Looking for an entry level gaming card ~$50

[paradigmGT]

I am looking to upgrade my ~6 yr old Dell Inspirion 530 (intel core 2 quad Q6600 + 3gb DDR2 + 350watt PSU) so that I can run some decent games on it.

I am on a budget, and was hoping to spend only $50 on a GPU. Any advice? How about the HD 6750? Any other alternatives from Nvidia perhaps?

I ordered a Corsair CX 430w modular PSU today to help out.

 

[ChilledGrease]

Yeah, your toaster can run games better than a $50 video card.

 

[haider95]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102942R ..

Id get that one.. its a teensy weensy bit over your budget but dude come on. You really dont wanna be buying a GT610 or GT620 or hell even a GT630.. this card is better than all three of those nvidia competitors. If you could stretch your budget a bit more i suggest you get this HD6670 its not at all that costly and would last you a good while. Its toms hardwares recommended entry level graphics card. Beats the crap out of the GT640 and in competition with GTX650 non ti..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161408

 

[helper800]

I think if you wanted to realistically play some games you would need at least a 7750.

 

[nathoka]

+1 for HD7750

 

[Nin10dO]

You shouldn't have bought the Corsair CX 430W power supply since a $50 graphics card can run perfectly on a 350W power supply. With that money you spent on the power supply, you could have gotten an HD 7750, which can run with no external connectors and it can run on a 350W power supply.

 

[mohit9206]

+1 for 7750
great card for the price. amazing performance

 

[paradigmGT]

You shouldn't have bought the Corsair CX 430W power supply since a $50 graphics card can run perfectly on a 350W power supply. With that money you spent on the power supply, you could have gotten an HD 7750, which can run with no external connectors and it can run on a 350W power supply.

The thing is that my OEM PSU is 350w peak, where as the Corsair is 430w continious... I just wanted a bit of a safety margin incase the oem PSU is overloaded.

Also what would happen if I do overload the OEM PSU? Does it fry all the attached components?

 

[twelve25]

If you overload the PSU, it just kind of cuts power so you freeze or spontaneously reboot. Not good. Normally it won't fry components, but it's not good for them.


As others have said, 7750 is a great choice. If that kills the budget, a used 5770/6770 (same card) performs about the same but uses a little more electricity. Still should be fine on 430W. I played Bf3 on high with a 5770 at 1440x900, so it's not a bad card at all.

Now I had that same computer, and you are going to have heat issues, with that case. The front has poor intake. So make sure your fans are clean and maybe install a cheapo slot cooler right under the graphics card.

 

[paradigmGT]

If you overload the PSU, it just kind of cuts power so you freeze or spontaneously reboot. Not good. Normally it won't fry components, but it's not good for them.


As others have said, 7750 is a great choice. If that kills the budget, a used 5770/6770 (same card) performs about the same but uses a little more electricity. Still should be fine on 430W. I played Bf3 on high with a 5770 at 1440x900, so it's not a bad card at all.

Now I had that same computer, and you are going to have heat issues, with that case. The front has poor intake. So make sure your fans are clean and maybe install a cheapo slot cooler right under the graphics card.

I am thinking of cancelling my order for the 430w corsair and sitcking with the 350 watt OEM PSU to run the HD 7750 along with my existing components.

Apparently the 430w rating on the corsair unit is also peak, so the marginal difference between 350w peak vs 430w peak doesn't seem worth it. I should probably eventually buy a larger PSU instead (550w+). Thoughts?

 

[twelve25]

I think that is a smart move.

Eventually, I am sure you will want to do a full rebuild. I think the Q6600 and 7750 will probably get you by for another 6-18months, but you are going to want to upgrade sooner than later. And when that happens, yes, you should get a newer, nicer power supply, Case with better airflow and space management and you'll probably be replacing 90% of the computer anyway. SO worry about it then.

Meanwhile, Q6600 and 7850 should let you game pretty well at about 720p in most games.

 

[helper800]

Actually i would not upgrade until at least 8 months goes by considering all the new components coming out. IE: Haswell CPU's, 8K series and 700 series GPU's, new motherboards, and for the icing on the cake maybe a new form of heat-sinks for CPU's.

 

[paradigmGT]

Exactly. As long as I can *get by* with this current machine to game a little, and do regular browsing, etc., I will stick it out and purchase an all new rig toward's year end when all new components have been on the market for a little while.

 

[helper800]

Exactly. As long as I can *get by* with this current machine to game a little, and do regular browsing, etc., I will stick it out and purchase an all new rig toward's year end when all new components have been on the market for a little while.

You will not regret it when your smoking my setup for 400 dollars less =D.

I5 3570k @ 4.2 ghz
7950 @ stock
120 gb SSD Agility 3
1 TB Seagate HDD
900 Watt Coolmax PSU
8 GB sniper 1600 RAM
Cooler Master HAF XM case
MSI z77 MOBO

 

[determinologyz]

Actually i would not upgrade until at least 8 months goes by considering all the new components coming out. IE: Haswell CPU's, 8K series and 700 series GPU's, new motherboards, and for the icing on the cake maybe a new form of heat-sinks for CPU's.

I have the 2500k if im like what im seeing with haswell i may upgrade but most def im getting a new gpu