Help with $200 Budget upgrade please

F

Fayt19

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
161
Hello, currently I have a 7800GTX...yes it's been awhile since I've upgraded my videocard >.<. Anyways I have a $200 budget before shipping is fine. I have no preferences. My PSU is 550 watt with 2x 6 pins if that helps. I don't really play many graphic demanding games.

Minecraft
LoL
Smite
Maybe BF3

Basically I just want to have a better videocard that can at least make the newer games playable even if I have to play on the lowest settings. I'm sure with $200 blowing the 7800GTX out of the water shouldn't be too hard.
 
I saw some used 6950 2GB version for around $170 on For Sale/Trade thread. I think that would be a perfect card for you. If you like Nvidia, GTX 560ti is good too.
 
phnguyen90 said:
I saw some used 6950 2GB version for around $170 on For Sale/Trade thread. I think that would be a perfect card for you. If you like Nvidia, GTX 560ti is good too.
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um we dont even know what the rest of specs are. the rest of his pc could be worse than the 7800 for all we know.

OP, always list the rest of your specs in detail when starting a thread like this. that includes the exact psu that you have and resolution that you want to play at.
 
Nothing against people who do trades here but I think I would feel safer buying it from newegg or somewhere equivalent.

Specs:

E6600
2GB DDR2
Windows XP
Enermax 550 PSU
7800GTX
24" Monitor (1920x1080)
 
2.4 E6600 Core 2 duo? really there is not much point in getting a card anywhere near 200 bucks with that pc. 2gb of ram and old dual core cpu is not going to cut it in a game like BF 3.
 
Well like I said maybe BF3, but the other games I listed are what I do play on a regular basis

It doesn't have to be a $200 card, I just need a upgrade from the 7800GTX.
 
well I guess a 7750 would be the highest card I would recommend. its a cheap low power card that basically matches the 5770 performance. it would be a decent match with your cpu but some games will still be held back a bit just in general with that old cpu. also some games will probably hitch on decent settings with only 2gb of system ram.
 
I have a Sapphire HD 6870 with a e6600 in my old system and it plays most of the newer games fine .... not bf3
 
Let' see, new there is the:
HD 6870
GTX 560

Used at the $200 price point is a much better option, you might be able to find a:
GTX 570/580
GTX 560 ti or 448 core variant
HD 6950
etc...

Used would be the way to go in this case. I would just find the best deal for $200 used and go with it. I can help if you need help.
 
Wishes to play on the lowest settings & not a big gamer. I grab a 460/6870 or if you want to spend $200 get the 560 Ti & call it a day. If you ever decide in a year to upgrade you at least have the video card out the way. Probably find a deal on craigslist as well


DJ Big T said:
Let' see, new there is the:
HD 6870
GTX 560

Used at the $200 price point is a much better option, you might be able to find a:
GTX 570/580
GTX 560 ti or 448 core variant
HD 6950
etc...

Used would be the way to go in this case. I would just find the best deal for $200 used and go with it. I can help if you need help.
Click to expand...


All excellent options ;)
 
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DJ Big T said:
Let' see, new there is the:
HD 6870
GTX 560

Used at the $200 price point is a much better option, you might be able to find a:
GTX 570/580
GTX 560 ti or 448 core variant
HD 6950
etc...

Used would be the way to go in this case. I would just find the best deal for $200 used and go with it. I can help if you need help.
Click to expand...
a brand new 7750 is only about 100 bucks and even that would be held back in many cases. there is NO point in spending 200 bucks on a gpu for a system with an old dual core cpu and 2gb of ram. anything that a 7750 would struggle with would already be limited by the rest of his system anyway.
 
cannondale06 said:
a brand new 7750 is only about 100 bucks and even that would be held back in many cases. there is NO point in spending 200 bucks on a gpu for a system with an old dual core cpu and 2gb of ram. anything that a 7750 would struggle with would already be limited by the rest of his system anyway.
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I think he posted in another thread he is upgrading his CPU and ram to an i5 with more RAM so that is a non-issue.
 
DJ Big T said:
I think he posted in another thread he is upgrading his CPU and ram to an i5 with more RAM so that is a non-issue.
Click to expand...
when? next month? next year? maybe one day far into the future? and where is this other thread? he has not made any comment about that here so until he does then I give recommendation on what he has posted.
 
he will likely never see the difference between a 6870 and 7750 with his pc. all he needs is a decent card that is an upgrade to his 7800gtx and a 7750 more than gets the job done. heck a 7750 is about 5 times faster than a 7800gtx.
 
cannondale06 said:
when? next month? next year? maybe one day far into the future? and where is this other thread? he has not made any comment about that here so until he does then I give recommendation on what he has posted.
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cannondale06 said:
he will likely never see the difference between a 6870 and 7750 with his pc. all he needs is a decent card that is an upgrade to his 7800gtx and a 7750 more than gets the job done. heck a 7750 is about 5 times faster than a 7800gtx.
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You're more than welcome to read this thread ( http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1705019 ) where the OP is upgrading his computer. All cards mentioned are relevant. Amazing what 10 seconds of searching came up with ;)
 
EGVA-B stock items have a limited warranty.

