Looking for a basic graphics card

[sjb007]

Hi Guys

Im looking for a basic but decent graphics card for an elderly friend. All he needs it for is to play MS Flight simulator X (which has a min spec of 32 MB DirectX 9 compatible video card required.) At the moment he has (I believe) an integrated NVidia GS8400 and it will not handle the graphics in a decent manner for the game as it keeps locking up the screen. Im looking for something that will handle the game comfortably at a max price of £40.

I have been looking at a couple of cards at Aria Technology, one of my regular sources here >> Asus GeForce GF210 512MB and this one >> Asus ATI Radeon HD 4350, which is cheaper but was recommended by someone else as a suggestion and I just wondered what your thoughts were on these budget cards.

[eneles]

Hi

I would choose an ATI Radeon HD 5450: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Componen ... ctId=41100

[sjb007]

HI Nicholas

Thanks for that, might sound daft but whats the difference between the card you recommend and the GF210, - I'm not too up on graphics here as I never have been into games side of things!

[eneles]

The nVidia might be a bit better. If his PC has an nVidia chipset - choose that, otherwise the ATI Radeon HD 5450. Why do I think that way? Because I've seen driver conflicts when the GFX is nVidia and the chipset is not.

[sjb007]

Ah I see, i'm pretty certain its nVidia chipset they have onboard

[eneles]

Yes, when the onboard GPU is nVidia, the chipset should be nVidia too. Something I obviously forgot.

[sjb007]

Thanks Nicholas for making me aware of that myself! So the GF210 is probably the better of choices then (unless you know if a better nVidia based card within that price range!)

[ssj4Gogeta]

If the game's requirements are so low, the 8400 should be able to handle that. It may be the processor instead. What resolution are they running it on and what processor do they have?

[sjb007]

Hi there ssj

I thought that the graphics would handle it too, im not too sure on the exact machine specs offhand but I have a feeling its an AMD Dual core 6000+ and 2GB of RAM. I know from what I am told that so far into playing the game, (not at the same point I may add) the screen would simply go black, the owner took the game back thinking it was the game at fault but was advised it was the onboard graphics overheating where they then contacted me regarding a seperate card. I did go ahead an purchase the Asus GeForce GF210 to keep up continuity with the driver brand to avoid any conflicts mixing with ATI. Ive not heard anything more since fitting the card so I am guessing all is well. If I do hear back I will certainly find out more details and post back.

Cheers

[ssj4Gogeta]

Glad to hear it's working fine now. May have just been an out-of-date driver.