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Need help choosing a graphics card

IM helping my friend build a computer... I built one in a few years and I planning on getting this build:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.328587
But its saying I need a discrete graphics card... Can some explain exactly what that is? Does that just mean it needs to be small?
Can some help me choose a good one for around $150? From new egg or zipzoomfly or another trusted known website with a good return policy.
Im looking for something that with play blu-rays and some gaming like gta 4.
Thanks a lot for your help.

mmafighter077 said:
IM helping my friend build a computer... I built one in a few years and I planning on getting this build:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.328587
But its saying I need a discrete graphics card... Can some explain exactly what that is? Does that just mean it needs to be small?
Can some help me choose a good one for around $150? From new egg or zipzoomfly or another trusted known website with a good return policy.
Im looking for something that with play blu-rays and some gaming like gta 4.
Thanks a lot for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right it means something low profile without huge fans, thats where you will have the issue when it comes to the line between good quality in games and a card that will fit!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._profile_graphics_card-_-14-129-144-_-Product
thats the profile i would assume it means instad of the cards that take up to slots on size.. and have leaf blowers...
edit: also that card will decode the video on the gpu instead of straining the cpu...games should run ok at medium resolutions.. posted the wrong card at first..

Gaming -- get a Geforce GTS 250 -- pretty small and has lots of variations -- like this low profile : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187098&cm_re=gts_250-_-14-187-098-_-Product
Little gaming -- Geforce GT 240 - has some passive cooling options (passive = no fans) -- like this :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500138&cm_re=gt_240-_-14-500-138-_-Product
But to be real -- If you get a low profile Graphic card without a fan -- then you cant do much gaming on it, cause it overheats more, therefore you cant put a big load on it and overclock it!!
So my suggestion would be - get a decent GTS 250, with a nice cooler, and then just make the fan spin slower!! :d - set the fan speed to about 60 - 70% and you wont be able to hear the fan! -- just go in newegg and search for "GTS 250" - check those which have 1gb of memory and a nice cooler (not those with plastic around - only metal)
Kristaps

got an ati 5770 and it's pretty good support dx11 but doubt my other system could keep up with the more fancy dx11 stuff but it was not that expensive

Thanks a lot guys. All this help is great. Once I built my computer I didn't keep up with all the latest and greatest so I playing catch up right now.
You guys think this one would work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125285
Thanks

mmafighter077 said:
Thanks a lot guys. All this help is great. Once I built my computer I didn't keep up with all the latest and greatest so I playing catch up right now.
You guys think this one would work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125285
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not low profile so i would say no, why dont you buy the parts apart from the graphics and see how much room you have or...
use this search string on new egg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=False&Order=PRICED
dont buy a quadro from nvidia though...if you are putting blueray in try getting one with hdmi, it will also pass digital audio through so no need to hook up a lead from spdif to an external sound system, but if you do get an ati card it will also come with and adapter to pass audi over dvi-i.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._profile_graphics_card-_-14-129-145-_-Product is a good one for games also at the price range you stipulated.

By discreet i'm thinking what they really mean is depth "not width as low profile are, the case is more than large enough on width" as it's going to take up a PCI slot if larger than x amount, so what you need to take into consideration is how many PCI cards are you going to need if 1 then the whole gamble on does this card fit is out of the window and the world of GPU is in your grasp.
The one you linked mmafighter077 is amazing specification on Core Clock RAM DDR3 so bandwidth larger i would advise you speak to Newegg to ask about comparability even though i'm sure what i said above is the reason.
But i could be wrong

actually they dont really need to mention about discreet, read the case review http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146060 bottom left, some who has it says it can fit a geforce 280...

mmafighter077 said:
Thanks a lot guys. All this help is great. Once I built my computer I didn't keep up with all the latest and greatest so I playing catch up right now.
You guys think this one would work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125285
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup !! that will do!! not as powerful as 8800GTS, but it will do the trick for you!! -- GTA4 , blu ray, you name it - the card will do it

