What vid card should I get?

R

Retne

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 25, 2005
Messages
240
Well my 8600GT died on me not to long ago and I'm currently surviving on a lender from a friend in the form of a 8400GS. I obviously need a new one and my budget is in the ballpark of $180. For a reference here's my rig:
CPU: C2D E6550 @ 2.8
RAM: 2GB Corsair DDR2
MOBO: Asus P5N-E SLI
PSU: 500W
Screens: 20" WS for the main and a 22" old but good CRT as a secondary.

Now I was looking at the GTX 260 but it seems quite a few people are having trouble with them. Also I think I should probably mention the last time I was paying attention to hardware was when I got this machine so any insights people could offer me would be greatly appreciated.
 
1. Brand / maker of your PSU would be nice to know.
500W corsair =/= 500 generic LED crap.

2. You should oc that e6550 a bit more...get all the juice you can out of it. A ram upgrade would be nice too, 2x2Gb kits are dirt cheap now.

3. GTX 260core 216 or HD 4870 would be more then enough for 20".
 
You could always do what I do. Find a card that's in your budget, and read some reviews. Both from hardware sites and buyer reviews. :eek:
 
You did not state whether this video upgrade is for gaming so.. I am just assuming it is. For a 20" 1680x1050 res, A Radeon HD 4870 1GB would be your best option. By the way, what is your Brand/Model of your 500W PSU?
 
Can't remember the brand of the PSU but it isn't some generic POS. Ya I plan on gaming with it. Probably the most intense thing I would do with it would be to play Aion though. Most of the games I like to play are fairly old except for a couple random newer ones. I might upgrade the ram but I've been happy w/ the 2GB for now. If I start feeling the strain I'll plug in another 2GB.

@dkev: I have been doing that and it seems like the 260 outweighs the 4850 in benches but I've read a lot of people having hardware issues with the 260s. Actually I didn't know if the 4870 was in my range I think I'll go check that now.

I guess I'm looking for consensuses on cards. If people have been happy with purchase X or if they felt that company Y gave them the poop end of the stick etc.
 
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I have 2 like new 8800GTS 512MB for sale. Has all the original parts and accessories/box.
 
Retne said:
Can't remember the brand of the PSU but it isn't some generic POS.
Click to expand...

We still need to know what PSU you have. Exact make and model please. Just because you think it isn't a POS doesn't necessarily make it so.
 
500W should be enough for a single 4870. It's equivalent to the gtx 260 performance-wise.

I have a PC Power N Cooling 750W and I run a 4890 with no problems.
 
my e6550 will hit 3.5 without sweating, I would bump yours up to at least 3. I have a 4850 that runs everything I throw at it at 1920x1080. I would go for the 4870 1 gig, should be more than enough at your res.
 
Oops, just noticed that your mobo is SLI.
If you intend to SLI your cards, you're probably better off with Nvidia products.
If you plan to upgrade your mobo in the future though, it shouldn't matter if it's nvidia or ati, cos you can just get the right mobo then.

GTX 260 is in your price range, but I find that the length of the card, 10.5 inches is quite difficult to fit into a case.
Your mobo layout and case size and arrangement would determine if a gtx 260 was practical for you.
Or you could get like a couple of 9800GT or GTS 250 and SLI them.
 
If you're going for 4870's and GTX 260's, better make sure your generic psu have 2 6pin pcie plugs
 
vjcsmoke said:
Why do you think I use PC Power & Cooling? :)
Click to expand...
My point is that just because his PSU is 500W doesn't mean it'll actually be able to handle the card. Your statement implies that any 500W PSU will be good enough, which is not the case.
 
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