q6600 2.4ghz quad core--- BEST NEW GRAPHICS CARD????

[Chris Wilson]

I have a 460 watt power supply---- also 3 gigs of ddr2 ram--- regular pci-e card-- power supply has extra 6 pin connector---- I am not sure of my motherboard right now but it is a dell inspiron 530 and has a lga 775 socket--- windows vista 32 bit------ I want a new graphics card for gaming---- what is the best card I can get without bottlenecking the card---- what is the best card that my processor can handle----? preferably less than 150 dollars and has an hdmi port

 

[Chris Wilson]

2.4 ghz not 4 ghz on the processor lolz

 

[thasan1]

id say 7770 if you want to use the 6 pin pcie connector. or 7750 noth are bellow 150 and should give you minimal bottleneck.

 

[wa1]

With LGA 775, I think your motherboard only support 1.1 or 2.0 ver of PCIE slot, so it will/might work only with older version of graphic card like HD5xxx version (like mine).

May I know your current card?
PSU? I need to know the exact Brand or type, we need to be sure about your PSU quality...

 

[smeezekitty]

I think only PCI-E 1.0 slot has that problem. Do you have a G31 or G41 chipset or older?

What I mean is if you have G31 or G41 chipset it will work fine. If it is older you may have issues.

 

[ASHISH65]

if he has over g31 then every gpu will work

 

[Chris Wilson]

G33/g31 chipset----- http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-RS460-PSARI3-US/dp/B002G1YPHK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top POWER SUPPLY -------- CURRENT CARD RADEON 4350 HD---- NOT PLUGGED IN, ON although it was plugged in yesterday

Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) GMA 3100
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_29C2&SUBSYS_020D1028&REV_02
Display Memory: 287 MB
Dedicated Memory: 0 MB
Shared Memory: 287 MB
Current Mode: 1360 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Driver Name: igdumd32.dll
Driver Version: 7.14.0010.1322 (English)
DDI Version: 9Ex
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/24/2007 19:39:54, 2494464 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-6A82-11CF-B276-0722A3C2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0x8086
Device ID: 0x29C2
SubSys ID: 0x020D1028
Revision ID: 0x0002
Revision ID: 0x0002
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C

 

[iam2thecrowe]

platform upgrade time. core 2 quad are now pretty poor, even paired with a good gpu you still wont get good framerates in many games, although anything would be a good upgrade over your 4350. I suggest saving for a new build, motherboard, cpu, ram, maybe something like amd's fm2 socket cpu's which have reasonable graphics and cpu all in one.

 

[Chris Wilson]

Lolz, I just built a new pc--- Microcenter gave me the wrong motherboard than the one I ordered---- then I returned it and got a new motherboard--and then it turns on 2 times--- and breaks like the third time I turned it on--- I was connecting a dvd sata drive to load MOBO drivers---- so i will return mobo and processor and ram and case and just buy a new grapics crad for old comp--- and spend the rest on my comptia A+ exams----- http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-11201-17-20G/dp/B00A0HZOEA/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1367932155&sr=1-1&keywords=7770 I was thinking about this card from amazon a radeon 7770----- is this overkill with my stock q6600---- I also have a stock dell MOBO so no OClocking the processor for me------

 

[Kisianik]

I don't understand the confusion here, PCIE 3.0 is backward compatible down to version 1, yes users loose some bandwith, but performance is better compare to 2.0 cards.

Regarding power supply, yours is weak and generally not recommended, but you already have it, so. Look at http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx for future decisions about power supplies, the list is old, but if you are bored enough you can read the whole post, anyway you can see Tiers and approximate your current situation, Cooler Master PSU is not on recommended list, sorry.

 

[smeezekitty]

platform upgrade time. core 2 quad are now pretty poor, even paired with a good gpu you still wont get good framerates in many games, although anything would be a good upgrade over your 4350. I suggest saving for a new build, motherboard, cpu, ram, maybe something like amd's fm2 socket cpu's which have reasonable graphics and cpu all in one.

Did you happen to see Tom's recent article that shows the C2Q can still kick A$$?

 

[Kisianik]

I did not, can you drop a link please.

 

[jdowdy10]

Since you have a Microcenter near by I would go invest in a g41 board like this one...

http://microcenter.com/product/408923/G41M-P33_Combo_LGA_775_mATX_Intel_Motherboard

Get an aftermarket CPU cooler and overclock that bad boy. The Q6600 is a very overclockable chip and you wouldn't have to ask questions about a bottleneck then.

As it stands now I would go with a 7770 to just "make it work". If you feel like dumping a few hundred toward it though (motherboard/RAM/case/aftermarket cooler/7870 or 7950) you could make it a very good gaming machine.

 

[smeezekitty]

I did not, can you drop a link please.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-wolfdale-yorkfield-comparison,3487.html

 

[Kisianik]

Dell BIOS is locked, so overclocking here is very difficult - pinmode and with PLL number, too bad.
And about a few $$ means more like $400 and up or so. Just an opinion.

 

[jdowdy10]

Dell BIOS is locked, so overclocking here is very difficult - pinmode and with PLL number, too bad.
And about a few $$ means more like $400 and up or so. Just an opinion.

I'm aware that it would come to around $400 including the GPU, but he was planning a GPU upgrade anyway (possibly could have been looking at 7870/660 area if the CPU could keep up).

That being said you can find a budget case, power supply and cpu cooler for $200 or maybe less. If he really wants to squeeze performance out of this thing then that is truly the only option.

This would be a good combo that has a $35 MIR as well....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1297427

My personal opinion is that I wouldn't waste time unless you have grander plans with the setup. If you just want this to get you through, all the parts can be used in builds later when you decide to retire the Q6600.

I think of the 7770 option as a sinkhole. You are not going to want to pair that up with any modern CPU unless it is to play a specific game like Star Wars: The Old Republic or another game of that ilk (MMORPG). It will still play present-day games, but not at higher settings, and will likely struggle in the future.

All of these opinions are based on the 1920x1080 resolution, so the lower resolution you are playing at, the more the 7770 makes sense.