Need help choosing a card!

[jayden948]

Hi im looking to upgrade my pc's graphics card to a low - mid range card to play upcoming games like GW2 and Diablo 3 and want to get the most out of them with my budget.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within the next two weeks

BUDGET RANGE: $100- $170

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:Gaming mostly, WoW, GW2, Diablo 3, Witcher 2 etc.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Nvidia G210 500W PSU

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: AMD phenom 820 2.8ghz x4, 4GB ram

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 24 inch screen 1920x1080

any suggestions for be helpful!

 

[renz496]

all the game that you list above except the witcher 2 should be easy on GPU (i think GW2 should be reasonable on GPU requirement. so far there are none MMO out there that was made to punish GPU like crysis or metro does. as for Diablo 3 it should be well known already that you don't need top of the line gpu to run it on max setting). with your budget this card will fit into your budget limit (it will be cheaper if you take MIR into account):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

btw you need to double check your PSU because 500w generic PSU will not be able to run the card

 

[jjb8675309]

+1 to the 6870, that is the best your gonna do with your current budget that is if your psu can run it... but it will be worlds faster then the gt 210

OP:

what is the make and model of your psu?

after this is all sorted out the next thing to do is to start overclocking that cpu since most mmo games are cpu hogs from my expiriences

 

[cats_Paw]

True, in that budget 6870 in probably best you can get.
Witcher probably wont run 2 well thou. Its quite heavy on graphics.

 

[jjb8675309]

yeah the witcher is gpu intensive from my dealings with it.... the real question is what is the OPs psu make and model so we can confirm that they will be good to go with the 6870

 

[renz496]

yeah the witcher is gpu intensive from my dealings with it.... the real question is what is the OPs psu make and model so we can confirm that they will be good to go with the 6870

have you installed the latest beta driver for your card? i heard there was performance improvement for witcher 2 with the latest beta driver. btw don't you have GTX570 before this?

sorry off topic 😛

 

[aeternam]

I just put in the 6870, replacing my 4850 and it is an excellent card. I have the Sapphire 1GB and it runs very cool as well. Plays everything I throw at it on max, though I have yet to try Witcher 2

 

[jjb8675309]

have you installed the latest beta driver for your card? i heard there was performance improvement for witcher 2 with the latest beta driver. btw don't you have GTX570 before this?

sorry off topic 😛

yes I did, and gave it to my little brother who is a poor college student that loves to game then replaced it with a 560ti and with the oc I see no difference between the two, I know it sounds like a dumb move but I basically owed him and thats what happened, I'm glad I got to experiment with the ti as well through the process

 

[renz496]

i was under impression that overclocked GTX560 Ti will be close to stock GTX570. maybe GTX570 still a little bit faster but i'm sure when you play the game you can't really feel the difference between the two.

 

[jjb8675309]

^yeah thats what im getting at... no "real world" difference

 

[jayden948]

Hi thanks for the replies. i just bought a new PSU

Brand: Hyena

Model: 500W DR-8500BTX

ATX Form Factor

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Compliant

12v 2 x Ball Bearing Fan

1 x 20 + 4 pins M/B power plug
1 x 12v 4pin M/B power plug
1 x PCI-E 5 Pins power plug
6 x IDE power plug
1 x SATA power plug
2 x FDD power plug

 

[jayden948]

I mean i would like to play witcher 2 and possibly other upcoming graphic intense games. I would be willing to spend a bit more just want to get something that will last and cope with new games that i dont have to replace straight away

 

[_Pez_]

This cards will have the job done; HD6770, HD6850, GTS 450 and GTX550TI.

 

[briansklein]

Throw in a few more bucks and get a 6850 or a 560 anything less and you'll be pulling your hair.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Throw in a few more bucks and get a 6850 or a 560 anything less and you'll be pulling your hair.

i second this. The 6870 as stated before is a nice spot for you

 

[FlintIronStagg]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4572
here is an accurate description of that psu you bought.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=65
also a review
apparently it died during the review, and the company that makes it has been labeled with a very bad rep, as many upon many of their supplies break down.

 

[jayden948]

Well it was only like $20 so i can get a new one, a better 500w should be enough for a 6850?

 

[jantanik]

I would like to thank you all for your valuable information. Whats the best graphics card to play OFP with, and how much memory is recommended? Currently i am using ATI All-in-wonder 32mb graphics card and 128mb's of RAM. I know this is not enough to play OFP properly. Thanks in advance.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Well it was only like $20 so i can get a new one, a better 500w should be enough for a 6850?

Yes, seasonic, corsair, or antech make the best psu's but be prepared to spend 80 to 100 bux. Antech has a great 550w that will fit your needs I would recommend and corsair has a similar unit although the antech is modular. You can check out the silent pro series from cooler master; their other psus aren't so good but the silent pro series is quite reliable.

 

[jjb8675309]

a 380w antec earthwatts ran an oced quad and a 6850 in a build toms did a while back, a quality 500w unit will definatley run your setup but the psu you just went out and bought is absolute crap, return it immediatley