Video Card help!

[Evtrai]

So I got a new PC as a gift with the following specs:

PSU 500W
2GB RAM
Windows XP
Widescreen monitor 1280x720 max resolution
Intel Dual core 2.0 Ghz
Geforce 8500


So I was wondering what would be a good card within a 100-120 USD price for gaming that would run current games with high settings?

 

[obsidian86]

whats the specs of that psu?

 

[Evtrai]

Doesn't have the PCI-E 6 pin but has two free 4-pin to connect a molex

 

[JofaMang]

With that resolution and processor, I would personally recommend an ati 4770. A very cool and efficient card (built on some of the technology utilized in the new 5xxx series from ati released in the past week or so) and it has been shown to punch above its weight as far as performance is concerned.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369

I always recommend XFX for the industry leading double lifetime warranty (be sure to register the card!) as it increases resale value, second hand buyer will also get a lifetime warrantly. Also XFX uses reference coolers, which exist the heat out the back of the case.

Don't bother with the extra cost of the 1gb version. At your resolution 512mb will perform excellently. The extra cost might gain a few FPS here and there, but would only show a marked increase in performance at 1920x1080 or higher resolutions.

If you are intent on staying with Nvidia, the a GTS250 512mb is also a good choice for your price range, though perhaps overpowered for your processor, and your PSU. If you are using a no-name brand of powersupply, then be wary, as they won't be as efficient or honest with their ratings as a brands like Corsair, Antec or Seasonic. There are other great brands of PSU, but those are just the first that came to mind.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150357

Again, I linked to XFX for the same above reasons.

 

[JofaMang]

Oh, you posted while i was writing. The 4770 will probably be ok with that PSU, but I wouldn't necessarily trust it with a GTS250.

Or an even more efficient ATi solution could be the 4670. I have propped it a few times in recent threads, seeing how well it performed in a recent upgrade I performed, in a system similar to yours. It is powered off the PCI slot, and runs very cool, and from what I saw (in 2.2ghz amd dual core system, 2gb ram and vista) it was quite the performer. I have heard that the 9600GSO is Nvidias offering that is most directly competative, but uses more power, generally costs more, and performs marginally lower than the 4670.

Sapphire 4670 512mb:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102854

Asus 9600GSO 512mb:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121320

With that MIR the ASUS 9600 GSO is cheaper by a good amount ($45 before taxes) but I can't rave enough about how awesome the 4670 is for being an entry level gaming card. Today the GSO can be cheaper, hah. Not to mention that the EVGA model appears to use slower GDDR2 ram, so the asus would be the choice between them anyhow (to exclude EVGAs step-up program as a factor, which I don't know much about, but I am sure someone who does, will)

 

[Evtrai]

So the best without upgrading PSU would be the 4770?

 

[JofaMang]

Well, ATI recommends 450w, and those recommendations are usually overkill on a quality PSU, to compensate for poor, noname brand units being used so heavily. You should be fine, but perhaps find out the brand and model of your unit to be sure. There have been several discussions about 4770 on these boards, and there should be more information available through the search function as to your exact needs.

 

[Evtrai]

Looks like it's a corsair 500W PSU, tried looking for model couldn't find it the sticker is torn, I'm unsure on one thing though which of this connectors would I need? I'm confused would it be this one? has one pin 4 pin connector to PCI-express that it's included with the video card:

http://www.amdzone.com/pics/GPU/sapphire/4770/5.jpg

or 2 4 pin connector to PCI-E

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/314J-r7zHEL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

 

[JofaMang]

I wouldn't worry about the power supply then.

Converters I don't know much about, to be honest. I am guessing that the single to single converter would work, but imagine the double to single to be a better power delivery. I am not sure it would matter so much, as the 4770 is not a high power draw card.