Hey guys, I have an HP a6352f desktop PC. It is an overall average computer, bought about a year and a half ago. I need to upgrade my video card so I can play PC games like Call of Duty (specifically that series). My P.C.'s specs are here. I don't need the best graphics card out there but I need one that is compatible with my computer and is capable of playing games with good textures and a good speed. I don't know much about graphics cards at all, but I am good with computers and I am sure I can figure how to use one after I buy it. My computer has only 3gb of ram, so is that enough for a good card to play these games? I was looking at the nVidia geForce 7800, 8800, and 9800, but they are somewhat expensive and I don't know if they are that good. Please point me in a general direction. Also I need the card to be at most $60 or $70, preferably less if it is possible Thanks a lot in advance
You get what you pay for. Your system has embedded NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT which meets the minimum requirements for playing COD. If $60-70 is your budget you are probably better off saving your money until you can afford a better video card. The 8500GT is about a $50-75 video card so you won't be upgrading much. Your CPU isn't all that spiffy anyway (2.2GHz AMD 9500) so much more than an 8500GT and you'd start having CPU/Video card mismatch anyway.
I went on Canyourunit.com and it said I don't even have the minimum, and when I tried playing CoD WAW the game's textures weren't too bad but I was in the first scene of the game and it lagged beyond belief. I waited 10 minutes and it didn't even let me control my character yet, is there an option to make it run faster?
Go to youtube and type in radeon 4350 (it's $40.00) that can run COD 5. A better card would be the radeon 4670 (80.00) but it might be out of your budget. Both of these cards are low wattage and don't require an extra power connector. I have both these cards and they are decent for lowend gaming, they also will put out the high resolutions needed for most modern LCD monitors. Your cpu is plenty powerful for most games, even a lowly sempron with the right video card will make a decent gaming machine.
