Help me pick a graphics card pleez

caldoll

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Hi guys,

I was hoping you guys could help me out in picking up a Graphics Card for not more than $50-60. I guess I wont need a millions frames per sec, but acceptable nos on average settings.

My current specs-

CPU- E 5300

Board- P5KPL-AM/PS

RAM- 2GB DDR2 667Mhz

HDD- 320GB WDC

PSU- 450 Watt.

Monitor- 18.5" LG 1366X768

Currently using Win7 32 Bit.

1 more question - I'm gonna increase my RAM to 4GB (3.5 odd will be utilized by 32 bit Windows, I've learnt).

Should I get 800 Mhz or 667? Will voltages matter? The gentleman who assembled my PC advised 800. Said it'd be OK with my system. I can't get a whole new set. So just a single stick will have to do.

Also, I'm a total Non-Gamer. So can you guys suggest some fps games you guys like that I can try?

Don't think I'll be liking rts too much :)
 

jonnyboyC

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161315

this is about the best you can do around that price, it's last gen so only dx 10 but it pretty powerful, nice aftermarket cooler, and right at $55 after rebate

as for ram, you might as well get 667, because all your memory has to run at the same clock speed, so it would just bring down your 800mhz ram down to 667 anyways, so save alittle cash and just gets the 667 mhz

 
I would agree, you should always have all the ram on the same frequency.

Depending if you would use the Mail in Rebate you could get the 5670 or 5570

5670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871&cm_re=5670-_-14-102-871-_-Product

5570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102875&cm_re=5570-_-14-102-875-_-Product

I think the 5570 is the better deal here but the 5670 is more powerful.

I'm not sure if you have the money to buy new games or you already have them,good FPS to me are,Counter Strike Source,Team Fortress 2,Call of Duty:Black Ops and so on.

Both of those cards listed above perform better than the older model 4670.
 
This is better than any card mentioned so far;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131381
It should let you max out the settings on most current games at your resolution. You aren't going to do better without spending close to $100.
The ram speed doesn't matter at all. If you buy 800mhz it will just run at 667mhz to match your current ram so get whichever is cheaper.
For first person shooters it depends on what sort you like. There are tons of them and a lot of good ones. I guess start with the more recent classics like Half Life 2, Bioshock, COD4.
 

caldoll

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Jul 1, 2010
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Hi guys, firstly, thanks for all the RAM suggestions. Going by your suggestions, I think I'm gonna go with DDR2 667 from Kingston if that's OK :)
I guess as long as it doesn't have any compatibility issues with current newer upcoming games in the next year or so, I am only looking at decent a frame rate for my resolution. DX10 cards will be compatible will newish games, right?
Thanks for the suggestions, purple stank and jyjjy. Are these MMOFPS or do I also get single player offline options?
Some of the cards mentioned are 1GB. This one and the 5670 are only 512MB. Will that make a difference? I do realize that it's the GPU that's more important the the memory, but is the 4830 as a GPU that much better than the 5xxx series?

As for the molex adapter, do I need a 4 pin to 6 pin molex adapter if I were to go with the 4830? Any links as to what I'm exactly looking at?

I really don't know a whole lot 'bout these stuff. But I'd like to. So please pardon my noobness :p

As far as my PSU is concerned, I'm gonna replace my old unit with a COOLER MASTER - Hardwaresecrets review

@Malmental

My overall budget is 300 odd. No real hard cap, but can't ask Mom for more.

I need some software on my laptop for school work along with a RAM upgrade.

For my desktop, I need a good headset and a mouse, The former, I don't have and the latter is way past it's use-by date - the scroll button had stopped working some time back :)

So RAM(30)+PSU(50)+GPU(60)+peripherals(50) already takes me to 190. The PC guy will charge at least 50 odd for installation etc. That makes it 240/250. Add to that the school stuff and I'm already over-budget.
 
Don't get that Coolermaster. It is not a good brand, no active PFC and only 312w on the +12v rail. This Antec unit cost about the same and is much better;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371023
It does have a 6 pin power connector so you will not need a power adapter for the HD4830 if that is the card you go with. What exactly is the power supply you are using now? If it is 450w like you say there's a good chance you don't need a new one. You can find the brand/model on the side of the power supply inside the computer's case.
The amount of memory on these cards doesn't matter really. At your resolution more than 512mb of ram serves little purpose and at resolutions where it would matter these cards would be too weak. For reference here is a performance chart for a resolution close to yours containing all the cards being discussed here;
perfrel_1280.gif

Honestly I would recommend you save the money and install this stuff yourself. The only part that may be slightly complicated is the power supply and even that is not a big deal. The ram and video card are as simple as putting them in the right slot basically.
 

caldoll

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Thanks jyjjy for the detailed reply and the chart :)
Try telling that to my mom. She's already threatening me that she's not gonna spend a dime on any repairs if I were to 'mess up' anything trying to DIY.

The RAM, I know how to. I've even done it myself. But the Graphics Card looks a bit complicated from the Youtube videos. Lemme see If I can actually.
Between the Antec and this Corsair 430W which one do you guys prefer if money wasn't an issue?
It is a carry over from an old HP that my Mom had. Says dual +12V rails with a combined output of 31 Amps (15+16). Sounds reasonable, but it's getting a bit long in the tooth (8 years-2002 build). Also No PFC - Active or Passive and certainly no Over Power Protection.

