ok, so i have an NVIDIA 8600 GTS and am looking to upgrade, basically, in a simplified defenition, I want it to be able to run Crysis on max settings. As far as the rest of my system goes, I have 3gb of RAM and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5600+. Would somebody more knowledgable than I please link me to a video card that would be a big enough upgrade to be worth the money and also meets what I want. I wanna pay $120 max, I don't really know how much that will get me though.
It will get you an HD4830, which is a good three or four times as powerful as your 8600GTS, but it's nowhere near what you need to max Crysis. What size resolution are you using, and do you define Max as 'High' or 'Very High'? Additionally, there is another issue - I typically recommend ATI cards as for the moment they are better value for money in the majority of games. However, if all you play is Crysis, then an nvidia card will serve you better. I have marked the equivalent card required next to the ATIs in arrows. You will note that they are more expensive in a lot of cases. Directx9 High 1024x768: HD4830 (HD4850 if AA is used) <9800GT> <9800GTX+ if AA is used> 1280x1024: HD4850 (HD4870 if AA is used) <GTX260> <GTX 260 216 Core if AA is used> 1680x1050: HD4870 1GB (HD4850X2 2GB if AA is used) <GTX260> <GTX260 216 core if AA is used> 1920x1200: HD4850X2 (HD4870X2 if AA is used) <GTX280> <GTX285 if AA is used> Directx10 Very High 1024x768: HD4870 (HD4870X2 if AA is used) <GTX260> <GTX260 216 core if AA is used> 1280x1024: HD4850X2 (HD4870X2 if AA is used) <GTX280> <GTX285 if AA is used> 1680x1050: HD4870X2 (overclocked version if AA is used) <GTX285 AMP!> <GTX295 if AA is used> 1920x1200: HD4870X2 (overclocked HD4870 1GB Crossfire if AA is used) <GTX295 either way> It's also worth mentioning that Very High settings will probably be too much for your Athlon X2. You should consider upgrading to a Phenom if your board supports it, or if not, go with a Core 2 Quad. On top of this, a lot of the cards mentioned here have high power requirements. You will need a decent power supply to run this sort of hardware.
I was just using Crysis as an example because to me it sets the standard for games as far as graphics go, but anyways, I can run it on high at 1024x768 with minor framerate issues on big explosions and what not (Very High is greyed out, I'm guessing because it requires DX10 hardware), but I would like to run it on very high with no issues at all. Also, I think you read my $120 as $220 because I can't find the HD4870 for anything below 200 On a side note, I'm not much of a computer buff but I'm GUESSING that AA means Anti-aliasing? If so, how much of a difference does that make and is it worth whatever extra money I may be spending. I guess what it comes down to is this. If you were in the position I am, a 15 year old making about 50 bucks a week, what would you go with? Oh and btw, even though this isn't fully resolved, you are VERY helpful.
Amazingly enough, the lowly 8600 is DX10. Presumably you're using XP, which is restricted to DX9. The highest resolution I considered smooth for that card was 800x600. 1024x768 was a bit slow in certain areas. Presumably you're testing at the beginning of the game on the island? If you want a real test, get to the latter half of the game (Paradise Lost, and Reckoning in particular) and you will find the game runs terribly compared to earlier on. I read your budget right, which is why I said 'It will get you an HD4830' - I was merely listing what you really need to play the game properly at maximum settings, using whatever resolution. Since you're only using directx9 that at least limits you to normal-ish performance. The HD4870 is $180 cheapest, which involves a mail in rebate. The HD4850 is the most realistic card on your budget, which is $130 after a mail-in rebate, $140-$150 beforehand. Additionally, your CPU will also cause noticeable lag in the game at certain points as it isn't really fast enough either. I would strongly disadvise changing it for a cheap Phenom because that won't increase your performance at all. Basically, it all comes down to how much you care about games like Crysis. There are other games as demanding as it (DiRT, Crysis Warhead, Rainbow Six Vegas, Supreme Commander:Forged Alliance and GTA4 PC), but not too many that are worth getting too worked up over. The majority of games can be run perfectly well on an HD4830 and your Athlon X2, as long as you're using a reasonable size monitor (22" @ 1680x1050) If you don't know much about Anti-Aliasing it probably isn't too much of a concern, it's another image quality feature, and while I like it a lot, in Crysis it's not quite as potent as other games, and as you can see, it ups the requirements a fair chunk. Ultimately, if Crysis is a game you just know is demanding, and just want a PC that's generally powerful enough to play the majority of games, buy an HD4830 and have done with it. If you want to max out Crysis, start saving!
