Graphics card?

Question

Ok, I have almost convinced myself not to buy an X Box 360 and instead to buy a graphics card for my PC. I am running off a Compaq Pressario, which card should I buy to be able to play the latest PC games seamlessly and without any trouble? Also what should I be aware of? (With Graphics cards I mean, I'm quite aware that you shouldn't stick your head in a lions mouth and all that).

Answer 1

first of all you need to find out if you have a pci-express interface or a A.G.P interface
however i am almost sure that your p.c has a pci-express interface and if thats the case you have a much better choice of cards
for the super-budget option(under £100) you could go for a nvidia geforce 7100gs(http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=484509),this is a brilliant card for its price,capable of playing most titles,just not at high resolutions
for the budget option(£100 to £200) you can go for the ati radeon x850pro (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=209822) a really powerfull card that will pump out amazing graphics,and smooth frame rates
however for the power option(£200 and over) and money isnt the object,you should go for the amazing geforce 8800gts(http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=499239) or the really powerfull geforce 8800gtx(http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=495286)
the gts has 640mb of graphic memory and the gtx has 768mb of memory
both cards(the gtx more so) can run any games at any resolutions and all effects (antianilising,anistropic) full blast and will prioduce frame rates that will put the xbox 360 to shame
also the 8800 series of cards are the 1st cards that are direct x 10 compatible,this technology will be more avalible with windows vista
however if you buy a 8800gts or 8800gtx make sure you have the space in your p.c case as these cards are absolutely massive!
my advice:if money is a problem get a a.t.i x1950(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-137-SP) this is only £150 but for that you get a card with 512mb of memory,36 power hungry pixel pipelines,1.4ghz memory clock speed,560mhz core clock speed,basically this card will play any game thats out todaywith no dragging or sluggishness,but for £200 less than a similar card with the same specs
i would highly recommend this card,i am getting this in 2 weeks to replace a geforce 6600,which is another brilliant card,but nowhere as good as this,hence the upgrade
good luck

Answer 2

If you're running a Compaq Presario, odds are it's several years old. If that's the case and you're wanting to buy an updated video card....um, you're basically going to waste your money.

There is much more to being able to playing games than your graphics card. You need a fast processor, lots of ram, etc.


If you're debating on buying an X-Box 360 or a new graphics card...I'd say buy a 360, hands down. For one, the 360 is going to last numerous years and the games that come out for it are gauranteed to work on it. However, next year, games may comes out for your PC that may require an even better graphic card.

So all in all, buy a 360. That's my two cents....

Answer 3

I just bought a 512MB ATI Radeon graphics card last week, and I hooked up two big LCD displays to it, and it is friggin' awesome.

BUT REMEMBER!: Graphics card is not everything. Games will NOT perform well unless you have the Processing power and RAM to back it up. I'm running 3GB RAM and a 3.4GHz Pentium 4 HT, and I'm able to be watching TV on one monitor (Media Center) while playing Quake 4 or doing audio editing on the other monitor. Without ANY system drag or lag.

I picked the ATI Radeon because it was the cheapest in the 512MB level. The most "bang for your buck". If you're going for gaming, get the 512, and don't joke around with a 256.

Answer 4

I just bought a GeForce 7950 GT OC(512 mb) from BFG tech, I am running games like FEAR with everything on high. Getting max Frames per Sec. This card works great. Hopefully your PC supports PCI express video cards, AGP will not have as many choices of cards.

Answer 5

go for 256 MB nvidia chipset 6600 to 7600 series.