Changing my video card

[AraNbg]

I will be buying a new video card but i can't decide which one and i don't know if it really will fit i am going to give my PC and have it replaced for me but anyways i really want a second opinion so here are my computer specs

Model: ASPIRE АМ1420
Processor: AMD ATHLON X2 260 3.2GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Video card: ATI RADEON HD6450 2GB

I will give my current one and pay some money on top of that but i really don't need another stupid card like that one what can i get for around the same price for now i chose the ati radeon hd 5670 because my friend already has it and his pc runs real smooth so why not also he is running most of the things on 1440x900 without lag and i will be running them on 1024x768

[fincher234]

Your machine is a standard tower that looks like this?:

http://support.acer.com/product/defa...x?modelId=3735

A 5670 or 6670 should be usable in that machine. Power supply should be adequate for a card like that. Should fit the case if it looks like the one in the picture linked to above.

[AraNbg]

Originally Posted by fincher234

Your machine is a standard tower that looks like this?:

http://support.acer.com/product/defa...x?modelId=3735

A 5670 or 6670 should be usable in that machine. Power supply should be adequate for a card like that. Should fit the case if it looks like the one in the picture linked to above.

Yep it looks exactly like that one and can i ask you which one is better the 5670 or the 6670

[rotNdude]

Originally Posted by AraNbg

which one is better the 5670 or the 6670

The 6670 is better for performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ks,2925-4.html

[AraNbg]

Originally Posted by rotNdude

The 6670 is better for performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ks,2925-4.html

Just a last question is it sure that it will work i don't really understand the power supply stuff and i really don't want to look like an idiot when i get there and tell them i want either thar or either that and they go all like "Well yeah but they wont work"

[rotNdude]

I don't think I can answer that question.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=2842503

The only thing I know is your PC is still under warranty and it will be voided if you open it and we don't have enough information about your power supply.

[fincher234]

The 6670 performs a bit better, though it's not a huge difference.
The 6670 also draws a bit LESS power than the 5670.
If the 6670 costs you quite a bit more than the 5670 and you prefer not to spend the money the 5670 should be fine.

I can't find specific power supply specifications for your machine. You probably have a 300ish watt supply, which is typical of these mid tower machines. These cards should generally work on a machine like yours. Of course I can't 100% guarantee this.

Is there a specific game you are having problems with and what is the nature of the problem(for example the frame rate is always poor, it starts stuttering in a rpg when there are a lot of players or npcs around, etc.?

[AraNbg]

Originally Posted by rotNdude

I don't think I can answer that question.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=2842503

The only thing I know is your PC is still under warranty and it will be voided if you open it and we don't have enough information about your power supply.

No no actually my warranty will stay i even called to check it its some kind of acer PC repairing service or whatever so warranty stays

Originally Posted by fincher234

The 6670 performs a bit better, though it's not a huge difference.
The 6670 also draws a bit LESS power than the 5670.
If the 6670 costs you quite a bit more than the 5670 and you prefer not to spend the money the 5670 should be fine.

I can't find specific power supply specifications for your machine. You probably have a 300ish watt supply, which is typical of these mid tower machines. These cards should generally work on a machine like yours. Of course I can't 100% guarantee this.

Is there a specific game you are having problems with and what is the nature of the problem(for example the frame rate is always poor, it starts stuttering in a rpg when there are a lot of players or npcs around, etc.?

Hmm well i am having problems with gta 4 i am running the game on lowest graphics 800x600 and sometimes it just starts lagging mostly when the weather is different than sunny

[fincher234]

Originally Posted by AraNbg

Hmm well i am having problems with gta 4 i am running the game on lowest graphics 800x600 and sometimes it just starts lagging mostly when the weather is different than sunny

I'm not able to find scaling benchmarks specifically revolving around weather effects. As you are using a very low end graphics card right now I am confident that a faster card would help this but you are also being held back by your dual core athlon cpu.

