Budget card to play Dragon Age Origins Well?

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Saeltari

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Hello,

I have been looking at some other threads in relation to DAO, but nothing is very specific to what I am after so I was hoping to see if I could get a bit of advice.

I picked up a new system, but have yet to get a graphics card, currently using the onboard.

My current info:

-Win 7 (64)
-i5-650
-8GB Ram
-1TB HDD 7200
-400W PSU

I have one PCIe16 slot I can fill.

I need a budget card, less than $100 is great! Up to $150 is ok.

My main goals for this card, are;

- I want to be able to play Dragon Age Origins without trouble, on as high a setting as I can get and I would like to futurize my gaming capability if possible.
- Utilize Photoshop CS4
- Utilize Vue8 Infinite

Later on, when I have more $$$ I plan to upgrade my CPU and PSU but based on my current configuration and stated goals what would you recommend I pick up for a graphics card?

Thank you for your time and any suggestions you give me!
 
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Saeltari

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Thank you all for the suggestions so far!

It is definitely a matter of opinion, whether the game is good or not, but I enjoy RPGs so I am pretty sure I will enjoy it. Even if I didn't like it I would still really enjoy the fact that I could play it well! :D

I've heard something about it using PhysX (sp?). Would I need to stick with NVIDIA to be able to see that?

So far the choice seems to be 5770 for ATI or 8800/9800GT for NVIDIA.

The cards mentioned would hold up under heavy use by Photoshop CS4 and Vue8I and be able to handle some of the upcoming games?

Mainly RPG and strategy types? Once I pick up a card I am most likely going to be stuck with it for a while.

Thanks again for the help and any suggestions!

So I might need to upgrade the PSU as soon as possible?
 
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Pailin

Pailin

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The 5770 is about twice as fast as the 8800/9800GT (basically the same card) in many tests.

+ of course the 5770 will be more future proof with its DX11 support.
+ at idle will use about half the power of the 8800GT type saving you/mum money :)

 
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Pailin

Pailin

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PhysX is built onto NVidia cards, but having DX11 support is a much better option for now I think ;)

A good 400watt PSU is plenty fine for this setup - my brother has a similarly spec'd system with a 5770 which he is very happy with so far ^^
 
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Pailin

Pailin

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I don't think the 5770 can be called much of overkill if you want to be able to run with all the eye candy set high.

Consider that DX11 take a rather large performance hit from what we have seen so far...

On a smaller screen with newer games it will do admirably

On a larger screen it should be acceptable and within his budget - sorta. and is the only low end DX11 card worth buying with good gaming in mind ;)
 
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Saeltari

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Yep, I do want like eye candy and being able to set it high would be great, since I haven't ever really been able to do that before!

So a DX11 capable card would be a better future investment than a PhysX?

Screen Resolution max is only 1600x900. Would that change anything?

I was always partial to NVIDIA before but if the 5770 card runs cooler and uses less power that is a definite bonus! Cooler and good power usage is something I am also looking for in a card, just neglected to state that in my original post.

 
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Pailin

Pailin

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Well tell you what, I was surprised by how few games out there use GPU based PhysX

jaydeejohn just provided this handy link in another thread:
http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_physxgames_home.html

Other games that use PhysX support its processing using non dedicated hardware support - on CPU mostly I understand...

As someone said, think how long PhysX support has been out and how small that list is.

By the end of this 1st year there will be more DX11 games by far.


There is a 5830 coming out later this month, but I think you are already stretching your budget with this 5770?
So for you I think the 5770 is a great option!


1st DX11 game I'm buying is the new AvP

Hehehee can't wait for the 26th :D
 
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Saeltari

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Sorry for being out for a few days, was giving midterms.

I appreciate all the help so far!!!

Pretty much decided on the 5770.

The question now is;

Brand; which would be better to get? Asus, Powercolor, XFX, Sapphire, HIS?

Right now I am leaning towards Asus -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121363&cm_re=5770-_-14-121-363-_-Product , mainly because my system is ASUS and I figured they might all play better together.

Although the Powercolor is cheaper, just not sure yet. Which brands would you all recommend in this situation?

Appreciate all the help with this.
 
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AMW1011

AMW1011

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The GPU brand being Asus wont help or hurt in anyway.

As for PhysX, DA: O uses the PhysX API but does not support GPU acceleration, meaning it doesn't matter one bit whether your card is ATI or nVidia.

Oh and DA: O was a great game.
 
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jyjjy

jyjjy

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Yeah, the HD5770 is a great card for your resolution. Buying an Asus card doesn't matter at all but that one is a decent deal so you might as well get. The cheaper Power Color card also has half the memory, still a decent deal but if you can afford it go for the 1gb card.
 
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Pailin

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Hi again :)

If you are into OCing then the Asus could be a good choice as it comes with Voltage Tweak Technology (one of the very few cards having this) allowing you to up the GPU core voltage to help get a hogher OC ^^

I personally have never been a fan of PowerColor as in the past I heard not such good things from people's experiences... maybe now is different

Saphire and HIS are both decent and XFX has amazing warranties in the US, we get stiff with a small 2 year warrenty in the UK :(

lol

Have fun choosing ;)
 
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Saeltari

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Never OC'd. Brand doesn't make too much of a difference? Also looks like more people liked DA: O than disliked it. :sol:

I went ahead and went with the ASUS 5770 and cause it was a good deal I grabbed a 600W PSU with it. Looks like everything will work in my case and since I only have the one PCIeX16 slot I am hoping as people have said, for my budget, that the 5770 will be able to run future games... at least for more than a few months ;)

I wasn't sure about the PSU but it had some good reviews on other sites and the maker, Delta Electronics, is the same for the PSU that came with the machine. Supposedly they have some sort of working deal with ASUS.

Here's what I went with. Look alright?

PSU -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
GPU-> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121363

I am seriously looking forward to seeing what I can do with these! Especially getting to play DA: O, just before the expansion comes out, which I hope I will now be able to run smooth as well.

:D
 
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jyjjy

jyjjy

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??
If you had read the links you posted you would see that the HD5450 isn't a gaming card.
 
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Pershing121

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It is just not the latest greatest games all maxed out res wise or with dz 11. All the articles praise its gaiming performance for what its worth and dragon age origins isnt some latest hard to run dx 11 game. The card should be fine for it. Unless he needs to run it on high at 1600 1200 or something.
 
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