[drwho1986]

Which would you go with?

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H130HMF128E1N Radeon X1300 512MB HyperMemory with 128MB Onboard 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x1 Low Profile Video Card - Retail

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H155HMF256EL1N-R Radeon X1550 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x1 Low Profile Video Card - Retail

The only reason I'm forced to choose between the two PCIx1 is the fact that I have a Dell e310 and don't want to essentially rebuild my computer to accomodate a PCIx16 card.

I just need something that will give me better than 10 fps playing WOW and 20 FPS playing CS:S and that will last me a year or so. I don't plan to overlock it.

Thanks for the input. If anyone could recommend a better (around $100 or so) PCI x1 card I'd be more than willing to listen.

[maroon1]

X1550 have better spec

Get X1550

[Meithan]

Well the X1550 has the better graphics processor, so I would go for that one definitely. The only plus of the other card is that it has a large onboard graphical memory, but I don't think it will ever be used. I explain:

Onboard video memory is mainly used a buffer. When the card is processing a frame, it loads it up in its memory and works on it there, since working with VRAM is much, much faster than using system RAM. For higher resolutions and/or high quality effects, you need more memory.

However for a card such as this one, I wouldn't expect running games at very high resolutions and/or very high quality since the GPU just can't handle that much, so having 512MB of VRAM is useless.

[lazer_viking]

I agree with previous posters, x1550 is the way to go for sure. the extra vram in the x13 is not any reason to favor it over the x15 at this level.

[drwho1986]

Kind of figured. Thank you all for the input!

Does anyone have any other suggestions for a PCIx1 card around that price or does it not get much better than that?

[BiGyLiLuPdAmIdL]

Well if you have to stick with the dell then the best pci 1x card is the x1550 that you showed, so just go with that.