Upgrade Help

[Ninja Ewok]

Hello, i'm hoping that someone will be able to help me here with upgrades regarding mainly my graphics card and probably the power supply.

Specs:
AMD Athlon II X2 2.8 GHz
4GB of RAM, DDR3
1TB SATA
ATI Radeon 3000

i'm not sure if that is all of the info thats needed to help me but if it isn't heres a link to it http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...5177&skuId=1700107&st=asus essentio&cp=1&lp=1

What i'm going to be using the computer mainly for is school and also gaming, such as Starcraft 2, TF2, and BF3 when it comes out. And this is the graphics card im currently looking at Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Ultimate 100289UL Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

My questions are will this graphics card work with the computer posted above, and would it be able to handle the games listed above?

And if theres any suggestions on different graphics cards, i'm all ears, but if possible i'd like to keep the price of the graphics card under 100$ tops would be 120$.

 

[sahabcse]

The Radeon HD 3000 is considerably better. It can run games and can handle 1080p videos. This card would be handle your list of games you have given

 

[djpeterman]

Id suggest a GeForce gts 450 for StarCraft 2. Tom's Hardware says it's the best Graphic cards Feb 2011 around 115$ (Best PCIe Card: $100 To $175)

Find good SC2 specs and reviews on this card /via site:hardwarecanucks.com geforce gts 450 starcraft 2 - Google Search

Users of the 5670 report StarCraft 2 will run medium settings yet lags on high or ultra. http://www.pchelpforum.com/graphics/94612-ati-radeon-5600-hd-series-medium-sc2.html

-- Derek
http://bitculture.com

 

[~Darkseeker~]

^ i have the 5770 (a few versions up) and it runs WoW on ultra settings at around 60FPS, sometimes a little less.

look into this if it's an option.

 

[Ninja Ewok]

Thanks for all of the input guys. And djpeter I was talking to someone that has more experience than me with computer hardware, and he said that it would be better to run a radeon than a nvidia/geforce card because they are more compatible. And thanks for the link to the pchelpforum because thats what I wanted out of this graphics card to be able to run starcraft 2 at medium settings.

 

[djpeterman]

They are both great with compatibly. NVIDIA works a little closer with the game developers (like Blizzard) so they usually get slightly better performance on the benchmarks while the raw power in the ATI is slightly better (most of the time.)

-- Derek
@czarphanguye

 

[Ninja Ewok]

Ok thanks for the information, and the helpful replies

 

[Indigo]

Thanks for all of the input guys. And djpeter I was talking to someone that has more experience than me with computer hardware, and he said that it would be better to run a radeon than a nvidia/geforce card because they are more compatible.

Your friend is giving you biased information. Both companies cards are 100% compatible with every game made for Windows. I have yet to run into a compatibility issue, and have not had any such issues since well before the year 2000.

http://www.computerforums.org/members/djpeterman/They are both great with compatibly. NVIDIA works a little closer with the game developers (like Blizzard) so they usually get slightly better performance on the benchmarks while the raw power in the ATI is slightly better (most of the time.)

Both companies work with companies on a pretty level basis. Most reputable gaming companies also solicit help from both AMD & nVIdia. If you see an endorsement from one company or another, it's usually just marketing dollars at work. I don't base my decisions on those little "payouts." I'm all for them making money, but don't let them sway you.

Also, raw power wise, nVidia has plenty going for them too. Again, I use AMD currently, but nVidia has some compelling things out there now as well.