help with choosing new graphics card

[dktxx2]

hi, my current graphics card, 8600gt 1gb (i didn't buy it) has random crashing issues. ive decided that fixing it aint a priority, so i just am going to buy a new card. my budget is only 120 bucks, possibly up to 150 but only if at that price its leaps and bounds better then anything going for 120.

i play games like wow, oblvion, and i dont need max settings. high to medium will do.

my motherboard is asrock alliveNF5-esata2+
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=ALIVENF5-ESATA2%2B
my power supply a-power pure black 680 watt
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=APBK680&cat=PWR

anything else you need to know ill get for you asap. thank you in advance

 

[foothead]

Anything above a HD 4830 is overkill for those games.

what resolution are you playing at?

 

[dktxx2]

1680 x 1050

 

[foothead]

For those games, a 512 MB HD 4830 should be plenty powerful.

Also look at the HD 4770, as the performance is pretty similar between these two.

 

[dktxx2]

thank you man, i think im going with the 4770.

 

[buddyNN]

I'm new and love this site but I would suggest taking a look for graphics cards on newegg and tigerdirect they both always have good deals on computer parts and at least 3 reviews for any item you may buy.

 

[mikee]

you could almost get by with a 9600 gt and have money left over. They go anywhere from 60-90$ on newegg

 

[dktxx2]

thx guys for the info. one more thing. i dont see a point in making a new thread so ill hijack my own i guess. ive done some more looking into things on my pc and ive noticed something.

speedfan and pc wizard are saying that my +12v is coming in at 8.6volts. ive tried looking up if thats a bad thing, but its not an easy thing to find. could that be the cause of my crashes? (i hope you understand what im talking about)

i plan on getting a digital measure device tomorrow to make sure its actually low and not just a bad reading.

 

[GibsonSGKing]

thx guys for the info. one more thing. i dont see a point in making a new thread so ill hijack my own i guess. ive done some more looking into things on my pc and ive noticed something.

speedfan and pc wizard are saying that my +12v is coming in at 8.6volts. ive tried looking up if thats a bad thing, but its not an easy thing to find. could that be the cause of my crashes? (i hope you understand what im talking about)

i plan on getting a digital measure device tomorrow to make sure its actually low and not just a bad reading.

Mine comes in at 11.4. I don't know if that's usage or actual supplied voltage though.

 

[foothead]

Whoah, 8.6 is insane vdroop. Do you have a different PSU you can test on the same system?

BTW, whoever mentioned a 9600, the 4770 or 4830 are much faster and do not cost much more.

I suggest the 4830 over the 4770 in most cases though. It's usually cheaper.