Please HELP!!!! (its about upgrades)

[Bibliophile]

Ive been trying to look for a new graphics card for my computer so that I'd be ready for when AION comes out but I just can figure out what will work with my computer. Heres the graphics card my computer is currently running on (to the extent of my knowledge)
NIVDIA GeForce 6150 LE and I think i remember seeing DDR somewhere. please someone help explain what that all means and what I should look for when upgrading.

[Isley]

The most expensive one is the best one. Simple

A little more down the road, I'd say any standard geforce 8 series will handle Aion perfectly for some time to come (don't forget, Aion uses the same free expansion routine as L2, and the min. system reqs. have gone up with every L2 expansion so far).

I could play Aion with bare settings on a geforce 7600gt. This means no extras such as video recording in heavy areas etc., but it was smooth enough for normal game play.

[Mark]

Thread belongs in the basement. No big deal. Moving.

[Dekar]

You've played? *pouts*

Bibli: You on AGP or PCI-E. Buying an AGP card is nor worth it anymore, so if you're still on AGP, a buliding a whole new PC is in order.

As for PCI-E, I have found out, buying the 6800Ultra at release a while back that buying the highest end vid card is never, EVER worth it. There is often a $300-500 between top-end and med-high end, for an overall increase of what? 10-20 FPS in a MMO?

First of all, I'd say wait to be closer to Aion's release if you're upgrading just for it, as prices should keep on dropping with 9th gen cards coming out. If you aren't planning to play anything more graphic-extensive than what you are currently playing 'till Aion, there is no point in jumping on the bandwagon right now.

Also, depending on your budget, aim for 1-2 notches between the top end, or a more budget friendly card. If the 9800GTX UltraDestroy comes out at $1000, the 9800GTS will be around $400-500 and the 9800 around $300-350. They will yield more performance than you really need at a much better cost. For 8th gen the budget card was the 8600 and the mid-high end was the 8800GTS(which I got(640mb version) for less than half the price of the highest 8800gtx at the time).

[Yakuzan]

Originally Posted by Isley

The most expensive one is the best one. Simple

A little more down the road, I'd say any standard geforce 8 series will handle Aion perfectly for some time to come (don't forget, Aion uses the same free expansion routine as L2, and the min. system reqs. have gone up with every L2 expansion so far).

I could play Aion with bare settings on a geforce 7600gt. This means no extras such as video recording in heavy areas etc., but it was smooth enough for normal game play.

Well the computer I bought on the launch of L2 can still run the game with max texture even after all the expansions but it did slow up a little. It's an ATi 9200 lol.

[Bibliophile]

Originally Posted by Dekar

You've played? *pouts*

Bibli: You on AGP or PCI-E. Buying an AGP card is nor worth it anymore, so if you're still on AGP, a buliding a whole new PC is in order.

As for PCI-E, I have found out, buying the 6800Ultra at release a while back that buying the highest end vid card is never, EVER worth it. There is often a $300-500 between top-end and med-high end, for an overall increase of what? 10-20 FPS in a MMO?

First of all, I'd say wait to be closer to Aion's release if you're upgrading just for it, as prices should keep on dropping with 9th gen cards coming out. If you aren't planning to play anything more graphic-extensive than what you are currently playing 'till Aion, there is no point in jumping on the bandwagon right now.

Also, depending on your budget, aim for 1-2 notches between the top end, or a more budget friendly card. If the 9800GTX UltraDestroy comes out at $1000, the 9800GTS will be around $400-500 and the 9800 around $300-350. They will yield more performance than you really need at a much better cost. For 8th gen the budget card was the 8600 and the mid-high end was the 8800GTS(which I got(640mb version) for less than half the price of the highest 8800gtx at the time).

Well I have a PCI-e slot if thats what you mean, im just wondering what will the graphics card that i can use be labeled under. and what does DDR, DDR2 etc. mean? does it determine what i can or cannot use, im pretty new at upgrading my computer and the terminoligy of all the different parts.

[Karnage]

I wanna know more about this part where you've played the game.

[Bibliophile]

Im srry, did i somehow imply that iv played the game already? If i have im very srry but I have not (though that would be nice). Im jus trying find a new graphics card so that my computer will work relavtivly well when I do play Aion. I repeat i have NOT played Aion!!!

[Fishy McFish]

Um.. First off what kind of CPU and power supply do you have? You can run into some bottlenecking issues if you have a old piece of crap processor, and using a higher end video card. Also depending on how big of a jump you make on the video card the PSU can play a factor since if you chose a generic unit the odds are that it won't output even close to whats labeled.

Provide more information about your PC if possible.

[Dekar]

Yes a powerful enough power supply is necessary, especially since new video cards often require 1 or 2 rails themselves. Sloppy power can cause the card to crash your pc.

DDR-DDR2-DDR3 on a video card is the speed of the card's memory, it is separate from your computer's own ram and thus there is no compatibility issue, it's all in the card. The higher number the better.

As for what card you can use, just about any that is PCI-E. But as Fishy mentioned, you power supply must be able to sustain it, and your processor must be able to handle the power.

Any reliable brand power supply above 500W should do the job. The brand is usually important because cheap power supplies often don't offer stable power(i.e. the 12v cable will fluctuate between 11 and 12v contantly). You can look up reviews online.

[wtfpurepwned]

8800gt 512 = best price/performance

[[PhiberOpticks]]

Give us your power supply, CPU, and RAM info, and I can find a good GPU for you. I'll also need to know your max. spending limit here, because it's easily understandable if you don't want to pay out the @$$ for the 8800GTX (I wouldn't). Also, there are compatibility issues that need to be sorted out in the process of picking out a video card. That way, you get more bang for your buck.

[Howling]

Originally Posted by [PhiberOpticks]

it's easily understandable if you don't want to pay out the @$$ for the 8800GTX (I wouldn't).

Noone should be buying the GTX unless they have a 24"+ screen and constantly run games in 1920x1200 or higher imo. The GTS is just as good as the GTX at standard-high res (up to 1680x1050) due to the 256mb v-ram difference, and it's $200 cheaper.

As someone said a little higher up (can't remember who), but the 8800GT is currently the best bang for buck. But again - it all depends on what the rest of your pc specs are. There may not be much point in a GT if you're running a p4 2.6ghz or something stupid like that.

So we need your; CPU, amount of ram, PSU info.

[Bibliophile]

Originally Posted by [PhiberOpticks]

Give us your power supply, CPU, and RAM info, and I can find a good GPU for you. I'll also need to know your max. spending limit here, because it's easily understandable if you don't want to pay out the @$$ for the 8800GTX (I wouldn't). Also, there are compatibility issues that need to be sorted out in the process of picking out a video card. That way, you get more bang for your buck.

Alright heres what I could find (im terrible when it comes to finding this information)

CPU(thats the processor right?)
Anthlon 64 X2 3800
and I currently have just a tiny bit less than 2GB of RAM
I couldn't find out what type of power supply I have (info on how to find that would be much appreciated).

[Howling]

Take the side panel off and read the label, the only way I can think of. I'm pretty sure no information ever gets transmitted from the PSU so there's no way your computer will have the information stored - so you have to look manually.

Judging from your CPU and RAM though, I'd say the 8800GT is a good option.. an ATi 3870XT wouldn't be a bad option - but the GT is certainly the better gaming card.