[ZaksBadBR]

I'm not a very tech savvy guy, so when it comes to graphics cards I'm just not sure what to get. Would it be better to get two less expensive cards and run them both or just one good card? For example I was thinking just one gtx 560 but then I read that the 560 isn't worth the price tag compared to some other cards. The main game I plan on playing is GW2 and I want to be able to run it in at least high settings. Thanks!

[Oddba11]

There are other factors to take into consideration, especially in regards to multiple cards. That would be the power supply and cooling. Multiple cards will require more (clean) power and generate more heat.

I always recommend buying the fastest single card solution that fits your budget. And ensure you are using a quality power supply with enough amps to power your system.

[ZaksBadBR]

So do you think the gtx 560 would be enough to handle GW2 on like a high setting? I plan on having 8gb of RAM if that helps...

[black-wolf]

The 560 is a good card and will handle your games. Make sure you have a quality PSU 550w -600w.

[Compiler]

What is GW2? Also it depends on your monitor resolution and how powerful the rest of your computer is.

The 560 is fine for low-res for modern games (1650x1050 - 53fps with Crysis go up to 1920x1200 and it drops to 29fps)

Please let us know more about your computer, CPU/brand PC / power supply. If it came with 32bit Windows installed, adding another 4GB would be useless. And only a few games actually make use of 8GB of RAM... I rarely use more than 3GB.

If you have an HP PC with a typical 300watt PSU, the new gaming card can end up frying your computer. if you buy a cheap 500watt PSU, it can fail and fry your whole computer... because ALL $20 "500 watt" PSUs can only handle 350 or so watts.

Trust me, we've seen people fry $1000+ in new PC hardware by doing this.

[ZaksBadBR]

This is for a computer that I am getting in like a month or so. GW2 stands for Guild Wars 2. And the PSU is going to be a 750 watt Corsair. And I will be playing at 1920x1200 resolution.

[black-wolf]

I play at 1920x1200 with my graphics card 6870, the 560 is equivilent to the 6870. Crysis plays with the graphics maxed out at 50 -60 fps the same with Skyrim and JC2. You can see my system specs above in the little computer icon.

[Compiler]

I play at 1920x1200 too... on my trusty ATI 4670 card. It doesn't play Crysis

[black-wolf]

Originally Posted by Compiler

I play at 1920x1200 too... on my trusty ATI 4670 card. It doesn't play Crysis

Yeh, that card is a little weak for Crysis. I played it on a AMD 6000 system with a 8800GTS originally and it run very well.

[ZaksBadBR]

So you don't think I need anymore than 4GB of RAM? Cause, yeah, I'm only going to be using a 32-bit OS. Right now I'm using 64-bit but I doubt I will really be able to tell the difference.

[black-wolf]

For gaming 4gb is adequate. Why are you going back to a 32 bit system?

[ZaksBadBR]

Originally Posted by black-wolf

For gaming 4gb is adequate. Why are you going back to a 32 bit system?

Oh oops, I just checked the website where I'm getting my system from and it's a 64bit OS. So I guess if I wanted to in the future I could add more RAM.

[black-wolf]

Sure can

[Compiler]

There is only one game I have that uses more than 4GB of RAM, Supreme Commander... which is understandable. I'm currently running a 32bit Win7, so on my next upgrade - it'll be 64bit since 8GB of RAM costs about $30! I just can't play the HUGE maps, I run out of memory. Otherwise, I rarely ever run out of memory. For business users (non workstation) I still just go with 4GB and 32bit version of Win7... as 32bit OS uses less memory than a 64bit OS. Off the top of my head, you lose about 300mb with 64bit Windows7.

So, I'd go ahead and go with 8GB if its within your budget... find out what is cheaper... going 8GB with aftermarket or with the memory pre-installed. I don't have these issues personally as I build systms

@Black-wolf: Not sure if I'm been insulted...
I have an upgrade bug, its been about 4 years since my last upgrade... with the SSD in my system, my Q6600 still does what I need. I paid $90 for my 4670 and it plays all my games fine... my newest game however is Left4Dead2. I don't play crysis (because of the weak card). I usually just play SoCom and UT2004 and a bit of UT3. The PC gaming market is weak, the draconian DRM they use on games TURNS ME OFF. I wanted to buy Mirror's edge (now a $5 game), but it has SecuROM and other titles. Its SOOO stupid. It does nothing for piracy, it punishes the owners of games. Because its easy to get those hacked versions of those same games. I like STEAM as it holds onto my account for games and less DRM. I think a CD-Key is more than enough for piracy. Anything more is a waste of resources. So, I stick to my old games and may eventually just get a PS4 or PS3.

[black-wolf]

Compiler - No insult intended, I was just making conversation. I agree the PC gaming market is weak. I don't game on consoles and never will. Part of the fun of PC gaming is keeping the computer up. Steam works very well and most of the games I play are on Steam, but I am used to buying and owning my game disk not renting the software. This is a discussion for elsehere though.