Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

I'm running an ASUS P5B-E motherboard and I'm thinking about picking up a new graphics card.😁
My monitor 19''
is what I'm using right now.$267My budget is roughly $700.
Currently, I've got an X1650 installed.
Any recommendations???

8800gt, hd3870, hd4670

If you can't track down an 8800GT—which, by the way, demands a high-end power supply from a brand like Corsair—just grab the HD4670. It’ll handle a monitor 19 just fine enough.

* I'm looking for a PCI-E graphics card
* Currently running an HD 3650 512 MB DDR2, a Pentium D 945 3.40 GHz, and an AsRock 775 dual slot motherboard
* Using a 17'' monitor at 1280x1024
* Budget is roughly $500
* Planning to pick it up near a local Starbucks and Vemil

An HD 4670 paired with $200 maybe some kind of Core 2 Duo from the e2xxx or e4xxx series

4870/4850(+-gs)

I'm planning on putting together a pretty complex build (assuming nobody will actually step up to help me assemble it), and it’s going to feature an NVIDIA 9500. So, I wanted to get some input—is this card actually any good?

No... the HD4670 is a much better call...

And honestly, the fact that the NVIDIA 9500GT has 1GB of VRAM is completely irrelevant.

Kyle Sanchez4 said:Nah... the HD4670 is a way better pick here...

And honestly, who cares if the 9500GT has 1GB? That's just useless extra space for this setup.

It doesn't even have 1GB, it's 512MB. Look, it’s not exactly a high-end rig, but if I can't get any actual help building a PC in the desktop subforum, then what's the point?

Mark Sanchez3 said:4870/4850(+-gs)

🙄

HD4670 plus an e2200 or an e2180 paired with a Fortron 400W

Can a Radeon HD 4870 actually handle running Crysis at 1280x1024—with everything cranked to High, but keeping AA and AF turned off—without any major stuttering...

It really depends on the rest of your build, but if you've got a solid processor and plenty of RAM, you should be good to go.☕

I’ve got a Club 3D HD4670 in my rig... I was wondering how exactly I can track its temperature while I'm actually mid-game? Also, what kind of temperature range should I consider "normal" when I'm running something like Grid?
One more thing—is there any aftermarket fan out there that would actually cool this thing down better than the stock one that came with it?

There's a leak

Download HWMonitor and just leave it running while you play

So, I went ahead and did exactly that, but now I’m seeing temperatures hitting 98 degrees while playing Grid at a 1680x1050 resolution... meanwhile, when it's just idling, it stays around 42-44 degrees. Is that actually normal? And more importantly, what kind of fan would you recommend to replace this generic piece of junk they shipped with it?
Just a heads-up... the graphics card is only two weeks old.

Brandon Morgan10 said:I went ahead and set it up, but now my temps are hitting 98 degrees while playing Grid at 1680x1050 resolution. When it's idling, it stays around 42-44 degrees... so is this actually normal? What kind of fan would you recommend to replace this crappy one?
just a heads up... the card is only two weeks old

Just download the latest drivers, enable ATI Overdrive, and crank the fan speed up to about 50%; there's absolutely no need to buy a new cooler.

And how am I supposed to crank up the fan speed by 50 percent? I’ve got ATI Tray Tools open, but it won't let me touch the fan settings—it just keeps throwing an error saying "no supported hardware found." Does this mean my card simply doesn't allow for manual fan control? Is that really how this works? WTF???

So, I'm thinking about ditching my 8600GTS for something newer, maybe up to $183. I've been eyeing the HD4670 and the HD3850 lately, but I wanted to see what you guys think...

The HD4670 is newer, slightly faster, and more power-efficient than the HD3850.

I guess I'd probably grab a new 4670 or maybe a used 3850.