Picking a mid-range vidcard for a mystery desktop

[mulratt]

I received an old computer from a friend. I He doesnt know what the specs are and told me that the HD and videocard are missing. I want to buy the missing parts so that I can play the latest games, at least in the short term. I'll aim for a mid-range videocard. I have not built a computer for more than 10 years and so am not up-to-date with parts and prices.

I opened the case and can see/assume the following:

Mobo: Asus Maximus III Gene
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1156/Maximus_III_GENE/#specifications

CPU: I'm not comfortable taking out the heatsink to see what the CPU is. Based on the above, that can only house an i5 or i7, the Intel label on the heatsink, and that the computer is 4 years old, I assume that the COU is an i5.

RAM: There's 2 sticks of 2GB of G.skill

Powersupply: says 750W on it



Here's what I'm thinking to get:

HD: internal regular (and not the SSD) HD, 500GB sounds fair

Vidcard: XFX Radeon HD 6790 840MHZ 1GB 4.2GHZ GDDR5 PCI-E 2XDVI for $100
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ncix-xfx-radeon-hd-6790-pci-e-gaming-video-card-hdmi-99-after-20-mir-1077611/

I checked over at Tom's Hardware 's specs for running the latest Deux Ex, and it seems comparable, so that's good enough for me. I've read that Intel's coming out with a new chip in December and prices on i7s will drop then. Therefore I will wait till then to build a higher end gaming computer.

I would very much appreciate your input.

 

[a101817]

Your hdd looks fine. As for your gpu, why not get a hd 6850 on newegg? The price is also 109 after rebates, and should do better than a 6790. On the other hand, since the ivy bridge, bulldozer, and the new nvidia 600 and amd 7000 series are coming out in early 2012, why not wait and save more money a nice new high powered desktop? The performance of a completely new PC should completely swamp whatever your friend gave you.

 

[jyjjy]

The price difference between 500gb and 1tb drives is marginal to the point where 500gb doesn't really make sense any more imo. 1.5 and 2tb drives are also getting quite cheap if you can use the space so check out all your options.
You say the computer is 4 years old but LGA 1156 has only been around for 2 years so it has been upgraded in the meantime. The processor could also possibly be an i3, but yeah, I wouldn't mess with the fan/heatsink. Just get a HD/card and find out what it is when the time comes.
As for the card that's a decent deal for an HD6790 if you can't afford a better card. What resolution will you be using and what brand is the power supply?

 

[mulratt]

Your hdd looks fine. As for your gpu, why not get a hd 6850 on newegg? The price is also 109 after rebates, and should do better than a 6790. On the other hand, since the ivy bridge, bulldozer, and the new nvidia 600 and amd 7000 series are coming out in early 2012, why not wait and save more money a nice new high powered desktop? The performance of a completely new PC should completely swamp whatever your friend gave you.

I already put this in my profile, but I dont know how to make it display on forums: I'm from Canada so Newegg surely has different prices plus shipping for me. The cheapest 6850 that appears is a Powercolor at $149 (minus $20 USD rebate), plus $12 for shipping.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131374
And this is in Canadian dollars! Our currency has depreciated against the USD in the last month, so it's less worthwhile to shop cross border.

Thanks for the tip about the Ivy bridge (sounds better than Sandy too)! I'll wait till 2012 then for the new computer.

 

[mulratt]

The price difference between 500gb and 1tb drives is marginal to the point where 500gb doesn't really make sense any more imo. 1.5 and 2tb drives are also getting quite cheap if you can use the space so check out all your options.
You say the computer is 4 years old but LGA 1156 has only been around for 2 years so it has been upgraded in the meantime. The processor could also possibly be an i3, but yeah, I wouldn't mess with the fan/heatsink. Just get a HD/card and find out what it is when the time comes.
As for the card that's a decent deal for an HD6790 if you can't afford a better card. What resolution will you be using and what brand is the power supply?

Hey Jyjjy,

I just threw the 500GB in, without checking prices, and so the extra space for not so much more sounds great.

Regarding the 4 years, I imagine my friend just threw that in, so you are more likely right. If it is an i3, I hope that it will manage the current midrange videocards. I dont have high expectations for this system, just to play current games on medium settings. I'd rather save the money for the next hardware release and be able to play games on PC then. I'd like to order both the HD card and the vidcard at the same time, unless someone tells me that if I had an i3, it would severely limit my vidcard.

The power supply is an Antec.
I heard that 720P demands half the processing power of 1080P, so I will get a 20-24" in and play at that resolution.



Given two comments that I can do better with the vidcard, money is not a huge issue, and if the system (assuming an i5) can support a stronger videocard, then sure I'll go for the HD 6850 or higher. Thank you.

 

[jjb8675309]

I wouldnt set your target res at 720p, (that is what pcs used in the 90s) if you have an i5, pair it with a gtx 560 and you should do pretty well at 1080p for the time being

 

[jyjjy]

An i3 would still be ok for gaming, especially if you are willing to overclock.

 

[jjb8675309]

^yes, agreed

 

[mulratt]

Best answer selected by mulratt.