.

The answer is - Buy the 4850 and you can't go wrong.

 

[Mulder19]

4850. I have it. Solid 1080p performance at high detail settings. Of course, your performance will vary with the rest of your components. If you have a slower processor or less than 2 gigs of ram you will not get the same levels of performance. However, it will still be light-years ahead of the other cards you mentioned.

 

[mindless728]

get the 4850 hands down

 

[JPKC]

Those cards all will meet the minimum requirements, but only the 4850 is what you would call a modern video card out of the bunch. It really depends what you plan on doing. If you have an old computer and just have a couple of low-intensity games in mind, any of those cards should do fine. If you have a newer machine and think you'll be playing new "hardcore" games, get the 4850 or better. Would help to know the rest of your system specs.

rkwallace: Somehow, I am skeptical that a $300 water-cooled card is necessary, or a good idea for someone who probably does not have a ton of experience with that kind of thing. Personally, these days I wouldn't spend that kind of money on any card that's not DX11.

The rest of my specs are:

# Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor
# (2.5GHz, 4MB Cache)
# Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium
# 6GB DDR2 memory
# 640GB hard drive
# 512MB ATI Radeon HD4350 graphics

 

[swifty_morgan]

You have W7, why not get a DX11 comp. card ? 5770

 

[capt_taco]

The rest of my specs are:

# Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor
# (2.5GHz, 4MB Cache)
# Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium
# 6GB DDR2 memory
# 640GB hard drive
# 512MB ATI Radeon HD4350 graphics

Nah, you don't want the 4850. You want something better than that. You've got a pretty decent system there, and it will probably stay good for at least the next couple of years.

I'd say either the 4870 or 4890 would be well matched to the power of your CPU, although you may want a 5770 if you're planning on keeping this machine for a couple years and want the DX11 support. If you get the 4850, the video card will still be the weak link in the system.