Not really sure where to go for this, so I'm just posting here and hopefully it's the right forum. On with my issue....

I recently purchased an HP 580-t.
Specs:
Intel Core i7 950 @ 3.07GHz Bloomfield 45nm Technology - Four Cores
9.0GB Triple-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz
1GB AMD RADEON HD 6450

On steam, the requirements to run Crysis 2 are something like 2.2GHZ 2 cores, 2GB of RAM, 512 MB ATI Raedon 3250.

Every time I launch Crysis 2, my framerate sits at 20, no Vsync, at the lowest graphics settings. It's really hard to play a game where when you turn, everything is blurry. So does my set-up just svck or can I fix this? Please let me know and any help of any kind is greatly appreciated

The Radeon 6450 is terrible. A very low end budget card. You'll want at least a Radeon 5750-5770 for this game.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-

The higher numbers confused me as I thought higher=better.

So what card would you guys recommend?

Typical mistake. The first digit in the graphic card model number is usually just a small improvement or a new series.
The other digits are the ones that matter. For example... 5"870" > 6"850"

Before you buy a card, read the many reviews that are out there for each model.
You can see how much fps they get in what games and see what's best for your budget.

lmfao! HIGH TECH!!! btw that cpu came out in 2009, your video card is pretty much useless, and you have way too much ram.

If you are on somewhat of a budget, the GTX 460 is a great card, and offers great performance for your $$$. If you have a little more to spend, get a GTX560/570, or if you are wanting to stick with ATI/AMD, get a 6870/6950/6970.

Realistically, anything less than those cards, and you are doing yourself an injustice. Unfortunately the card you have is rubbish imo.

Basically with the AMD/ATI cards, the first number xyyy is the series, and beyond that is how good it is. 9xx > 8xx > 7xx, etc. and 990 > 970 > 950...

My GTX 460 768mb can run any game maxed out at a playable 30+ fps, including crysis 2. I hope it'll last for a some time.

once he gets a good gpu, he'll have a decent gaming rig, wonder if he's using the mouse that came with it too

Forget way too much ram, its way too slow 532 (1066 in standard terms) it should at least be 667 (1333 in standard terms) if not 800 (1600) or above.

ps. anything above 4gb is way too much ram for the current version of crysis 2. No 64bit exe WTF

What resolution will you be playing at?

For 1920 x 1080 - GTX 460

1680 x 1050 - HD 5770

1440 x 900 - GTS 250

2560 x 1600 - GTX 570

GEt a Gtx 570 or 6950

i run this game with a 5670 1GB ddr5 card..runs perfectly..




-UC

Typical mistake. The first digit in the graphic card model number is usually just a small improvement or a new series.
The other digits are the ones that matter. For example... 5"870" > 6"850"

Before you buy a card, read the many reviews that are out there for each model.
You can see how much fps they get in what games and see what's best for your budget. Ahhh, thanks.

And to those asking how much money I have, $0, but I will get some for my birthday. Would you guys recommend installing the graphics card myself, or giving it to a professional?

What resolution will you be playing at?

For 1920 x 1080 - GTX 460

1680 x 1050 - HD 5770

1440 x 900 - GTS 250

2560 x 1600 - GTX 570 1366x768

So anywhere around 5800 would be great, right?

Typical HP. They give you great hardware, up til you look at the GPU. If you're looking for a prebuilt that's good for gaming, Dell tend to be much better for that. They offer XPS (performance) or Alienware (gaming) brands where there IS no option for a poor GPU like that. They also tend to be quite balanced and you can choose what goes in, to a degree, with the customiser.

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8300/fs For example the XPS 8300 offers Sandy Bridge Intel CPUs from this year, plus up to a Radeon 5870 which is very decent. Also, if you want pure insanity and have the budget, the Alienware Aurora is for you. Minimum of a Radeon 6870, up to a GTX 580, or SLi/Crossfire setups too.

Can't go wrong with those, you just gotta choose what you want. Avoid HP's, no customisability, not very gamer-centric.

Typical mistake. The first digit in the graphic card model number is usually just a small improvement or a new series.
The other digits are the ones that matter. For example... 5"870" > 6"850"

Before you buy a card, read the many reviews that are out there for each model.
You can see how much fps they get in what games and see what's best for your budget. Ahhh, thanks.

And to those asking how much money I have, $0, but I will get some for my birthday. Would you guys recommend installing the graphics card myself, or giving it to a professional?

is that even a question? Unless that professional is a friend and is willing to do it for under $5 (or your countries equivalent (racial sensitivity FTW)) just do it yourself. Honestly there is almost nothing that could go wrong especially with modern day cards, they are 80% covered in plastic so you couldnt possibly accidentally shock them.

There is nothing wrong with the mans computer. He just has a crappy vid card. So he has 9gigs of memory and a 2 year old CPU if he is using a 64bit OS and 64bit apps and multitasking hes prolly using a lot of it. When I'm using Bryce daz3d and 3D max at the same time i svck up close to 5gigs. As far as the Core i7-950 go's it's a rock solid CPU. The sandy bridge has not been out very long. So hes not obsolete.

