Graphics card recommendations

[Croesus]

I have a 2 1/2 year old Dell desktop and the graphics card fan is dying. The graphics card market has changed quite a bit since I used to tinker with PC's, so I'm looking for some guidance and recommendations.

Current specs:

Dell Studio XPS 8000
Win7 Home 64 bit
2.66GHZ multicore processor
4GB DDR2 SDRAM

nVidia GeForce GTS240 1GB GDDR3 (PCI Express?)

I'd like to find a card that has comparable or better performance, but not break my bank account. Basically, something middle of the pack. Any recommendations?

Also...
Question: How do I confirm this is a PCI card and/or PCI card slot?
Question: Any difference between a PCI and PCI Express slot?

Thanks!

 

[Gantros]

For the best recommendation I'd need to know your budget, your monitor resolution, and what kinds of games you expect to play. Typically a mid-level card like your old GTS 240 would be something in the $100-150 range, which is enough to run demanding games at 1680x1050 resolution, or even 1920x1080 with a few details turned down.

In this category I'd suggest looking at an AMD Radeon HD 7770 (~$130). The previous generation HD 6850 is also a great deal right now at around the same price, being slightly faster but also more power hungry. Both support all the latest and greatest graphics technology, and either of them should be quite a bit faster than your current card. If you're able to spend $150+, there's a variety of good AMD & Nvidia boards to choose from.

And don't worry about the card slot - all graphics cards for the past several years have standardized on PCI Express (including the GTS 240), so anything you can buy today should work.

 

[Croesus]

For the best recommendation I'd need to know your budget, your monitor resolution, and what kinds of games you expect to play. Typically a mid-level card like your old GTS 240 would be something in the $100-150 range, which is enough to run demanding games at 1680x1050 resolution, or even 1920x1080 with a few details turned down.

In this category I'd suggest looking at an AMD Radeon HD 7770 (~$130). The previous generation HD 6850 is also a great deal right now at around the same price, being slightly faster but also more power hungry. Both support all the latest and greatest graphics technology, and either of them should be quite a bit faster than your current card. If you're able to spend $150+, there's a variety of good AMD & Nvidia boards to choose from.

I have a 24" monitor that usually is set for 1920x1080, though I run many games in lower resolution, due to graphic demands and because I tend to play older games.

As for budget, I'd like to keep the cost to $150 or less. IME paying for a top of the line card isn't worth it except for some very demanding programs with all the options on.

Right now the most demanding game I run is King's Bounty which my current card handles just fine. I won't be getting Diablo 3 (due to the online requirement), but may want to play a game with similar specs in the future, so that's a consideration.

And don't worry about the card slot - all graphics cards for the past several years have standardized on PCI Express (including the GTS 240), so anything you can buy today should work.

That's a relief. The last time I replaced a graphics card there were two types and I had a devil of a time making sure which my PC could use. IIRC, I had a half slot for one and a full slot for the other, though I don't remember for certain. I do remember that stores tend to frown on returns after one has opened the box and fiddled with installing the darn thing.

 

[Janx]

Question: How do I confirm this is a PCI card and/or PCI card slot?
Question: Any difference between a PCI and PCI Express slot?

Thanks!

PCI has long edge, a notch, followed by a short edge.

PCI-e has varying sizes, but starts with a short edge, a notch, and the whatever's next. the card slot is also positioned deeper into the case (farther from the slot panel) than PCI by about 1/4" or so. If you have a PC with both slots, this will also make it more apparent.

Note, we describe the front of the card (where it starts) as the end that has the slot cover panel for the back of the computer.

 

[ssampier]

Any power supply issues the OP should worry about?

My last upgrade I purposely chose a cheaper card because my 350 watt power supply was not going to cut it.

I bought a Radeon 5670 and I'm pretty happy about it. I'm sure for the same money you could buy something much better.