Which graphics card?

[da2ca]

I have been looking for a new graphics card for a while now. My budget was origanaly £50-£60ish for a second hand one.

The thing is i use the 32” TV as a monitor so i’m not sure what i will need, Will the 512mb be better than the 256mb?

At the moment i have seen 2 cards that sound interesting but need some advice if this is the right option or is there something better for the money i can get?

1; ATI Radeon HD 3850 256MB, new for £85

2; X1800XT 512mb w/ Accelero X2 cooler Second hand £45

3; X1900 XTX 512mb w/thermalright HR-03 heatsink with a noctua fan S/H £75

Any help is appreciated.

Dave.

_________________

 

[Luigi]

the 3850 is a great card, my brother just got one for his rig and it performs really nicely.

As a tv isnt a high resolution, the bigger memory wont have a perticularly great influence on performance, but if it fits your budget it may be worth it.

Have you looked at the nvidia 8800gt 256mb from scan? its just over £100 and would really pack a punch.

 

[Ham]

The HD3850 is by far the most powerful, and for that price the best buy.

 

[da2ca]

Will the new 256mb card be ok on the 32" tv or will the older 512mb be better?

Does the extra ram help on a big screen?

Thanks

 

[deathwish]

yea the 1st option is by far the best it should be fine on your tv tvs dont use a very high resolution so you shouldnt have any problems

 

[Luigi]

it helps on a big screen in the sense of a lot of pixels, but since it is a tv, the pixel count is quite low so a 256mb card will do fine...

 

[da2ca]

Will it be ok on a samsung 22" monitor as well @ 1280 X 1024

 

[Luigi]

thats a wierd reso for a 22", is it widesreen?

It should be ok for that as well the 3850 will own the other cards, and if youre that worrried about mem get the 512mb verision

 

[da2ca]

thats a wierd reso for a 22", is it widesreen?

It should be ok for that as well the 3850 will own the other cards, and if youre that worrried about mem get the 512mb verision

Yes it is widescreen. Its another £40 for the 512mb version and i cant afford that.

 

[Luigi]

oh well your widescreen will be 1680x 1020 i believe, which the card should handle fine too.

 

[realitybytes]

With the 256MB version for gaming you will no doubt have to drop down from the native resolution but for general computer usage it will be fine.