Upgrading to HD 5770

[simonj4599]

I have an HP Pavillion Elite e9300 computer, AMD X4 820 quad core, 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450 -monitor ViewSonic VA2226-11 Model #VS11803 at 1680x1050.
I have recently upgraded my psu to a LSP “professional” 750 watt.
I am shopping for a new graphics card. I do online gaming , light video editing etc.
The Radeon HD 5770 has been recommended.
When shopping I see various manufacturers - Diamond, XFX, Sapphire, Sapphire Vapour.... Also there is an XFX single slot HD 5770.
Prices range from $120 - $250 for the same card? Single slot is cheaper ( I assume not as good).
I’m not savvy enough to go by the specs. I have looked at sites like hardware compare but they don’t list the different manufacturers.
So a) how do I choose? Just by price? And b) is there any reason I should stick with Radeon instead of say NIVIDA is the a better choice than ATI?

 

[Rizlla]

I always say go for the best price vs performance so it doesn't matter if you take ATI or Nvidia. 5770 is a great card, but they are getting old. Can you not rather go for a newer 6 series graphics card like a 6850? I am not form the USA so I am not sure of the pricing. As for brands I would recommend goo brands like Sapphire, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, XFX.

 

[Gamer-girl]

That power supply is not a true 750 watt, more like a 550 watt power supply. It is fine for any card in the $120- $250 price range though so you don't have to worry.

What type of online gaming are you referring to, mmorpgs or FPS?

Single slot cards are geared towards people who have limited space, the cooling would be better with a double slot fan. A cooler graphics card is always better.

for $120 the 5770 is pretty good value but there are better cards as you move up the price range with about 20-30 dollars between them.

As for manufacturers, some good AMD ones are: Sapphire / MSI / HIS / XFX / ASUS / Gigabyte.

Also the ATI vs Nvidia debate is always on going and there will be fanboys. It is better just to go on performance versus price unless there is a big issue with heat on that particular model. Both have their own special features.

ATI has "eyefinity" where you can use 3 of the same size monitors for surround gaming with 1 card. (would not recommend this using just 1 HD5770 though)

Nvidia has 3D but you need a compatible monitor, and they also have PhysX.

 

[erick81]

I have a single slot HIS 5770 in my htpc it's pretty strong I haven't tried all the newer games on it a single card runs Fallout Nv at 1080p at about 50 to 60fps on max settings.As someone above said it still might be a better option to go with a newer product line newegg sells the 6790 for about the same price 5770's are going for.

 

[Onus]

A single slot card will have to run its smaller fan faster to keep cool, so it will be noisier too. Performance should be the same though, and as little power as a HD5770 uses, it won't be all that bad anyway.
Make sure the card has DDR5, although all the HD5770s should, afaik. I've bought HIS, Sapphire, Powercolor, XFX, Asus, and Diamond (years ago, before I knew better). Of those, I've had the best results with HIS. The only ones I had to RMA were Asus, and the Diamond was an utter waste and involved an experience that earned Diamond a place on my personal "Do Not Buy" list.

 

[spentshells]

As mentioned above I must say get the 6850 it's much better and will draw only a little more power

 

[008Rohit]

Do dual slot cards exist? How do they look? 😱

 

[spentshells]

You know how a single slot card looks ? its like that only it takes up two slots

 

[simonj4599]

Thank you for all f your help - I ended up getting the HD 5770 on sale from Amazon - I'm a Prime member so no shipping no tax.... Card runs great - and is virtually silent.