How good is the GT330 & what should I upgrade

[Michael Nielsen]

Hi guys (and girls)

It´s been many years since I considered myself to be more or less updated on hardware, so I was hoping you might be able to comment on this subject.

I have a Packard Bell ixtreme M5741 PC with a i5 650 @ 3,20 GHz, 6 GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 7 64-bit and a Nvidia Geforce GT330 2 GB.

I have a free memory slot, so should be able to get some more RAM.
But what about the GT330 - is it outdated, or is it the CPU that causes COD to run "less than perfect"? (I play other games like the latest Call of Duty, Medal of Honor etc. maxed out on graphics - silky smooth)

I´ve also tried various drivers, and at the moment I use the latest beta-drivers from Nvidia, who seem to work quite well.

Any input is appreciated :D

Cheers
-Michael

[r0bc]

Don't bother with memory but I have a question? Is it dual channel memory and you have 4 slots in total....3 used?
The GT330 isn't much of a gaming card....look at a GTX 560 if you can. If money is tight try to find a GTX460 but they're EOL but still pretty good cards.
I'm curious, you say it plays some games silky smooth max detail. What resolution are you using?

[Michael Nielsen]

Hi, and thanks for your reply :)

Not sure what type of memory is installed, all I know is that it´s made by Kingston and that I have 6 GB. And yes, I have 4 slots, 3 of them are in use.

How important is memory when it comes to graphics cards - seems that the GTX 560 only has 1 GB, while my old 330 has 2. I skimmed through a test of the 560, and the guy who tested it seemed very happy with it, though :)
The price seems pretty good too, around 1700,- NOK here in Norway.
What about the GTX 560 Ti - is it the same card, only factory overclocked?

I play the games I mentioned in 1920x1080, while COD runs "OK" in 1280x1024. I also need to keep most of the detail settings at medium or low, and roads, trees and shadows are turned off.

When all of my other games run quite good (yes, I know a flight sim will require more "horse power" than FPS and that kind of games), it kind of turns me off when I have to mess so much around with the settings to get COD playable - and the results are obviously not what I expected after seeing the promo videos and screenshots before I bought it :) I tried the lowest settings, and although the framerate was nice, the game itself looked something like good, old SU25 or LHX Attack Chopper from back in the early 90´s... :cool:

Cheers
-Michael

[r0bc]

I've seen benchmarks 1GB vs 2GB frame buffer and there's not much differences at lower resolutions so its not that important.
Any GTX560 would be a huge upgrade over a 330GT. The Ti is alittle better card but you'd be happy with either. Just make sure your PSU can handle it.
Check this review

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944.html

[Michael Nielsen]

Thanks for the feedback :)

I´m considering getting a MSI GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr II, unless there are other 560 "variants" I should go for :D

Cheers
Michael