Graphic Cards for Starcraft 2

So I just bought a new graphic card for my computer and I wasn't sure what would be the best settings to play at the maximum performance. I googled around a little bit and saw that most people play on medium/high settings on the graphic card, but it all depends on the computer. I am also not sure what resolution to play on. I think this thread can be helpful not only to me but to anyone else who wants to upgrade their computer and wants feedback from us in the best upgrades and possible in-game settings to get the maximum performance out of their computer to play SC2.

Here is my computer specs and the new video gaming card that I got

Gateway DX4300 Specs: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/gateway-dx4300-03/4507-3118_7-33699591.html

Video Card Specs: http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/NOTEBOOK/GRAPHICS/ATI-MOBILITY-HD-5400/Pages/hd-5450-specs.aspx

Thanks for your feedback.

Moved to Star2 forum. Will give feedback wen im not on my droid

My parents have that exact Gateway model, with a 1920x1080 monitor. I played some SC2 during beta on it (mostly 2's with Rob). I could watch reps with no zerg on medium at that resolution, although the frame rates weren't all that great.

The 5450 is a weaker card, at least in gaming terms, than the 4650 that came with the computer. If you can return the 5450 and use the 4650, I probably would. Or return the 5450 and spend that money on a 5550 or 5570, which should outperform the 4650 for almost equal power draw. As a matter of fact, from a little looking around it seems the 5570 tends to outperform the 4670, albeit slightly, for less or equal power draw as the 4650.

Regardless of what you do, keep in mind that they give you a pretty wimpy power supply, so it's not a great idea to put a ton of strain on the system - as in, don't play SC2 at the highest settings your card can handle, and have 10 programs running in the background and have stuff plugged in every USB port and be listening to a CD at the same time - but if you use any of the cards I listed you shouldn't have a problem where power is concerned.

If you're stuck with the 5450, I guess all you can do is keep testing it at the settings you were running last night until you find a problem.

I was reading your post maar and I realized I put up the wrong model. I was asking myself "i dont have a 4650..." lol. Yeah that graphic card that came with the computer was an ATI Radeon HD 3200.

This is the correct model, so for the mislink: http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668608.php

Ahhh, I see. Yeah, the 5450 is a big step up from integrated graphics, although looking at those specs I still think you could run a 5550 or 5570 (they're extremely close both in performance and power draw) easily enough on that power supply, if you could still swap the 5450 for one. If not, the 5450 definitely beats the hell out of onboard graphics, and should give you better performance in videos and stuff, as well.

If you are sticking with the 5450, it might be reasonable to overclock the processor slightly. This isn't guaranteed to give you better frame rates, but at medium settings SC2 performance is still pretty reliant on the CPU and 2.6 Ghz is a little on the low side. A little poking around says 3.1Ghz is the highest most people can get from that CPU on stock voltage, but I'd probably aim for something a little lower (say 2.8Ghz or so), if possible, just to be on the safe side. AMD's stock cooler is normally pretty good, but that case doesn't have all that great of airflow to begin with and I'm not completely sure how much more heat it'll generate when you ramp up the speed. If you choose to overclock, make sure you download RealTemp, and use it to keep an eye on your temperatures.

Couldn't blame you at all if you don't want to give overclocking a shot, though, since it can be problematic, but I can conceive of that improving performance. Just to make this absolutely clear, though, if you damage the processor through excess heat (unlikely, unless you go crazy with the overclock or let things get caked up with dust) or too much voltage (and you won't adjust the voltage, or at least you shouldn't ... not with some no-name power supply) when overclocking it, it will void your warranty. Realistically, it's a small risk, and even if you do damage it they may honor the warranty anyway, but that risk is still there.

Of course, personally, when I play SC2, I play on low, even though my setup can handle ultra. Partially because it's just so much easier for me to see what's going on, but mostly because I think the multiplayer game looks better on low settings.