However if your in the market for a Video Card, I highly recommend EVGA.
 
Sorry was away for awhile. I'm currently at a fork in the road. While I know and understand my computer is basically a pile of crap. In my head, I figured it would be wise to upgrade my videocard to something decent and then come tax time upgrade the rest of the worthlessness. I created the other thread because I don't know what would be the better upgrade right now. I want to spend $350 the best way possible and buy "future proof" parts so that come tax time, I can use whatever I buy now with the build I buy then.

Even though come Jan/Feb a videocard I buy now will be "out of date" then, it should still be good enough to play future games even at the lowest settings till I can get around to uppin the videocard again if that makes any sense.
 
Prices on the GPU front move faster and more drastically than the cpu/mobo front so I'd personally upgrade the latter first. Plus, if you're going to wait another 7 months before getting a videocard then your money will go much further than it will now.

That's how I'd do it but it just depends on what you want right now. Oh, my gtx460 768mb runs BF3 quite well on medium/high at 1080p. You can find these at $100 or less, even the faster 1gb versions.
 
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Fayt19 said:
Sorry was away for awhile. I'm currently at a fork in the road. While I know and understand my computer is basically a pile of crap. In my head, I figured it would be wise to upgrade my videocard to something decent and then come tax time upgrade the rest of the worthlessness. I created the other thread because I don't know what would be the better upgrade right now. I want to spend $350 the best way possible and buy "future proof" parts so that come tax time, I can use whatever I buy now with the build I buy then.

Even though come Jan/Feb a videocard I buy now will be "out of date" then, it should still be good enough to play future games even at the lowest settings till I can get around to uppin the videocard again if that makes any sense.
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OP I saw your other thread too. One option for you is to sell your existing PC tower for a decent price. I think USD 250 is a fair price. try to sell it for USD 250 - 275. You have already saved up USD 350. So then you have USD 600 to work with. You can definitely build a decent gaming PC for that budget.

core i3 2120 - 110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077
Asus P8H61-M LX - 70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131793
8GB Kingston DDR3 RAM - 47 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139075
Samsung 500 GB HDD - 70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
ANTEC 450W PSU - 38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371045
NZXT Source 210 Cabinet - 40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075
LG 24X DVD writer - 17 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136247
MSI HD 7850 OC - 210 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663

Total 602

HD 7850 OC is more than enough for you to play the latest games at high settings. It overclocks easily to GTX 580 performance levels. You can play BF3 multiplayer easily at avg 60 fps at 1080p and Ultra without MSAA settings. think about it
 
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I upgraded from a C2D E6750 (to a 3570K) only last month. On that CPU, my GTX460 was CPU-bottlenecked in some new games (Skyrim for example). But even in those situations, I was still able to get 30+ fps. I got 60 fps in most games. On the E6750, this GTX460 was a great improvement over my old HD3870. So imagine what a 560 could do for Fayt compared to that ancient 7800!

Fayt, my advice would be to just buy that new card (560, 6870, 6950, whatever) and finally enjoy 1080p gaming on high-settings in most games with a bit of bottlenecking, and upgrade the CPU later when you have the money so you can turn all settings on ultra.
 
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raghu78 said:
OP I saw your other thread too. One option for you is to sell your existing PC tower for a decent price. I think USD 250 is a fair price. try to sell it for USD 250 - 275. You have already saved up USD 350. So then you have USD 600 to work with. You can definitely build a decent gaming PC for that budget.

core i3 2120 - 110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077
Asus P8H61-M LX - 70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131793
8GB Kingston DDR3 RAM - 47 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139075
Samsung 500 GB HDD - 70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
ANTEC 450W PSU - 38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371045
NZXT Source 210 Cabinet - 40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075
LG 24X DVD writer - 17 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136247
MSI HD 7850 OC - 210 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663

Total 602

HD 7850 OC is more than enough for you to play the latest games at high settings. It overclocks easily to GTX 580 performance levels. You can play BF3 multiplayer easily at avg 60 fps at 1080p and Ultra without MSAA settings. think about it
Click to expand...

While that would be amazing, selling this crappy computer for $250 would never happen, the case is destroyed, no working fans, it's pretty crappy. I don't think anyone in their right mind would pay $100 for it >.<
 
Fayt19 said:
While that would be amazing, selling this crappy computer for $250 would never happen, the case is destroyed, no working fans, it's pretty crappy. I don't think anyone in their right mind would pay $100 for it >.<
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If its only the case you could get a new one for USD 30. set it up and sell it. its a decent config. if your PC is working fine I don't see why you can't get atleast USD 200. atleast you should give it a try.
 
Go used like the other people were saying to make the most of the $200. Don't forget to haggle a little.

Also... buying a cheap but extremely impotent GPU like a 7750 to try and match the performance of your old system is really dumb. You want something you can keep for an upgrade or two. Since you said you already plan to upgrade your system.. I wouldn't go less than 6950 performance.
 
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