...Sorry. Ever since discovering this card, I've been mentioning it as much as possible. Best budget card... nay! best card period... I've ever bought. Shame that a lot of folks overlooked it.
I don't know why some people assume computers have to be expensive to buy.
I bought a desktop pc last September for $450, and it can run ToMI at detail #9 at 1440x900 (my monitor's native resolution.) I would say that's good specs at a reasonable price.
This invoice doesn't include the price of RAM I bought from cruical.com
...Sorry. Ever since discovering this card, I've been mentioning it as much as possible. Best budget card... nay! best card period... I've ever bought. Shame that a lot of folks overlooked it.
Yeah, I was comparing the price to the aforementioned Radeon 4770. But still - if you get a better (i.e. more expensive) card now you won't have to upgrade it again one year down the line...
But who cares for that as long as it uses about the same amount of power when idle, i.e. when surfing the web or doing anything not involving 3D?
Avistew would be unhappy if she bought a card that could run ToMI and S&M TDP, but crashes as soon as she starts the game (or turns up the graphics quality) because she only has a 240 Watt PSU.
Aye, but if you shell out for a new PSU along with the card, you'll be saving quite a bit down the road. On top of that, the consumption-to-power ratio is rather impressive on the 4770. I know Avistew said she doesn't care to run the game buttery-smooth at setting 9 with a huge resolution, but it certainly can't hurt to consider a bit of future-proofing.
@ShaggE
But as it seemed avistew was already fine with a 4550. A 4650 can be bought at a low price, doesn't force you to exchange anything beside of the gfx card and runs a lot faster than a 4550. I would say this is a perfect deal.
Of course there do also exist alternatives with an even better performance/price ratio and cards like a 5750, 5770 or a 5850 can be a very fine solutions depending on your specific situation, are DX11 capable and so on, but they don't fit so well in this specific case.
I've recommended the 4550 above the 4650 for a couple of reasons:
1) The 4550's maximum power draw is 20W, while the 4650 is 50W. We've determined that her system draws 170W under full load. The 4650 gets a little too close to the power supply's 240W maximum draw, and I'm always worried about pushing crappy power supplies close to their maximum. If her power supply dies, she can only replace it with that specific model, which may be hard to find. She may have to look for a new computer then.
2) I'm not there to install and troubleshoot avistew's computer. If I were doing this in my office or for someone local, then I'd give the 4650 a try and see how the computer handles it. If the wattage draw is OK under full load with either Prime95/StressCPU or 3DMark and there's no graphics corruption, I'd feel OK with it. I'm not so sure about recommending something when I'm not there to actually install it and watch it work.
3) I need to check if any of the 4650s would fit her case. Take a look at the image of the inside of her system -- the card can't jut much further past the end of the slot. The 4550s we've already looked at appear to fit with enough clearance.
4) She doesn't have a local computer store with a good return policy, so newegg.ca looks like her best bet. Exchanging products by mail in case it doesn't work adds another layer of work to the job.
I tend to be a bit conservative when recommending equipment, unless I know the person has a good background in installing & troubleshooting things. I'd love for her to have the 4650 too, but I don't feel comfortable recommending it in this situation.
And yes, my avatar is the "use" icon from Hit the Road (and it makes its triumphant return in Season 3). It's a stress reliever squeeze toy:
I understand your point of view but i would go for the 4650 because a) you won't run on full performance all the time, b) i don't think this is a really bad power supply and c) i've made the experience that most of the time these things work out just fine. But i'll end this discussion from my side now.
Regarding your avatar, LugiHann already explained it to me but thanks again. I somehow would prefer a green one as well. Does there exist a video how its get squeezed?
I think the sound it produces distarcts me the most. I like the idea but the design is rather ugly, dunno if i would be more into this if i would search for some sm toy or practicing as a murder but thanks for looking it up.
Okay, thought I'd give you guys some news.
I received the card today. I would have installed it right away but couldn't find any cruciform screwdriver, I'm not kidding, I had all other shapes but that one.
So I waited for my husband, thinking he'd know where they were. And he did, but I think I should share this: the screwdriver handle was under the couch, and the screwdriver ends were on top of the dishwasher.
And he knew that. What the...?!
