Ivy Bridge integrated Graphics vs. Radeon 7750

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mroarsome

37 posts

Geek

#112402 7-Dec-2012 11:59

Hey everyone,

I have a HTPC (glorified file server running plex) which my girlfriend occasionally uses for The Sims 3 and next year would like to play Sim City (5). Not exactly your most taxing of gaming needs but the current system was built more with lowest possible power consumption in mind than graphical power and *just* runs the sims 3 and I think it will struggle to run Sim City 5.

Here is its current specs:

Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Motherboard
Intel Celeron G530 2.4 GHz
1x 4GB memory (single channel)
Crucial m4 128 SSD system drive + 5 or so TB's for storage.

The motherboard is capable of an Ivy Bridge processor but I am wondering what's the best value for money? Should I slap a $160ish dollar Radeon 7750 in it or look at spending a bit more ($300) on a Core i5-3470 3.2 GHz?

Which option would give me the best bang for buck performance/money for my limited gaming needs? Open to other suggestions too.

sidefx

3715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#728474 7-Dec-2012 12:04

What PSU is it running on? The intel integrated GPUs aren't exactly known for good performance so I'd look at a discrete card.

EDIT: Hmmm.. looking at the requirements for sim city 2013 how about just a passive cooled HD6450?

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mroarsome

37 posts

Geek

#728481 7-Dec-2012 12:23

Not sure of the PSU brand, however I know it is only a 400W - again chosen for low power consumption. I expect it would be OK for something like a 7750 as it doesn't require additional power input, only sips power from the pci-e slot. Not sure how well the PSU would take a high power consumption graphics card or even a cpu bump to an i5 considering it is already running 4 HDDs and the rest of the kit.

Heat wise and space wise the case is massive and well ventilated so shouldn't be a problem there.

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#728486 7-Dec-2012 12:34

i think the 400w PSU should support the 7750. I am running a 7770 on my machine (granted I have a 500w PSU). I was considering between a 7750 and a 7770 and did some research about both a few months back. The 7750 sucks only about 50w of power. Each hard drive would take about 20-30w of power and the processor i think takes about 50-70w max. So calculating all that, you should be fine i reckon. 7750 is a decent GPU and should be fine.

I personally would choose discrete graphics as it may also lighten the load on the processor - good if you are watching videos on the computer..