ATI Radeon 3600 - what now?

[synthie]

Hi,
I've got an aging ATI Radeon HD 3600, 256MB and would like to play some of the newer games.
I've got a 17" monitor, I'm not looking for a high end card but something that's cheap - what would be the next step up or two if I don't want to spend a lot of money?
The PC is a Quad core based on the Q6600 chipset, 2.4 GHz.

Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[arc@css]

Something like a 5770 / 6770 should suffice. Budget?

What sort of resolution does the monitor support (I'm assuming around 1280x1024).

Out of interest, have you tried overclocking your cpu to say around the 3.0ghz mark? I guess you won't need to be too overly concerned with this if your staying at a lower resolution, but it may enable you to get more out of a future gpu purchase.

Below is a rough approximation of the benefit you should see in frame rates over your current card. Only a 3870 was there for comparison, so this means you'll see even more of a jump which can only be a good thing!

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/179?vs=172

 

[synthie]

That was quick!
1280x1024 is right.
I overclocked the CPU in the past but after moving house and needing to reinstall it all I couldn't be bothered as I don't need it for most things - I assumed it doesn't have an impact on the graphics anyway. And yes, it goes to ~3ghz.

Budget - as close to £50 as possible. Oh, and if the card doesn't sound like a jet taking off that would help as well, I know I don't want much

 

[arc@css]

Something like a refurb nVidia 9800 card should fit the bill, though I would say it would be worth it if you could stretch to something a touch better. The only comparison available on the anandtech site was a 3870 v 8800gt, so not too far out, however the gains didn't look 'that' great to me. Unless someone has made a similar jump before and can verify that it should be worth it, I'd aim a bit higher.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-171-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2077

 

[synthie]

Thanks for that. To me it looks as if I'd get about double the performance from the jump which doesn't look too bad.

What would be the next step up be? Sorry total newbie in hardware here...

 

[arc@css]

Thanks for that. To me it looks as if I'd get about double the performance from the jump which doesn't look too bad.

What would be the next step up be? Sorry total newbie in hardware here...

No worries.

I know this is quite a jump in budget and so far this is the first thing I've fixed my eyes on after having noticed the 9800, but have a look at this :

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-166-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2077

...or even better :

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-165-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2077

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/179?vs=156

Tbh I'm having a hard job recommending some of the higher end 9800's when for a reasonable amount more you could have MUCH greater returns with a 768mb 460 or a 260, like the ones I've linked to above.

If this is more than you really want to spend then I think you would be best to consider the second hand market (I'm afraid you don't have enough posts yet to qualify for the 'members market' here on OCUK). With brand new products then you will probably be better off looking at AMD / ATi cards.

Try to concentrate on the cards with ddr5 memory.

 

[synthie]

I could save up a bit but the problem is that OCUK slap £21 shipping on top as I live in Gibraltar taking these cards really out of my price range - it's adding 30%-50% shipping costs. The 460 seems to be performing a lot better for not that much more money than the 260 or 9800.

 

[arc@css]

Ahh that's a shame.

Your best bet is to look for models like I've suggested in a second hand store / local paper near to where you live. Bear the comparison site in mind as a guide, I don't know what else to suggest I'm afraid.

 

[synthie]

OK, thanks a lot for your help!

 

[arc@css]

Your welcome.