Which graphic card to get?

So i had my desktop hooked up to my 42" LCD TV for a while. I think the graphics card cant handle it anymore (it was running really slow and crashing, but seems to be working ok on a regular monitor). So i am wanting to upgrade graphics cards, I also play games such as Starcraft 2, COD, and WoW. What would you guys recommend? I have done some research and I think these 2 cards are the best deals based on my system.

Currently,

4 Gigs of Ram
3.4 Ghz processor (Intel Pentium 4)
128 MB ATI Fire GL 7100
Windows 7 32-bit

Here are the cards I am deciding between (unless anyother cheap recommendations):

Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1450-TR GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-N450OC-1GI GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

You might not be able to use either of those cards. Lots of P4 boards don't have PCIe, only AGP, which eliminates most newer cards.

Regardless, a processor upgrade is not only long overdue for you, but will definitely help your system perform better.

 

The ATI FireGL 7100 is PCIe.

I have 2 of these CrossFire and can run anything I want at full Res.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5625658&CatId=3669

I am running a Phenom X4 2.5 GHz with 8 GB DDR3 on Vista 64.

 

Ah, then that's not an issue. Hopefully, there's no quirk with these cards and that mobo because of the 1.0 / 2.0 thing. 99% of the time there's not, but ya never know lol.

Either card is a massive jump up, TBH. There's no substantive differences, either.

 

How many watts is your PSU? If it isn't strong enough the upgrade is a waste. Another issue is size. What style case do you have? Do you have 2 slots in the back next to each other available to be removed? Most video cards now take up two slots.

Since you are using Intel I suggest going with a card using an NVIDEA chipset over an ATI chipset. ATI is more for AMD and NVIDEA for Intel. They work interchangeably, but there performance may be hindered slightly.

This would work just fine for you since I am sure you will want to use an HDMI connection:

Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTS450 DirectCU TOP/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I plan on buying this for my AMD based computer:

Newegg.com - ASUS EAH5850 DirectCU TOP/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ ATI Eyefinity

 

TBH, I'm moderately sure the Pentium 4 is going to bottleneck your card. By "bottleneck", I mean the overall performance of your system is going to be limited not by your GFX card, but by the P4.

 

While that is true, almost all graphics cards have their own processor built in. It won't be a huge issue, but you won't get the performance from the card like you would if you had a better CPU.

 

These guys bring up some good points. You definitely need to check your case for space and your power supply 'cause these new cards are beasts. While it would be nice to upgrade that proc you would have to get a new mobo and ram to match and thats a chunk of change. You didnt mention what kind of hard drive your running. A new sata with a fresh install could give you a noticeable boost. I'm not really sold on Fermi especially the low end cards like the 450. Personally I would rather have a higher end 200 gtx than a low 400. Check toms hardware guide for some benchmarks. I wouldn't discount ati, they make some great hardware, and I don't believe you need to worry about matching chipsets.
rock on

 

The processor/motherboard and ram is fine. My current card is lacking in power. Also, the P4 board is PCI express, so they will work fine.

 

Don't bother. With that processor you can't do much. Hell, you need a better one to play upconverted 1080p (at least anything that looks good).

Also, I'd check this thread out about software for HTPCs. It basically takes any movies and tv shows you have and automatically downloads hd wallpapers, covers, screen shots, and summaries for every episode or movie. It looks very pretty.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1092168

Also, if you build a new computer, you should go with AMD/ATI. You can get something much better for your money, unless you want the very best in processors in which case you should get an Intel i7.