I wouldnt buy a nvidia one since i rwad that they are less spec as the ati ones for more money.
an ati equivilent of a nvidia costs less and performs better.
flyboy

flyboyovyick2k9 said:
I wouldnt buy a nvidia one since i rwad that they are less spec as the ati ones for more money.
an ati equivilent of a nvidia costs less and performs better.
flyboy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true!! -- But I cant help with ATI -- I dont know their model range only thing I know is - ATI 4870 or 4780 (dont remember the corect name but in the series with the first ati X2 card) is more powerfull than Nvidia GTX 260 but costs more than 50% less than GTX 260

[Q] Nvidia Optimus or Not?

I was thinking of getting a lappy with
310m with i3, with Nvidia Optimus
or
310m with i5, without Nvidia Optimus?
Both are about the same price.
What do you guys think?

Save up for Sandy Bridge. It seems to bring about double the FPS rate in games, without the burden of a discrete card.
But, to answer your question, Optimus will only save battery. If you are looking to save battery, go for the Optimus.
If you are going to have some level of gaming on you laptop, go for the i5. There will be about 5-10 fps increase at least for games.
For reference, I can play COD4 and Dragon Age:Origins on a 210m at 1280*720 resolutions with all eye-candy tuned down.
One last note, if you wanna game, go for a desktop.
p/s: A lot of guesswork here, but I am assuming that you are getting a discrete mobility graphics for gaming amirite?

Well, obviously i5 (that's if I guessed right, and you talking about processors and graphics cards) is gonna be better. Faster at stock etc. Easier to overclock. Will need a higher source of power. About 800hz so the pc will last, as in for future upgrades..
And I don't know much about the card, but put up some details, eg mb/gb etc
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

!PANDA said:
Well, obviously i5 (that's if I guessed right, and you talking about processors and graphics cards) is gonna be better. Faster at stock etc. Easier to overclock. Will need a higher source of power. About 800hz so the pc will last, as in for future upgrades..
And I don't know much about the card, but put up some details, eg mb/gb etc
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erm... I believe that the 310m is a mobility card (read, stuck in laptops), otherwise I would have recommended that he beg his grandmother for cash to buy an AMD Radeon HD6950 NOW.

310m ... i wouldnt even call it a video card , get one with 335m ... theyre also available in $600 budget asus laptops
if u wanna play games , that laptop is gonna die on u , optimus or not
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-310M.22439.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-335M.24060.0.html
read both

Don't be nasty... some people really have the budget for only so much... and if you're talking about REAL GPUs...

The max I want to spend is around 600. Heavy gaming is not my forte but Ill be playing some MMORPGS.
Besides the 310m, how much difference is there between the i3 and i5?
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The Core i3-3xxM processors are based on Arrandale, the mobile version of the Clarkdale desktop processor. They are similar to the Core i5-4xx series but running at lower clock speeds and without Turbo Boost.[21]
no turbo boost .. and lower freq ... that means better battery ... the optimus one is looking better for a laptop configuration
but if ur not an nvidia fanatic and just need the best bang for the buck id go with this

Thank you for the input everyone! It made me think a little more!
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fezlopez said:
The max I want to spend is around 600. Heavy gaming is not my forte but Ill be playing some MMORPGS.
Besides the 310m, how much difference is there between the i3 and i5?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spot on. MMOs like WoW? The 310m will handle it just fine. The difference between i3 and i5 could be almost 10fps at laptop settings, because the GPU is underpowered.
souljaboy said:
The Core i3-3xxM processors are based on Arrandale, the mobile version of the Clarkdale desktop processor. They are similar to the Core i5-4xx series but running at lower clock speeds and without Turbo Boost.[21]
no turbo boost .. and lower freq ... that means better battery ... the optimus one is looking better for a laptop configuration
but if ur not an nvidia fanatic and just need the best bang for the buck id go with this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the i3 and i5 are on the same architecture, so... turbo boost and higher frequency just means that the processor is more capable if and when it is needed. Gaming is going to suck the hell out of your battery no matter what you do, unless you intentionally cripple your CPU and GPU.
Your suggestion seems a little overpowering, but the specs are good for the price. Nice find

Good multiplayer (Coop) Games for PC

Hey Folks
Can someone suggest some good online/lan multiplayer/coop Games i can play with my friends or even my girlfriend (long-distance relationship)?
Genre: Shooter, Strategie, ..well anything except something like minecraft (building-stuff)
Thanks in advance.

