Which Built-in Graphics Processor and Which MB?

[Groucho_Fields]

Sorry about posting my question under AMD Processors when it should have been here.
TAKE 2. I hope you all can help me. My daughter bought The Sims 3 game and her old computer just isn't up to snuff. I am looking to replace the MB / CPU / Memory and I am on a budget of under $175. Which built-in graphics processor would you recommend? I'm looking for a MB / CPU combination that will get her through high school (3 yrs or so). A couple of boards I am looking at are the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H (with ATI Radeon HD 3200 chipset) and the ECS GF8200A (with NVIDIA 8200 chipset) both coupled with an Athlon 64 X2 7850 processor. Any thoughts? Are either of these two graphic chipsets better than the other or would someone suggest a different graphic engine and / or motherboard? Thanks in advance for your replys!

[InspectahACE]

well first..what are the specs of the computer she is using?..I ask that since if all you are using is built-in video, then buying a new dedicated video card would easily fix the performance issues..but it really depends on what she is using. The stuff you mentioned would be good, but without a decent video card (doesn't have to be an expensive one) it won't perform good either way. Personally I think a dedicated video card would alleviate if not eliminate the issue. But it's hard to tell without knowing what you are running under the hood of that computer. On-Board/Built-In video on a motherboard is not always the best for even casual gaming. if you go for the set up you mentioned and a decent video card, then she would be set for a nice while

[smack323]

I agree, the minimum requirements for that game are very low. a $50 dedicated video card should really be all you need. maybe another $25 to upgrade the RAM.

[Groucho_Fields]

This is GF again. I think the biggest problem is the processor on my daughter's computer. It's only an Athlon XP 2400+ which is rated at 1.67 GHz and the Sims 3 needs at least a 2 GHz processor (I know this now, read on). Since I knew that her old video card was lacking I purchased a PNY 256 MB GeForce 6200 AGP card -- one of EA's supported vid. cards. Then I ran EA's System Requirments Checker, found on their website, and, her system passed the minimum requirement's test. I assumed that since AMD rates their processors higher than Intel, that this processor would work. So, when her system had problems playing the Sims 3, I called EA cust. support and reported to them the findings of their System Req. Check app. Needless to say they were none too supportive of their app and quoted the 2 GHz min processor requirment. So that's were I am now, thinking about returning the vid. card and buying a new MB / CPU / Memory. I saw a lot of positive stuff on the built-in ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics chipset and a few articles on the built-in NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI graphics chipset, but overall reviewers like the ATI better. So, once again, assuming that I want to save some money and buy built-in graphics, is there anything better than the ATI Radeon HD3200 or GeForce 8200 HDMI graphics chipsets, keeping in mind that I'm on a budget? And what AMD MB's would you buy with either of these (or a better graphics engine) chipsets on board? Thanks again, in advance!

[Major_A]

Here's the problem(s):
1. You are running a socket A CPU.
2. You are presumably using DDR memory.
3. You are running an AGP card.
4. Because you are running a socket A CPU you likely have a 20 pin power supply.

Because of those items you will need to update your motherboard, CPU, RAM, video card, and power supply.

Newegg Wishlist = $199.95 minus shipping with everything you will need.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=14102828

[ratNukit]

I second Major_A on this.

I just thought that since you'd wanted it to last the next three years a dualcore wouldn't be a bad Idea, so here's what I'd get.



After the rebate you'd be at 201.94 $

[Groucho_Fields]

This is Groucho_Fields again. To Major_A, I do realize that I have a socket A motherboard with an old AMD processor. In fact I admit that this is the problem right in my post. I am a little bit confused with all the articles I have read in other web sites, like Tom's Hardware, etc. If I read what the authors of various articles say, they really like the onboard graphics engines like the ATI Radeon HD3200 chipset. I read one article that said how much better it appeared to be in tests vs. the onboard chipset NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI.

In my original post, I tried to say that I was trying to stay within a tight budget (like under $175) and wanted to go with a good, reliable motherboard with a built-in graphics engine. I only wanted help to either confirm that one of my two choices for a motherboard was a good one (and tell me which one you would choose) or tell me that a different built-in graphics engine was a better choice, with a motherboard that uses this graphics engine. My first choice of cpu (currently priced at $60) is the Athlon 64 X2 7850 processor. Actually, right now I can get the ECS GF8200A with the X2 7850 processor and 4 GB memory for $160; but, like I said, is this the best built-in video graphics I can get for the money?

Thanks in advance for your responses! GF.

[Major_A]

Personally onboard video is a joke. It's good for surfing the internet and common desktop applications. It is not made for gaming. I don't care how much company X touts that their onboard can handle game Y it still is not made for gaming. And for the love of all that is holy do not get an ECS motherboard.

To answer your question though, HD 3200 vs Geforce 8200, the 8200 is the better solution.

The processor I linked to is based on the Conroe core so it should overclock like crazy. However, the X2 7850 is a nice processor. Though I wouldn't spend the extra money and just pick up a X2 7750. The clock speed difference is negligible and you would probably never notice the difference in day-to-day computing.

[pwcmed]

I feels like I'm always disagreeing with you major but from my experience the hd 3200 play hi-def content smoother. It's a bit choppy on the 8200.
I'm not saying get either because I think the 4650 will suit your needs more than any onboard video.

[Major_A]

You're right, apparently the HD3200 is much better at handling HD video. I found a review of the HD3200 vs the 8200. Keep in mind that the site deals with Linux but it should still give you a good idea of the performance.
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=a ... 8200&num=4