I have been trying to look up specific GPU information on the net to no avail. Haven’t bothered with a video card in the past, but I want to play some of the new wave games coming out (GTA4, Fallout3 etc) and the rest of my desktop can do the job but I only have onboard video.
Basically I need the following in a video card:
Minimum: 256MB NVIDIA 7900+ / 256MB ATI X1900+
Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required
Video HW Transform & Lighting: Required
Vertex Shader Ver.: Required - 3.0
Pixel Shader Ver.: Required - 3.0
Looking for a 512MB card, but 256MB will do. Also a complete tightass - so my main part of this question is will a budget card meet the above requirements? I’m not sure how to tell.
I assume the geforce one will run as per the above specs… 8400 comes after 7900, is that how that system works?? I need to know if it has all the right shaders etc or HW transform hoobajebits. If anyone could shed some light would be much appreciated. Thanks.
those look decent and are cheap. but, let me say this - even tho they have the RAM and GPU you are looking for… the “bus” in these cheaper cards can’t cut it. Meaning they might still run kind of slow. But i’m sure they will be much better than you have now.
General Device Type Graphics adapter Enclosure Type Plug-in card Interface Type PCI Express 2.0 x16 Processor / Memory Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT Clock Speed 650 MHz RAMDAC Clock Speed 400 MHz Video Memory Installed 512 MB Technology DDR3 SDRAM 256-bit Memory Clock Speed 1.8 GHz Features Nvidia SLI Multi-GPU Technology, ASUS Video Security Online, ASUS Splendid Video Enhancing Technology, ASUS SmartDoctor, ASUS GamerOSD, ASUS V-Cool Silent Heatsink Video Output Max Resolution (external) 2560 x 1600 API Supported DirectX 10 TV Interface HDTV out Analog Video Format S-Video, composite video Digital Video Standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) HDCP compatible Yes Expansion / Connectivity Interfaces 2 x DVI-I (dual link) - 29 pin combined DVI 1 x VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ( with adapter ) 1 x HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A ( on supplied cable ) 1 x HDTV output ( on supplied cable ) 1 x S-video/composite output Compatible Slots 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Miscellaneous Cables Included 1 x DVI-VGA adapter 1 x HDMI-DVI adapter 1 x audio (digital) cable 1 x video cable Software / System Requirements Software Included Drivers & Utilities Manufacturer Warranty Service & Support 3 years warranty Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 3 years
If you want a solid HD/Blu-Ray decording/HTPC type card, the Radeon HD3450 is dirt cheap and cannot be beat for the price but its gaming capabilities are pretty feeble. I snagged one recently for $30ish.
For something about one notch above that, I’d go with a GeForce 9500GT or 9600GT, as they will handle (especially the 9600) nearly all newer games with good quality up to 1280x1024 resolution. You can get a solid 9600GT for about $80-$90 and a 9500GT for about $65.
Also in that price range is a newer ATI offering, the HD4650 (priced in between the 9500GT & the 9600GT, so about $70-$75ish). I personally feel this is the best bang for the buck card on the market. You can get solid gaming capabilities, no silly 64-bit bus crippling or shared system RAM stuff and the usual solid ATI video playback (and I’ve had better luck lately with ATI drivers under Vista than Nvidia, believe it or not). And the new Radeons are DX 10.1 compliant so you’re basically set for quite some time.
If you are looking to game more so than media stuff, then Nvidias are still probably your best bet but the difference is still just a few $ and a few FPS. Priced a bit above the HD4650 are the best gaming cards for the money, Nivida’s 9800GT and ATI’s HD4830. I personally have an HD4850 right now and the 4830 is just a slightly neutered version of that one. But it’s probably overkill for your needs and is still above $100.
Of the 3 cards you mention in your post, I’d probably take the 3450 if media/HTPC stuff was the main concern and the 8400GS if gaming was the requirement… but if you are looking to game, then I HIGHLY recommend a 4650 series or better Radeon or a 9600GT or better Nvidia.
Another good possibility would be to look for a nice used video card from the previous generation: I can recommend heartily the 8800GS, 8800GTS, 8800GT (all Nvidia) or the Radeon HD3650 or HD3850. I prefer Nvidia for the previous-gen cards but I’d go ATI for the newer stuff.
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