Budget card for StarCraft II and COD Black Ops

[onimojo]

Hello,

I currently have a GeForce 9500 GT which is a bit weak for playing StarCraft II with decent settings and I would like to buy a new graphic card under 100$ and preferably a Nvidia one.
I can play Starcraft II but I have to put the lowest settings. I'd also like to play Call Of Duty : Black Ops without lag.

Here is my current config :
Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo E7300
Motherboard : Asus P5N-D
RAM : 2GB DDRII 6400 (soon 4GB)
Graphic Card: Nvidia GeForce 9500 GT
Screen resolution : 1360 x 768 (i'm on my TV)

Thank you

 

[jjb8675309]

given your specs I would shoot for a 5770 (6770) what is the make and model of your power supply? eith your budget a 5770 is the best card you can afford and it should give you pretty good performance in both games, you get what you pay for~ also you cpu is dated so set your expectations accordingly, and def get another 2 gigs of ram

 

[jjb8675309]

if you have to go nvidia, (which i would not rec doing in that price bracket) you could get a gtx 550 but it will be significantly more expensive than a 5770 yet not much more powerful making the 5770 or 6770 the best buy in your price bracket imo

 

[jjb8675309]

HD 6670

eh personally I would not go anything lower than a 5770 (6770) I have a backup rig running at 720p with a 5770 and it is satisfactory but by no means a world beater at 720p so personally I'd again say go for at least a 5770 or 6770

 

[onimojo]

given your specs I would shoot for a 5770 (6770) what is the make and model of your power supply? eith your budget a 5770 is the best card you can afford and it should give you pretty good performance in both games, you get what you pay for~ also you cpu is dated so set your expectations accordingly, and def get another 2 gigs of ram

My power supply is Corsair Power CX 400 Watts.
I was looking on the GTS450 which is the same price as the HD 6770. Is the 6770 more powerful ?
The GTX550 is too expensive

 

[jjb8675309]

yes the 6770 is more powerful either will easily run on your current psu which is nice despite its low wattage, dont worry about the 550 it is crap imo, go for a 6770 or 5770 if it is significantly cheaper, they are the same card, have fun, check out those steam deals (just bought f1 2010 for 10 bucks) rock and rolll!

 

[onimojo]

yes the 6770 is more powerful either will easily run on your current psu which is nice despite its low wattage, dont worry about the 550 it is crap imo, go for a 6770 or 5770 if it is significantly cheaper, they are the same card, have fun, check out those steam deals (just bought f1 2010 for 10 bucks) rock and rolll!

I think I'll go for this one :
http://www.grosbill.com/4-msi_ati_radeon_hd_6770_-138793-informatique-ati

Isn't 400 Watts too low ? On the official website they recommend at least 450 Watts.

Thanks

 

[jjb8675309]

yeah as greg said your psu will be perfectly fine, the hawk is nice but way overpriced imo

 

[jjb8675309]

well either way its a good card, but a couple weeks ago I bought a 5770 for $100 US dollars AR, not sure how much cheaper that is compared to the 6770 in pounds but if there is money to be saved there is no reason to get the 6770 over the 5770, it is no different, however if the prices are basically the same then I'd say go for the 6770 and the hawk is no doubt a great choice, but for 100 pounds it just sounds steep, anyways I think the OP can make an informed purchase at this point OP: good luck and have fun

 

[moosashi]

I also have some questions about trying to get a computer to play Starcraft II. I bought an Emachines computer from walmart, with 3.2 gHz dual core processor, 3 GB RAM, 20" monitor, etc. and it works great for everything I've needed it for except when I tried to install and play Starcraft II, it will only run on the lowest graphics settings and still is really really laggy and jumpy.

I called blizzard to ask why, when the Emachines computer listed as having at least 1 GB of video memory, and the blizzard employee informed me that it was because my computer only has an integrated video card (the Intel GMA 4500 or something like that), and I would try to buy a low-profile video card to put into it, but the power supply is only a measily 220 watt.

So my mom also wants a new computer since hers is really really old, and she says she will buy this one off me almost for what I paid (I want to sell it to her at a discount since I've used it a couple months and stuff), but I need to know what I should try to build/buy to be able to play games like starcraft II and Diablo III (when it comes out).

I want to be able to play on at least the medium graphics settings, high if possible. I am really new to customizing/building computers so I really know nothing. I want the hard drive to be at least 500 gigabytes, the RAM to be at least 4 GB, to have at least a 3.2 ghz dual-core processor (could be quad-core or whatever I can afford), and a graphics card that can run SC2. I want to try to keep it all under $600 including windows and like a 20" monitor if I can. Where should I start? Would I be able to assemble a computer like that or is there one you can think of for me to buy like that?