Need a Cheap GPU for my 55" Plasma TV

[gamesturbator]

Had a Zotac 9800GT that worked fine but it died. The motherboard is an Asus Crosshair IV Extreme with 8GB of ram & a Corsair CX600 PSU. This is strictly for watching HD videos on our giant Samsung plasma (I think it's 55") which only has an HDMI connection. We prefer around the $50 range, preferably not very long. I like Nvidia because the drivers are easier to deal with but I'm open.

Thanks.

 

[Petrossa]

If that's all you're needing, then consider something like a GT730/740.
Inexpensive, same performance level as the 9800GT you had and they'll have the connector you need.

 

[gamesturbator]

Was checking Ebay and a used 740 GDDR5 version actually costs more than a brand new GTX 750 TI. The GT 730 costs the same. While I can see myself getting a $70 card I'd prefer to pay a bit less. Am I just kidding myself that I can get the kind of card I need for less than $70?

P.S.

If I went with an AMD card instead of Nvidia what would equal or beat the GT 9800 for about $50?

 

[maxalge]

Was checking Ebay and a used 740 GDDR5 version actually costs more than a brand new GTX 750 TI. The GT 730 costs the same. While I can see myself getting a $70 card I'd prefer to pay a bit less. Am I just kidding myself that I can get the kind of card I need for less than $70?

P.S.

If I went with an AMD card instead of Nvidia what would equal or beat the GT 9800 for about $50?

r7 250

 

[gamesturbator]

Noticed that a used working r7 250 (same goes for the GT730/740) costs almost as much as a new in the box 750 Ti, especially when shipping cost is considered. But I do appreciate the suggestion. So looks like I'm dreaming when it comes to anything below the $70 range so would I not be better off with a brand new 750 Ti vs another model that's used? Thanks.

 

[dontlistentome]

The problem is that the price range you're talking about became dead to AMD and Nvidia once AMD started producing their APUs and Intel upgraded their integrated graphics. That meant a large portion of the customer base for the sub $80 market just use integrated graphics now, so production of videocards in that category effectively ceased.

Now there is a card from AMD, the RX 550, that's kind of a throwback to the old days. It's a very lmited card for gaming, but perfect for home theater. The one drawback is price, $80. It has all the latest encode/decode capabilities, and displayport and HDMI outputs though.

If you go with an older generation card you will lose out on stuff like that, although that stuff may be unimportant to you. If I was you I'd do a bit of planning for the future. Do you think 4k might be in your future? HDR? Once you know what you need then you can narrow choices down. I mean, forget the GT 730, a GT 710 might do it for you if you're not gaming. You'd want to be sure of your needs first.

 

[gamesturbator]

I decided to get the 750 Ti 1GB as it was practically the same price as every other card mentioned if shipping is accounted for, plus it's brand new in the box.


Thanks to everyone who helped out!