Cheap Graphics Card To Play Wow

[jfisher82]

Hi guys i have a old junk computer that im playing wow on the graphics card went out it was a radeon 3450 and i got around 12-18 fps which is fine for me. im looking for a cheap graphics card that will do around the same or a little better than that and be compatible whith this pc.

my pc is this
dell running windows vista home premium 32bit
system (dont laugh)

Processor --- pentium dual core cpu e5200 @ 2.50ghz
ram 4.00 Gb

any help would be greatly appreciated again im looking for something cheap and compatible

 

[Asusprime]

a gtx 750 ti is the best I would put in that dell PC

Whats the model of the dell pc? maybe you can do a CPU upgrade as most core 2 duo and core 2 quad are below $50 in ebay now.

 

[jfisher82]

its a Studio Desktop D540

 

[jfisher82]

224-3522 : Studio Mini-Tower, Intel Pentium dual-core E5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB)
320-7158 : ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB supporting HDMI
341-7641 : 500GB NCQ Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM) w/ 16MB DataBurst Cache
420-8661 : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
311-9314 : 4GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ- 4X1GB D
313-6915 : 16X DVD+/-RW DRIVE

Im going to be building a new pc within the next 3 to 4 months i just need a cheap quick fix for this to hold me over till then

 

[Asusprime]

224-3522 : Studio Mini-Tower, Intel Pentium dual-core E5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB)
320-7158 : ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB supporting HDMI
341-7641 : 500GB NCQ Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM) w/ 16MB DataBurst Cache
420-8661 : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
311-9314 : 4GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ- 4X1GB D
313-6915 : 16X DVD+/-RW DRIVE

Im going to be building a new pc within the next 3 to 4 months i just need a cheap quick fix for this to hold me over till then

The cheapest is an upgrade to a quad core

I found a Q9550 for around $32
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Confidential-Core-2-Quad-Q9550-2-83-GHz-Quad-Core-Processor-QGPK-/192003169756?hash=item2cb447dddc:g:IGgAAOSwXeJYCUtS

You can find even cheaper ones like a Q8400 that sells for $16
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Q8400-Core-2-Quad-SLGT6-2-66GHz-4M-1333-05A-CPU-Processor-/262639917803?hash=item3d268f1aeb:g:1YwAAOSw0UdXtdGH

Honestly both the whole system is really bad for todays standards as is. If i were to upgrade the PC I will put in windows 10, a newer video card (gtx 750), a new HDD or SSD, another stick of ram and the CPU.

I still have an old Dell Presicion with a Q6600, 4GB corsair ram, and a GT 640 that can barely handle WoW at 1080p (on low settings with around 40-50FPS) If i were to switch its video card I am sure i would be able to crank up the settings as even those old quad core CPUs can handle some current gaming.

 

[Asusprime]

I recommend you new intel CPUs like an i3 6100 or an i5 6400 for WoW (you know for when you build your new system)

World of Warcraft takes advantage of fast single thread performance and AMD will not perform well compared to Intel.

An FX 8320 8 core will be outperformed by an i3 6100 dual core with Hyperthreading in World of Warcraft.

 

[jfisher82]

i have a amd athlon 2 x2 220 dual core also
and got 5 or 6 more gig of memory around just no stupid video cards

 

[Asusprime]

if you want to buy a new video card that will be able to do a lot better but wont break the bank the r7 250x is an option but the CPU upgrade is the cheapest while the video card is more expensive it is also needed.

 

[jfisher82]

just found another amd athlon 64x2 while going through my box lol
yeh i gotta have a new video card as mine is done.

 

[hang-the-9]

Buying a card you will toss out when you build your system soon would be a waste, get something decent but cheaper like a GTX 950, it will play WOW at past medium easily, and is about $120 after rebates.

The Dell you have looks to have a 350 watt power supply which should run a 950. This is $115 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127935&cm_re=GTX_950-_-14-127-935-_-Product and will do fine for medium settings in new games in a newer system.

Or wait till the 1050 models are out, it looks like they will be in the same price range, would be better to get one of those instead.

 

[logainofhades]

Newer cards will potentially not work, due to the legacy bios, of the motherboard.

 

[Asusprime]

Just about any video card will work since that motherboard has a PCI express 2.0 and should provide the necessary normal 75w from the slot like any other modern motherboard.

Just make sure you get the video cards that don't require a 6pin power cable since I doubt your stock PSU even have extra 4pin molex to use an adapter.

 

[logainofhades]

Newer graphics cards only work in motherboards, that have a UEFI bios. Some have switches, to get around the issue, but there aren't many of them.

 

[Asusprime]

Newer graphics cards only work in motherboards, that have a UEFI bios. Some have switches, to get around the issue, but there aren't many of them.

I didn't know that. The newest video card I have used is the r9 380x that was installed in a cheap Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 for my cousin. That mobo didn't have a UEFI bios.

 

[logainofhades]

Yea, people with older systems, especially OEM rigs, haven't been able to run newer graphics cards.

 

[jfisher82]

nm