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Vid Card recommendation

S

scholztec

n00b
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
28
My GF wants me to build her a new system. This will be quite an upgrade for her, as she's going from a P3-900 with a GeForce2 ultra (I'm honestly not sure how that thing even boots anymore...)

Anyhoo, she has a fairly nice 18" LCD panel that is 1200x1600. She mostly plays The Sims 2 and 3, which are actually pretty demanding graphically.

I'm trying to build as nice a system as possible within a budget, which does not include a monitor for now. Since this will have to last a while, I'm using a LGA-1366 Core i7 w/ 6GB of ram, and possibly (if I can fit it in the budget) an SSD.

It's the video card I'm having trouble with. It doesn't have to be that great, as it's not moving many pixels. I just want to make sure it's not going to suck once she does get a nice monitor. I'm looking for something in the sub-$300 range, and was thinking of a 5850, GF460, or 465. Any thoughts?
 
Whats the budget your working with? (total) If the build can wait AMD is supposed to be releasing new mainstream cards ($200-$250) in the next 12 days. Wait for those cards as they may be perfect for her build OR when they come out you can get older 5000 series or nvidia GTX 460/470/480 much cheaper than now. For $300 you may be able to get SLi GTX 460 1gb when the prices change in reaction to AMD's launch.
 
Lord_Exodia said:
Whats the budget your working with? (total) If the build can wait AMD is supposed to be releasing new mainstream cards ($200-$250) in the next 12 days. Wait for those cards as they may be perfect for her build OR when they come out you can get older 5000 series or nvidia GTX 460/470/480 much cheaper than now. For $300 you may be able to get SLi GTX 460 1gb when the prices change in reaction to AMD's launch.
Click to expand...

The total budget is less than $1500. I'm getting a good PS and case (seasonic x750 and Lian Li) as this comp will probably have to last another 6+years; $250 for both. Mobo, proc, and ram; another $600. This leaves appx. $700 for hdd and vid card. I was hoping to fit an SSD in the budget. Pricey, I know, but I think she'd get more bang/buck out of that than a super awesome video card.
 
WOW. She really got her moneys worth from her old rig. I have to imagine the new system you build her will probably never get upgraded either. In that case I would recommend a 1156 build with 4gb of ram. Depends on your budget. For instance You can get an i5 760 for $170 at MicroCenter and a Mobo and ram cheaper than a 1366 build. That would free up that much needed cash for a new 6000 series gpu coming soon as well as a SSD.


Edit: I just saw the budget of $1500. She only playes the Sims? Are you sure this setup is for her and not for you? lol. That's a way way way overkill price point. She's not running a 30" monitor with max settings.
 
Lord_Exodia said:
Whats the budget your working with? (total) If the build can wait AMD is supposed to be releasing new mainstream cards ($200-$250) in the next 12 days. Wait for those cards as they may be perfect for her build OR when they come out you can get older 5000 series or nvidia GTX 460/470/480 much cheaper than now. For $300 you may be able to get SLi GTX 460 1gb when the prices change in reaction to AMD's launch.
Click to expand...

I would have to go with what Lord Exodia said. Here are your options

1) Wait for AMD to roll out with the 6000 series.

This will let you:
a) buy older generation cards (not that it is really that old) like AMD's 5000 series or nVidia's 400 series for cheaper.
b) get the freshest latest and greatest (performances based on rumors, but some of these rumors gotta have some merit to it....) offerings from AMD.

2) Pull the gun now and say screw it.

Looks like option 1 look very enticing to me. Your GF seems to be able to hold off on such an old system for so long, what's another couple of days?
 
scholztec said:
Anyhoo, she has a fairly nice 18" LCD panel that is 1200x1600. She mostly plays The Sims 2 and 3, which are actually pretty demanding graphically.
Click to expand...

That res doesn't sound right. For an 18" LCD? Find out the correct res
 
1600 x 1200 could be right for a monitor that size. Not the other way around though. Assuming it's a non widescreen. I had a 17"crt that could do that resolution, that's why it's in my head...
 
I have 2 4850's for sale if you wanted to go with something a little older. One of those would be good for a resolution like that.

If not, I would wait until the 6000 series comes out and drops the prices of 5 series and fermi cards. You can probably get a pretty good deal then.
 
I'm still looking at the possibility of a 1156 build instead. That would certainly drop the price. Even if I wait, I'm still probably looking at this (current) gen of vid cards (ie 4xx, 5xxx). Where's the best bang for the buck? I have a 5850 in mine, but I've been seeing that the 460 and 465s are a lot cheaper. What's the best midrange card currently? All the recent comparo's here at the [H] have been SLI systems, which is WAY overkill for this.
 
scholztec said:
I'm still looking at the possibility of a 1156 build instead. That would certainly drop the price. Even if I wait, I'm still probably looking at this (current) gen of vid cards (ie 4xx, 5xxx). Where's the best bang for the buck? I have a 5850 in mine, but I've been seeing that the 460 and 465s are a lot cheaper. What's the best midrange card currently? All the recent comparo's here at the [H] have been SLI systems, which is WAY overkill for this.
Click to expand...
The best bang-for-the-buck midrange card out now is the Nvidia GTX460, This is coming from someone who is a little ATI biased. If you're going to spend $1500 and still have $700 to spend, why not get her a new monitor? Monitors aren't that expensive. But really? Still on a Pentium III and an ultra II? Yikes!
 
scholztec said:
I'm still looking at the possibility of a 1156 build instead. That would certainly drop the price. Even if I wait, I'm still probably looking at this (current) gen of vid cards (ie 4xx, 5xxx). Where's the best bang for the buck? I have a 5850 in mine, but I've been seeing that the 460 and 465s are a lot cheaper. What's the best midrange card currently? All the recent comparo's here at the [H] have been SLI systems, which is WAY overkill for this.
Click to expand...

