what is the best card to use with this system configuration listed below. Currently i am unable to play Blue-Ray rips smoothly, becoz i have integrated graphics card.
You’ll want a GeForce 8 (except for the 8800GT) or a Radoeon X2x00 series card. I’m not sure if the Radeon HD 3870/3850 or GeForce 8800GT or 9 series cards will work because the PCIe x16 specification on the board may be 1.0 and those cards are 2.0. If your PCIe spec is 1.1, you can opt for these boards.
Of what I’ve found, you’re likely limited to the mid-range cards, but I did find this MSI 8800GTS 320MB for $140 before rebate.
The only thing I’d be concerned with is the power that these things draw. What power supply do you have right now?
Hi, thanks for this info, my Power supply is 350 Watts.
so which card is best?
and if i buy your suggested cards, then can i play Blue-Ray Rips and HD-DVD rips smoothly on my pc?
If you can’t upgrade the power supply to a quality in the 500-600W range, a Radeon X2600 would be better for playback. However, if you can (and it’s recommended you do), the 8800GTS would do the job for you as well as beef up your gaming. If you can’t do the power supply range, the Radeon X2600 range would be better if HD content is your primary concern. If gaming is a little more important, than the 8600GT/GTS would be better.
And most mid-range cards use a 128-bit memory bus.
If you want a 256-bit card that’s built to handle HD content, you will need to factor in a decent power supply. Be my guest to try an 8800 with your current unit, but based on the power these guys draw, your new problem will involve instability and probably the system turning off. If the PSU is a shoddy unit, then you might even kill it with the power demands.
However, 256-bit doesn’t automatically mean it’s a better card. The 7900 series is 256-bit, yet the 8600 series is comparable in performance while only sporting a 128-bit memory bus.
In summary my recommendation is one of the following:
1.)Current PSU, go with Radeon X2600 or GeForce 8600.
Actually, that would offer a better path for upgrades down the road.
Right now, yes, he’s not going to match up as well with the CPU. However, because of this, a CPU upgrade down the road will give him more grunt in gaming because the GPU won’t be pushed as hard now. It is giving him a higher performance ceiling, but it’s better than him trying to upgrade to a quad-core and keep the video card the same.
The CPU isn’t the fastest, but you make it sound as if this option wouldn’t render him any benefit. It will still be faster than the current solution or the 8600, plus allow for possible additional performance in the future.
As far as not recommending an 8800GT, I didn’t because the 945 chipset seems to adhere to the PCIe 1.0 revision. The 8800GT has some compatibility issues with this revision, unlike the older 8800GTS/GTX/Ultra cards.
