Please suggest a GPU..

[oops2001]

Hello,
I have recently assembled a new PC for myself. Its Configuration is
Intel e8400 @ 3.0GHZ,
2x2GB 800MHz Kingston RAM,
Seagate 500 GB HDD(7200RPM-SATA II),
400W PSU,
17" LCD Monitor,
Intel Original DG45ID motherboard.

It wasnt intended for gaming nd all, for my office work only,
But i guess if i slip a decent GPU in it i would be able to run most of the games..

So please suggest me a good GPU which could run most of the games and i dont have a big resolution..
Also what changes would i have to make or a new PSU or like that , please also tell that..

As far as i have seen over the internet, gt260 or hd4870 or 9800 gt should do fine for me but need suggestion,,
Also some people said go for nvidia cards as it has better drivers and physX nd stuff like that..
Please Help.
thankyou

 

[hunter315]

A 4670 would more than suffice for a 17" monitor at medium-high settings and would not require you to upgrade your PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125244&cm_re=4670-_-14-125-244-_-Product

If you want to play at high settings something like a GTS250 or HD 4770 would be a better fit. The GTX260 and HD4870 are both overkill for a 17" monitor.

 

[oops2001]

Okay thankyou, I will check it out, but just a curious question,,will it be able to run crysis on max details (and i guess i would love to run other games on max settings too)..and what about 9800gt GPU?

 

[optional22]

It will not run on all high settings. You would need a 4770.

 

[hunter315]

If you want to max crysis, even at 1024x768 im not sure if a 4870 could do it, crysis at max takes a lot of horsepower, crysis on high however is easily do able for a 4770 at 1280x1024, and would let you max out most other games as well.

The 9800GT is stronger than the 4670, but significantly weaker than the 4770 which is equal to a GTS250. 9800GT<9800GTX<9800GTX+=GTS250, the nvidia naming system is more than a little funky.

 

[oops2001]

So should i try for 4770? or is it too much for as far as my need is concerned..m still confused a 4670 or 4770 or?? and are driver things like physX and CUDA(i dont know what it is) going to make a major difference later on or in game support something like that?

 

[hunter315]

PhysX adds a bit more realism to the physics effects in some games but does not affect game play itself, paper will fly nicer with it but you will take a significant FPS hit. CUDA never really mattered much, it will likely get dropped now that openCL is out for all new GPUs. There is a bit of difference in driver support but nothing that should be a determining factor in which brand you buy.

If you want to play games at high detail settings then a 4770 is a good choice, when i suggested the 4670 it was because i believe that you intended to play a game once in a while with moderate settings.

 

[oops2001]

okay i guess i will go for 4770 thn ,,thankyou so much for your suggestions and explanations

 

[JackNaylorPE]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491.html

Here's the "winners" from THG's latest (December) GFX Roundup
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: December '09


$50 - HD 4650
$65 - HD 4670 / 9600 GSO
$85 - 9600 GT
$95 - 9600 GT / HD 4830
$110 - GTS 250 512 MB
$120 - GTS 250 1 GB
$155 - HD 5770 / GTX 260
$200 - HD 4890
$240 - 2 x GTS 250
$310 - No winner (HD 5850 Honorable Mention)
$330 - 2 x GTX 260 / 2 x HD 5770
$400 - 2 x HD 4890
$410 - No winner (HD 5870 Honorable Mention)
$465 - No winner (GTX 295 Honorable Mention)
$625 - No winner (HD 5970 Honorable Mention)

Whether PhysX appeals to you is a personal choice.....if you like what you see here:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/batman_arkham_asylum_physx_performance/page2.asp

grab it ....though you can have a dedicated nVidia PhysX card in Win7 with ATI cards in the box. Some peeps have twin ATI's in XFire with a dedicated PhysX card. However, better read the abive article as well as the one on THG article to see if your machine can do PhysX at your resolutions:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/batman-arkham-asylum,2465-11.html

 

[oops2001]

thanks jack..but i can't see 4770 in it...but i have read more reviews of 4770 and in short 'it rox' lol so i guess i would still stick to it

oh..will it run fine with my PSU or a new one is recommended?