Suggestions for my GPU

Hey, would anyone mind giving me some direction with this task of mine to choose a GPU any questions go ahead

Processor
Model : AMD Phenom(tm) 9550 Quad-Core Processor
Speed : 2.21GHz
Model Number : 6615
Cores per Processor : 4 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Quad-Core
Internal Data Cache : 4x 64kB, Synchronous, Write-Back, 2-way, Exclusive, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 4x 512kB, ECC, Synchronous, Write-Back, 16-way, Exclusive, 64 byte line size
L3 On-board Cache : 2MB, ECC, Synchronous, Write-Back, 32-way, 64 byte line size, 4 threads sharing

System
System : Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-MA790GP-DS4H
Mainboard : Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-MA790GP-DS4H
Bus(es) : ISA PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
System BIOS : Award Software International, Inc. F1
Total Memory : 3GB DIMM DDR2

Chipset
Model : AMD RS780 Host Bridge
Front Side Bus Speed : 1x 200MHz (200MHz)

Chipset
Model : AMD (Family 10h) Athlon64/Opteron/Sempron HyperTransport Technology Configuration
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 1.8GHz (3.60GHz)
Total Memory : 4GB DIMM DDR2
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 533MHz (1.07GHz)

Video System
Adapter : ATI Radeon HD 3300 Graphics (384MB, PCI, PS3.0, VS3.0)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : Giga-Byte IXP SB600 SMBUS Controller
LPC Hub Controller 2 : AMD (ATI) SB700 LPC host controller
Audio Device : Giga-Byte IXP SB600 High Definition Audio Controller
Audio Codec : Realtek Semiconductor 0885h
Audio Device : Giga-Byte RS780 Azalia controller
Audio Codec : AMD (ATI) 791Ah
Serial Port(s) : 1
Parallel Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : Giga-Byte SB700 SATA Controller [IDE mode]
Disk Controller : Giga-Byte SB700 IDE
USB Controller 1 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB OHCI0 Controller
USB Controller 2 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB OHCI1 Controller
USB Controller 3 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB EHCI Controller
USB Controller 4 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB OHCI0 Controller
USB Controller 5 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB OHCI1 Controller
USB Controller 6 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB EHCI Controller
USB Controller 7 : Giga-Byte SB700 USB OHCI2 Controller
FireWire/1394 Controller 1 : Giga-Byte TSB43AB23 1394a-2000 OHCI PHY/link-layer Controller
System SMBus Controller 1 : AMD IXP SMBus
System SMBus Controller 2 : AMD AFS SMBus

Network Services
Network Adapter : Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport (Ethernet, 100Mbps)

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line

Operating System(s)
Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP (2002) Professional 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 3)
Platform Compliance : x86

well if you are using the build in HD 3300 graphics, then as long as you are willing to spend about $50 online you can get an improvement in performance.

But in choosing the best card for your system you have to take into account 2 big factors...what games you play and what resolution you intend to play then with. Some games like those based on the Source Engine (CSS, L4D, TF2) are not very demanding of todays hardware, but games like Fallout 3 or Crysis are much more demanding. Lower resolutions are not very gpu intensive, so you don't need a $500 video card to run 1280x1024. Higher resolutions like 1920x1200 are much more intensive on the gpu, so you will want to consider spending a fair bit of money.

So its hard to suggest a good card without knowing at least what resolution you need to run and what games you wanna play.

well i have a quad-core and don't want to under use my CPU as you can see from my system specs. i would like a decent resoltion and quality, the main reason for change is the fact that the hd 3300 has badly written drivers and games kick up a fuss every so often so i was looking at the ATI HD 4830 and would like you to tell me what you think of it

well in all honesty the 4830 is a pretty decent card but nowadays you can get the faster 4850 for a little more

any other comments on the hd 4830 compared to the 50

Pretty much no game will utilize a quad-core, so gaming wise, you're always underusing your CPU btw. Advanced games will take full advantage of 2 of the cores, but the last 2 will twittle their thumbs while you game.

