Best video card for 2.8GHz Quad (Nehalem)

[450]

I'm looking to upgrade a system with the following specs:

2.8GHz Xeon w3530
3GB DDR3
160GB HDD
W7 Pro

Looking to spend under $75. Used is ok.

 

[Araxie]

what video card that system actually?.. I can only think in a used GTX 650 as a decent card.. i saw some days ago in ebay a Asus 560TI (which its even better yet) for 80bucks.. a good price..

 

[cyclone3d]

Only 3GB of RAM is going to be somewhat limiting on a gaming machine.

What motherboard and power supply do you have?

 

[GameHard6]

Your best bet without any further information is probably an ASUS HD7750-1GD5-V2 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RFYEQW.

You'll just need a minimum of a 350W power supply and this card will outperform anything else in that price range.

 

[Cheetoz]

I assume you first figure out how many draw calls the CPU can do. And then find the cheapest card that can handle at least that many.

 

[Rizen]

I assume you first figure out how many draw calls the CPU can do. And then find the cheapest card that can handle at least that many.

There's really no way to determine this, and at this price range, it doesn't matter, because the bottleneck isn't going to be the CPU.

 

[450]

Only 3GB of RAM is going to be somewhat limiting on a gaming machine.

What motherboard and power supply do you have?

The system is an HP z400. PSU is a 475W unit. 2 6-Pin connectors so it should run most video cards in the price range.

 

[Cruise51]

For $75 used you will find stuff like this:
7750/7770/5850/5870/6850/6870 550/560/650
Keep in mind that 3GB ram is a bit of a bottleneck in newer games. If you decide to add more (I would) be sure to check if your Windows 7 copy is the 64-bit version. Since the 32-bit version can not use over 4GB ram.

 

[Jalseng]

look for 6870 or 560ti.. with all the price drops and some patience, you should be able to find a local seller for around that price.. online sales vary because people will include shipping cost to final price..

 

[BCJava]

I was going to say a 570 or 660.

 

[Jalseng]

I was going to say a 570 or 660.

its going to be a long wait or a very lucky chance to find those under $75..