Could you run the following test for me?
Test under the same non-sunny weather conditions. Don't test under different weather conditions or under sunny conditions as this won't be a reliable test.
Run the game at the lowest resolution possible with these weather effects in place. Then run it at 1024 or 1280x resolution with the same weather effects in place. Are you seeing a drastic change in the performance/stuttering/lag? If you are then your graphics card is a major issue and replacing it with the cards you are considering should help considerably. If it doesn't make much difference then you are being hampered by your cpu.

[AraNbg]

Originally Posted by fincher234

I'm not able to find scaling benchmarks specifically revolving around weather effects. As you are using a very low end graphics card right now I am confident that a faster card would help this but you are also being held back by your dual core athlon cpu.

Could you run the following test for me?
Test under the same non-sunny weather conditions. Don't test under different weather conditions or under sunny conditions as this won't be a reliable test.
Run the game at the lowest resolution possible with these weather effects in place. Then run it at 1024 or 1280x resolution with the same weather effects in place. Are you seeing a drastic change in the performance/stuttering/lag? If you are then your graphics card is a major issue and replacing it with the cards you are considering should help considerably. If it doesn't make much difference then you are being hampered by your cpu.

Well it does make a difference but can i try something more reliable other than testing stuff in gta.. And what could be wrong with my cpu?

[fincher234]

As you are most concerned about gta IV and that is what is driving your desire to upgrade this kind of test is the most reliable way of estimating whether you would get benefit from a graphics upgrade. Doing a more scientific test won't really help unless the specific conditions of the test accurately mirrored the conditions you are trying to address, so a different kind of test could be LESS useful.

As far as your cpu it is an athlon dual core and, for situations that are more cpu limited this will be your weak point. The test I suggested helps determine that you aren't simply cpu limited with your problem and therefore you will probably get a benefit from upgrading the card as you were planning.

I understand that you want to be as sure as you can be before you spend money. If your friend is willing to let you try his card in your machine you could do that. You would need to install the proper drivers for that card. Then you will know for sure what kind of result you will get.

If you decide to go forward with a purchase and you need help choosing a specific card can you provide links to the store?

[AraNbg]

Originally Posted by fincher234

As you are most concerned about gta IV and that is what is driving your desire to upgrade this kind of test is the most reliable way of estimating whether you would get benefit from a graphics upgrade. Doing a more scientific test won't really help unless the specific conditions of the test accurately mirrored the conditions you are trying to address, so a different kind of test could be LESS useful.

As far as your cpu it is an athlon dual core and, for situations that are more cpu limited this will be your weak point. The test I suggested helps determine that you aren't simply cpu limited with your problem and therefore you will probably get a benefit from upgrading the card as you were planning.

I understand that you want to be as sure as you can be before you spend money. If your friend is willing to let you try his card in your machine you could do that. You would need to install the proper drivers for that card. Then you will know for sure what kind of result you will get.

If you decide to go forward with a purchase and you need help choosing a specific card can you provide links to the store?

sadly i can't do that my PC is under warranty and i actually won't be able to buy the same one because they don't have them in stock however they recommended 6670 and i think thats the thing i will be getting asap oh and i found that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ai2VWHtaI
And if i'm correct that's exactly what i am looking for the processor is the same and the video card is the one i will be getting but really you should have a look i might be wrong

[fincher234]

Assuming that the video has accurately stated his specifications (I have no way of knowing, looking at the video) he does appear to have the same specs as what you are looking at and the video confirms he was running at 1024 resolution.

Let us know if you are happy with the results.

[AraNbg]

Originally Posted by fincher234

Assuming that the video has accurately stated his specifications (I have no way of knowing, looking at the video) he does appear to have the same specs as what you are looking at and the video confirms he was running at 1024 resolution.

Let us know if you are happy with the results.

well yeah actually i was not looking for something that can run battlefield 3 on ultra settings and still getting 100 fps i think that the result is pretty awesome