BFG 9400 GT Card died - looking for basic replacement

[autoarcheologist]

Hey gang,

Here are our ancient PC specs:

HP Pavillion
Asustek Leonite2 motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400
4 GM RAM
Upgraded 500W Power Supply

So the fan on the 9400 GT graphics card in our old HP Pavillion died this week and I'd like to replace it.

The PC is old, but I've upgraded the power supply to an Antec 500W, and it has 2 hard drives and serves as our media PC and as a backup location for our laptops on a 1 TB drive.

So even though it's 7-8 years old and still runs Vista, it works for us for now.

We mostly use it for watching TV, and surfing the internet, and of course for backups.

So I just need to replace the dead card to keep it running.

I'd like to keep the budget around $50. I didn't have an HDMI port before, but it looks like everything does these days. I like the idea of getting audio over the HDMI cable.

The other constraint is that our tuner card occupies the PCI slot just above the graphics card, so the fan really has nowhere to blow. I think this contributed to the fan dying, but I did go back and read it wasn't unusual for this model.

So should I go passive cooling, or stick with a fan cooled?

Do I need the 730 below, or will I be OK with the 210 or 610?

I have Amazon Prime so I'd prefer to shop there.

So a couple choices I'm looking at are:

EVGA GeForce GT610 in the 1 GM model:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00847TOLC/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1FBMKE6ZPG5W798FVR8B&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

EVGA GeForce 210:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00498305G/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1FBMKE6ZPG5W798FVR8B&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

Or upgrading and spending a bit more on the EVGA GeForce 730:

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Profile-Graphics-02G-P3-3733-KR/dp/B00L5GZG5C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448759379&sr=8-1&keywords=geforce+730

I'm sure this gets covered regularly, but now I know how car shoppers feel when looking for a new car. I can talk cars all day, specs, performance, etc. But I'm lost when I dig into PC specs, especially graphics.

Thanks!
Ian

 

[Darkbreeze]

This is the card I usually recommend for similar requirements on client builds. Just installed this exact card on another build a few days ago and it runs a wide variety of video codecs flawlessly for the client who's a private investigator and is constantly reviewing and viewing crime scene footage. I've also used in in four or five HTPC type non-gaming configurations and it has no problem with HD video or playback. No problems at all with any of these cards and EVGA has very good customer support in the even you ever do have a problem.

The 2GB of VRAM is helpful and the active cooling is probably a much better option than passive cooling. I'd probably want to focus on getting some better airflow THROUGH the case by way of additional or better case fans though if heat is a problem. Since heat rises, it's doubtful your tuner card has much bearing on whether you use a passively or actively cooled card, and I wouldn't think it affects the longevity of the card unless the case cooling is poor. I'd want AT LEAST one intake and one exhaust fan for the case and so long as nothing is being overclocked I wouldn't think noise would be much of a concern so long as you're not connecting case fans directly to the power supply.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB Video Card ($54.40 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $54.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-28 21:31 EST-0500


This is a very good, high quality card for the price and your requirements.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This is a good option as well. Although it only has 1GB of VRAM, it uses GDDR5 instead of DDR3, which is much faster and is a newer design besides. I've also used this card with much success on non-gaming or casual gaming machines that don't require a whole lot of rendering firepower.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($53.55 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $53.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-28 21:44 EST-0500

 

[Joe Gallo]

I used a 610m worked fine still works, I used it for gaming in a desktop for 3 years. It was 60$ when I bought in 2012.