Which graphic card to get?

This is completely false. Mixing cpu brand and gpu can't have any performance decrease.



Also, it won't be video cabling if the computer slows down when plugged into the tv, it is just having to process more pixels.

A hdd wouldn't be the cause of problems, or make any difference at all in games (besides load screens and save points). Just because it's sata doesn't mean it's fast though. I do think if you haven't defraged it you really should. It will speed up boot times, etc.

As for power supply, look at what the minimum requirements are for the gpu you get.

I also think a 450 would be overkill and you should find something for cheaper. I'm not sure what starcraft 2 requires but this is a pretty good forum that you could start a thread in.

http://www.computerforum.com/

 

NVIDIA vs. ATI is always debated. For me, I like ATI...never had a problem with em. I have had 2 NVIDIA cards, and both crashed constantly (not related to yours I'm sure). I have never heard of ATI w/ AMD and NVIDIA w/ Intel exclusively...but I do agree that if you are building a computer, you get more bang for your buck with AMD and ATI.

 

It matters how old the installation is and how much stuff you have installed and uninstalled. Depending on how active the box is I reinstall every year or two. You will definitely see an improvement if you are still working on an original factory install.

You might want to check out this link: Best Graphics Cards For The Money: October 2010

 

I never overlocked the card. It used to be a server computer for a company and when not in use, i got it in an auction.

And yes I have tried updating drivers, that is not the issue.

 

I will look to see if I need a new power supply with the card. However, if i have to worry about my current card overheating. I am just going to get a new one with built in fans, there is no reason that I would go out and buy some cooling system. I got the tv for the reason that I wanted my computer hooked up to it, and if this graphics card will help me with that, i will get it.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, please if you have more advice, keep posting.

 

While the hard drive would not be the cause of his rendering issues it is still integral to the performance of the machine especially when gaming. You don't actually expect the game to be loaded entirely into ram do you?

I mentioned the hard drive because it is an often overlooked cheap component that can deliver a hell of a performance boost when coupled with a fresh install. Many people have mentioned that they feel that hey have a brand new computer after this simple upgrade.

 

You shouldn't have to do a complete reinstall if you defrag, unless your system is being slowed down by viruses or programs running you don't use. If it's just programs you can just uninstall them. Computers should be on auto defrag weekly, unless they have a SSD which would be pointless and shorten the life of it.

That is what load points are for. During actual gameplay, you shouldn't have any lag due to your hdd unless you don't have enough ram to play the game, in which case you should upgrade the ram (he has enough though).

However, during normal computer use, I agree that processors are usually blamed when the hard drive is the real problem. It is incredibly beneficial to have a SSD - at least just for your programs and windows. My laptop has one and paired with a i7 it boots incredibly fast. 8) Even a SSD made no difference with games though (besides loading screens), but I have 6 gigs of ram which is enough for any game.

 

So is it the proc or ram that is overclocked? It is highly unusual for a company to overclock a server. Dependability is usually more important than the slight performance increase at the enterprise level.
Its also curious that it seems to overheat only when you output to the tv. If its going to overheat it should do it when your on your monitor too unless you crank up the settings for the tv.
hrm

 

A windows box can and will get corrupted through normal use and no amount of uninstalls and defrags will get it back to peak performance.

It has been about ten years since I did game design and I didn't take into account the prevalence of massive amounts of ram on home machines. There has always been a need for swap and most users still unfortunately have to deal with it.

 

ATI is run by AMD. Therefor, they are made in the idea of being run on AMD comps. NVIDEA is Intel based. There is no noticeable difference between running an ATI on an intel and ATI on AMD. If you run ATI on AMD there will be absolutely no compatibility issues can can slightly hinder the card's performance.

The whole point of defragging is to move files to better areas to keep searching for the files down. This increases the speed of the load time of the comp and programs as well as files. It will do nothing to the video card's performance.

+1


Have you looked in to building a new comp? You can build a better comp with quality parts for cheap. That is what I did.