Graphics Card opinions

[Moon]

Long story short, I need a new computer. I'm feeling kind of poor as of late, so don't want to go completely crazy having a new system built but I do want something that will play my game and make me a happy person.

I'm not a huge gamer. I play TS2 obviously, Warcraft and Age of Mythologies. Not much beyond that.

The computer place I have been speaking to are recommending the  512 MB ATI HD 3650, for playability and cost. From everything I have read recently it seems a pretty good compromise.

I am looking at a computer with the following:

500 gig hard drive
4 gigs RAM
2.5 ghz Intel core 2 duo processor
DVD drive/burner
etc, etc

So, I should be happy with my gameplay if I ask them to go ahead with it. Yes?

[jsalemi]

Yes.  Stick with the ATI card; the rest of your specs look pretty good.  Maybe go with a little faster CPU -- the 3.0Ghz core 2 duos aren't that much more than the 2.5Ghz these days.

[Theo]

How much is the processor going to cost you? For comparison, I bought my 3.0GHz Intel (E8400) for around €120.

[jsalemi]

That E8400 is a sweet processor, isn't it?

[Zazazu]

Mine is 3.2 Ghz, but not a dual.

[imyourboy]

Yes.  Stick with the ATI card; the rest of your specs look pretty good.  Maybe go with a little faster CPU -- the 3.0Ghz core 2 duos aren't that much more than the 2.5Ghz these days.

Why do you reccommend sticking with ATI?  I thought Nvidia was a much better card?  The reason I bring it up is that I'm in the process of building a new machine and I'm trying to decide which way to go.  I've used Nvidia and ATI and I always thought my Nvidia was better.  Does ATI work better for TS2?  What do you think TS3 will need?  I'm trying to plan ahead.

[Theo]

That E8400 is a sweet processor, isn't it?

Yeah, it was the best choice for my budget, since its price has been cut quite considerably.

After my old computer went kaput, I had to buy this processor, an Asus P5KE, 2Gb DDR2, a 250Gb SATA2 drive, and an XFX Geforce 8800GTS, all for under €500

It's clear this is a mid-range setup, but it's enough to play Freetime, with little to no drag, although loading times haven't improved that much.

[jsalemi]

Why do you reccommend sticking with ATI?  I thought Nvidia was a much better card?  The reason I bring it up is that I'm in the process of building a new machine and I'm trying to decide which way to go.  I've used Nvidia and ATI and I always thought my Nvidia was better.  Does ATI work better for TS2?  What do you think TS3 will need?  I'm trying to plan ahead.

nVidia's have usually been the better gaming card overall, but there's traditionally been many more problems with them than with the ATI cards as far as TS2 is concerned. So if TS2 (and probably TS3) is your main game, it's worth sticking with ATI.  Most other games won't have any problem running with the high-end ATIs anyway.

After my old computer went kaput, I had to buy this processor, an Asus P5KE, 2Gb DDR2, a 250Gb SATA2 drive, and an XFX Geforce 8800GTS, all for under €500

It's clear this is a mid-range setup, but it's enough to play Freetime, with little to no drag, although loading times haven't improved that much.

Double your RAM -- I did that, and TS2 flies.  Fast loading, and I hardly ever get any lag.


Edited by moderator to fix double posting.  Tsk, tsk, Jsalemi; you really should know better.

[Moon]

I don't know how much just the processor is off hand, but the entire build was quoted to me at $615 CDN.

Keep in mind it does not include a monitor, the fiddly bits, or OS as I plan to use my existing copy of XP. And they will install and update XP for me (service pack 1)... which is one less thing to bother with.

From what I've been looking at it seems to be a pretty fair price. I'm happy to pay the possible little bit extra for having a machine built locally with support that is close and friendly.

I have only ever considered ATI, for their stability with TS2 and, actually, the company is based very very nearby so I feel like I am supporting a small, local business. I know that's not really the case but it still makes me feel slightly warm and fuzzy.

My only concern was that the 3650 is supposed to be the better of the cheaper HD cards. Would love a 3870 but it's like 60% more expensive and I really do need to look at cost right now. So I wanted to check and make sure that it is still a viable care for TS2. But, I was playing with a x1300 pro before... so I'm hoping this will be even prettier.

[summerbliz]

Just out of curiosity, I've got a 2 GHz ( dual core)  and 2 GB of ram .  I'm finding a lot a lag since Freetime.  Should I invest in a larger processor or boost up my ram.... or do both?

[Theo]

I don't know how much just the processor is off hand, but the entire build was quoted to me at $615 CDN.

That's not bad at all. Mind you that my setup didn't include a monitor, DVD writer, and not even a computer case, mainly because I already had those items beforehand. It could have been cheaper, if I hadn't lost my head over the €181 graphics card

[Tigerlilley]

I'd stay the hell away from Nvidia right now

http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/12/nvidia-g92-and-g94-gpus-failing-too/

Speaking from experience here.

[imyourboy]

I'd stay the hell away from Nvidia right now

http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/12/nvidia-g92-and-g94-gpus-failing-too/

Speaking from experience here.

I don't put too much stock into that report as the guy that wrote it is an avid Nvidia hater.  Now your personal experience does count.