I don't want fireworks if and when I do try to draw close to it's rated output :non:

As for the GPU, I was seriously considering the 4670 and the 4830 anyways, so is there any disadvantage with DX10 as opposed to DX11? (As in compatibility issues with new games and stuff)
 
Like jyjjy said,most complitcated part of installing everything would be the power supply.The graphics card slides in the slot the same as the ram sticks do.

And that is what i was afraid of,your PSU proably won't last another year you should get a new one.The Antec would be the best choice.

You should run into any compatability issue with games running DX11 and the card being DX10.Only difference really is that DX11 looks better graphics wise.Most games that are being produced still aren't using DX11.DX11 is more like a higher class thing.
 

caldoll

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Thanks for clarifying, Purple stank. Good to know.

I do hope though, that you meant "shouldn't" instead of should :)
 
Yeah, don't worry about DX11 on your budget. You want the best card you can get for the money. DX11 is nice but it basically means you will be able to use a few bonus settings in a small number of games. Every game out there will be playable, most likely at least until DX11 consoles come out and that will be a long time from now.
The Antec unit i linked is actually better than the Corsair with a better selection of connectors and more power on the +12v rail. The low end Corsair used to be better but recently they replaced it with the one you linked which is kinda crappy in comparison.
 

caldoll

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Thanks, guys. I was leaning towards the 4670 (based on the chart) not so much out of budget constraints but out of the fact that I'll only be trying out gaming 'coz I liked a little bit of what I saw on a friend's comp and for all you know, I might get bored a little while later and then the entire drill will be pointless.

I don't want my this to be an uber expensive temporary hobby if it does turn out that way :p

Actually, I played some Metro 2033 on my friend's PC and while I do realize that it's a very demanding game, do you think that if I were to go with the 4670 in jonnyboy's link, it would be able to handle that on the absolute barest of bare basic settings at 1366x768 just to give me a feel of what it might be like. Do you think downloading the 2.94GB :ouch: demo file will be worth it?

I also remember playing a little bit of Halo and Quake on my cousin's PC when I was in elementary school and actually used to like it. That's why I wanted to know 'bout fps games.

Of course, if I like it enough once again, maybe later on I might get a full HD monitor and get myself a nice GTX 5xx or a Radeon 69xx after upgrading to a C2Q 9xxx :)
 

caldoll

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@jyjjy - Yeah, I know you wanted me to do the installation stuff myself, but my mom is adamant 'bout it that she doesn't want me to. So we got a local PC shop owner to agree to install 'em for free at the shop if I bought the parts from him.

They will also match any legit online price. And I specifically queried 'bout Newegg, Amazon, Tigerdirect/CompUSA.

The problem is, they don't have a 4830 currently, but they do have this XFX Radeon HD 4670.

I will look around though. The 4830 at just 10 bucks extra seems like so much a better deal.

But do you think if I were to get this particular 4670, I'd be able to play Metro 2033 on basic settings at my resolution - as I said - just to get the hang of it? Haven't played games since I was in the 2nd grade or something..

I'm looking to download the 2.94GB Metro demo and also seriously considering Black Ops.

@tamz - yes, 'coz I've been told that the old PSU may not be able to handle a graphics card. Just to be safe, I guess.

Otherwise with that budget, I could have prolly gotten a GTS 450 or a Radeon 5770 or something. I have gone through a lot of GPU threads on a lot of forums over the last few days and those 2 seem to be the go-to cards at that range.

But not many threads (at least not recent ones) on gaming cards at around 60 odd :(

BTW, guys, no Nvidia recommendations? Not much good at this price range or what? My friend has a GTX 460 1GB which really does beautifully well for his Metro.
 

calguyhunk

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Hi caldoll, as far as the PSU is concerned, both the Antec and the Corsair are plenty good, but if you do intend to upgrade a year from now, you'll need a more powerful PSU.

At least a 650 Watt 80+ unit if you're looking at a higher end GTX Fermi.

Might be a tad out of your budget, but the CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX will let you use those cards if you were to indeed go through the upgrade process again in a year's time.
 


The Antec 430w could handle a GTX 460 or HD6850 and those would be huge upgrades over the cards he is looking at now so it's not like he doesn't have an upgrade path.


The GTX 460 1gb would be lovely but it is over twice as much as you are looking to spend. There's not much to recommend on the low end from Nvidia at the moment. The ATI cards are better in terms of price and performance. The cheapest reasonable card would be the GTS 250($90) or GTS 450($105).
Can you buy the ram and PSU from this guy and he will install them then order the card online? Like we have said the only part that is semi-complicated is the PSU. Installing a video card is very simple. If you still don't want to do that then I'd recommend you pay the extra for the HD5670, it is worth it compared to the cheaper cards.
 

sixthseven

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Hi caldoll..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150459

with the limited budget as u have, it's the card I'd like to suggest. It's also nvidia :) , for some info, my friend once said that nVidia supports more games than ATi does. I don't know how far he could responsible his statement :D

I also want to suggest u to pay your MOST attention to the PSU. In my opinion, PSU is the heart of a system (like heart in our body). It supplies power like ur heart supplies blood. So, choosing a good PSU is a MUST. I call it INVESTMENT. I think u already had a good PSU, but remember, everything has its own lifetime and now it's the time for u to make a good investment again...

Last, I prefer 4Gb DDR2 667 to 2Gb DDR2 800

GBU...