Posts by Larry Ortiz5

swiftdriver30 said:When I'm running Windows 7, I get HD quality no matter which HD option I pick—720p or 1080p—but it just won't work on Windows XP. :S xD. Also, let me ask you, is that BenQ G2225HD actually an HD monitor? Because the picture doesn't really look HD to me, at least not unless I'm watching a movie or something on YouTube.

Well, your monitor is definitely Full HD—that means 1920x1080. So, when you're watching a Full HD video on YouTube, the picture should look great.
Of course the quality looks off if you haven't actually toggled the setting to 1080p on YouTube, right? Just make sure you have enough bandwidth to handle the stream, too.

The OS isn't really the issue here—what matters most is whether your monitor actually supports HD Ready, meaning 720p or Full HD 1080p,
I also found this video link so you can see for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLTgLgKrsR8
And regarding whether your monitor is HD... isn't it pretty easy to just Google the specific model number?

Carol Booth3 said:So, I have an Apple Inc. P5LD2-VM DH motherboard and I was wondering if it can support a Palit VGA GT430 1GB DDR3, Nvidia
Also, could you recommend some other graphics cards from nvidia that are around this price—maybe even cheaper—as long as they work with my motherboard!!
Thanks in advance!!!

Your motherboard has a PCIe x slot, so it'll definitely support that card. Honestly though, if you can scrape together a little more cash, I'd suggest looking at an ASUS GPU 6670 1GB DDR5 (specifically the EAH6670/G/DIS/1GD5); that AMD Radeon is sitting right around $198.99

It’s a much better pick than what you picked because it’s faster—your choice uses DDR3, while this one has DDR5 memory
If that one is out of your budget, then just go with the GT 430; at that price point, it might be hard to find anything better. What else is in your build? Like, what kind of power supply, processor, and RAM are we talking about?

Yeah, I was actually just about to say the exact same thing.

Roger Chase3 said:Right?

I was wondering about what kind of resources the graphics card actually looks at—like, how much of an impact do the RAM and the processor have when you're upgrading to a new GPU? Since I'm currently running on Intel integrated graphics, can I just swap in something else, like an ASUS or an NVIDIA card?

My current integrated setup is sitting at 256MB and honestly... it's useless.

Yeah, integrated graphics are definitely no good for gaming.🙂 You can plug in pretty much any card since you've got a PCIe slot on your motherboard. Why don't you let us know what your budget looks like? That way we can give you some solid recommendations.

Jesse Brown90 said:So, here’s the deal...

I’m an old-school gaming veteran—a true FPS enthusiast who grew up mastering fast mouse movements and sharp diagonal aim, whether dealing with VSync or not.
As for where I got stuck regarding GPUs—around 2006, 🤷🤷🤷—well, I was running an ATI 9250, then upgraded to a 9600 Atlantis just to play Oblivion. Man, that card wiped out a hundred bucks of my mom's money; I swear, I am never touching ATI again. After that, I moved to the GT 9800 Nvidia—truly a masterpiece for whoever designed it—and I have to mention the absolute legend that was the 6600; God bless its soul.
What I really want to know is: what kind of card sits in that sweet spot right now? You know, the mid-range market—real cards meant for actual gaming, not necessarily cranking everything to max, but enough to play like a pro.
Even though that 9800 still holds its own against almost anything, you never know when a modern game might come along with requirements that just leave it in the dust. So, I’m asking you guys to point me toward the current state of the GPU world—but let's keep it reasonable, maybe under $500? I'm actually out in the States on a business trip right now, and since the local Wi-Fi is surprisingly decent, I'll be downloading whatever I need over the next few days.

Could you please show a little more class and use proper English? As for $167, you aren't going to find anything better than that at a Walmart; maybe check Craigslist if you're lucky.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother. If you can actually run your games on Ultra settings right now, I’d skip the new GPU—even if the tech is better or it sips less power. Personally? I’d much rather grab a high-end SSD. The performance jump is massive, and it makes the whole computer feel like it’s absolutely flying. 😁

That’s exactly what I thought at first—but after scrolling through some other tech forums, it seems like most people say the difference is practically invisible. It’s kind of like if you had an SSD that only supported SATA 3 on a motherboard that supports 2.5; you might notice a tiny, tiny fraction of a second difference, but honestly, who would even catch that? Anyway, what’s your take on this GPU? Would you be down to pull the trigger on an upgrade?

brightskipper40 said:Hey there, I'm thinking about picking up a new graphics card (the HD 7850). My current one is a POV GTX 560 (non Ti)

I have three main questions:
1) What kind of percentage jump am I looking at from my current card to the 7850?
2) Is this actually worth the upgrade?
3) My motherboard uses a PCI-ex 2.0 slot while the 7850 runs on 3.0—will it still work properly on 2.0?

If anyone knows of something better than the 7850 that stays in a similar price range, please let me know! 🙂

It’ll work just fine—don't sweat it. Technically, you won't get quite as much speed out of a card running on PCI-ex 2.0 compared to 3.0, but honestly, you probably wouldn't even notice the difference anyway (at least, that's how I see it). As for comparing the actual power of the cards, your best bet is to check out some comparison sites to look at performance and power draw. Here are two good ones: http://www.hwcompare.com/ www.anandtech.com
It looks like AnandTech isn't loading for me right now, but it should be back up soon enough.

I’m with you there—honestly, those power supplies seem meant for people running on integrated graphics who just aren't too worried about high-end performance.

bluejackal21 said:Are these kinds of power supplies—like Linkworld or maybe Delta Electronics (or whatever)—actually any good?

