Lower end upgrade of an old 8800 gt 256mb

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rbarr110

Limp Gawd
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Jan 8, 2003
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So my kids PC has an ageing 8800 GT 256 MB card that has started given some crashing errors and also has an obnoxiously loud fan.

I want to slightly "upgrade" the card, but don't want to go nuts, the new card would be going in an aging Athlon X2 5800+ machine(or something along those lines).

My main PC has a good video card for the newer games that may need more horsepower, but so far the 8800 had been handling everything they play (older games, minecraft, starcraft...)

Any sub $100 suggestions?
 
sub 100? the cheaper radeons arent too bad and should fit the bill for you.
You could get a GTX550ti, which I think is around 150 or less now which would be quite powerful and play todays games pretty well.
 
I've seen GTX 460's used on the various hardware forums for under $100. Would be a good option.
 
I don't do used cards, so I'll try to make some new recommendations. Just keep in mind that the sub-$100 market still doesn't look so hot compared to the venerable 8800GT/9600GT cards. Both still have a lot of juice in them (especially the 512MB+ versions).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127577
^grossly overclocked 550Ti for $89.99 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500193
^Almost as highly overclocked Zotac version, but custom ports (2xDVI, full HDMI, DP), $99.99 after MIR

The 550Ti is a surprisingly good modern performer, and I was shocked to see those MIR deals. As for the Radeon cards, the 7750/7770 are more expensive and don't perform as well. The 6850 is the next step up, but cheapest I saw was $124.99 after MIR.
 
Medion said:
The 550Ti is a surprisingly good modern performer, and I was shocked to see those MIR deals. As for the Radeon cards, the 7750/7770 are more expensive and don't perform as well.
Click to expand...

? .7770 clearly outperforms the 550TI. You are correct that the 550TI will destroy a 7750 and at sub $100 prices after rebates it is a great value. At $130 normal pricing the 7770 is a much better choice. If you are just looking at after rebate prices this $100 MSI N460GTX-M2D1GD5/OC2 is a much better card than the 550.
 
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A 550 Ti for $100 or a 7770 for $115 are good choices. You might have to shop around or wait for a good deal if going for 7770. If you have just $100 to spend you have to look at last gen or used cards.
 
You guys are going way overkill on the cards. You could find another used 8800gt for around $30-40. Or a gtx 260, gtx 280, gtx 275, or gtx 285 around $50-60. Also ati 5770's for $70
 
Prav said:
? .7770 clearly outperforms the 550TI. You are correct that the 550TI will destroy a 7750 and at sub $100 prices after rebates it is a great value. At $130 normal pricing the 7770 is a much better choice. If you are just looking at after rebate prices this $100 MSI N460GTX-M2D1GD5/OC2 is a much better card than the 550.
Click to expand...

You're right. I had to refresh my memory. Not sure what I was thinking. The 7770 does beat out the 550Ti in most games. However, the OP wanted under $100, so that's out of his price range. Also, I see the 7770 and 6850 priced pretty much on par (cheapest after MIR is $119.99 for 7770, $124.99 for 6850). The 6850 is slightly faster, but the 7770 requires much less power.

While the 7770 and 6850 are excellent buys, I stand by my 550Ti recommendation due to the above-average performance and the under-$100 price. If the OP can stand to go up to $125, however, one of the Radeons would be a better choice.
 
With that cpu there is no point of getting a gpu that fast. He should get a 5770 or something like that.
 
I'd also suggest a GTX 460 or a HD 5770, used in either case. Then when you're ready, upgrade the CPU to a better speed quad-core.
 
as hotcrandel said. 5770 and 460 are your best bets. get whichever you find cheaper. however 5770 will be the cooler one..
 
Thanks for the opinions and links!

I am not confined to $100, but I don't want to put much into the kids PC, because they arent really taxing it with what they do, I just think that the current 8800 GT video card is on it's last legs with the errors and crashes that are happening.

If I end up being wrong that it isnt the video card, I wont be out a lot of money.

Thanks again!
 
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