I partially agree with the 9 gigs thing. 6 might be borderline for some people and since SB is trichannel the next step up is 9, not 8.

Typical mistake. The first digit in the graphic card model number is usually just a small improvement or a new series.
The other digits are the ones that matter. For example... 5"870" > 6"850"

Before you buy a card, read the many reviews that are out there for each model.
You can see how much fps they get in what games and see what's best for your budget. Ahhh, thanks.

And to those asking how much money I have, $0, but I will get some for my birthday. Would you guys recommend installing the graphics card myself, or giving it to a professional?

is that even a question? Unless that professional is a friend and is willing to do it for under $5 (or your countries equivalent (racial sensitivity FTW)) just do it yourself. Honestly there is almost nothing that could go wrong especially with modern day cards, they are 80% covered in plastic so you couldnt possibly accidentally shock them. I'm more worried about messing up and destroying the computer. I also read reviews on the HP models that said some of the GPU's power supply weren't supported by the computer's power supply. If I were to install the GPU's power supply with the GPU would I need to do anything else?

And to everyone making fun of my "high tech" computer, piss off lol. I came from a Mac to PC for BC2, BF3, and now Crysis so I don't know a damn thing

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is that even a question? Unless that professional is a friend and is willing to do it for under $5 (or your countries equivalent (racial sensitivity FTW)) just do it yourself. Honestly there is almost nothing that could go wrong especially with modern day cards, they are 80% covered in plastic so you couldnt possibly accidentally shock them. I'm more worried about messing up and destroying the computer. I also read reviews on the HP models that said some of the GPU's power supply weren't supported by the computer's power supply. If I were to install the GPU's power supply with the GPU would I need to do anything else?

And to everyone making fun of my "high tech" computer, piss off lol. I came from a Mac to PC for BC2, BF3, and now Crysis so I don't know a damn thing

1360 x 768?

Well that won't require much.

An Hd 5750 will do.

If you want to stick with AMD, check out the 6850s. They're under $200, dx11 support, and over-clock like mad. Just one will run any current-gen game with good-to-great FPS - I have 2 of 'em crossfired and OC'd and that setup chews up any game I can throw at it.

Anyway, you don't have to pay upwards of 250 bucks for a good graphics card. Definitely make sure your power supply can handle the new card, though. You won't have any compatibility issues between the PSU and the GPU, but you'll want a PSU that exceeds 500 watts at the minimum, and make sure it says "modular" next to the name, or you'll be strangling yourself with zip-ties before your upgrade is done.

If you want to stick with AMD, check out the 6850s. They're under $200, dx11 support, and over-clock like mad. Just one will run any current-gen game with good-to-great FPS - I have 2 of 'em crossfired and OC'd and that setup chews up any game I can throw at it.

Anyway, you don't have to pay upwards of 250 bucks for a good graphics card. Definitely make sure your power supply can handle the new card, though. You won't have any compatibility issues between the PSU and the GPU, but you'll want a PSU that exceeds 500 watts at the minimum, and make sure it says "modular" next to the name, or you'll be strangling yourself with zip-ties before your upgrade is done.

He's playing at 1360 x 768. A 6850 is overkill for that resolution.

The gpu does not have its own power supply, what you are most likely reading about is the pcie 6 pin power cord from the psu. http://www.pcpower.com/images/products/b/PCIE-6-8_3853.jpg I do not believe the card you currently have requires a seperate power connection because it probably doesnt need more power than your motherboard supplies it with.

Right now you either have no problem, a small problem, or a expensive problem. Lets start with no problem: If your power supply has two (or maybe eveb one of the above cords sticking out then you are fine. Small problem: If your power supply has none of the above cords sticking out then you would have to buy one or two of http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=4+pin+molex+to+pcie&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7247854542493788615&sa=X&ei=axqZTZfeGYOI0QH7y5jsCw&ved=0CCwQ8gIwAw# Now, the large problem would be that your psu simply does not have enough wattage to support whichever card you choose. In that case you either have to choose a lesser card or buy a new power supply

If you told me the card you are going to pick and the psu that you currently have I could help you further

If you want to stick with AMD, check out the 6850s. They're under $200, dx11 support, and over-clock like mad. Just one will run any current-gen game with good-to-great FPS - I have 2 of 'em crossfired and OC'd and that setup chews up any game I can throw at it.

Anyway, you don't have to pay upwards of 250 bucks for a good graphics card. Definitely make sure your power supply can handle the new card, though. You won't have any compatibility issues between the PSU and the GPU, but you'll want a PSU that exceeds 500 watts at the minimum, and make sure it says "modular" next to the name, or you'll be strangling yourself with zip-ties before your upgrade is done. 460 watts *sniffle*. Anything I can do about this besides buy a new computer?