Help a newbie find a replacement Video Card

[Newbie89]

Hi all,

I'm an absolute newbie with computers. I've had one for a few years and have no understanding of how they work and especially what hardware goes with what. I mainly use it for university work and the internet but there are two games that I absolutely love playing...Flight Simulator X and GTAIV. Just last week I switched my pc on and there were these four blue lines running up the screen and my system info informed me that my video card had a problem and windows stopped it working. A friend gave me a few quick fix solutions (reinstalling the vid card and cleaning out the plugs) but it hasn't helped. So I'm under the impression I should buy a new one...so which one?

The games I stated above ran alright, but not as smoothly as I think they could. I'm asking for some help to find a video card that you guys think is reasonable in performance and price. All help is appreciated.

My specs are:

OS: Windows Vista 6.0.6002 SP2 Build 6002
Sys Model: P35-DS3L
Sys Type: X86-based pc / 32 bit operating system
Proc: Intel (R) Core (TM)2 Duo CPU E6850 @ 3.00 GHZ, 2 cores, 2 logical processors
RAM: 2GB
Total virtual memory: 4.24GB
Available virtual memory: 2.84GB
Monitor resolution: 1280 X 1024
Current Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS

So I've probably listed things you don't need in order to help me, but hopefully I haven't left anything out. Thanks alot guys!

 

[220racer]

Whats your budget? If you have around 100$... you could get a radeon 5770, if you have around 70, you could get a radeon 4670.

 

[Newbie89]

Nothing over $150 ideally. Are these cards going to improve performance or will it be the same as before? Thanks for your reply.

 

[220racer]

This card would increase your fps by 10-40 Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
This card is a bit more, but would increase performance even more Newegg.com - Galaxy 60XGH3HS3CUD GeForce GTX 465 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

[Indigo]

I would like to add that the Radeon HD 6770 is the same price as the 5770, so if you go looking for a 5770 and can't find it, the 6770 is the same exact card, just rebranded for the new HD 6xxx generation.

The 6770 (and 5770) would be a pretty decent upgrade over the 8800 GTS that you have, Here's a comparison chart for reference:

Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com

Both the 5770 and 6770 use GDDR5 compared to your 8800's GDDR3, so don't let the smaller memory bus (128 bit vs. 320 bit) fool you too much. It's a pretty good trade up.

If you can wing another $30, the 6790 is a fast card as well, (Example: Newegg.com - HIS H679F1GD Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity )

Comparison between a 6770 and the 6790:
Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com

Edit - I started on this post before 220racer had replied, and it's worth noting that the 6790 is faster than the other card referenced, the GTX 465, but if you want to go the nVidia route, that's a fine card as well, just be aware that they are being discontinued, so they're harder to find now.

 

[220racer]

I forgot about the 6790 xD

 

[Newbie89]

Hey thanks alot for your input guys. I really appreciate it; you all seem to know what you're talking about. At this moment I'm looking at the Rad 5770. I looked on ebay and can snag it for $169. Any other places you'd suggest I should be looking to buy from?

 

[220racer]

$169? thats alot for that card, buy it from here Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card And if you actually want to buy a $170 card, I suggest you the ati radeon 6850, or the gtx 460.

 

[Indigo]

^ +1. Good recommendations for the price point. $170 is a bit high for an EBay card unless it's brand new, still in the original packaging. You can do much better, as 220 said.