Seeking advice re: graphics card

[DGutierrez32]

I have right now:

Thermaltake Bach VX Case (two fans, one in front, one in rear, one side panel vent)
Athlon 64 x2 5400+
3GB DDR2 800 RAM
Connect3d RADEON 1950pro 256mb card
Samsung 941BW 19inch widescreen monitor 4ms

Anyway, the graphics card overheats WAY too much for my liking, and framerates are less than impressive in one of my favorite games, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (especially at midfield with a lot of players on screen). From what I've gathered, the card starts to go nuts when the temperature reaches around 67-68°C, and if I don't escape the game IMMEDIATELY it will hard lock my PC (requiring shut down by holding power button). Simply put, my graphics card is okay for the games I play (as long as I scale down the resolution from my monitor's natural 1440x900 which I absolutely HATE!!!!!!!), but the stock fan is not getting the job done for me. I have concluded that I have 3 options for me:

1. Keep the current card, buy something like the Accelero S1 VGA Cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

and Turbo Module

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186021

PROS: WAY cheaper (around 45 bucks total with shipping included to APO military address) than buying a new card

CONS: I will have to install it myself, and I'm not very experienced at DIY computer stuff besides the very easy stuff like putting in RAM and a video card

2. nVIDIA 8800GT 512mb

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130303

Chose it only for the fact that the other one offers free Company of Heroes, a game I already have

3. ATI RADEON HD 3870 512mb

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102713

Looks like as of today, it's out of stock on NewEgg


So it looks as if I will have to choose between going with the cheap solution (install new fan myself, sacrifice performance) and upgrading my card. If I choose the latter, I'll then have to choose between the 8800 and the 3870 cards, both of which I have heard are pretty good. I'm kinda leaning towards the 3870 since it has a two-slot cooler, which leads me to believe it will stay cooler than the 8800 because it will be pushing air OUT of the case instead of merely pushing it AWAY from the card. However, I've read reviews of the 3870 on newegg saying it runs hot, etc. so I really can't be too sure. I think my case isn't great at all at staying cool, I'm forced to play COD4 with the side panel removed.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated from anybody who owns or has owned either the S1 VGA cooler or either of the two cards I'm looking at. Thank you in advance!

[Hollow]

well going by ur rig, and then going by mine, you should not be having a prob running pro evo 8 at all (also my fav game 2nd to CoD4, love it)

im running it maxed out m8, i would say its ur card's fan not working, just install a new one.

you could also get a ram monitoring prog as well just incase.

what u can do aswell is, play the game and when it goes nuts and u have to hard shut it down, restart it, then going into ur bios, just see what temp its saying ur CPU is.

[DGutierrez32]

Pro Evo is sweet, man, I got my game patched up, just waiting for something with the complete 1. Bundesliga. I play on 1440x900 resolution (forced with kitserver--juce is the man!) and it gets quite choppy at times. I'm pretty sure my card fan works, because I check ATI catalyst control center ALL the time and as soon as I get out of games, my temps drop a few degrees celsius. Plus I put my finger right next to the fan exhaust during games and I feel the hot air being blown out.

Which RAM monitoring program would you suggest? I appreciate your responding to my topic, thank you much!

[imported_Whiskey]

If you get a new card, I'd say get the 8800GT.

Click through the graphs on the following pages in this article - the GT regularly outperforms the 3870:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/11/15/amd_radeon_hd_3800/page8.html

[DGutierrez32]

What I'd like to see is how hot each of the two cards get. I'm about to get deployed to Iraq, so I'll have a little bit of extra money and will probably end up buying a new card. I just want to make sure I'm not in the same position I'm in right now with my next card. Also, I have to make sure "Is the few-frame improvement of the 8800gt worth the extra 30-50 dollars, and is that difference enough to sacrifice a two-slot cooler of the 3870?" The price itself isn't that big of an issue to me I guess, 250+shipping isn't that different from 290+shipping, although I could use the extra 40 towards a g5 mouse or something...

If I had proof the 8800GT ran cooler than the 3870, that would be all I need to settle on it as my next purchase.

[Hollow]

i not sure what ram prog there r about now

but what u could try is memtest, google it, its checks out ur ram, making sure its working properley cos they can cause all sorts of prob

memtest is a boot prog, so once u got it and its on a disc, u have to boot from ur drive.

[Scinto]

What PSU do you have?

[=98=]

67c-68c is not really that hot for a graphics card. They should be able to do 90c without problems.

[GeneralPatton]

Well seeing how you're displeased with your graphics card, just get new. If you don't wanna spend the money on an 8800GT, get an 8600GT... they are really good cards too (My father has an 8600GT) .. but if you can afford it, definitly go 8800GT and be done with ATi!

I love AMD but I have owned 1 ATi in my life and will never again.

[DGutierrez32]

I believe my power supply is 500w. I have had a hard lock on my computer (only thing to fix it is hold power button restart) with several games: BF2, Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs, Company of Heroes, and now Call of Duty 4. I also get these weird graphical effects when I have been playing for a long time in BF2, same thing happens if I play for a while in PES 2008. I never paid attention to the temps of my card until recently, and it seems to me that my computer starts going crazy at around the 65-70 degree celsius mark. Therefore, I have concluded that overheating of my card is the problem. alex98uk, do you have any idea if my card (radeon 1950pro 256mb) can do temperatures up to 90? If so, it may be something else that is the problem...