WillC

Hey, I just recently purchased a GTS 450 graphics card about 2 or 3 months ago, whenever it came out. I noticed that my computer still isn't able to play - with high fps - games like COD or other new games like Fallout New Vegas.

I'm using an ASUS M4A79XTD, AMD Phenom II X4 3.4GHz, 600-700watt Thermaltake PSU, and 4 gigs of ram. Also I'm using XP 32bit which I hear is getting pretty dated and I can't even use all 4 gigs of my current ram.

So I guess what I'm looking at is either a 64bit OS (windows 7) or SLI'ing my motherboard with another GTS 450. I wouldn't mind OCing my system as I think my CPU could run a lot faster especially with my cooling on it but I think it has more to do with graphics/DX9.

Another question would be if my mobo can even SLI, I see it says crossfire on their website but not SLI...ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Liqourice

No you can't SLI on that motherboard.

I've read somewhere about hacks that makes it possible but I wouldn't trust those and the chance for serious problems are probably high if you try it out.

The 450 is a low-end card so you'll just have to run with lower settings or get a better card.

WillC

Is the HD 5770 much better or would it make more sense to go with an HD 5850. i didn't think the GTS 450 was that bad. It's DX11 and has 1gb memory plus it wasn't that cheap - I guess it just isn't a good deal then.

Liqourice

I'm not saying it's a bad card, a game like Fallout NV is just extremely demanding.

Here's a review of the 450.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/review...roduction.html

It performs about the same as a HD5750 or a 5770 depending on what games you compare with.

Though, if you're going for an AMD/ATI card today you should get a 6870 instead. It performs better than the 450 and you can get a second one for Crossfire if you should wish later on.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/review...roduction.html

iPlayer

The 460 is a good choice, too. It runs somewhere in between the 6850 and the 6870, except you get physx capability, and a way more efficient card for folding than both (no idea if you are involved in that).

Overclocking that cpu will increase your performance quite a bit as well. You might want to do it in small increments and constantly check for stability, if you aren't exp'ed in it.

Judas

imo.. get 64bit windows 7 home premium..... then we'll see.. from there... no point is bothering with 32bit xp .... installing another video card will just dry up your available physical memory to SUB 1.8gb levels......

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Tipstaff

I do have 1 suggestion to try out as well, and that is to update your drivers for both sound and lan. Using outdated drivers can have a dramatic effect on gameplay, and those 2 are the biggest culprits.

Just like with Realtek the VIA HD drivers get better with each revision. Only problem is that unlike with Realtek new drivers still can't make a crappy chip like the VIA HD be any better, but newer drivers do seem to make it more stable with games. You can grab the latest off of VIAs website right HERE. These are dated as of October 2010 (3 months newer than the ones on Asus' website).

The second thing is the lan driver. That board uses the Realtek PCIe Gigabit Lan driver, and the ones Asus supplies are well over year old. I know, for a fact, that there have been numerous fixes to the Lan driver over that period of time, including ones related to stability and performance. You can get the latest off of Realteks site HERE (Realtek does secure downloading, so I don't know if the direct link will work or not). These drivers were literally updated as of yesterday.

I don't know if these will make any drastic differences for you, but it's worth a shot.

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blibbax

I'd say get a newer 64 bit operating system anyway. It's pointless not to now, you're going to want to down the line anyway. Besides, it'll make your PC faster in all sorts of other ways.

The GTS450 is not a super high end card but should be fine in a game like CoD providing that your resolution and AA settings are sensible... may I refer you to Tipstaff's excellent post directly above.

There is also, of course, as usual, the possibility that you're asking your PC to do too much at once (demanding background apps? left F@H on?).

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WillC

Tipstaff

I'd pass on that HD5870. It's as or more expensive than the overclocked HD6870s. I don't know why, but the prices of the HD5000 series are not dropping as fast as they should be. So, either wait a bit, and grab it when it does drop, or go for the HD6000 series instead. If "future proofing" (I hate that term so much) is of concern then the HD6000 series would be the best option, especially if you are considering going with a Crossfire setup. They'll be more readily available when you do go to by the second one.

As for alternate drivers for the GTS450, I don't think you'll find any modified drivers that support your card under XP. Support for the card didn't start until mid 256.xx, and as far as I'm aware any teams working on modified drivers (such as Omega, NGO, DNA, Xtreme-G, and so fourth) all stopped at/around v.169.21 (DNA are still around doing Vista/7 drivers though). So, I'm afraid you're stuck with the official drivers.

Edit: Keep checking DNAs site for XP drivers. XP drivers, and I quote, "... will be added when i have some more time."

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synthesis204

Just for reference, the 5870 is about equal to a GTX 480. Meaning it's far above a single 6870, 6850, 5850, or GTX 460/GTS 450. However, it suffers in Crossfire - if you had a choice, crossfiring 6850s or 6870s (or SLI'ing GTX 460s) would be the best bang for your buck. I'd probably go with 1 6870 and try and add in a 2nd later when you have some spare cash laying around.

For reference:
From least powerful to most powerful:
HD6850->GTX 460-HD6870->GTX480/HD5870