Spiral Knights is kind of a fun time waster, and its free

Dungeon Defenders
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Tf2
Sven Co-op
Portal 2
What i've been playing recently. first two are free.
Sent.

Games, and computer stats
Basically all the free to play games on steam are multiplayer
Team Fortress 2, Spiral Nights, Rusty Hearts, CrimeCraft: Bleedout, War Inc. Battlezone, Forsaken World,
That is just some of the games from the free to play page that said they were multiplayer. There a lot of games that are free to play that don't list themselves there for their own reasons (NASA: Moonbase Alpha)
Now there are the non-free steam games,
Borderlands, Portal 2, Rage, The Call of Duty lineup, Counter-Stike, Half-life 2: Deathmatch,
Again the list goes on forever.
Then there are non-steam games like League of Legends (free) and its ok, some really like it, not my cup of tea.
Of course the majority of these games require fast internet (20+ mb download and 15+ mb upload on both sides) and a ethernet port fast enough to keep up (no laptops) or wireless n wifi (this can be done by most routers, but only good ones actually transmit data at wireless n level speed, so ethernet is better if you don't have a laptop)
And on top of fast internet, you need a excellent computer to play most of these. If you don't have a AMD Radeon HD 5200 (I have 5400, like 60+ fps on TF2) or better (nvidia equivilent if that floats your boat, I got a AMD cause it was on sale) and a pentium 4 at 3.40 ghz (again, AMD processor if that floats your boat) or better, then on games like TF2, you'll play fine most of the time on offline (vs. bots) mode, but on online you will LAG, a lot.
Just as a rule of thumb, if your using a vga graphics card, most likely, you can't play these games. And if you run dxdiag (using run command in xp, or run bar in vista and 7), you can find your graphics card. If it says something like "Intel Express Family Chipset" then you can't play these games. Or if by some miracle you can (like I could before I upgraded my graphics card) it will get >5 fps and look horrible.
Bottom line, before thinking of the games, check your computer stats at both ends, if you both don't have good stats, your options go to playing leaderboard flash games and trying to beat each others score (really fun ), or buying a console and playing your games on that.

Another recommendation for Portal 2!

Oh wow, huge thanks to everyone.
I'll take a look at all the suggestions
And ofc i know the pc/laptop has to be good enough.
Mine:
Q6600
4 GB DDR2
HD 5805
Girlfriend:
i3-2310M Prozessor, 2,1 GHz
4 GB DDR3
HD 6470M
not sure about the graphiccards, are they both good enough for ..e.g. portal 2?

rest0ck said:
Oh wow, huge thanks to everyone.
I'll take a look at all the suggestions
And ofc i know the pc/laptop has to be good enough.
Mine:
Q6600
4 GB DDR2
HD 5805
Girlfriend:
i3-2310M Prozessor, 2,1 GHz
4 GB DDR3
HD 6470M
not sure about the graphiccards, are they both good enough for ..e.g. portal 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ram is certainly enough, but try running the dxdiag command, checking the video tab for your graphics card.
Remember "Intel Express Family Chipset" =

Age Of Empires 2. Can't go wrong!

I've been playing l4d2 and just purchased dungeon defenders.
Sent from my Cyanogen Thunderbolt.

Came in to say Portal 2! Great... GREAT coop game. Not terribly long but with the recent DLC, it's now even longer.

BazookaAce said:
Age Of Empires 2. Can't go wrong!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....

bazookaace said:
age of empires 2. Can't go wrong!
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+1

Keeping an eye on this one:
If, like me you played the original AvP games, you'll know what i mean when i say it would have been nice to have had a few friends watching your back!

