Hi, following advice on the forums a couple of years ago (I confess I lost the account details when I moved PCs) I have a self build on which the GPU is now getting a bit creaky.
I have the following setup
Intel Core Duo 6400 gently overclocked to 2.26
2GB OCZ RAM
Asus P5B 965 Mobo
OCZ GameXstream PSU (600W)
Lian-Li PC60+ Case
XP Pro SP3
and a Geforce 7900 GTS
I run a Viewsonic1940W 19inch at 1680/1050 (I know that's small but I got it for £100 and its a sight nicer than my old CRT) and the PC is used for general work, office apps and games (eg Mass Effect, NWN2, Oblivion, Call of Duty, Company of Heroes, Stalker etc), so not exactly at the cutting age of water cooling and quad cores.
I am looking for some bang for the buck improvement for my current system. I am thinking of building a new one next year but really the GPU is now not cutting it and new games are not as nice looking as they should be.
I've always used Nvidia GPUs but I do't mind trying something new and reading some reviews there seems to be good value and performance in the ATI 4000 series cards.
I was wondering if there was any genuine improvement in doing something very budget like (such as the ATI 4670) or whether I should be looking in the next price bracket and considering a 4850 or above.
So a few questions
*will I see a significant improvement in graphics from doing something with the GPU or will my CPU hold me back
* If I should get another card would you recommend value vs power in the £100 - £200 range or below and which card
* Should I be looking to ATI or are lower range Nvidia cards just as good
* Are there any space limitations for these cards in my case and am I likely to run into power issues (not intending SLi or Xfire).
Apologies if these are a bit below the Overclocker gamer level for uber modding etc, but I'd very much value your opinions before committing the folding stuff - recommendations last time left me with a really nice setup.
Thanks and sorry if its a long post.
I have the following setup
Intel Core Duo 6400 gently overclocked to 2.26
2GB OCZ RAM
Asus P5B 965 Mobo
OCZ GameXstream PSU (600W)
Lian-Li PC60+ Case
XP Pro SP3
and a Geforce 7900 GTS
I run a Viewsonic1940W 19inch at 1680/1050 (I know that's small but I got it for £100 and its a sight nicer than my old CRT) and the PC is used for general work, office apps and games (eg Mass Effect, NWN2, Oblivion, Call of Duty, Company of Heroes, Stalker etc), so not exactly at the cutting age of water cooling and quad cores.
I am looking for some bang for the buck improvement for my current system. I am thinking of building a new one next year but really the GPU is now not cutting it and new games are not as nice looking as they should be.
I've always used Nvidia GPUs but I do't mind trying something new and reading some reviews there seems to be good value and performance in the ATI 4000 series cards.
I was wondering if there was any genuine improvement in doing something very budget like (such as the ATI 4670) or whether I should be looking in the next price bracket and considering a 4850 or above.
So a few questions
*will I see a significant improvement in graphics from doing something with the GPU or will my CPU hold me back
* If I should get another card would you recommend value vs power in the £100 - £200 range or below and which card
* Should I be looking to ATI or are lower range Nvidia cards just as good
* Are there any space limitations for these cards in my case and am I likely to run into power issues (not intending SLi or Xfire).
Apologies if these are a bit below the Overclocker gamer level for uber modding etc, but I'd very much value your opinions before committing the folding stuff - recommendations last time left me with a really nice setup.
Thanks and sorry if its a long post.
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