Which Graphics card should I buy?

[bhaveshnande]

My current graphics card is an internal NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 with 128MB video memory.
With 128MB video memory, Ubuntu unity lags as well as MTA and TF2. 720p videos work fine but sometimes they lag too. Overall I experience frequent FPS drops with my current internal graphics card.

So I am planning to buy a new one, my budget ain't high, I am thinking of getting a NVIDIA GeForce GT 630 Synergy Edition 2 GB DDR3 available here http://www.flipkart.com/zotac-nvidia...mdbm6wuwg97zp5 for 3900 INR, i.e 67.69$. Also I learned that a DDR3 graphics card would work with my motherboard which only supports DDR2 memory, is that true?

Another one I considered is : NVIDIA 2GB DDR3 GT610 2 GB DDR3 Graphics Card availabe here http://www.flipkart.com/gainward-nvi...mddsy9r9gsjfzb for 2563 INR i.e 44.49$

Both of them have 2GB memory which is far better than my current 128MB video memory. I cannot decide on which one should I purchase. Also consider recommending other graphics card than these two.
Overall my budget is below 70$.

My system specs:
System Manufacturer: Compaq
OS: Ubuntu 13.04 x64, Windows 8 Professional x64
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
Motherboard: PEGATRON CORPORATION NARRA5 3.02
Memory: 4GB DDR2 800Mhz
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce 6150SE nForce 430
Monitor(s): Displays 1
Screen Resolution: 1368x768
Internet Speed: ~1200Kbps

[user_of_gnomes]

Also I learned that a DDR3 graphics card would work with my motherboard which only supports DDR2 memory, is that true?

The type of video memory used is not related to the type of memory your mainboard uses.

The one important thing to keep in mind is that your mainboard supports the version of PCI-E that the new videocard requires. (Although they often feature backward compatibility, this will affect performance)

And of course, your power supply unit has to be powerful enough to support the new videocard: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/p...ulatorlite.jsp

[TiberiusT]

If it's only video decoding your after then practically anything NVidia will do 1080p at a stroll using VDPAU. VLC or XBMC and most other players use this technology which hands over the video decoding from the CPU to the GPU. A GT520 is a low power unit and they are pretty cheap (around 50 Euros here) or anything within 4 years old secondhand from some gamer who's upgrading.

T

[Yellow Pasque]

Both of them have 2GB memory which is far better than my current 128MB video memory.

More video RAM helps to a point, but it's not the main factor that determines 3D speed (especially at lower resolutions). 2GB on a GT610 or GT630 is a waste and I wouldn't pay extra for it over a 1GB model. Then again, DDR3 RAM is relatively cheap and there may not be a price premium.