A Video Card Can Make a Real Difference

[Rich-M]

This was my system:
AMD A10 7700K FM2 3.4 Ghz Blk Edition, Msi A78M-E452 motherboard, 240 GB PNY SSD drive, WD Raptor Sata III 300 GBb Hard Drive, 16 Gb Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2133,Creative Xfi sound card, Pioneer DVD-RW 24X and XFX ATi R7- 250 2 Gb Video card with Windows 7 Pro.

The system is great and actually it replaces an Intel Gen 4 system most would say the stats blow the door off this one but I am not a gamer and don't really do even the graphics intensive Photoshop work I used to do as a photographer but I still appreciate the quality of good graphics so I purchased and installed an XFX R9-280 X 3 Gb graphics card I got a great price on as they have come down a lot recently, pointed out to me by Catch22. I must say the overall speed of the system has increased substantially as have the graphics quality. The 250 card is great value and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for value graphics especially with the size of a small graphics card, something needed badly in these smaller cases today, but I freed up some space in my tower recently.Catch informed me also in conversation that the second pci-x graphics slot can actually handle any type of pci-x card, something I guess I never knew ( not sure how I missed that) and that enabled me to move my creative Xfi graphics card to that slot allowing me to add this larger R9 280 card to my system and these two things have really transformed this system I have to say in to a great rig!

 

[DSTM]

By the specs looks like a very good Rig, Rich.
I just built another Rig (Boys and their Toys) I always want one faster.
I have a need for speed.

 

[Rich-M]

I have always had "a need for speed" which I think dates back to dialup days when everything counted to avoid insanity.
I remember "shotgunning" 3 modems and 3 telephone lines way back when and thought I was "king of the hill". Of course everyone else in here had to fight to get a phone line!

 

[DSTM]

Amazing how technology has come ahead in leaps and bounds.
I downloaded Microsoft Office a couple of weeks ago, and was downloading at 7000+KB/S
I thought WOW.

 

[IceMan37]

Fantastic. Soon your kids and grandkids will be firing up the PC version of Guitar Hero, and who knows ... Skyrim next!

 

[Rich-M]

Easy Hoss, my grandchild is 9 months and needs to walk first! After that the sky's the limit.

 

[IceMan37]

It's a damn shame to have an R9 280x and you won't even try Skyrim! But then again if you did you might forget to log in and check your forums!

 

[Rich-M]

Thast is my problem if I played games, I would be an addict and I would never stop. I am like an alcoholic to gaming potentially.

 

[IceMan37]

Well as much as I would game before I have learned to play games that would not make one so addicted. The type of game you can back out of after 30 minutes to 1-2 hours. Skyrim is one of those games the world is so huge that you literally get lost and you don't even care lol. Basically many times you just sit there in awe of the graphics and the world. When you get into a multiplayer game you get locked into teamwork with teammates and you feel you have to be there, which can be a drag if you need to get other stuff done.