So yea, I'm getting a great deal on a barebones Computer kit from tigerdirect (yes newegg is much better but won't ship to canada sadly). The motherboard of this computer is a modest Asus M2N-MX SE Plus which has integrated graphics via Geforce 6100 chipset. What I'm wondering is... would it be worth the extra $50 (shipping incl) to step up to a Geforce 8400 GS PCIe card? I'm not into hardcore gaming... would like to try Valves Portal, and Possibly some Battlefield (not 2142). I'm not into HD movies and often times get lower quality AVI just to save time. So, is it worth the Extra $50 or should I wait till my gaming interests get a little more hardcore and by then pick up a better card for about the same price as this 8400 GS? Thanks in advance for the great help I always get from afterdawn addicts!
I would say spend the $50. The 6100 cannot handle games decently anymore. Portal and Battlefield require more f/s (I don't want to say fps. >.>) to be enjoyable.
Thanks for the input. I was leaning on getting it anyway, just wasn't sure if I wanted to cheap out just to save a little cash.
No problem. Just as some side info...I tried playing GoW on my 6150SE and got <5fps. At 1024x768 with all glitter and posh turned off.
The 6100 is a useless graphics card. The 8400GS is not fast by modern standards, but it's miles better, possibly as much as ten times the speed.
Even if I pack 4GB of ram behind it? I missed my sale on the original barebones kit I wanted. But got a cheaper one but stayed with the 6100 to save cash for now. I'm gonna be buying a Graphics card soon. This way I cheaped out for now, but will be able to spend more on a better graphics card in about a month or 2. After doing a bit more research I figured I should go a little farther than the 8400.
my Barebones kit has a case that includes a 450w PSU. Its a Power Up case and I'm not sure if they have their own PSU, use generic or 3rd party. It's not listed in the details. But I do have a PSU.
