I currently have a NVIDIA Geforce 6800GS.

I can get a HP NVIDIA Quadro FX3450 256MB PCI-E OEM
here is a link to a buy page


which is better for gaming?


The Quadro is WAY more expensive, but is it better for gaming?

Thanks folks, this info is always hard for me to find!

IMHO, I wouldn't bother upgrading from the 6800GS to the quadro 3450. I can't find much information on the 3450, but from what I did find, I wouldn't pay the price to get that small an upgrade. I've got a 6800GS and love it. Simply love it! I can run games like BF2 in high resolution and not lag. If you are lagging, then perhaps your computer is bottlenecking some place other than the graphics card. Maybe you could take the money you were going to spend on the card and upgrade something else, like RAM or your processor!

Hope this helps! I'm sure that others will chime in with their opinion!

Here is one: The Quadro card is designed for 3d CAD/CAM, and won't perform in games as good as the card you have now. It is not worth the money for what you use the video card for.

the truth is, i can get a quadro for 50 bucks still in the package, which is the main reason im contemplating it. My comp now is screwed up whenever i run 3d games, but fine everywhere else....i have tried for a month on this board to find out what is wrong, and people seem to think it could be the video card. Mainly, i figure i will spend the 50 bucks if the quaddro is as good or better than my current card for games, just to possibly fix the problem

Above it says that the quaddro (way more expensive) could be worse for games?!....damn...

deal would be tomorrow morning, so any more info on the topic would be HUGELY appreciated.

Yeah, the Quadro/FireGL lines aren't necessarily built for running DirectX, which are your gaming APIs. They're for business-use 3D work.

What's your price range for an upgrade?

Well basically, i thought for 50 bucks maybe i could solve my problem, if its not worth it then i wont do it at the moment. Down the road a bit i plan to get a top notch gaming card to match my system but right now i guess ill stick with my possibly screwed 6800gs if the quadro isnt as powerful for gaming.

What's wrong with your 6800gs?

No idea...i think it might be overheating.

Check to ensure that the cooling fan on it is working. Also, check to ensure that all of the case fans are working properly and unrestricted (meaning you don't have "clutter" around your case preventing the air from escaping). It's always a good idea to routinely take a can of air and blow all of the dust/debris out of your case.

If you only have one case fan (probably in the back) you could always replace it with one that has a higher CFM rating, which will remove more air from your case to help cooling.

Hope this helps!

Its a well ventilated CASE

Ive cleaned the case and everything...i know some peice of hardware is on its way out....the problem only occurs during gaming so it seems like a video card thing, but im not sure...

Is the fan working on the video card? Spinning nice and fast? I've seen them die before, without my knowledge, and cause problems. I put on an aftermarket cooler (by artic cooling I think) and it worked great. Not sure if you wanna give that a whirl or not. It may or may not solve your problem.

Ya its spinning....maybe not cooling enough though, ill look into some cooling.