Graphics Cards

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:14 pm

I was just wondering, is this a good card or not? I havent been able to find any reviews on it, and im seeing it in a lot of computers lately.

Also, how about this one?

nVIDIA

[cc]z@nd! · Post by **[cc]z@nd!** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:20 pm

that's not a videocard, that's an integrated GPU. my pc has one (i believe) and it runs halo at max settings (800x600) stock. that's an AMD 64 3200+, 256 MB of RAM (DDR) and that integrated graphics chipset. it's not a shabby integrated graphix solution, but almost any add-in videocard is better.

i couldn't play COD 2 with the integrated chip, but after i slapped in my ATI radeon x800 (PCIe x16) it ran beautifully.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:30 pm

Ok, what about the

nVIDIA

Patrickssj6 · Post by **Patrickssj6** » Sun May 28, 2006 5:32 am

Do you have PCI-E?

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun May 28, 2006 12:38 pm

PCI-E? Im just looking at new computers with these cards in them cause i'm gonna get a computer soon.

[cc]z@nd! · Post by **[cc]z@nd!** » Sun May 28, 2006 1:23 pm

i can't find that 6150 card.

generally, when shopping videocards, you want to look at GPU clock, memory clock, memory size and type, interface type (AGP, PCIe, PCIe x16), and number of pixel pipelines. pixel pipelines are very important, as they act as a sort of multiplier for how much data your card can process, like the same principle of 2 lane highway versus 4 lane highway.

also, if you want a card that'll run CS:S and other higher-end games (battlfield 2, CoD 2, F.E.A.R., Half-Lfe 2, etc.) than you'll want at least $150 saved up and ready to spend.

in the ATI line, x800 (my card) is good, and anything past that (x850, x1300, x1600, x1800, x1900) is great. for example, one of the best ATI cards you can get right now is gonna be in the x1900 series, here's a nice one. but since you're not made of money, keep an eye out for later cards that are marked down.

for nvidia cards, something around a 6600 or 6800 is good, and up from there is better, like a 7800 or 7900. keep in mind that pipelines are a big factor to watch for.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:43 pm

Well all im worrying about is the cards because im just looking up computers on the internet and looking at the best priced ones and I did a little research on some of the cards and I couldnt find much info on them which is why I came here to ask. So if they come with the computer that i'm buying then I dont have to wory about the system specs because why would they give you a computer with a card that cant run?

[cc]z@nd! · Post by **[cc]z@nd!** » Sun May 28, 2006 5:28 pm

true. but don't buy a pc for the videocard, make sure the cpu isn't some junker, and that you'll have enough RAM to satisfy yourself (or rather, that the motherboard will support the type of RAM you'll want to add to the pc later).

narrow down your list a bit and post the system's specs here.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun May 28, 2006 8:02 pm

Well judging by the prices on the computers, they have to be pretty good, i'm not buying a computer off the internet because i'm too impatient

I'm going to Circuit City to get my computer so I just look at thier site, but ill keep looking and post full system specs.

The_Hushed_Casket · Post by **The_Hushed_Casket** » Mon May 29, 2006 7:40 am

If you were trying to post a link in the first post it didn't work. And nForce 4 is a motherboard chipset, (my motherboard chipset as a matter of fact). I would suggest building your own computer, it's much easier than most people think and it saves a ton of money.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Mon May 29, 2006 10:27 am

Ok heres a computer I have my eyes on:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavil ... tDetail.do

[users]MrBalll · Post by **[users]MrBalll** » Mon May 29, 2006 11:15 am

I have that exact computer, excpet the front of the tower has adifferent layout. Trust me its a good buy.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Mon May 29, 2006 1:29 pm

MrBalll wrote:I have that exact computer, excpet the front of the tower has adifferent layout. Trust me its a good buy.

Sweet, thanks

[cc]z@nd! · Post by **[cc]z@nd!** » Mon May 29, 2006 2:57 pm

looks like a steady pc. and although it's an integrated chip, it appears to be pretty solid too, at least until you have the cash to buy your own card, anyways.

the things i find the weakest part of this deal is the fact you don't get a monitor with the system, there's no graphics card with it (although you have a PCIe slot for later use. try and find out if it's x16 or not), and the hard drive isn't the fastest, but it's still ok.

on the plus side, that's a nice processor, and you'll have enough RAM to let the processor really run right out of the box. you given a PCIe slot for the next videocard you slap in there, but you need to check if it's x16 or not. and you've got a mdeia reader, so getting photos off a camera is even easier, and if you have a PSP, i believe you can put it's memory cards into your pc.

The_Hushed_Casket · Post by **The_Hushed_Casket** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:30 pm

Since it is Express I would guess it's x16, that would be pretty sneaky on their part otherwise. That seems like a good buy, but definately beef up the graphics card and you would have a nice rig.

[cc]z@nd! · Post by **[cc]z@nd!** » Tue May 30, 2006 9:46 am

you gotta be careful though. when u walk in the store, ask the guy if it's x16 or not, i'd hate for you to get ripped off. they do that sort of stuff. and sometimes they don't even know what the hell they're talking about.