[SOLVED] Looking for best video card around $200 for an older system - old card was XFX Radeon HD 6970

[TheRealAnubis]

Hey all,

My system got killed by lightning and I'm rebuilding it as close as possible to keep my Win7 install as I'm not planning to go with any newer versions of windows. I'm jumping off, for the most part. Will probably dual boot with some linux flavor and just use old windows for stuff that I'm already used to using.

I now have an MSI 970A-G46 motherboard (X16 2.0 PCIe slot) with 32 GB of Gskill Sniper RAM, and an AMD Phenom II X6 1100T CPU.
My video card got killed - it was an XFX Radeon HD 6970.
Until the lightning strike I had zero problems with this video card.
I'm not a gamer on the cutting edge, but I like my older stuff to look good. Getting an exact replacement is spotty, as they're running for around $150 on fleabay, and those are pretty heavily used.

What is a good newer card that I can get for around $200 ?

I've looked at the Radeon RX580, etc. and they seem to be a good choice. The MSI version has a lot of pretty bad ratings online - usually stating it died pretty quickly, had glitches, was impossible to get drivers for, etc.

Any input from the community would be great. I've been out of the loop for a few years, so I'm not up on the latest and greatest.

 

[RTX 2080]

I'd recommend a Nvidia GTX 1650: it is a 75 watt card so it needs no power connectors and won't require a better power supply (like the RX 580 might, its a very power-hungry card) and it'll run just fine on PCIe 2.0 x16. It should work great for your purposes and can be had for well under $200.

The 1650 super has like 30% more performance for barely any more money and would be the one to get if you had the right power connectors for it.

 

[madmatt30]

I'd recommend a Nvidia GTX 1650: it is a 75 watt card so it needs no power connectors and won't require a better power supply (like the RX 580 might, its a very power-hungry card) and it'll run just fine on PCIe 2.0 x16. It should work great for your purposes and can be had for well under $200.

The 1650 super has like 30% more performance for barely any more money and would be the one to get if you had the right power connectors for it.

If he had the psu to run an old 6970 he honestly has a psu that can run pretty much anything.

I think the 1650 super is where its at most definitely.

 

[RTX 2080]

If he had the psu to run an old 6970 he honestly has a psu that can run pretty much anything.

I think the 1650 super is where its at most definitely.

True, I just don't know what power connectors he has and since he said he doesn't need something very powerful, I was saying the regular 1650 would drop in with the least fuss. The 1650 super is definitely the one to get though if he can.

 

[TheRealAnubis]

I'd recommend a Nvidia GTX 1650: it is a 75 watt card so it needs no power connectors and won't require a better power supply (like the RX 580 might, its a very power-hungry card) and it'll run just fine on PCIe 2.0 x16. It should work great for your purposes and can be had for well under $200.

The 1650 super has like 30% more performance for barely any more money and would be the one to get if you had the right power connectors for it.

Thanks!
I was stuck in Radeon land for some reason, as I usually match AMD/Radeon. Intel/nvidia.
No real reason to do that, probably, just habit.

What manufacturer do you all suggest?

Thanks again!

 

[madmatt30]

Thanks!
I was stuck in Radeon land for some reason, as I usually match AMD/Radeon. Intel/nvidia.
No real reason to do that, probably, just habit.

What manufacturer do you all suggest?

Thanks again!

Well there's valid reasons for going for amd sometimes but not at your price point at the moment.
A year ago the 580 would have been first choice, now I'd say it's not.

If you're in the USA the this one is a good buy at $170

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...gv_n165swf2oc_4gd_geforce_gtx_1650_super.html

 

[TheRealAnubis]

Well there's valid reasons for going for amd sometimes but not at your price point at the moment.
A year ago the 580 would have been first choice, now I'd say it's not.

If you're in the USA the this one is a good buy at $170

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...gv_n165swf2oc_4gd_geforce_gtx_1650_super.html

Hi,

Thanks!
Never had a gigabyte video card, but I had one of their mobos back in the AMD Thunderbird days.

 

[TheRealAnubis]

Gigabyte GTX 1650 super ordered!

Thank you all for you help!