Upgrade from Radeon ATI HD 3600 series with 475 power source.

[mailman69]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: in a month

BUDGET RANGE: $100.00-$250.00

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Photo editing, work

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: ATI Radeon HD 3600 and Dell 475W PSU

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Operating System
MS Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP2
CPU
Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz 44 °C
Bloomfield 45nm Technology
RAM
4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 530MHz (7-7-7-20) (Upgrading to 8GB PC3-12800 dual channel DDR3 in next week)
Motherboard
DELL Inc. 0X501H (CPU 1) 30 °C
Graphics
W2253 (1920x1080@60Hz)
ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series (Dell) 57 °C
Hard Drives
488GB Seagate ST3500620AS (SATA) 31 °C
Optical Drives
PLDS DVD+-RW DH-16A6S
Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Lowest price that ships to Canada

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: ATI or Nvidia

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Looking for a good gaming card that will nrun on 475 PSU and at a budget price. Do not have much knowledge on Crossfire cards and installation of them.

Thanks for any help...

 

[eyefinity]

6950 1 GB, there is no better card around the $200-$250 range and it should be ok with a 475W psu.

But if you want to be extra sure get something a bit cheaper like a 6870/6850 which is excellent value for money and very easy on power draw.

 

[nforce4max]

5670 on the low side and nothing more than a 6850. Dropping a 6950 is asking a little much for that oem unit but at least those are better quality than the junk sold at the low end of the price range.

5670 or a 6850.

 

[megamanx00]

There is only one card in the 3600 series, and that's the 3650. Of course, that's about as fast as the cheapo 6450 so yeah time for an upgrade . I would say a 6870 would be a good choice, but go with a 6850 if you only have one PCI-E connector

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-review/10

For reference, a single 5870 in my system (with my CPU at stock clocks mind you) pulled just over 400W from the wall with furmark and 3 threads of Prime 95. Such is an unrealistic scenario for every day usage but it is a worst case. Even so, remember that the closer you push your PSU to it's rated wattage the hotter it generally runs and the shorter it's life.

 

[megamanx00]

By the way, assuming you have a crossfire board as you should, keep in mind that you can upgrade your PSU latter and get a second 6870 to run in crossfire for some darn good performance ^_^.

 

[mailman69]

Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated!

 

[mailman69]

Best answer selected by mailman69.