If that thing actually puts out 600W, I’ll run a marathon through downtown Chicago. Seriously, if you think buying a cheap power supply just because it claims to have higher wattage is a smart move, you're dead wrong. It probably isn't even hitting 50% of its rated capacity. It’s better to save up a little more and grab THIS TOP-TIER POWER SUPPLY instead. I see it all the time—people will drop a fortune on a high-end GPU from $3.25 but then they try to penny-pinch on the power supply. Then, when the PSU inevitably fries, it takes the whole system down with it, and suddenly everyone is complaining about how the store sold them "defective" parts.

stormytiger57 said:The rest of my build is an AMD Phenom II x4 955 BE, 6 GB of DDR3 RAM, and an LC Power Green 460 power supply.
Some people suggested I should go with a 6850...

You should probably head over to these sites and run some comparisons—like seeing if the 6850 or the 7770 is the better pick, which one pulls less power, or which one runs quieter. But let's be honest, you're probably mostly interested in which one hits harder in games, right? Here are two links so you can dig in and make up your own mind.
http://www.hwcompare.com/ http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2

stormytiger57 said:I'm planning on picking up a new GPU and I've already received some advice on which one to get—but then I stumbled upon the MSI 7770 Power Edition. I was wondering if this card is actually powerful enough for occasional gaming on a 32" LCD TV with Full HD resolution? (Right now I'm just using a 22" LCD monitor at 1024x768). Also, will I be set for the next year or two when it comes to newer games?

In my opinion, that card is an absolute best buy for its price range—honestly, there isn't anything better in that specific bracket. It’s got modern tech and low power consumption; everything about it is solid. However, I wouldn't call it a powerhouse for high-end titles like Call of Duty: Battlefield 3 or Batman Arkham City... you really need a beefier card if you want a decent frame rate, especially if you're aiming to play at Full HD (1920x1080). If I were in your shoes, I might save up a few extra hundred bucks just to be safe. Of course, maybe some people will disagree with me, so definitely listen to their input too. By the way, what does the rest of your rig look like?

Man, forget it. I’ve been grinding this Gameplay all the way up to number 99, just waiting to finally hit that 100 mark—but it feels like it'll never happen. And now I find out you guys are saying they actually changed the name? Seriously? There is no way I'm spending another dime on anything they've gone and rebranded 🙂

I’ve been wondering about the same thing regarding Gameplay. It feels like they just suddenly stopped releasing stuff, and there’s absolutely nothing being said about it online.

Jesse Brown90 said:Can anyone tell me what the actual difference is
between Windows 7 and Vista SP2 with all the updates installed?
I picked up a laptop that came with an original installation
CD for Vista, and I just installed it at home on my old rig—all five service packs included.
It flies like lightning, handles all my games perfectly, and honestly, I'm pretty happy with it.
I've mostly been using XP until now...

If you ask me, Vista felt more like a beta version of Windows 7. It just didn't sit right with me.
And obviously, Windows 7 has been the best and most straightforward version out there so far.
But hey, if you're enjoying Vista, go for it! 😉

You really need to have a high-quality, stable power supply unit. If you go with some cheap junk and it dies, there’s a huge chance it’ll take your other components down with it—and then you're looking at a total disaster. On the flip side, with the good stuff, that just doesn't happen. I see so many people who spend a fortune on their PC $6.75 but then try to skimp on the PSU, basically inviting trouble into their setup 🙂
. It’s kind of like driving a Ferrari but putting cheap hubcaps on it, right? In the world of power supplies, it's definitely better to pay $33 a little extra for something reliable than to deal with those sketchy brands that claim to provide certain wattage but don't actually deliver what they promise.

Alex Wood53 said:Hey there!

What’s actually the difference between, say, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 from Nvidia versus one from ASUS?

Or like, an AMD Radeon HD 6870 PowerColor compared to a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870.

The thing is, those Nvidia or PowerColor models are at a price point I can actually afford, while the ASUS or Sapphire versions are way more expensive. They’re basically the same card, right? Does it just come down to the Sapphire or ASUS models having better cooling systems? What else are they offering that makes them worth the extra cash over the Nvidia or PowerColor options?

Is there a specific thread somewhere discussing these manufacturers so I know which ones to steer clear of?

Thanks!

So, look—everything you mentioned is spot on. One might have slightly better cooling, another might be factory overclocked, and so on. Honestly, I'm running an XFX version myself and I'm pretty happy with it. Maybe a Sapphire model would run cooler or stay a bit quieter, but hey, it is what it is.🙂 🙂

stormywolf39 said:A decent 550W unit can actually handle just about anything—even a high-end CPU paired with a power-hungry single GPU, plus some case fans and a few hard drives—without breaking a sweat.

That's exactly right. 🙂

bluejackal21 said:Alright, thanks
But how did you actually land on that 500w figure? How did you know that, specifically?

I mean, isn't Google basically your best friend at this point? 🙂
Look, there are tons of different sites out there that list exactly how much power various CPUs and GPUs pull—you can just compare them yourself. I’m running a Corsair unit, 500w, and my GPU pulls about 200w while my CPU is maybe around 70-80w, so I still have plenty of headroom... And if you decide to go with some of the newer NVIDIA or AMD models, they actually draw up to 70w less, so you really don't need to worry. Some people don't even run SLI or Crossfire, yet they still drop money on a $333 power supply and essentially throw cash out the window... So, like I said, if you do a little digging online—and assuming you aren't planning on running dual GPUs via SLI or Crossfire—those two power supplies I mentioned should work perfectly fine, and you'll still have some breathing room. Here’s a site where you can check the wattage for different cards: 🙂 http://www.hwcompare.com/