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Which graphics card to go for?

Discussion in 'Audio and Video' started by kylercagni, Aug 4, 2011.

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  1. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    Hi, Im recently tryng to upgrade my pc as it doesnt do much with some of the latest games I've got, I'm using a 9400gt 512mb, so most of the cards available around my area are GT440/430 2Gb or 9500gt 1Gb and gt 520 1gb, so please guys can anyone tel me if they are any good, and if they not, please suggest any better card around the price range of those i've mentioned. Your help would be highly appreciated. :):)
    kylercagni, Aug 4, 2011
    #1

  2. KingSingh Newcomer, in training Posts: 19

    You've posted this in the wrong section of the forum. You haven't declared a price range for the card you want to buy. =/
    Also, what resolution will you be playing at, what sort of games are you going to be playing, and what is your power supply?
    KingSingh, Aug 4, 2011
    #2

  3. Leeky TechSpot Moderator Posts: 4,344   +59

    Thread moved to the correct forum :)

    It would also be helpful given you location to link us a couple of sites your happy to purchase from, so we can see what you can get for your budget.

    Its important we also know the total wattage of your power supply as well, along with the rest of the details KingSingh has suggested.
    Leeky, Aug 4, 2011
    #3

  4. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    @King Singh, Ok, sorry bout the info left out, uhm, i have a 19 inch lcd, so i want to play games at full resolution, because most games that i have I play them at 1280 x 1024 with fairly good graphics, but i want to play them at 1680x1050 and my power supply is 450w, the price range would be around $100 - $200, and i play games like call of duty, avatar, battlefield 2, assassins creed(1,2 & brotherhood), prototype, crysis(1&warhead), saw & mafia2, these are the one's i currently have on me but m gonna get an update very soon and i also have Black Ops but it doesnt play, it always freezes when it loads that 1st video before the game can actually start, so I want a graphics card that can handle most of these if not all at full resolution. So if you can point me in the right direction i would appreciate it.:)

    @Leeky, thanx for moving the post to the right group, and I dont usually buy online but you know theres always a 1st time for everything, anyway thanx man.:)
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #4

  5. Leeky TechSpot Moderator Posts: 4,344   +59

    Whats the system spec's? e.g. CPU, and RAM mainly.

    You should be able to get a HD6870 for your budget. Thats about the best in your price range and will happily play most games at high settings at your resolution.
    Leeky, Aug 5, 2011
    #5

  6. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    Uhm, i am using nVidia GeForce 9400GT 512mb, Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz, 4gb DDR2 Ram, 450w psu, and isnt that an AMD graphics card?
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #6
     

  7. Leeky TechSpot Moderator Posts: 4,344   +59

    Yes it is, and its also about the best you can get for your budget. It will run rings around your current Nvidia GPU.

    What brand is your 450w PSU? It might be pushing it (in terms of amperage) if its a cheap one.

    If you must go Nvidia I'd advise a 1GB GTX460. But it isn't as good as a HD6870 so it doesn't make sense to purchase one.
    Leeky, Aug 5, 2011
    #7

  8. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    So since well buying that GTX460 would be stupid, and i dont know the brand of my psu so it might be actually cheap, what would you suggest i do?
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #8

  9. Leeky TechSpot Moderator Posts: 4,344   +59

    Well if its a few years old now, it would be worth replacing, otherwise it could struggle with a HD6870 or even a GTX460.

    A new decent 500w would do nicely, or go for a 600w of a decent make and have a long term PSU to cover your next system build as well.

    Anything from Enermax, Corsair (Not builder series (you want GS/TX/VX/AX), Silverstone, Antec (high current gamer versions), OCZ (Not fata1ty though), or Seasonic in the 500-600w range will be a good purchase.
    Leeky, Aug 5, 2011
    #9

  10. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    And also tell me, how good is the nVidia GT440 or 430?
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #10

  11. Leeky TechSpot Moderator Posts: 4,344   +59

    Not very, for gaming anyway. Its really not made for gaming, and tbh your current GPU is probably better.
    Leeky, Aug 5, 2011
    #11

  12. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    Eh man, I dont know what am i gonna do now, cz i only planned on upgrading my graphics card, and i've just seen some good Radeon cards bt m using intel, and good cards cost way over my budget so I dont know what to do except build another pc, and thats not gonna happen anytime now, cz i dnt have tha moola.:(
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #12

  13. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    Hey man, are you able to use an AMD graphics card on an Intel Cpu?
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #13

  14. Leeky TechSpot Moderator Posts: 4,344   +59

    Of course you can. A modern GPU just needs a PCI-Express 16x slot to plug into, and a suitable PSU to power it. Whether the chipset is AMD or Intel doesn't come into it.

    The only exception to that rule is if you plan to run multiple GPU's in SLI or Crossfire, in which case you'd need a motherboard that supported whichever direction you chose. That doesn't apply to you though.
    Leeky, Aug 5, 2011
    #14

  15. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    So you sayn i'd need a mother borad that supports SLI or Crossfire to be able to do that?
    kylercagni, Aug 5, 2011
    #15

  16. KingSingh Newcomer, in training Posts: 19

    No, you can run an AMD card in any Intel board that has a PCI Express 16x slot.

    SLI (Nvidia) / Crossfire (AMD) means running two or more GPUs on a single motherboard, which, as Leeky said, doesn't apply to you.
    KingSingh, Aug 6, 2011
    #16

  17. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    So wat do you guys suggest i do?
    kylercagni, Aug 6, 2011
    #17

  18. ihaveaname TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 127

    What about an AMD 5770/6770? If you look around online you should be able to find one for under $100 before shipping. That card should be able to handle most games at that resolution with reasonable settings, and leave you enought money for a decent quality PSU that can take it (~450-500 watt).
    ihaveaname, Aug 6, 2011
    #18

  19. hellokitty[hk] I'm a TechSpot Evangelist Posts: 3,997   +31

    I suggest you figure out what your power supply is, and maybe you'll be lucky
    Probably not though.
    hellokitty[hk], Aug 6, 2011
    #19

  20. kylercagni TechSpot Member Posts: 27

    @Hellokity, I'd try and figure out the cards, but i think id rather buy another psu that is mayb 500-600w, because i plan on building another pc for me, and giving this one to my younger brother the parts i buy now, i want them to be good enough for my next pc, which I'm going 2 buy next year.

    @ihaveaname, are those cards that good?
    kylercagni, Aug 8, 2011
    #20
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