DirkGently said:
If, like me you played the original AvP games, you'll know what i mean when i say it would have been nice to
have had a few friends watching your back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i play AvP 3, and even though the gameplay is bad, the multiplayer is good. being the last human standing against aliens are the best!!!
I'd still recommend Age of Empires II for RTS...

Thanks again to everyone.
I took a closer look at every posted Suggestions but hm idk they all look kinda weird^^.
Any other..? Low priced is okay too btw

If you have a good pc, i recomend All Points Bulletin ( APB ) for me its the best game period! Never gets boring, requires a lot cooperation
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PC specs help.

Hey guys,
I didn't really know where else to turn apart from the XDA forums so I'm hoping you guys can help me out.
Basically, I currently own a Acer Aspire 5734z laptop, but it's no good for gaming so I'm looking to upgrade but I'm completely oblivious to the terminology of PC specifications so I'm lost. Here are my current specs;
OS- Windows 7 Home Premium SP1
Processor- Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4500 @ 2.30GHz
RAM- 3gb
Video card- Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family (Pixel Shader version- 4.0, Vertex Shader version- 4.0, Dedicated Video RAM- 64 MB)
320gb hard-drive.
My current options are to upgrade my laptops video card (if possible) and upgrade my RAM to 4gb (My laptop will only support up to 4gb) or to buy a PC and use my 32" TV as a monitor. I'd rather buy a new PC if I can get a cheap enough deal (Under £300 would be perfect, the cheaper the better). I'd want to run a few higher-end games, even if its just on low quality, as long as it's playable I'll be happy. It'll probably be used to play games like Guild Wars 1+2, Diablo 3 (If possible), Starcraft II, Battlefield 3 etc.
Any ideas? What kind of specs on a PC should I look for? What graphic cards are useful for me and what ones aren't?
I'm also from the UK, and I'd prefer to buy in-store than to buy online as shipping is normally an expensive nightmare.
Thanks, I appreciate any help.

Your laptop video isn't upgradeable, your cpu and ram are way too weak to play the mentioned games as well. $300 PC no matter 300 pounds wouldn't likely ether. Your best bet is to build in stages if you need more help picking parts I can help.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium

$300 isn't enough to buy a pc for playing those games and in the laptop it would be difficult so you better be step by step and saving more money
Check this video is a $900 pc for playing Diablo 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYZ4qrehCk0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app

Building a custom would be a lot cheaper by the sounds of it then.
Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it, any recommendations on budget hardware?
Edit-
I'm sure I have an old tower + monitor in the attic, I might dig that out and see what parts it has then use that a base for upgrading. But I remember it constantly crashing so there must of been something wrong with it (It would crash every 15 minutes which made it useless)

try re installing a os on it, maybe ubuntu?

ross231 said:
try re installing a os on it, maybe ubuntu?
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Click to collapse
I'd want to use it for gaming so Ubuntu wouldn't be much use (As far as I'm aware most games aren't compatible with Ubuntu, or is that my stupidity shining?), I could reinstall XP on it.

Shout Out to MSI

Shout out to MSI
Ok so I bought my PC parts using a MSI Gigabyte 990XA GD55 and a first edition of a twin frozr 2 graphics card (twin frozr 4 out now). Using nothing special for ram a mere 8gig @1600Mhz not the [email protected] the board can handle and a few old msi 128gig ssd in raid.
I never used to be a gamer but when my mate saw my setup he immediately installed Crysis 3 and then went further modding all the graphics demanding even more from my setup.
I gotta admit I spend more time now enjoying all the top games at maxed out levels than I should be working because the level of detail I could see each blade of grass and every shadow also the sound from motberboard direct to two headsets because of a simple motherboard pass mod with case was amazing.
So to sum it all up i'm well impressed with my setup now i have seen its true power no need to upgrade for a long time yet untill games require a min of 32gig my setup will last forever.
Whats your setup and hows it special like mine

Go here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1765837
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