well as you can see here the HD 4830 and HD 4850 are pretty close, namely because they are based on the same core architecture and utilize a very similar make up. The biggest difference is the HD 4850 has more SIMD units, which results in more shader processors (800 vs 640) and more TMUs (40 vs 32). They both rely on GDDR3 memory linked to a 256-bit bus, so despite the fact that the HD 4850 has more bandwidth, its not really going to hold the 4830 back. In my own testing I can easily see the HD 4850 coming out ahead by a solid 20-25% through the gamut of games and resolutions, but if you are not playing the most demanding games and are not pushing the resolution and eye candy to high...then you really dont need the extra power the 4850 offers.

Right now you can get HD 4830 models such as this model from Sapphire which offers native HDMI for $90 shipped ($80 after mail in rebate), or this HIS model for a couple of bucks more...but includes one of the most under rated games of all time..my favorite title actually

HD 4850 models will cost a bit more, such as this PowerColor model for $110 shipped ($90 after rebate)..But by far the best deal you'll find right now is this sapphire model...it is $110 shipped, but drops to $95 with promo code "VGA6615"...and then you get another $15 off with the mail in rebate...resulting in a HD 4850 for $80 when its all said and done...

So clearly that is your best bet, even though it is probably more power than you need, if you pay less you get less...and if you shop lower than the HD 4830...you start getting a lot less. But ideally this kind of card would be paired with at least a 20-22" LCD that can push 1680x1050. The Phenom 9500 wont be holding you back either, as of right now my system is running the same processor with an HD 4850, and even with games knocked up to 1920x1200 with highest details im not suffering at all. There is ground to be made up, with a better chip I would probably see a sizable boost in performance, but its not holding me back.

Some Quads can even slow a Game Down

Read Here
Although there are only a few listed...I'm sure there is more not listed

Hope this helps in your Decision

ok although 4830 is a 'low end' its still new architecture and better than a 4770? ok thanks

the 4770 is a newer card and is faster than a 4830

The HD 4830 is not low end, its performance mainstream...if you have to call it something. The HD 4830 uses the same RV770 graphics processing unit as used in the HD 4850 and HD 4870, the only difference is it has reduced SIMD count, which means it ends up with fewer shader processing units and fewer TMUs. The RV770 is ATI's current flagship processor and is used in the HD 4830, 4850, 4870, 4850X2, 4870X2, and a newer revision is being used in the HD 4890...so basically all of ATI's high end cards are using this same technology in one form or another.

Basically the way this is playing out is the HD 4770 is a viable replacement for the HD 4830 and HD 4850, while the HD 4870 will fall in price to take over the $150 price segment, while the HD 4890 handles the $199 segment. The HD 4770 has had some issues and is not being seen in any remarkable numbers - bottom line is you will have trouble find a HD 4770 at this point and when you do, on sites such as newegg, you'll be staring at a $120 price tag.

The HD 4770 is faster than the HD 4830, and it is slightly slower than the HD 4850. But the problem right now is that $120 asking price. Hell for $124 you can get an HD 4870 right now, and that is faster than the HD 4770 by a considerable margin. TSMC's 40nm production has come to a halt and though rumor is any problem that has been found is being addressed, but this means we may not see the HD 4770 in any significant numbers for another few months...I personally wouldnt expect to see them in mass until the 4th quarter when ATI will unveil their new 40nm DX11 chips.

The reason you want an HD 4830 is because for $80 you cant go wrong, its plenty performance to shoot through 1680x1050 in any of the games available today. If you want to spend more than $100, look at the HD 4850 or the HD 4870 as that is a better option than the HD 4770 given its current pricing.

nevermind my prev post you've persuaded me to buy the more expensive 4850
http://www.(scan.co.)uk/Index.aspx?NT=1-0-94-549-0 remove brackets
could someone explain the diffeences between the cards please?
Note the prices are in Pounds and quite a rip off, can anyone recommend a U.K based online shop