Worth getting a new card?

[Sebbzor]

Hi. I'm not a big PC gamer and therefore my knowledge on the subject is limited but I really would like to play Civ 5, unfortunately my computer and my graphics card aren't that great. Almost all of my specs pass recommended though:

Windows Vista (32 bit)
Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs)
4GB Ram
etc

But my graphics card GeForce 7800 GTX doesn't even pass minimum. I tried out the demo and it was very laggy unless the settings were low and it did crash twice. I don't have the money to spend on a brand new computer but I was thinking about perhaps getting one of the cheaper graphics cards above recommended with ATI HD 4850 (512 mb) in mind. How much will this improve the performance of the game? Will I for example be able to play on high settings being lag free? I'm only interested in spending the money if there is a noticeable improvement. Thanks.

 

[sav]

A lot of us are wondering the same thing! I can play it on my laptop with everything turned down, and it's a bit choppy. I want to know how little I can spend to upgrade my desktop from Intel graphics and be able to run the game fine - even if its still on low settings. I just want to play it smoothly, that's all... any suggestions?

 

[tokala]

Hi. I'm not a big PC gamer and therefore my knowledge on the subject is limited but I really would like to play Civ 5, unfortunately my computer and my graphics card aren't that great. Almost all of my specs pass recommended though:

Windows Vista (32 bit)
Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs)
4GB Ram
etc

But my graphics card GeForce 7800 GTX doesn't even pass minimum. I tried out the demo and it was very laggy unless the settings were low and it did crash twice. I don't have the money to spend on a brand new computer but I was thinking about perhaps getting one of the cheaper graphics cards above recommended with ATI HD 4850 (512 mb) in mind. How much will this improve the performance of the game? Will I for example be able to play on high settings being lag free? I'm only interested in spending the money if there is a noticeable improvement. Thanks.

Don't go for a DX10 card anymore. A HD 5670 or 5750 or GTS 450 will probably be even cheaper. All of those should be easily fast enough for maximum settings (if you use a single monitor, that is). And DX11 mode looks MUCH better than DX9 mode, if comparing both on maximum settings.
You MIGHT end up CPU limited though, even with a Q6600
I have a GTX260 here, and it gets a bit lagggy (~20fps) if scrolling while zoomed out. Changing the AA level makes no noticable difference, so I suspect that my Core2Duo even at 3.3 GHz is not entirely up to the task

If I dial down the settings just a bit, it still looks very good and the lagggyness is gone.

 

[Sebbzor]

Don't go for a DX10 card anymore. A HD 5670 or 5750 or GTS 450 will probably be even cheaper. All of those should be easily fast enough for maximum settings (if you use a single monitor, that is). And DX11 mode looks MUCH better than DX9 mode, if comparing both on maximum settings.
You MIGHT end up CPU limited though, even with a Q6600
I have a GTX260 here, and it gets a bit lagggy (~20fps) if scrolling while zoomed out. Changing the AA level makes no noticable difference, so I suspect that my Core2Duo even at 3.3 GHz is not entirely up to the task

If I dial down the settings just a bit, it still looks very good and the lagggyness is gone.

Thanks. I found a ATI HD5670 (1GB) DX11 for around the same price, so this would be the better choice opposed to the ATI HD 4850 (512 mb)? I don't really need uber high settings, but I do want them in the medium to high range (pref in 1680 x 1050 res since I'm using a 22 inch monitor) so it can look nice but also run smoothly. Also, I do use two monitors in the sense of occasionally watching movies and TV shows on my TV from my computer using a hdmi/dvi cord, if that counts.

 

[tokala]

Thanks. I found a ATI HD5670 (1GB) DX11 for around the same price, so this would be the better choice opposed to the ATI HD 4850 (512 mb)?

A 5670 should be even cheaper than a 4850. It will be a bit slower though, but the DX11 support should make it the better choice. 1GB on a HD5670 is not strictly necessary, onless you are planning to use it on a supersized monitor (2560x1600) or multiple smaller ones. As long as you are not stretching Civ onto the second screen, that one will not count
I recommend that one.

 

[Sebbzor]

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it. I'm thinking about perhaps looking at the HD5750 for both the speed and the DX11 although it is starting to step on my budget threshold. How noticeable is the difference between DX10 and 11, Is it just graphics or also performance? Is it really worth the extra bucks?