Quick, noob question

[samsonov]

im looking to upgrade my graphics card, and was wondering
my computer has a pci-express x16 slot, and some of the graphics cards
say they are pci-express 2.0.
im not sure if my computer has that, but if it doesnt, is it possible to put a pci-express 2.0 card
into a pci-express(non-2.0) slot?

thanks

 

[rolli59]

It is backwards compatible!

 

[jryan388]

They are all compatible but it will run at the slower version's speed

 

[attesan997]

PCI-E 2 is backwards compatible with 1,0

 

[samsonov]

ok cool,
thanks again

 

[geofelt]

They are both forward and backward compatible. For any single graphics card, the performance difference is miniscule..a non-issue.

 

[samsonov]

alright. i mostly play WoW, and i know its not that much of a demanding game, but right now i have a
radeon x1650, which is ok for wow, but i want something more, seeing that my cousins computer which has
a 9600gt runs it way better, and also for playing other games like cod4 and dragon age.
i was looking at the gt220, and the like. any suggestions would be appreciated.

also, im kind of on a budget, so like for roughly $80, give or take.

system specs:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+ ~2.3GHz
2048MB RAM
Radeon X1650 Series 1gb
19" widescreen monitor, running at 1440x900
windows vista ultimate 32bit(i know...)

 

[geofelt]

Anything in the GT220 or 9600GT class will be a nice jump, and will meet your $80 price point. Since you already have a ATI card, installation is easier if you get the same type and just drop it in. How about a XFX 4670?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150449

 

[samsonov]

yeah, i was thinking one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125295
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150450

also, how does the 9600gso compare to these

 

[geofelt]

They are all comparable.
XFX is good because it has a transferable lifetime warranty. One 4670 is a few bucks more because it has ddr3 ram instead of ddr3.
You pretty much get what you pay for.

 

[rolli59]

Here is a good read about cards in the performance range you are looking at http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-240,2475.html Take a look at that and then decide which card you want. Even the 9800GT is in your price range and is in that article as 8800GT

 

[ericrodriguez21]

Those cards are all fairly similar in performance. as long as you stay within the 9600-9800 range you will be satisfied for your purpose. i run a 9800GT on one of my computers and it handles COD4 maxed out and it runs crysis and FarCry2 on high. id suggest getting a 9800 card because games are advancing faster than we can blink and crap becomes obsolescent overnight. its tempting to buy stuff that will perform "okay" as of right now such as a 9600. but its a good idea to plan for games down the line that you are going to want to play that are going to need higher specs. the 9800GT is around 120$ so its more but i would feel better because it would be an investment that would last you longer and it has great performance for the price.

 

[rolli59]

9800GT around $80 after MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106792522%201067942536&name=GeForce%209800%20GT some of the newer ones don't even need external power most of them are clocked at 550mhz