The Witcher 2 isn't running great for me, sub 20 fps even at 1280x720.

I'm running vista 64 bit with a quad core Q8200 2.33GHz processor, 4gig RAM, and a 9600GS Nvidia card. I get the feeling it's not running better is the graphics card and if it is, what card would you recommend to replace it with, in a budget of like £120 ($190)?

I'm not particularly savvy on the hardware side of things, so thanks in advance =)

What resolution is your monitor? I'm thinking a GTX 460 or a 6870 would be within reach, although I'm not sure about the market for computer hardware in your area. Also, do you know the wattage of your power supply? That is quite important when buying a new video card.

gtx 560 is the best value nvidia card anyway

My monitor resolution is normally 1600x900, VGA, and I have a 300W power supply. And since I'm in the UK, I can easily order from amazon

That budget will get you an nVidia GTX 460 (get the 1GB version) or AMD/ATI HD 5850, which is should run the game plenty well. The GTX 560 is even better, but I doubt you'll find one within your budget.

You will also have to upgrade your power supply, which will break your budget :(

Yah, that power supply is very weak. You could get a 500W power supply and a 5770 on that budget, I think. At least in America you could, again, not sure about your market. It would still be a crazy upgrade over a 9600GS...

Well, it's my birthday soon, maybe I can splash out then =) What power supply would you recommend upgrading to, I may be able to scrounge one off one of my friends

haha your power supply probably won't even have the necessary PCI-E connectors.

At that particular price point, the ATI 6790 is your best bet. Bit tech's review indicates that it kinda replaces the older 5770 and is comparable to the 6850. It also beats the Nvidia 550 Ti, though it seems a little dearer then that card. On scan, it sells around £112-115 but you can shop around if it suits you.
[url=]http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/04/05/amd-radeon-hd-6790-1gb-review/1[/url]

[url=]http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-amd/750/675/523[/url]


If your PSU and cooling conditions permit, have you tried overclocking your GS? I reckon a 15-0-20% overclock could net you 30+ FPS.

Oh, you'll need a new PSU then, this will be good enough: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/psus/2009/04/02/ocz-modxstream-pro-500w-psu-review/1

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001GLFD4U/ref=asc_df_B001GLFD4U2924635?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B001GLFD4U

I think I'd be fine for overclocking, how do I go about doing that?

Another Bit tech link ;) (don't worry, I don't work for them, just find them invaluable to us brits)

[url=]http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/09/15/how-to-overclock-your-graphics-card/1[/url]

EDIT: Whoops, linked wrong.

Second EDIT: With a 300w PSU, I'd be really careful with the overclocking. Open up your computer fist, just the side panel will do. If the PSU is a generic, no name PSU, which should be grey and cheap looking, please do not overclock since you run the risk of blowing it up, possibly damaging the entire computer.

Just the name of the psu and it's specifications will do, or a picture.

Yeah, overclocking didn't work, I increased some settings to see no change in FPS in game, and when I pushed them up a bit further the screen went crazy and I had to hard shut down. Looks like I'ma have to look around for a cheap 6790. Do the names before it really matter, like Sapphire and VTX, and how long realistically before I'm gonna have to look for a new card to play newer games?

Those names are the names of the companies who integrate, assemble, and support the cards. They may enable different features, or put different coolers on. Sapphire (and more recently XFX) are ATI's (now AMD's) first-tier integrators. Sapphire is very aggressive on price and usually first to market. XFX has a reputation for good engineering, tech support, and warranty service. There are many others, such as Palit and HIS, who cater to enthusiasts in particular; and mainstream integrators like Diamond, VisionTek, and Powercolor (which also sells as VTX).

The "6790" is a departure from AMD/ATI's numbering convention. Usually that would mean "sixth generation, mid-range (7) architecture, top of the line (90)". But it's actually the bottom of the "Barts" GPUs, being a cut-down 6870/6850, so it would have been numbered "6830" -- were it not for the "xx30" part numbers being poorly regarded. So they pretend it is the best GPU in the next series down from "Barts", when it is actually the least of the Barts line.

All that hot air aside, you are still going to need both a GPU and a power supply that will get you some satisfaction playing TW2. You'll need a good 500W power supply (with at least 34 amps at +12V), at least an Antec EA500D, for any graphics card that's worth upgrading to.

An nVidia GTX 460 (the 1GB models are the best) or AMD/ATI 5850 would keep you going for a few years. Unless you can afford an nVidia GTX 560 or higher, or an AMD/ATI 69xx (not the 68xx or 6790), don't bother. And I wouldn't go any higher than those with your CPU anyway: even though it's a quad core, it's one of the weakest quad cores on the market, and there's no upgrade path for it short of replacing the whole computer.

Man that sucks, thank god your PC didn't go though, had a few friends who lived that night mare.

The names to matter, since they indicate the company making the card. Some manufacturers, like powercolour, usually are not good for more costly parts, since the quality of components, and more importantly, the support and warranty period can be all over the place.

Game wise, the 6790 will be a huge, huge step up from your 9600 GS, so it can crunch through any current game thrown at it. Looking to the future (and release schedule) only ArmA 3 will truly test it, but that's coming next year. Battlefield 3 is coming out, but I'm not sure if you are into that. TW2 will run comfortably with it at high settings, though you might need to wait for a performance patch or two, heck the rest of us are. ;)

Realistically, the 6790 will be useful for 2 years, since the majority of high budget PC games will be console based. Overclock it, and it will last longer.

I looked around a bit more, and found a fantastic 6790, which is highly overclockable and cheap to boot. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/266519

I've found http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11194-00-20G-6790-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B004TQPZV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305839954&sr=8-1 on amazon, which looks like pretty good, and would http://www.amazon.co.uk/500-WATT-ATX-POWER-SUPPLY/dp/7135799313/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1305840103&sr=1-1 for a power supply be fine?

Thanks for all the support you've given me so far anyways, it's nice to know there are lovely helpful people on the internet =)