Upgrading from an Nvidia 7800GT :)

TooMuchButtHair · 10-15-2009, 11:47 PM

Here are my pc's specs:

cpu: AMD 3800x2
RAM: 1GB pc3200
Motherboard: pci express (it's a generic one, I believe).
PSU: 500 watt
GPU: 7800GT
Monitor: 1920x1080 23 inch

I mostly play Medieval 2: total war, these days. I play at a fairly low resolution - 1172x768, if I remember correctly. Detail is medium, so are textures (everything, as a matter of fact). I'm wondering what kind of an upgrade I'd see if I did nothing except get a new video card, say an ATI 5770 1GB (any brand). The most I'm willing to spend is about $200.

Matthew1990 · 10-15-2009, 11:53 PM

Your CPU and RAM will bottle neck any good card. And what make is ur PSU, if it's generic I wouldnt risk with expensive GPU as PSU might go off and take out as well.

GTX 260 seem a good deal, but again, it will not use all of its juice.

viper110110 · 10-16-2009, 12:43 AM

I believe the ATI card you mentioned is the top of all ATI cards currently. The GTX 260 is also a very good deal, but you definately need to upgrade your RAM and probably CPU as well. I am guessing your RAM is DDR so you may need to get a new motherboard to support DDRII.

TooMuchButtHair · 10-16-2009, 01:25 AM

I don't want to upgrade the RAM, or the CPU. RAM is DDR, and CPU is socket 939. Hard to find either, and I'm content with both. I'm well aware that the GPU will be bottlenecked by the CPU, but meh, I can live with that. What kind of performance increase can I expect? Can I expect to max out textures and such on that game and play at 1920x1080 at a good frame rate, even while only upgrading the GPU?

bigrich0086 · 10-16-2009, 01:38 AM

at that resolution and the cpu speed/ram you wont see very much increase at all if any. You need a better name brand psu and faster cpu/ram to notice a increase.

Bodaggit23 · 10-16-2009, 01:41 AM

Your processor will need all the help it can get, so do yourself a favor, and spend $40 on another GIG of RAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...c3200&name=1GB

And get one of these.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%204870

Matthew1990 · 10-16-2009, 10:19 AM

For instance, at the beginning of my "building carreer" I had P4, 3GHz
I bought 4850 and popped it in, and I was getting the same FPS as I had with 8500GT. Every component in your computer work together, your system will only be as fast as slowest component.

maroon1 · 10-16-2009, 12:58 PM

The worst thing in your computer is the RAM, not CPU

1GB ram is not good for gaming. You should get at least 2GB ram

Medieval 2: total war is old and not very demanding game. So, even 9800GT or GTS 250 can easily max it. Also, your CPU is not bad for this game.

10-15-2009, 11:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
TooMuchButtHair Silver Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 23 Posts: 130	Upgrading from an Nvidia 7800GT :) Here are my pc's specs: cpu: AMD 3800x2 RAM: 1GB pc3200 Motherboard: pci express (it's a generic one, I believe). PSU: 500 watt GPU: 7800GT Monitor: 1920x1080 23 inch I mostly play Medieval 2: total war, these days. I play at a fairly low resolution - 1172x768, if I remember correctly. Detail is medium, so are textures (everything, as a matter of fact). I'm wondering what kind of an upgrade I'd see if I did nothing except get a new video card, say an ATI 5770 1GB (any brand). The most I'm willing to spend is about $200. __________________ Athlon 3800 X2 1GB System Memory 250GB hard drive 7800GT BFG Tech 500W PSU Conroe blows the doors off my system :(

10-16-2009, 12:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
viper110110 Silver Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 177	I believe the ATI card you mentioned is the top of all ATI cards currently. The GTX 260 is also a very good deal, but you definately need to upgrade your RAM and probably CPU as well. I am guessing your RAM is DDR so you may need to get a new motherboard to support DDRII. __________________ Asus P5Q c2d e6400 @ 2.13 ghz GeForce GTS 250 4 gb dual channel DDRII OCZ PC6400 WD caviar green 500 gb

10-16-2009, 01:25 AM	#4 (permalink)
TooMuchButtHair Silver Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 23 Posts: 130	I don't want to upgrade the RAM, or the CPU. RAM is DDR, and CPU is socket 939. Hard to find either, and I'm content with both. I'm well aware that the GPU will be bottlenecked by the CPU, but meh, I can live with that. What kind of performance increase can I expect? Can I expect to max out textures and such on that game and play at 1920x1080 at a good frame rate, even while only upgrading the GPU? __________________ Athlon 3800 X2 1GB System Memory 250GB hard drive 7800GT BFG Tech 500W PSU Conroe blows the doors off my system :(

10-16-2009, 01:38 AM	#5 (permalink)
bigrich0086 Platinum Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 746	at that resolution and the cpu speed/ram you wont see very much increase at all if any. You need a better name brand psu and faster cpu/ram to notice a increase. __________________ Processor: Q9450 @3.6Ghz Heatsink: XIGMATEK Dark Knight 120 push pull Motherboard: Asus P5E3 Deluxe Ram: G.Skill 4gb DDR3 1600 MHz Clocks:7-7-7-18 1.9v GFX Card: SAPPHIRE HD4870 1GB Xfire SOON HD5870 Hard Drive: :SATA II x2 360gb Seagate 7,200RPM OS: Vista Ultimate x64 Monitor: 2 AOC 2217v 22"PSU: CORSAIR 750-TX Case: HAF 922 HeatWare!!! AIM SN- RichsBallPythons

10-16-2009, 01:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
Bodaggit23 Diamond Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Aperture Science Posts: 4,543	Your processor will need all the help it can get, so do yourself a favor, and spend $40 on another GIG of RAM. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...c3200&name=1GB And get one of these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%204870 __________________ Team Stats @ ExtremeOverclocking.com Team Stats FOLDING FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND :F@H Team 44358 CPU: i7 920 Batch#3841A525 (@3.43Ghz) Board: EVGA E758-A1 Memory: Dominator 3x2GB DDR3 1600 Hard Drive: 300GB VelociRaptor GPU: EVGA GTX260 SC Core 216 Optical: Sony Optiarc 22x DVD/CD Burner PSU: Corsair TX850W CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Primary OS: Windows Vista x64 SP2 Case: Coolermaster HAF 932

10-15-2009, 11:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
Matthew1990 Silver Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: UK / Scotland Age: 18 Posts: 212	Your CPU and RAM will bottle neck any good card. And what make is ur PSU, if it's generic I wouldnt risk with expensive GPU as PSU might go off and take out as well. GTX 260 seem a good deal, but again, it will not use all of its juice.

10-16-2009, 10:19 AM	#7 (permalink)
Matthew1990 Silver Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: UK / Scotland Age: 18 Posts: 212	For instance, at the beginning of my "building carreer" I had P4, 3GHz I bought 4850 and popped it in, and I was getting the same FPS as I had with 8500GT. Every component in your computer work together, your system will only be as fast as slowest component.

10-16-2009, 12:58 PM	#8 (permalink)
maroon1 Diamond Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Somewhere in Hell !!! Posts: 2,820	The worst thing in your computer is the RAM, not CPU 1GB ram is not good for gaming. You should get at least 2GB ram Medieval 2: total war is old and not very demanding game. So, even 9800GT or GTS 250 can easily max it. Also, your CPU is not bad for this game. __________________ Free softwares: Avast! antivirus - FireFox - FDM - OpenOffice - CCleaner Phenom II reviews Last edited by maroon1; 10-16-2009 at 01:01 PM.

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