How come my graphics card is not good enough!!!

[lolisaiahlol]

Hello, i got a new graphics card. An ATI X1300 512MB XGE PCI EXPRESS. i am trying to play Test Drive Unlimited. i read the requirements and my computer is good enough. it slows down when i try to put it to 1280*1024. my greghics card says that i can play any game at that resolution, but it sucks. do i have to get a better card or somthing.

requirements

CPU : Intel P4 @ 2.4Ghz or AMD Athlon 2800+. GPU (Video Cards) : ATI Radeon 9800 256MB VRAM or Nvidia 6600 GT with 256 MB of VRAM. Video Cards with vertex/pixel shaders 2.x and above are recommended. SPU (Sound Cards) : DirectX 9.0 compatible Sound Card. System Memory : 512 MB, 1 GB

my computer

intel p4 CPU 3.40 GHz L2 Cache 1024k DRR 1024 MB video card x1300 series

[Indoril Nerevar]

Welcome to TSF!

To be honest, the X1300 isn't really a gaming card, so low framerates on a modern game isn't surprising. Upgrading your video card would be the only real way to increase your performance, unfortunately. Being a low-end card, the X1300 is more designed for business-level performance - nothing fancy like gaming.

You might get a little more performance by adding another 1GB of RAM, but it won't be a huge jump. If you can't afford an upgrade, just run it in 1024 x 768 and maybe try turning up a few of the details.

[lolisaiahlol]

thank you... but in your opinion whats a good card to have without throwing away a lot of money?

[Indoril Nerevar]

It depends what you call "a lot of money". What's your budget? Do you have a preference for ATI, or is NVIDIA okay?

[Tiber Septim]

There lies the problem. It depends on what games you want to use it for, and what kind of budget you want to stick to. Most of the higher end cards get up to the $500 -$700 (AUD), and that's not even the top range.
Prices go up exponentially, for example, you may be paying 100% more but only getting a 10% increase in performance.

[gamerman0203]

GeForce 7600GT will give decent performance at a good budet price. On Newegg, you can get one from eVGA for under $100 after rebate. Up front I believe it's around $110 or $120. That card will give you much better visuals than a 1300. If you want to stick with ATI, check out the 1600 series. They are comparable to the 7600, but tend to cost a little more.

[ebackhus]

I've got a 7600GT and can tell you that it works great for virtually everything I throw at it.

[lolisaiahlol]

wow i never knew my card would suck so bad.... the thing is i have only 200 to 300 dollars. i don't want to buy a card that is $300 and in a few week it goes down to $100 can i depend on the 7600 and 1600 to last me a long time?

[Indoril Nerevar]

The 7600 won't drop too far, IMO. The 8600's are about to be released, which will push 7600 prices down a little, but not a great deal. You might want to wait for an 8600, but I think they'll be over $300...

If I were you, I'd just go ahead and buy a 7600GT. It's a very nice card, is fairly cheap, and will last you long enough to be worth the money.

[lolisaiahlol]

if i buy this card will i be able to put the resolution to the max. cus i know that if you do that then the graphics will look better. do i have to upgrade my computer, like put any thing else in there.

[Indoril Nerevar]

You always have to try to balance resolution and detail settings. Increasing the resolution will decrease your ability to bump the detail up, and vice versa. However, with the 7600GT you should be able to put it to 1280 x 1024, with the detail at medium or more. Increasing the resolution doesn't inherently increase the detail of the graphics - it just increases the quality/clarity/crispness of the image.

What power supply do you have? That's the only concern, as you need a 550W or larger, and it's best to have a quality brand like FSP, Silverstone, Seasonic, or Antec. Have a read of the "Power Supply Info" thread in my signature.

[lolisaiahlol]

dam it! only 300W now i have to buy a power supply? so it wont work if i put it in there? whats my other alternative?

[Tiber Septim]

The only real alternative is to put up with lower detail settings and to keep your resoloution down.
Just curious, do you know the make or model of your Power Supply?

[lolisaiahlol]

well i really don't know the make but my computer is a gateway 700GR. i also have a picture of the power supply. here is the picture of the power supply. ( http://support.gateway.com/s/POWER/102015/nv.jpg ) i think gateway make there own power supply.

[Indoril Nerevar]

You will need to upgrade your powern supply, unfortunately. 300W won't cut it with the newer card.