Anyways, I switched it to low profile and installed it, then I had no sound. Went into the Control Panel, and saw the problem (it thought the video card was a sound card for some reason). Set it back the right way.
Then we tried the penal zone and even tried it on 9 to see if that would work. It worked no problem (we played until a bit after the credits).
So, it's working fine and should last a while. Thanks everyone for your advice
Then we tried the penal zone and even tried it on 9 to see if that would work. It worked no problem (we played until a bit after the credits).
So, it's working fine and should last a while. Thanks everyone for your advice
You can't believe how glad I am that it works so well, considering the circumstances.
For future reference:
Could you post a link to the exact card model you are using?
Also which resolution do you play the game in?
You can't believe how glad I am that it works so well, considering the circumstances.
For future reference:
Could you post a link to the exact card model you are using?
Also which resolution do you play the game in?
This is the card I have.
For the resolution, I left it the way it was when I first started the game. The computer's resolution otherwise is 1200 something x 1000 something. I'll take a look at that tomorrow but I'd rather not start it up for that (I'm on the laptop).
This is the card I have.
For the resolution, I left it the way it was when I first started the game. The computer's resolution otherwise is 1200 something x 1000 something. I'll take a look at that tomorrow but I'd rather not start it up for that (I'm on the laptop).
it thought the video card was a sound card for some reason
Actually, it is - if there is an DVI/HDMI adapter in the package you can hook your PC up to your TV/receiver/monitor through an HDMI cable and get video and sound without having to use another cable...
Actually, it is - if there is an DVI/HDMI adapter in the package you can hook your PC up to your TV/receiver/monitor through an HDMI cable and get video and sound without having to use another cable...
Oh, okay. Well it didn't have an adapter in the package, although it did say in the instructions how to plug it if there was one included.
Good to know I guess, although it doesn't change the fact that I couldn't get any sound and had to change what the computer used as a soundcard
Okay, so it does run on 1200 something x 1000 something. I forget what now. Since that's not my monitor's shape there is a black band on top and on the bottom, and the loading picture is all squished (not the game though). But when I switch it to something lower it says "for ideal performance pick 12..x10.." so I figured I'd follow the advice.
Okay, so it does run on 1200 something x 1000 something. I forget what now. Since that's not my monitor's shape there is a black band on top and on the bottom, and the loading picture is all squished (not the game though). But when I switch it to something lower it says "for ideal performance pick 12..x10.." so I figured I'd follow the advice.
Actually, 1280x1024 is probably your monitor's native resolution (so the game's graphics don't have to be scaled to make them fit, which usually introduces extra blurriness) - but since the game is made for a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio (as opposed to your screen's 5:4) it gets black bars added by the game to match, just like 4:3 TVs do with 16:9 material.
Well, currently there's probably more 16:10 screens in use, but sadly the battle to kill vertical space on the desktop continues at a quick pace, hence the flood of 16:9 monitors being released.
Can't be long until you can only buy 16:1 monitors, with great resolutions like 1680x105...
np: She & Him - I'm Gonna Make It Better (Volume Two)
I'd rather have width than height. But regardless, most widescreen monitors support portrait mode. Just rotate them 90 degrees and suddenly you have an awesome webpage reader.
Comments
...Sorry. Ever since discovering this card, I've been mentioning it as much as possible.
I bought a desktop pc last September for $450, and it can run ToMI at detail #9 at 1440x900 (my monitor's native resolution.) I would say that's good specs at a reasonable price.
This invoice doesn't include the price of RAM I bought from cruical.com
The 4650 takes less then 50W under full load and doesn't need an extra power connector.
The 5750 takes up to 86 Watts.
Also the Price difference is more like
4650 $59.99 vs 5750 $139.99
Yeah, I was comparing the price to the aforementioned Radeon 4770. But still - if you get a better (i.e. more expensive) card now you won't have to upgrade it again one year down the line...
Avistew would be unhappy if she bought a card that could run ToMI and S&M TDP, but crashes as soon as she starts the game (or turns up the graphics quality) because she only has a 240 Watt PSU.
Aye, but if you shell out for a new PSU along with the card, you'll be saving quite a bit down the road. On top of that, the consumption-to-power ratio is rather impressive on the 4770. I know Avistew said she doesn't care to run the game buttery-smooth at setting 9 with a huge resolution, but it certainly can't hurt to consider a bit of future-proofing.
