Need a new graphics card, what should I buy?

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jonwil

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Dec 29, 2014
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I currently have a NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 (EVGA 1GB model) which is giving me some issues so I want to upgrade it (upgrading will let me run certain games on higher settings too).

I also have a Core 2 Duo E6400 with 4GB of RAM (although an upgrade to 8GB is something I am considering) on an Intel DP965LT motherboard. My monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster S23A300B 23" LCD monitor running at 1920x1080 and I run Windows 7 x64 as my OS.

I wish to stick with NVIDIA since I have had NVIDIA cards for years (all the way back as far as a GeForce 4 MX)

The cards available to me locally are listed under http://umart.com.au/umart1/pro/index.phtml?bid=4 (I have no connection to that store other than being a happy customer nor do I get commissions or anything by going through that link, also I want to buy locally instead of online since I dont trust the postal service with computer hardware after a previous bad experience). Can anyone help me wade through the many card choices listed on that site and help me figure out what I should be buying? My budget is no higher than $150 or so but preferably lower than that if possible.
 
On your budget, your best bet would be a 750, maybe push for a 750Ti. Most likely your PSU will be able to power them with ease.
 
There are multiple vendors of 750 with different models, how can I figure out which one to buy?
 
What PSU do you have?
What games are you planning to play?
 
The best deal, brand isn't that important. You can probably find a comparison of models if you look
 
While it may be slightly above your budget, NVIDIA is expected to launch the GTX 960 in the coming weeks which should be more powerful and efficient than the 750.
 
The 750ti is not a bad choice. I used it for a moment and it was surprisingly good for the price.

Otherwise, waiting for the 960 may not be a bad idea either.
 
The release of the GTX 960 may also coincide with a decrease in the price of the 750.
 
Currently the most graphically demanding games I own are Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and LEGO Movie (the 2 games that have caused the card to trigger the failure I am observing) but I intend to start playing Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas at some point as well.
 
Go for the 750 or Ti, IMO the best match for a core2duo.
 
Thanks for the advice, I ended up with a Gainward brand GeForce GTX 750.
The guy in the shop tried to up-sell me to the 2GB card but I figured that with my CPU, any game requiring 2GB of video memory is either going to need a faster CPU, more than 4GB main RAM or both.
 
Actually depending how much extra it cost and your resolution you might have wanted to consider it due to the games you play (or will be playing). You can leverage the extra VRAM in games like FO3 and FONV with higher end texture mods. Generally texture quality increases require much higher memory requirements but relatively little in terms of processing requirements.

Personally with FONV using a 560ti 1GB (slightly higher but comparable raw performance to your 750) at 1920x1080 4xAA (? can't remember exactly) the VRAM amount was borderline but I did not use what the highest available third party textures currently out. Not sure if that would push it over.
 
I dont run high-res texture mods so that doesn't matter to me plus the price difference between the 1GB card and 2GB card was big enough that I couldn't justify it.
 
jonwil said:
I dont run high-res texture mods so that doesn't matter to me plus the price difference between the 1GB card and 2GB card was big enough that I couldn't justify it.
Click to expand...

You're missing out on a lot with Bethesda's TES/Fallout series without mods. Give it a try.

Your new card should be able to handle them fine.

Just compare one texture pack for Oblivion as an example with what you are currently experiencing stock - http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/44772/?
 
limitedaccess said:
You're missing out on a lot with Bethesda's TES/Fallout series without mods. Give it a try.

Your new card should be able to handle them fine.

Just compare one texture pack for Oblivion as an example with what you are currently experiencing stock - http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/44772/?
Click to expand...
I wanted to echo this. A few graphical mods can make a huge difference in your enjoyment of the game. Even all decked out my modded Oblivion was using around 1.5GB of VRAM with 4k "aftermarket" texture packs. With 2k you should easily be able to stay under your 1GB budget.
 
jonwil said:
I also have a Core 2 Duo E6400 with 4GB of RAM (although an upgrade to 8GB is something I am considering) on an Intel DP965LT motherboard.
Click to expand...
Waitasec.... two things raised an eyebrow....

Core 2 Duo E6400 - This processor was released in 2006, although it is still sold.
Intel DP965LT - This was released in 2006, and Intel has discontinued support for this motherboard.

As far as I can determine, LGA775 was introduced with the Core 2 Duo processors in July, 2006. Also, the memory being used is DDR2 which has been superceeded by DDR3 (although you can still get DDR2).

I just replaced my E6600 (which I assembled in May, 2007) back in September, which is why this got my attention. What games are you playing?
 
I agree with the above. I also have an E6400 PC, so consider this: at stock clocks, it stutters in Google Street View of all things (I didn't even try any games recently). I know that it's the CPU because overclocking helps (though I only have a stock cooler on it and an old no-name PSU, so I can't maintain an overclock above 2.4 GHz)

Bottom like: I wouldn't invest any more money into such an old PC.
 
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