Best GFX card for 1360x768 gaming in a 32" LCD TV

[sankukai]

Dear Canuck friends!

It's your old noob from Nicaragua back again in search of your collective wisdom. So far my RAM and PSU are still working and I have not had to deal with any budget draining, PC-related emergencies so far.

My question now is about GFX cards and LCD TVs. I am currently using my 32" LD330 LG LCD TV as a computer monitor and like it very much. I am also using a Radeon HD 6870 for my current gaming needs but I am always on the lookout for potential upgrades( when my budget allows it). The thing is, this time I want to be wiser when it comes to potential future upgrades. My TV's native resolution is 1360x768 and I plan on playing at this resolution for the foreseeable future. What GFX cards would you recommend for playing PC games, with mostly maxed settings, at that resolution without having to spend a ton of money on the latest GFX monster cards that have just come out? Any specific Nvidia or AMD cards that come to mind?

Suggestions would be most welcome

[Bond007]

Your current 6870 should be able to max almost any game at that resolution. Honestly, I don't think you need to upgrade it until you want higher resolution. Are you having problems with it?

[sankukai]

Originally Posted by Bond007

Your current 6870 should be able to max almost any game at that resolution. Honestly, I don't think you need to upgrade it until you want higher resolution. Are you having problems with it?

Thanks for the advise dude......the thing is....sometimes I do get some lag and bad frame rates at maxed out settings, particularly in some of the newer games( Metro2033, Lost Planet 2, AVP, Assasin's Creed 2, ARMA 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, etc). I am guessing that it is more than just the card's memory but also its default clock speed as well as my aging Q9400, 333Mhz 8GB DDR2 rig. The thing is, I have been reading that more and more of the newer PC games will tend to be more GFX-card intensive in the near future and so I want to be prepared. My current financial situation does not allow me to totally upgrade my PC and so any near future purchase( barring a HDD crash or some other catastrophic event) will most likely be a new card. Eventually, I do plan on updating my whole system but for now, a new gfx card is most likely on my shortlist.

Any suggestions?

[Perineum]

That really doesn't make sense. An 8800GT should be able to max that resolution out just fine but you've got a card that is 2 generations newer than that. It shouldn't stutter at all.

I cannot really offer an upgrade as that card should be absolute overkill at that resolution. Perhaps drivers are an issue? Your processor and RAM seem to be adequate.....

[BrutalGreen]

Sounds like a CPU bottleneck as at that res a 6870 should have no issue. Although keep in mind that at lower resolutions the CPU becomes much more of a noticeable factor. Ofc I could be wrong but mind telling us what CPU u have. While ur at it ur ram, how many pci-e lanes ur GPU has access to and possible bloatwares as all these could cause framerate drops!

Edit: sry didn't notice u posted ur specs, CPU/RAM seem to be fine, look for issues in drivers/bloatwares/configuration...

[Soultribunal]

Originally Posted by Perineum

That really doesn't make sense. An 8800GT should be able to max that resolution out just fine but you've got a card that is 2 generations newer than that. It shouldn't stutter at all.

I cannot really offer an upgrade as that card should be absolute overkill at that resolution. Perhaps drivers are an issue? Your processor and RAM seem to be adequate.....

Might very well be a stuttering issue with the drivers.

You're right though Per, the system listed should be 2X overkill on that resolution.

ST

[Cowboy]

I've also got a 32" LCD that I use on my main box, along with a GTX 560Ti... I maxx out everything I throw at it (most of the same games that you do) without problems.

It's even getting me to consider an upgrade to a 1080p 32" LCD.

I don't know why you are having "stuttering" problems, could be AMD drivers though...

[johnnyblazzwa]

ive got a 5670 515mb for the same res. i can max out alot of games but stuff like crysis warhead and gta not so much(probably 80%)

i would expect a 6870 to dominate that res though

[LarkStarr]

that system is overkill for that resolution, as said previously. If you want to be anal, try a format of your system and just reinstall everything.

but it shouldn't be stuttering at all. some kind of background process? Something taking up precious CPU time or RAM space (doubtful)?

[sankukai]

Originally Posted by LarkStarr

that system is overkill for that resolution, as said previously. If you want to be anal, try a format of your system and just reinstall everything.

but it shouldn't be stuttering at all. some kind of background process? Something taking up precious CPU time or RAM space (doubtful)?

I just did a clean system install on a new Seagate 1TB hard drive so the only thing I can think of that could further improve performance is updating my drivers. ATI's 11.1a driver hotfix supposedly fixes a number of performance issues on their radeon 6800 series but I already have their Win7 64-bit CCC 11-2 update installed in my system. I assumed that all prior driver updates/hotfixes would already be included in this package, isn't that right?

If not, then please let me know what other updates/drivers/fixes I should be installing to improve my system performance

thanks