New computer graphics card decision

coolwhhip

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Jul 23, 2009
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I am buying a new computer, this is the one I have in mind:

Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
AMD Phenom(TM) II X4 920 quad-core processor [2.8GHz, 2MB L2 + 6MB L3 shared, up to 4000MT/s]
8GB DDR2-800MHz SDRAM [4 DIMMs]
640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
Monitor 1920 x 1080p
350W power supply

The thing is I want to do everyday kinds of stuff on it, but on the other hand I also want it to last long and be able to play WoW on it. I am afraid that the graphics card does not meet the potential of the rest of the system. The GT 220 is a $60 upgrade from the other options that come with the computer, the highest priced one I am willing to upgrade to. The only other semi-acceptable option is the ATI Radeon HD 4650. So, my question is what should I do; buy my own graphics card ($75 under range) or stick with this one. I am already at the top of my budget.

Any input/recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks
 
Ok I decided i'm going to downgrade on memory to 6GB in order to get a better graphics card/PSU. I now have about a $140 budget for both of those items. Right now I am looking at the Radeon 4850 512MB and a thermaltake 500W PSU.

Oh and I am using these: http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88 to compare graphics cards. But, I need some help sorting out which areas of this chart tell me the overall performance of the card and which parts of the chart are useless.

Thanks
 
No, going to buy a pre-built one and swap the graphics card out for a new one is my plan. Some where along the line i realized I would also need a new PSU as well.
 
If you are building on a budget there is no point in getting more than 4gb of ram. The performance gain of more than 4gb is very very small for anything but extreme applications, which you won't be able to do on a budget machnine anyway.

a 4850 is a fine choice, and a good price now a days. Will play most games very well on that resolution.

As always, I would recommend that you get a friend to put the computer together for you instead of buying a prebuilt machine, really does save a lot.
 


Thats pretty much my plan, however the RAM options are 4GB 6GB and 8GB. 4 is the base and there's a free upgrade to 6. So I cant save any money there.

So now I'm trying to find a good graphics card/PSU. I found

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121253
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

on newegg for $140 total after rebate. The prebuilt come with a $180 option for a Radeon 4850 as well(with upgraded PSU). The only difference is that the prebuilt one is 1GB and the other is 512MB

Im really not trying to treat this as a 'budget built' or anything, I just want to get the best setup thats within what I'm willing to pay.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations. Although, the first two PSUs you recomended are right below the power requirements for the card (450W).

I am currently trying to figure out the exact model for the PSU with the prebuilt 4850 'edition'. The extra 30-40 bucks may be worth it is the PSU is quality. At least that way I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. On the other hand, I like that extra weight in my pockets...Then again I could get the Phenom II X4 945 instead of the 920...decisions decisions