TacticalGenius Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 My PC has a HD4850 512mb gfx card. What is the best card I can swap it for without changing anything else? Basically I need a straight swap, something that won't cause overheating while still using the oem fan system or demand more from the standard PSU... Current PC Spec: Core2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz 4GB DDR2-800 RAM Windows Vista 64-bit (will be going to Windows 7 64-bit around same time as upgrading gfx) ATi Radeon HD4850 512mb gfx card I'm aware my card is more than adequate for FM, but I'm going to a 22" 1980x1080 ~(ish)monitor soon and that will obviously be more taxing on the card for other more gfx intense gaming. What can I put in that'll vastly improve graphics performance in highest detail on games such as Sims 3 without causing any issues with what I have currently? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrylv2 Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 http://www.itreviews.co.uk/guide/hguide6.htm This is a good read. Hope it helps a bit. I would recommend a card in the Nivida GeForce range there are preety good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticalGenius Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 Thanks Though it would help if someone knew of a straight swap option... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDXCougar8173 Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 what do you mean by straight swap as any ATI graphics card will be suitable unless it is a slim line tower so therfore it will be a slim line graphics card you need Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticalGenius Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 what do you mean by straight swap as any ATI graphics card will be suitable unless it is a slim line tower so therfore it will be a slim line graphics card you need Something that isnt going to need a PSU upgrade or fan system upgrade, and I'm not sure if the card I have plugs into the PSU as well as the motherboard, and if it doesn't, I need a card that doesn't, as I'm not sure what my PSU is capable of or whether it can have things plugged into it (assuming my card already doesn't). I don't really know enough to start poking around tbh... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutral Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 Your power supply? I dont think that a standard power supply is adequate (well, unless the gfx doesnt use fans)... HD4850 is a pretty good graphic card, if you want to upgrade it, try go for HD5870-HD5970 or 480gtx... The only thing I dont like Nvidia is that they love to confuse peoples with their gs, gts, gx etc... And rebranding their 9xxx (or 8xxx) series into 2xx series... PS: Maybe upgrading your RAM into 8GB 1033MHz would be a good option too (for FM)... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticalGenius Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 IDK what my power supply is, its just whatever came with the PC =/ And I'm worried about cooling (and fitting in anything bigger) as my case is only 14(H)x15(L)x7(W) :o Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutral Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 My old HP microtower could fit HD5770 (that has a fan), so you could stand a chance... But I'm more concerned with your power supply though. Oh yeah, there are a lot of gfx brands out there, I dunno which one is the best, but I like to use XFX... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticalGenius Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 It looks as though I won't need an upgrade now, as a FPS limiter has fixed the problem. The game in question was spiking to 200fps and causing framerate drops... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDXCougar8173 Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 rather than upgrading your graphics card goto this website and select the game you`re thinking of playing and it will test your computer on if it can run the game/s ok you will have to install a safe active x file if you use internet explorer which is the best browser to run it in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawsie Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 if your getting a better card than that you will more than likely need a beter psu, as already stated. also. card size will also factor inyo your decision if you dont have much room in your case, i have a gtx260 and they are pretty big and wont fit in most cases for example. If your really just playing this game, why upgrade at all? im sure it could handle the higher res for this game on your new monitor no problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDXCougar8173 Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 i`m using a geforce 8400GS and have bought a full HD 21.5inch monitor and have got every game i play from fm to COD 4 and MW2 on the same resolution of 1920x1080 and dont have no problem Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticalGenius Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 The game isn't FM. FM runs easily on my rig. The game is Sims 3 (+ expansions) and I was having problems with framerate dropping. Now I've got a fps limiter it runs better than ever, and I've even set it to all high detail in game as well as setting my gfx card to AAx8 and AFx16 and getting awesome graphics with no lag at all Thanks for all your help though guys, I won't need to upgrade now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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