Questions about graphics cards

[Magpie2121]

I recently purchased a Radeon HD6450 which cost a mere £40. I need some answers about graphics cards in general as I really am struggling to understand the differences:

1) I played Half Life 2 with all settings on high using this graphics card. I found the graphics don't seem very sharp. Is this because the graphics card is quite cheap or is this because the game itself is fairly old?

2) What exactly should I be looking for when upgrading the graphics card? My graphics card is relatively new and I see there are other graphics cards that are much much more expensive. What is the difference between a cheap one and a more expensive one? If I buy a more expensive one then will games like Half Life 2 look much better even if the settings are on the highest like when using mine? Or will it make no difference because the game is fairly old?


Many thanks any graphics cards you would recommend?

 

[Magpie2121]

My PC is fine, I only purchased it a few days ago (i5 overclocked with 8GB RAM).
Maybe I'm too used to the stunning graphics of my PS3 but I thought Half Life 2 graphics were not sharp and seemed a bit jagged.

What I need to know - is this because of the cheap graphics card or is it because it's an older game? I don't really want to spend another £200 if the graphics on older games like Half Life 2 and Doom 3 etc will be the same as what they are with my current card.

I'm not a home right now so not sure if I had anti-aliasing on. I have a 23.5 inch monitor connected via HDMI (I think resolution is 1920X1080).

If I purchase a graphics card for around £200, will it smooth out the jagged graphics on older games or will it make no difference because the game is older?

 

[Magpie2121]

Well, if I've been had then I've been had here on Overclockers as somebody with a reputable post count recommended it to me and it was purchased from Overclockers themselves.
But my main question still hasn't been answered - will a £200 graphics card make games like Half Life 2 look even better than my current card?

 

[Magpie2121]

Yes, the higher powered cards lets you render games better to give the higher detail finish.
Just had a look at HL2 on youtube and it looks to be a very low detail game anyway, so dont expect miracles.

I bet though, you wont need a £200 card. What type of games do you play?
If you have already got recommended a HD 6450 from a reputable forum member, it must mean you either gave incorrect details for them to spec you from, or youve suddenly jumped into more demanding graphical games or your expecting too much from a dated game.
I recon a £120 HD 6850 would do you nicely (GTX 470 ish in nvidia, but a lot cheaper)

I enjoy first person shooters and remember playing HL2 around 5 years ago on a friends PC but can't remember the graphics being that bad.
I'm planning on playing games like FEAR 3 and the new Deus Ex as well as older FPS such as Doom 3.
Since I've spent almost £1000 on my PC just a few days ago, I'm thinking maybe I should have invested more on the graphics card but will only do so if it will make games look MUCH better than with my current card.

 

[Magpie2121]

Well, I did tell the person who recommended my card that I wanted a very cheap one.
Anyway, thank you both for your posts.

Some people are recommending graphics cards that are £200 and you have kindly recommended the HD6870 for almost half that price yet you say this card is brilliant.

So what difference will I see between the HD6870 and a card that costs £200 or more?

 

[Magpie2121]

Thanks for the recommendations. I think I'll just bite the bullet and go for a decent one.

 

[Magpie2121]

Sry but couldn't resist

Couldn't resist what?!

Anyway, I managed to operate HL2 properly with my crap card; the settings were at first set to a lower resolution. I changed this to the highest resolution (even though I could have sworn I did this before) but it now looks very nice.
I''ve just ordered Deus Ex from eBay so will now go on the hunt for a high spec graphics card. Hopefully Overclockers will allow me to exchange my poo card

 

[Magpie2121]

Yeah, you 'may' find HL2 / CS:S to be OK with your card once you setup the resolution, however they are still very low performance.

What PSU you have? That can affect the card choice.

hum not looking good...

With a 6870, you can at least quadruple the GT430 bench.

I have the OCZ ZS Series 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply.

My current graphics card is a "low profile" one. Will my system be able to handle a non low profile card? Motherboard is MSI P67A-C45 Intel P67 (socket 1155)
The tower case I have is a Zalman Z9 Plus.

The last thing I want to do is order a graphics card which won't fit or won't be compatible

 

[Magpie2121]

Spoke with Overclockers and they are wiling to refund the cost of the graphics card

Will this card allow me to play the new Deus Ex on the absolute highest settings?

If not, then I was thinking about possibly buying this instead, as long as it will allow me to play on the absolute highest settings. Can somebody shed some light on this for me please?

Also I'm not even sure if the MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 will even fit into my PC. Again would appreciate some advice on whether it will or will not fit or be compatible with my system which is as follows:

Intel Core i5 2500k 3.30 ghz
OCZ Agility 3 120GB SSD
MSI P67A-C45 Intel P67 (socket 1155)
OCZ ZS Series 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply
Xigmatek Dark Knight CPU Cooler
Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case
Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDr PC3-1200C9 1600mhz Dual Channel Kit