Graphics Card Help

[dollie31]

Looking to add a graphics card to this relatively new system, budget c. £80-100.

Asus M4A785TD-V EVO 785G Socket AM3 onboard DVI VGA HDMI 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard

Antec 300 Three Hundred Case

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 Socket 775, 1156, 1155, 1366, AM2, AM3 Heat pipe CPU Cooler

Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Ballistix Memory Kit CL7 (7-7-7-24) 1.65V

Corsair 400W CX PSU - 12cm Fan 80Plus Certified Efficiency 6x SATA 1x PCI-E

Sony AD-7240S 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA Optical Drive - OEM Black

AMD Athlon II X4 630 Socket AM3 2.8GHz 2MB L2 Cache Retail Boxed Processor

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - License and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit - English

Samsung EcoFit P2370 23" LCD Monitor 16:9 Full HD 1920x1080 250cd/m2 50000:1 Dynamic 2ms Dvi Gloss Black/Grey

Many thanks!

 

[AdrianPerry]

On £100 budget I think 6850 is your best option. Although a 450w PSU is recommended, i think you would be all right with your Corsair 400w

 

[calguyhunk]

Hi dollie, are you looking for a gfx card for gaming? 'coz otherwise, you'll not need anything more than a 20 quid HD 4850 - at most.

In any case, your board already has integrated video, so unless you're looking for vid editing, or gaming, that'll probably suffice.

 

[dollie31]

Yeh, looking for some relatively casual gaming!

 

[calguyhunk]

OK, so on a 100 quid budget on a 1080p monitor, the 6850 and the GTX 460 1GB are your best bets.

For 'casual' gaming, you probably won't even know the difference, but in theory, here are the advantages of going with the GTX 460 1GB:

1. PhysX

2. Better, more stable drivers

3. Better DX11 tessellation.

Here are some charts - don't look at the highlighted Super OC'ed version, look a little below that (it says EVGA GTX 460 1024 MB) -

With tessellation off-

With tessellation on-

The only thing is though, that PSU will NOT support either of the cards on full load and if it does, you'll need two 6-pin PEG connectors for that 460. Dunno if your PSU has that.

 

[calguyhunk]

@calguyhunk

PhysX is a placebo effect

I'm not a gamer myself, werner, but the reviews on reputable websites are unlikely to be trash.

"So then, I have to admit to like what I tested today. Overall gaming with PhysX adds a much more immersive experience to gaming. NVIDIA implementation as it is right now is downright good..." - guru3d.com

As for the drivers, while things have improved, it is an accepted fact that NVidia does have stabler drivers in general. Just so you know, I use a Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 myself, so it's not a personal preference. Just making sure, the OP makes an informed decision either way.

@ dollie,

Actually, now that I think of it, if you're ready to save a few bucks, you can get a 5770. Should be plenty even on 1080p for "casual" gaming needs as you say. That way, your current 400 watt PSU won't be taxed either. As I've already said, 400 watts won't be enough for either a 460 or a 6850 on full load. And changing your PSU will add to the cost anyways.

You can use this PSU calculator to verify that for a fact.