Looking to upgrade graphics card

[Jon H]

Hello.

I've recently moved to FSX from FS2004 and I'm currently looking to get a better graphics card to run it on. I'm not looking to spend too much money and I think about

[machineman9]

I personally have the 512mb nVidia 8600GTS

It is about

[Groundbound1]

HD3850?!  [smiley=door.gif]

I tried the agp version of that card and hated it! D___ Powerplay!

Read this:
http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview. ... adid=92645

If you have a pci-E system, I'd go with NVidia at the moment.

[AMDDDA]

[quote]I personally have the 512mb nVidia 8600GTS

It is about

[Jon H]

[quote]I personally have the 512mb nVidia 8600GTS

It is about

[Slotback]

I don't know how much cards are in pounds, but here's my rough order on what you should get. ALL versions 512mb. You can go down to 256mb if you MUST.

8800GT, 3870XT, lastly, 3850 or 9600GT (check reviews, they're close). Do NOT get 8600GTS because they're relatively old and SLOW compared to the above. 9600GT shouldn't cost to much more and has TWICE the stream processors (64 vs 32)... 8800GT has 112 and costs only a little more.

[Jon H]

I don't know how much cards are in pounds, but here's my rough order on what you should get. ALL versions 512mb. You can go down to 256mb if you MUST.

8800GT, 3870XT, lastly, 3850 or 9600GT (check reviews, they're close). Do NOT get 8600GTS because they're relatively old and SLOW compared to the above. 9600GT shouldn't cost to much more and has TWICE the stream processors (64 vs 32)... 8800GT has 112 and costs only a little more.

Ok then. I think the 8800GT and the 3870XT are a little out of my price range, so it's a toss-up between this 3850 and this 9600GT. What do you think?

[Slotback]

It's close.

Just look up reviews of 9600GT vs 3850XT. They're both great cards and I cannot say which I'd get.

[Jon H]

It's close.

Just look up reviews of 9600GT vs 3850XT. They're both great cards and I cannot say which I'd get.

Ok then, thanks for the advice.

[Jon H]

Ok I've just purchased a XFX 9600GT from eBuyer, along with a new 430W PSU to power it. I've ended up spending

[MadWings]

Hello Jon,

sorry for reading your post a little late Nevertheless, I think you made a good decision. I'm looking for a new video card myself at the moment, and I'd like to recommend a site I often check out before hardware purchases: http://www.tomshardware.com/. There also is a .co.uk version, but to quote a reader, "the US site gets the news up first and isn't broken all the time." In your situation, this article would be helpful:

Best Graphics Cards for the Money: June 08
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-cards,1942.html

They also tested the 9600 GT (review here). Other reviews I read feature the same results and conclusions, and for your budget, I'd also recommend the GeForce 9600 GT (better than the Radeon HD 3850).

I'm not sure if the new 430W PSU was really necessary, but I suppose it's of higher value than the standard PSUs Dell uses. If it has PFC (power factor correction, protects the PC from voltage peaks) and a high efficiency (~80%, explained here), it is probably a valuable addition to your system.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your new hardware