Recommended graphics card for Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU (@ 3GHz) and Asus P5KC motherboard (PCI-E 1.0)

[Gabriel S]

I'm looking for the best graphics card for my old PC such that it won't be bottle-necked by the following components, which i do not intend to upgrade anymore:

• 
  ■ CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 overclocked at 3 GHz
  ■ Motherboard: Asus P5KC - looks like it supports only PCI-E 1.0; also, it supports DDR2 RAM only
  ■ Case: Antec 302 - it's a mid-tower case, so it won't fit comfortably very long cards

I will probably upgrade though the current amount of RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB and the power supply if needed.

As you can imagine, i'm not necessarily looking for last-gen 4K GPUs, but instead the best GPU whose maximum performance won't be unattainable due to bottle-necking of the rest of the components. Right now i don't have any budget limitations planned for this.

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[shazzy182]

okies the best GPU's are r7 260X or HD 7770/7790.... and don't forget to get a good QUALITY PSU

 

[plywrlw]

I wouldn't go higher than a 2gb r7 260x (make sure you have a good quality 400w psu) or a 2gb gtx 750 (you need a 300w psu as it draws very little power)

If you're planning to upgrade the rest of your system in the next year or so there's a good argument for just buying the best gpu (and possibly psu depending upon what you have) you can afford but if you have no upgrade plans the above will be good matches for your system

 

[shazzy182]

yes as @plywrlw said if u don't get good QUALITY PSU thn u might end up frying your PC,

 

[plywrlw]

Oh, heck also I just noticed you've got pcie 1.0 sorry, those cards probably won't work I've seen a lot of people try but there seem to be some fundamental incompatibility. I'll look through a few sites and see what the best older gpu for you might be.

You might be best getting one on eBay. I absolutely need to know your psu though

 

[shazzy182]

That won't be a problem A PCIE 3.0 GPU may work on the 1.0 Slot but with a little performance degarde

 

[Gabriel S]

Oh, heck also I just noticed you've got pcie 1.0 sorry, those cards probably won't work I've seen a lot of people try but there seem to be some fundamental incompatibility. I'll look through a few sites and see what the best older gpu for you might be.

You might be best getting one on eBay. I absolutely need to know your psu though

My PSU is a 550 W Thermaltake, but this is not a problem, i can upgrade it if needed.

Are you sure PCI-E 1.0 could be a problem for the cards you suggested previously?

Thanks.

 

[shazzy182]

Read this out mate :-

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2139219/270-pcie-slot.html


personally i've used a HD7790 on a ZEB-G41-D3 which had a PCIE 1.0, so it won't be a problem,


Yes U need a PSU upgrade

 

[shazzy182]

Coz Crappy PSU's don't provide enough horse power on the +12V rails, a R7 260X would need a 115w at its max with no OC so if there are not enough AMPS on the rail it will over work and either kill itself or take ur PC for a party 😉.

 

[plywrlw]

Well I've been doing a lot more reading and it seems that the issue is mainly with motherboards from OEM's like HP and Packard Bell combined with some graphics cards not fully adhering to the PCIe standard.

As your motherboard isn't oem you might be ok with a gtx 750 or r7 260x though they both will probably end up bottlenecked by the pcie interface though not by much.

Just make sure that if you get one of the cards you will be able to return it if it doesn't work (I'm pretty sure it should as you don't have a pre-built pc) otherwise look on eBay for something like an nvidia 8600 type card.

Your psu will be OK with either card mentioned by the way. The r7 250x is also a good match for your pc by the way and can be found very cheaply