Is it a worthwhile upgrade?

[bocardo]

I'm thinking to change my current card a silent geforce 8500gt (asus), for a radeon hd 4670 with fan (asus eah4670/di/512m). Is it worth it (consider i live in chile, where these cards cost about 100 us dollars) for games like fallout 3 and the orange box?

 

[bocardo]

I'm sorry, I forgot the greetings, and to mention my system setup.
So first of all, hi everyone, please forgive me if my english is somewhat weird, but it's not my native language.
As for my system
asus p5kse mobo
core 2 quad q6600 @2.40 ghz revision g0 overclocked to 2.7ghz
4gb ram
viewsonic va1716w monitor (1440x900 native res)

 

[dirtmountain]

According to this chart it's a 10 tier step up (3 steps is minimum usually)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-graphics,2296-6.html

So it should be a decent upgrade for gaming and it doesn't require much power so you won't have to upgrade your power supply to support it. ct1615 has good suggestions also, but the HD3870 is kind of a power hog.

 

[bocardo]

Thanks to both of you for the fast replies.
Unfortunately, the other cards you mention are much more expensive, if available at all.
Does anyone know how much more noise it would add to the system?

 

[bocardo]

One more thing, is there anything I should know about switching vendors (nvidia to ati).
Any procedures to avoid problems when changing the drivers or stuff like that?

 

[calmstateofmind]

One more thing, is there anything I should know about switching vendors (nvidia to ati).
Any procedures to avoid problems when changing the drivers or stuff like that?

Nope! Not really. When you install new video drivers, the previous drivers are over-written. Also, remember to uninstall the Utility Manager of the previous card and after you install the drivers from the CD for the new one go to their website and DL the latest drivers/software.

Another good thing that you can pick up is Driver Sweeper. It scans your computer for drivers and you can select to remove them completely. Sometimes when you just install and overwrite drivers there are traces of the previous driver. With video drivers, sometimes you might be playing a game and a major framerate drop will occur, or you will have other video issues.

Here's a link to DL Driver Sweeper, in case you're interested. Driver Sweeper

Just scroll down the page and click "I Agree" and it will begin the DL automatically.

Hopefully this info helps!



-Charles

 

[bocardo]

Thanks, I'll try that. That software would have helped me a couple of times.

And thanks to everyone, you have been very helpful.

 

[trkorecky]

@calm: Why do you recommend installing the drivers from the CD before downloading and installing the newest ones, then immediately mention that the OP should use Driver Sweeper? Why waste the time with the drivers on the disc and just download the new ones right away and save the extra steps?

I've found the discs included with graphics cards to be wholly useless more than 90% of the time.

 

[calmstateofmind]

@calm: Why do you recommend installing the drivers from the CD before downloading and installing the newest ones, then immediately mention that the OP should use Driver Sweeper? Why waste the time with the drivers on the disc and just download the new ones right away and save the extra steps?

I've found the discs included with graphics cards to be wholly useless more than 90% of the time.

Well the drivers on the disc are useless for the most part. The only reason why I install the drivers from the CD and then go to the internet is because of the tremendous amount of video lag that sometimes occurs if you try to operate the computer without the drivers installed. So really, the only reason why I install the CD drivers first is so I can smoothly navigate to the website and get the newer ones. I'm very impatient. Lol.

And I referred Driver Sweeper to prevent any issues with previous drivers. Even after you install new drivers, the old driver settings and folders are still kept on the computer. If both are still present, its possible for the computer to still try and access the older ones, thus creating a lag spike during game play. It's happened to me before in the past and that's how I came to know DS (Driver Sweeper).



-Charles

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

There is a 9600gt low power edition from evga around the same price as the 4670.

Good luck

 

[trkorecky]

Well the drivers on the disc are useless for the most part. The only reason why I install the drivers from the CD and then go to the internet is because of the tremendous amount of video lag that sometimes occurs if you try to operate the computer without the drivers installed. So really, the only reason why I install the CD drivers first is so I can smoothly navigate to the website and get the newer ones. I'm very impatient. Lol.

And I referred Driver Sweeper to prevent any issues with previous drivers. Even after you install new drivers, the old driver settings and folders are still kept on the computer. If both are still present, its possible for the computer to still try and access the older ones, thus creating a lag spike during game play. It's happened to me before in the past and that's how I came to know DS (Driver Sweeper).



-Charles

I understand the Driver Sweeper part, I just didn't know why you wouldn't recommend he download the latest drivers and keep them on the desktop rather than installing intermediate ones. No offense meant, if you took any, I just figured it'd be easier to go straight to the latest by planning in advance

 

[calmstateofmind]

Oh no you're fine. Lol. I didn't take any offense to it because it is a bit odd to do that, but I just can't stand waiting on the video lag if the drivers aren't installed when going to the internet.



-Charles

 

[bocardo]

I finally bought it a couple hours ago. Going to install it now.
Thanks everyone for your advice.

 

[dirtmountain]

Good luck!