Windows 7: FPS lag

I recently bought a new tv which i use for my computer. It is a 37" LED tv. Now that i have a better tv i am able to play games on a higher/the highest resolution. when i went to play a game on the highest resolution i got alot of fps lag and it was not playable. Do you think this is caused by my graphics card not being powerful enough?

Your graphics card indeed looks like it's pretty old and hasn't got the power to handle today's games, be it bit older games too, especially in HD/full HD.
It's definitely not your cpu, it's fine.

You could try updating graphic drivers from ati, if they are not up to date (10.6 version if im not mistaken).

If that doesn't work it's probably that your card lacks the punch.

Can you list the games that it happens in?

basically, the higher the resolution = more pixels = more work for the graphics card every second = lower framerate


for example:

1280 x 1024 = 1,310,720

1920 x 1080 = 2,073,600 which is over one and a half times more, so framerate will be 0.63 slower, if my maths is correct.

I've only tried it on league of legends so far. The other game i play doesn't support higher resolutions.

Will i need to buy a new graphics card to fix this problem?

yes - get the best you can afford - you really do get what you pay for in this field - but avoid the extreme top end of the market.

if you want to stick with ati - a hd5850 card has very good bang for buck. if you can afford more, get a 5870.

Ok thanks. Do i have to consider the size and power of the graphics card? I'm sure i read some where that they come in different sizes and may not fit in the case.

as far as i know, it's only the really expensive double-gpu cards that are big, physically.

as far as power consumption goes, the new ati cards are very good in that respect, and don't need a lot of juice.

do you know the power rating (in watts) for your psu - a decent 500w power supply should be enough. the 5 series cards are much less power hungry than the previous generation.

I don't know the power rating, do you know how i could find that out?
Also, how can i be sure that my computer can handle the new graphics card?
When i search for the 5870 about 7/8 different graphic cards show up. How can i decide which is the best for me?

the 5870 card has a certain chip made by ati/amd. card manufacturers buy these chips from ati and stick them onto their cards.

it's a bit like searching for a quad-core intel machine, and finding lots of companies making them.

the 7/8 cards you see will be pretty much alike, although some may have a bit more onboard memory, or quieter fans, or maybe other features.

as far as the power rating for your psu, i don't know how you're going to find out apart from opening up your case and looking for a sticker on the psu itself, or consulting the paperwork/manual that came with your pc when you bought it. i would be very surprised if it wasn't at least 500w - but it's always a good idea to make sure before you spend money on a new graphics card.