Radeon HD 3200 to a GTX 460

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Seros

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 11, 2003
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Update:
I jumped on an Asus GTX 460 768mb for 115 after rebate. Just installed it tonight.. WOW. I can't believe i gamed with anything less. Absolutely blown away and happy with my decision; thanks everyone for the help when I was looking for it.

I'm looking to upgrade my onboard Radeon HD 3200 with a GTX 460 768. My PC has 6gb of ram and a dual core AMD 7750. (Gateway DX4300-05)

What type of performance increases should I expect? I currently play every new game on low settings (Starcraft, Civ 5, and Napoleon Total War, namely). Would you recommend something else?
 
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the performance jump will be astronomical, however I can't help but think your CPU will bottleneck the 460. The 1gb is a better value in my opinion but a 768 at the right price is pretty good too.

if you are running 6gb of ram then it would appear that you are not running in dual channel mode. either downgrading to 4gb or upgrading to 8gb will double your memory performance. A 2.7ghz Phenom I based dual core CPU + single channel memory isn't something i'd recommend for gaming.

Like I said though.... 3200 to 460 is HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE.
 
Haha...a 3200 is a great HTPC chip and runs older games and simple ones like Torchlight pretty well, but yeah, a 460 is going to be a gigantic improvement, even with the 7750 processor.
 
I'd recommend a 6850 instead or if you get a 460 get the 768MB, what resolution are ya runnin'?
 
I say about 5-6 times the frames but your cpu might be holding you back
need more ram and what res you running?
 
overclocking the cpu a little to avoid bottlenecking the newer cards would be a good move, if you know how.

Get the 768mb gtx or 6850 if you can up the budget a little.
 
I'd recommend the GTX460 (1Gb version if you can). My god would it be a lot faster, especially if you overclock the CPU
 
If you've been living with an HD 3200 then just put in a nice low power card like the HD 5670 if you play older games. I'd get an HD 6850 if you want to play new releases on high but even that isn't really necessary unless you play at 1080p..
 
has anyone even paid attention to the fact that he is using a Gateway pc? he can not overclock and his 300 watt psu is not sufficient for a gtx460.

depending on the res a 5670 would probably be his best option. that is still a monumental leap over the 3200 on board.
 
That is why I suggested the HD 6850 if he wants high performance. He can use a molex to 6 pin converter and should be able to run it.
 
Zink said:
That is why I suggested the HD 6850 if he wants high performance. He can use a molex to 6 pin converter and should be able to run it.
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he cant run a 6850 safely in that system on a cheap oem 300 watt psu. that psu is only rated for like 15 amps on the 12v. in reality it could never even make that in real world conditions even when new. just the cpu and gpu alone would be at the very limit on what the 12v line could handle.
 
ryan_975 said:
Is the PSU not replaceable?
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of course. a 5570 or 5670 would be just fine in his pc with that psu an be a massive upgrade over his 3200 that he has been using. a 5670 might be cutting it a little close though since those cheap 300 watt psu that they use cant really make their already low rated amperage in real world conditions.
 
Just to clarify, I will be getting a new PSU as well. :)

I'm at 1600 x 900 resolution on a 21inch monitor; due to space limitations I can not upgrade my monitor further.

The conversation that has followed in this post has pretty much been exactly what has been going on in my head. Do I simply get a cheaper card and not upgrade the PSU or go for something alittle more and upgrade the PSU. I've pretty much decided that it will be a good investment for me to up my PSU.

Thanks for your patience and help through this.. I've been out of the loop the past two years while working 2 full time jobs and finishing my masters; shit changes fast! Anyway, further guidance is appreciated.
 
Seros said:
Just to clarify, I will be getting a new PSU as well. :)

I'm at 1600 x 900 resolution on a 21inch monitor; due to space limitations I can not upgrade my monitor further.

The conversation that has followed in this post has pretty much been exactly what has been going on in my head. Do I simply get a cheaper card and not upgrade the PSU or go for something alittle more and upgrade the PSU. I've pretty much decided that it will be a good investment for me to up my PSU.

Thanks for your patience and help through this.. I've been out of the loop the past two years while working 2 full time jobs and finishing my masters; shit changes fast! Anyway, further guidance is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Now how much money do you have for the new card??
 
iviyth0s said:
Now how much money do you have for the new card??
Click to expand...

I'm looking for the best bang for the buck, with a max of 175 shipped. I can be persuaded though :). The number sounds arbitrary but im also buying a new PSU and speakers (already decided on the speakers) so its not haha
 
Seros said:
I'm looking for the best bang for the buck, with a max of 175 shipped. I can be persuaded though :). The number sounds arbitrary but im also buying a new PSU and speakers (already decided on the speakers) so its not haha
Click to expand...

Make sure to get a good quality PSU such as this Corsair. A GTX 460 768mb will be just fine. A Radeon HD 5750 would probably be a good fit for that resolution too. However, if you ever plan to get a new monitor a GTX 460 1GB would be a wiser investment.
 
So people have sent me some awesome PM's with some awesome deals.. but ive decided to hold out until black friday, cyber monday, or beyond. With the recent launch of the gtx580 there is bound to be some more deals out there.. plus it lets me possibly increase my budget allocation, as another pay day will be thrown in. Will let everyone know on the outcome.
 
ClearM4 said:
Difference:

HD3200: Games do not run or barely run at lowest settings.
GTX460 or HD6850: Games run at highest settings.

I personal think you would be happy spending less money on a GTS250, HD4850, or HD5770 ($70-120), which still play most new games at high settings.

HD5770 $110 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131327&cm_re=hd_5770-_-14-131-327-_-Product
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+1

That CPU is too much of a bottleneck, best with a mid-range card rather than a high-end due to the upper cards being bottlenecked up to 30% or more.
 
Update:
I jumped on an Asus GTX 460 768mb for 115 after rebate. Just installed it tonight.. WOW. I can't believe i gamed with anything less. Absolutely blown away and happy with my decision; thanks everyone for the help when I was looking for it.
 
I'd flash your bios if I was you and buy a Phenom X3 740 BE off newegg for $70 and use it with your current heat sink. Then you'd be screaming.
 
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