Which card should i upgrade to?

[RSDXzec]

hi there, i wanna upgrade my old dell, and i want a cheap GFX card that will gimme a performance increase over my GF 6150SE onboard.
I wanna run 2 PC network to game, with like FEAR, crysis(not too high), just basic FPS lan games, but i wana max out fear.
My current specs are AMD 4000+ 64 X2, wit a GF 6150SE 3GB RAM

Anyone know any Nvidia(dont like ati) card, cheap and with an alright performance increase. im currently considering an 8400GS.

I need a low profile card to fit in the case, and can run with a 250W PSU (no extra power connectors on the card).

Thanks for any help you can gimme:attn:

[RSDXzec]

well, i guess il go ATI if i absolutely HAVE to, or if its more bang for buck, but still i like nvidia more

just give suggestions for both anyway, (nvidia preferred)

edit-hows the radeon HD 3450

[KonaKona]

There is no real reason to like one manufacture over another. Both have their pro's and con's, and you should make decisions based on that rather than personal preference.

That being said, the 4650/4670 is one of the best cards you can get without a PCI-E plug. But even with that, a 250w seems skimpy. Of course if it doesn't work, you can always send it back. I don't know about maxing out fear on one of those though, but that's about as much as you can get without a better PSU.

For reference, the same level nvidia card is a 9600gt, and it uses a extra plug. I happen to have one, the only reason I got it over a 4670/4830 was because the nvidia cards do better in folding. (and that's because of software on stanford's side, not hardware)

[RSDXzec]

i know, i just want a slim card, thats decent for gaming without having to open my deep pockets, like i had to on my current setup.

-hey hows the 7300GT? reading reviews and stuff on hese cards and everything just trying to find a cheap card, thats alright for gaming, wanna know what u guys think

also looking at the 4350 and 4550 right now

[KonaKona]

i know, i just want a slim card, thats decent for gaming without having to open my deep pockets, like i had to on my current setup.

-hey hows the 7300GT? reading reviews and stuff on hese cards and everything just trying to find a cheap card, thats alright for gaming, wanna know what u guys think

also looking at the 4350 and 4550 right now

A 7300gt wont get you any good FPS in much of anything, a 9500gt is the best nvidia your going to get without a extra plug. It will preform about the same as a 4550.

Of course, for the same price of a 9500gt, you can get a 4650, which is basically a underclocked 4670 with bad ram. If you overclock it it'll wipe the floor with the 9500gt, but if you pay for the 4670 then you'll be looking at performance more of a 9600gt.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161262 - 4550 - 50$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141081 - 4670 - 77$

Or if you plan on going with Nvidia,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134059 - 9500gt - 52$ (There is a nice 1gb for 55-ish, but it has a XBOX HEUG heatsink on it that reportedly takes up 3 slots.)

[deathman20]

ATI 4670 = 400W
nVidia 9500GT = 350W
nVidia 7300GT = 350W
ATI 4550 = 300W
Those are recommended PSU requirements in terms of wattage, but video cards don't go off wattage, they go by amperage they use on the 12V line. So how many amps does that 250W PSU have?

Just for a note the 9500GT says to consume roughly 50W. As well that PC has a PCI-E slot in it right?

[RSDXzec]

yes it has a PCI x16 slot. my PSU has 17A on the 12 v rail,
The PC has 250W PSU, 3GB of RAM, AMD Athlon 64 x2 4000+
1 DVD rom, floppy drive.

And remember i need a low profile card, so i kinda see a 8400GS at my best option atm.

and i really dont wana upgrade my psu

[KonaKona]

low profile + gaming + 250w psu = not going to happen.

You should probably go ahead and upgrade that PSU. When you do, you can put a nice low profile 9600gt, or 9800gt, in there. A 4550, 8400, 9500, etc. will only get you so much in games. You might be able to play some things at say, 1440x900 and medium settings, but you can forget about running crysis on much of anything settings wise.

[RSDXzec]

yes it can happen, il just be doing low res gaming, and the 8400GS should work on a 250W PSU, shouldt it? i heard of it running on a 200W PSU

[deathman20]

Well you just need 18 Amps on some of the cards above that I even listed. So it might be possible to even use those.