A pox on those OEMs and their custom made crappy components...
But as it seemed avistew was already fine with a 4550. A 4650 can be bought at a low price, doesn't force you to exchange anything beside of the gfx card and runs a lot faster than a 4550. I would say this is a perfect deal.
Of course there do also exist alternatives with an even better performance/price ratio and cards like a 5750, 5770 or a 5850 can be a very fine solutions depending on your specific situation, are DX11 capable and so on, but they don't fit so well in this specific case.
Of course, take my recommendations with a grain of salt. It's geek instinct to recommend parts far beyond what are actually needed/wanted.
1) The 4550's maximum power draw is 20W, while the 4650 is 50W. We've determined that her system draws 170W under full load. The 4650 gets a little too close to the power supply's 240W maximum draw, and I'm always worried about pushing crappy power supplies close to their maximum. If her power supply dies, she can only replace it with that specific model, which may be hard to find. She may have to look for a new computer then.
2) I'm not there to install and troubleshoot avistew's computer. If I were doing this in my office or for someone local, then I'd give the 4650 a try and see how the computer handles it. If the wattage draw is OK under full load with either Prime95/StressCPU or 3DMark and there's no graphics corruption, I'd feel OK with it. I'm not so sure about recommending something when I'm not there to actually install it and watch it work.
3) I need to check if any of the 4650s would fit her case. Take a look at the image of the inside of her system -- the card can't jut much further past the end of the slot. The 4550s we've already looked at appear to fit with enough clearance.
4) She doesn't have a local computer store with a good return policy, so newegg.ca looks like her best bet. Exchanging products by mail in case it doesn't work adds another layer of work to the job.
I tend to be a bit conservative when recommending equipment, unless I know the person has a good background in installing & troubleshooting things. I'd love for her to have the 4650 too, but I don't feel comfortable recommending it in this situation.
And yes, my avatar is the "use" icon from Hit the Road (and it makes its triumphant return in Season 3). It's a stress reliever squeeze toy:
You can buy one here.
Regarding your avatar, LugiHann already explained it to me but thanks again. I somehow would prefer a green one as well. Does there exist a video how its get squeezed?
I think the sound it produces distarcts me the most. I like the idea but the design is rather ugly, dunno if i would be more into this if i would search for some sm toy or practicing as a murder but thanks for looking it up.
I think I would be tempted to buy it if they had it in green.
I received the card today. I would have installed it right away but couldn't find any cruciform screwdriver, I'm not kidding, I had all other shapes but that one.
So I waited for my husband, thinking he'd know where they were. And he did, but I think I should share this: the screwdriver handle was under the couch, and the screwdriver ends were on top of the dishwasher.
And he knew that. What the...?!
Anyways, I switched it to low profile and installed it, then I had no sound. Went into the Control Panel, and saw the problem (it thought the video card was a sound card for some reason). Set it back the right way.
Then we tried the penal zone and even tried it on 9 to see if that would work. It worked no problem (we played until a bit after the credits).
So, it's working fine and should last a while. Thanks everyone for your advice
I ordered as soon as I could because I was in such a hurry
Either way, since it works I'm happy with it
You can't believe how glad I am that it works so well, considering the circumstances.
For future reference:
Could you post a link to the exact card model you are using?
Also which resolution do you play the game in?
This is the card I have.
For the resolution, I left it the way it was when I first started the game. The computer's resolution otherwise is 1200 something x 1000 something. I'll take a look at that tomorrow but I'd rather not start it up for that (I'm on the laptop).
Thanks, that's good to know
Oh, okay. Well it didn't have an adapter in the package, although it did say in the instructions how to plug it if there was one included.
Good to know I guess, although it doesn't change the fact that I couldn't get any sound and had to change what the computer used as a soundcard
Oh, you had sound output alright, you just didn't have anything hooked up to hear it...
np: The Fall - Hot Cake (Your Future Our Clutter)
For what it's worth, I did check if there was any way I could plug the speakers into the card
Can't be long until you can only buy 16:1 monitors, with great resolutions like 1680x105...
np: She & Him - I'm Gonna Make It Better (Volume Two)
Scratch that. Apparently, I don't have the right CPU or monitor for one. Lousy laptop!