best budget or midrange card for my situation

M

marylandman

Gawd
Joined
Feb 6, 2008
Messages
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hi, i need a suggestion for a card to run any current game at max at a resolution of 1680 x 1050. best bang for buck is in mind. any thoughts would be appreciated. ive been busy working so ive fallen out of the loop as far as gpus are concerned.
 
1)Any Current Game

at

2)Max Specs

looking for

3)Budget or Midrange

It can not be done, even at 1680x1050. Define what you mean by budget or midrange.
 
hd 4670 can handle everything out currently(taking out some eyecandy of course). Its a great budget card for $60, and runs on low power as well.
 
I've been wondering the same thing. I haven't upgraded my system since I built it in 2006 and think the best way to strecth my PC life is more RAM and an upgraded GPU. Specs are in my sig below.

I just switched over to Win7 64 and I just ordered another 2Gig DIMM to upgrade to 4 Gigs total RAM. That will leave me with one open DIMM slot which I'll probably fill with two more Gigs when I get my tax refund in a month or two.

That leaves me with my GPU. I'm looking for a "cheap" ($125-ish or less) video card that will be a significant upgrade, be compatable with my current rig (meaning I won't have to buy a larger PSU) and deliver plenty of "bang for the buck".

I do not need DX11 and I'll be using it mainly for light gaming (WoW).

I am also not in a huge hurry and if you think there will be some significant price drops on some GPU's in the near future that will be significantly better, I don't mind waiting for that.

Thanks for any recomendations!
 
A 4870/4890 would be a nice boost. With the supply problem on the 5800 series easing, prices should drop on the old line even more.
just check the suggested PSU/AMP 12v required for your card of choice.
 
+1 for the 4870 1GB, definitely the best part to run today's games at high quality. If you're looking for "future-proofing" (read: DirectX 11) look at the 5770.
 
EvilPokemon said:
You're going to have to upgrade that PSU no matter what.
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Bullshit.

Depends on the brand. If it's a quality PSU with more than 34A total on the 12V, he'll be more than fine.

A 4890 (pretty power-hungry card, sure) and Q6600 will hardly be pushing a decent 520W.
 
Yeah, if it is a Corsair 520W PSU with 41A on the 12V rail, it would be fine for a 4890.
 
Don't automatically rule out the new GeForce GT series now guys =P

The GeForce GT 240 DDR5 version should be a candidate on the list here - it's a pretty good performing little card.
 
^^ I guess he's kidding? anyone's sarcasm meter going off or just the BS one?
 
jkinney110 said:
Don't automatically rule out the new GeForce GT series now guys =P

The GeForce GT 240 DDR5 version should be a candidate on the list here - it's a pretty good performing little card.
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Welcome to the forums!

I'm sure after your stay on these forums for a bit will definately help progress your knowledge about computer hardware.
 
Cintirich said:
That leaves me with my GPU. I'm looking for a "cheap" ($125-ish or less) video card that will be a significant upgrade, be compatable with my current rig (meaning I won't have to buy a larger PSU) and deliver plenty of "bang for the buck".
Click to expand...
I would still recommend a new PSU regardless of whatever video card you go with for the following reason:
The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific terms, Antec/CWT specified/used caps (Fuhjyyu caps) that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series.

So I recommend replacing the PSU, especially if you hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise coming from the PSU. Those are usually the first signs of those particular PSU lines dying. However, do note that the Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series had a three year warranty. So if you do hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise, that's enough grounds to RMA the PSU.

marylandman said:
q6600 8gb ram nv 9800gt 520w psu
Click to expand...

Which 520W PSU do you have? Exact make and model please.
 
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