Seeking advice buying a new graphics card for HP xw4400

mudsong

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Oct 29, 2012
22
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10,510
Seeking advice buying a new graphics card for HP xw4400:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: By November 15th (2 weeks from time posting)

BUDGET RANGE: $80 - $120 (After Rebates)

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Minecraft server; Other games that my 9yr old boy might start playing; Adobe Photoshop, Fireworks, & Illustrator; Watching movies and DVD burning; Internet search & email.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Graphics- Nvidia Quadro FX 1700; Pwr- Stock HP 460 watts.

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: This Desktop PC is an HP XW4400 Workstation (circa 2007); CPU- Intel C2D E6700 @2.67GHz; Mobo- HP Model 0A68h chipset- Intel 975X;; Mem: 4GB; HD- Hitachi GST Deskstar T7K500, 400GB, 7200 RPM, 16MB Cache SATA ; OS- Windows 7 Ult.
PREFERRED WEBSITE FOR PARTS: None COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA, Az, Tucson

PARTS PREFERENCES: None. However, I have some experience with Nvidia Control Center so I am comfortable with that.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes, sounds interesting. Need to learn more. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Probably not

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Gateway 17” @ 1280 x 1024; or Haier 22” @1366 x 768

I am currently considering purchasing one of these two graphics cards:

ASUS EAH6670/DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121442
or

EVGA - GeForce GT 640 2GB DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 Superclocked Graphics Card
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/EVGA+-+GeForce+GT+640+2GB+DDR3+PCI+Express+3.0+Superclocked+Graphics+Card/5608277.p?id=1218672937529&skuId=5608277&ky=2oh0NrwOl4j1qjMx3Oy2gXfVGhMUl0WiJ&utm_campaign=bazaarvoice&utm_medium=SearchVoice&utm_source=RatingsAndReviews&utm_content=Default

(The EVGA card, I am able to get for $65.45, tax included, brand new from a friend, very tempting, actually sitting in front of me still in its shrink wrap…)

I am looking for opinions on which of these would be best for my machine and intended use. Also, if you have an idea for a better card then either of these, please inform.

I plan to boost memory to 6 GB soon. Literature says it maxes out at 8 GB. (Originally this PC came with ECC memory, but I changed the BIOS setting to accept non-ECC memory which is what I am using now.) Certainly I am thinking to replace this hard drive… just now sure about it somehow. (Doesn’t purr quite right). Processor upgrade is possible and intriguing but not sure if it is necessary yet.

I originally purchased this PC used last month to use as a Minecraft server for my son and his friends. Now I kind of like it. It’s nice having a desktop again, certainly different from my small Asus laptop, which I love, but this big box machine is cool.

Thanks!
 

Kiowa789

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Oct 8, 2012
407
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"Any other games that my 9 year old boy might get into"
Well when he gets older he will be playing much heavier stuff, I recommend buying a good card now, that isn't outdated (As most cards are within your price range), and don't have to buy another later.
Also, go ahead with a 7750 if raising the budget won't work out for you.
 

mudsong

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Oct 29, 2012
22
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10,510
So, I will probably go with a 7750, it is within my price range. In making my decision of which one to get I have another question.

Are there different advantages to the various brands like ASUS, Sapphire, XFX, Diamond, HIS, and Gigabyte who all offer a 7750 card? Is it just price and brand preference or is there more to it than that?
 

mohit9206

Distinguished
yup 7770 is a better card than a 7750 but it also consumes more power so you will need a 6 pin pcie connection to the card from your psu.
if you have the connector on your psu the get the 7770 otherwise 7750 is just as good card
 

mudsong

Honorable
Oct 29, 2012
22
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10,510


Yes, it works, it fits fine and all. Only issue is the cpu is a bit of a bottleneck (intel core 2 duo E6700 @2.67GHz). So I am now upgrading my cpu and motherboard. See conversation here ---> upgrading xw4400 workstation