The best mid-range card right now is the GTX 460 1GB. However that might not be the case in 3-4 weeks when AMD releases their new cards.

I recommend going for a 1156 setup:
The 2.8Ghz Core i7 930 only provides about a 2 to 5FPS difference over the Core i5 750 as shown in this review:
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/gaming_the_core_debate,1.html

Additional proof: The $1040 3.3Ghz Core i7 975 Extreme Edition CPU is only 15% to 30% faster than the Core i5 750 with only a specific set of games and video cards:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/cpus-and-games-2010.html

So considering the the i7 975 is faster than the i7 930 and i7 950 and yet only provides 15% to 30% under the most ideal conditions, the Core i7 930/950 is definitely not gonna be that much faster than the i5 750 or i5 760. At least fast enough to justify the higher costs anyway. In addition, there's very little real world difference between triple channel and dual channel RAM in real world apps and games.

So platform wise, you can save around $150 to $200 if you switch to the Core i7 760 route and still get very similar performance in games. Dunno about you but $150 to $200 is too high for minimal gains in gaming. It'll only extend the life of your PC by 2 months at most.
 
Well as I see it based on what you've already planned some of the budget around I think your best bet is a GTX 460 1GB. They are about $230-$250 and have a lot of punch for The Sims 2 and 3. As of brand, I'd go eVGA (get a Superclocked Edition) or the MSI 460 Hawk 1GB. Those will last with Sims games for years. Hope that helps. Out!
 
Thanks for the info guys. Danny, yours was the answer to my next question. Way to be a mind reader!! I was thinking of using a 1366 for longevity, but if there's not much difference, I'll save the dough and go with a 1156. She's probably not going to upgrade anyway. These suggestions may mean that I can get a nice monitor, too, and still keep under the $1500. Thanks guys!
 
scholztec said:
Thanks for the info guys. Danny, yours was the answer to my next question. Way to be a mind reader!! I was thinking of using a 1366 for longevity, but if there's not much difference, I'll save the dough and go with a 1156. She's probably not going to upgrade anyway. These suggestions may mean that I can get a nice monitor, too, and still keep under the $1500. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

No prob man :)
 
Any suggestions as to the difference between the 460 and 465? I know the 465 is clocked lower, but I found an EVGA superclocked that's almost as fast. Are the extra processors worth it?
 
scholztec said:
Any suggestions as to the difference between the 460 and 465? I know the 465 is clocked lower, but I found an EVGA superclocked that's almost as fast. Are the extra processors worth it?
Click to expand...

The 465 is technically faster than the 460 but it uses significantly more power and generates more heat.
 
465 is a faster card but is significantly more power hungry and produces a lot more heat. The 460 uses a newer "revision" or "design" of Fermi (slightly slimmed gf104 where the 465 is a cut down gf100). It is much more efficient and thus quieter and less demanding on the psu. Unless there is no price difference you won't see many people advising the 465.

I agree with the others saying go 1156, better option for the things she's likely to use the computer for. Also, have you thought of selling her your 5850 and upgrading your own card? That's what I would do, but then I'm an upgrade junky.
 
gmkmay said:
465 is a faster card but is significantly more power hungry and produces a lot more heat. The 460 uses a newer "revision" or "design" of Fermi (slightly slimmed gf104 where the 465 is a cut down gf100). It is much more efficient and thus quieter and less demanding on the psu. Unless there is no price difference you won't see many people advising the 465.

I agree with the others saying go 1156, better option for the things she's likely to use the computer for. Also, have you thought of selling her your 5850 and upgrading your own card? That's what I would do, but then I'm an upgrade junky.
Click to expand...

I thought about upgrading my own card, but the 5850 is about the largest I can fit in my case, and I haven't had it that long. The 465 I was looking at is a EVGA superclocked version that is the same price as the cheapest 460 from a reputable mfr. Plus, it has EVGA's warranty.
 
Surprised your gf can play Sims 3 on the GF2. Settings turned all the way down?
 
used would be cheapest, any of these should do max settings in sims 3 from looking around the net. if thats the most shes playing i wound bother going with a really high end card. save your money and put it twords something useful like a faster hard drive or more ram. if she decides to play a more intence game you could buy something else used down the road. no sense in spending $160+ on a videocard thats is 4x more than needed to play with virtual dolls. chances are the card will be outdated by the time sims 4 comes out. now if you were to fold i would say get the best one you can afford.

nvidia 8600gts and up. could find a 9600gt in the $30-$40 range or a 8800gt or gts for a little more.

ati 4350 and up.

the only real difference would be the faster cards would render quicker.
 
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