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Taken from http://press.cpu3d.com/media/image/g/9841/i/16943/IMG_0917.jpg

Got frustrated with the low fps (frames per second) on your favourite games. Thought of replacing your old and cranky graphic card for a better one? Sure, that might help boost your fps. But how much is the increase in fps in comparison with the money spent on the graphic card? It might just be about time you bought a new processor or a new rig! Hey presto! You have a reason to buy a new rig for yourself!

To put things into perspective, I’ll just relate to a first hand experience. I have 2 rigs, 1 on a AMD64 3200+ ( that was before I upgraded it to a AMD64 3800+ ) with a 512MBx2 DDR and 1GBx2 RAM DDR, and a AMD64X2 6000+ with a 2GBx1 DDR2 and a 1GBx1 RAM DDR2. Both were tested with the game, Left 4 Dead on a Winfast 6600GT 128MB with the same graphics ( on medium ). The latter could produce almost twice the fps than the former!

It might not be an apple to apple comparison but even running the AMD64 3200+ rig with a sapphire HD4670 512MB GDDR4 on the same graphics, there was only so much of an improvement. I do not know how much the different RAMs affect the game performance though. The HD4670 still creams the Winfast 6600GT on the highest settings. Even so, I still feel that the HD4670 has not been pushed to its limits.

Bottom line is, it is best that the PC is given an overall look before deciding on which part to upgrade. Make your money worth every dollar! Cheers!