Graphics card recommendations?

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Arachan

85 posts

Master Geek

#61382 15-May-2010 14:56

Hello,

I just bought a new HD monitor for my PC. Games that worked fine before on a lower resolution are now struggling with my Radeon HD2600 and 1920x1080 resolution. The games in question are Oblivion, CoD4, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origin. CoD4 and Oblivion don't 'lag' but get a framerate of about 18-25. About half of what I have at my old resolution.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a graphics card that will run these games at my new full resolution. Hopefully something not too pricey, and also preferably one with an Nvidia chipset as I also use Linux and I hear that Nvidia has better linux suporrt.

Thanks,
Arachan.

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Geek @ Coastguard NZ
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#330416 15-May-2010 16:28

Depends what budget.... can get 4850's for good price these days which should cope

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heavenlywild

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#330425 15-May-2010 16:51

In order of performance, I would recommend Ati 5770 or 5850 or the best 5870.

Sole

71 posts

Master Geek

#330436 15-May-2010 17:41

Yeah i'd go with the Ati 5770 if i was you.

Sole

71 posts

Master Geek

#330602 16-May-2010 12:58

I have a 5750 which is average. but i can play GTA iv on highest settings and playing crysis in directx 10 is sooo niceee!. also 2033 in directx11, is insane all in high settings :) diffidently go for 5770, or higher, you will be happy with the performance.

Ragnor

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#330640 16-May-2010 16:11

What are the other spec's of the machine (cpu, memory)? Not much point upgrading the graphics card if the cpu is not powerful enough also.

Assuming the CPU is fast enough I would look at something $200-300ish to drive 1920x1080.

My picks would be:

ATI Radeon 5770 1GB
http://www.gearbot.co.nz/pages/prod/349/Ati-Radeon-HD-5770-1GB-PCI-E/

Nvidia GTX260 896MB
http://www.gearbot.co.nz/pages/prod/357/Nvidia-Geforce-GTX-260-896MB-PCI-E/

Other options here:
http://www.gearbot.co.nz/pages/view/3/Graphics-Cards/

I presume the HD2600 is onboard video on the motherboard and not a PCI-E card? Check your motherboard has a PCI-E slot that can be used for a new card.

Speccy is a good system info tool, otherwise pop open the card and have a look/take a photo.
http://www.piriform.com/speccy

Toms Hardware do a great monthly post about the best bang for buck video cards, US prices don't always directly translate to NZD (eg: Nvidia seems more expensive in NZ)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-radeon-hd-5870-geforce-gtx-480,2621.html

* Note: I recommend buying from a retailer with a good reputation and that has a real physical store (Computer Lounge, Playtech, PB Tech, Xp computers etc). Some of the cheaper on gearbot/pricespy etc are just etailers with no physical store that drop ship from the distributor and operate out of their mums basement. Etailers are cheaper but generally a pain to deal with for returns or if you run into a problem.

Arachan

85 posts

Master Geek

#330671 16-May-2010 17:21

Hello,

Thanks for your replies. My HD2600 is actually a PCI-E card, albeit a budget one. I got it for about $100 a year ago. My system is reasonably low spec, so maybe hoping to play these games at HD was a bit optimistic.

Asus P5KPL-VM
2GB RAM
E2180 2.0 GHz

To play at HD I would probably need a faster CPU also and even maybe some more RAM. Do you think trying to play these games at HD is futile or should I go for those upgrades? Please note I have a very limited budget, the whole PC minus the monitor was ~$500.

Thanks,
Arachan.

Ragnor

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#330677 16-May-2010 17:33

Hmm with super tight budget you could look for at a second hand card, people upgrade all the time and sell off their olds cards on trademe/sella/gameplanet forums etc.

You could probably get a Nvidia 9800 GT or GTX, Nvidia GTX 250, or Radeon 4850 something like that for <$150.

One of those should still give you a big boost over the 2600 at 1920x1080.

You can always upgrade ram, cpu later on if required or when you have some spare $$.

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Arachan

85 posts

Master Geek

#330681 16-May-2010 17:39

Hello,

I had a look on Trade Me and there were some cheap ones there. Do some of these cards require power straight to them? If so I think I might need to also upgrade my power supply,

Thanks,
Arachan.

Ragnor

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#330685 16-May-2010 17:46

Yes most require a 6 pin PCI-E power connector. You can probably get an adapter from DSE or jaycar from standard PSU molex plugs to the 6 pin PCI-E power connector.

Can you read the label on the side of the PSU? What make/model/specs?

deepred

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#331782 19-May-2010 10:44

For 1080p displays, the Geforce GTS250 or the Radeon HD5750 is a good starting point.

If money's no object, a Geforce GTX200/400 or Radeon HD5800 series would be even better. Just be sure your power supply has enough juice to handle it.

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Arachan

85 posts

Master Geek

#338804 6-Jun-2010 15:46

Hello again,

I've been looking around at some GPUs, would a HD4650 make a noticeable difference? Please note that I have a very low budget. Would a HD4650 with 1GB of RAM be a lot better than my HD2600 with 512MB of RAM?

Thanks a lot,
Arachan.

Sole

71 posts

Master Geek

#338806 6-Jun-2010 15:53

I wouldnt get that 4650 id spend like 30 more bucks n get the 4850 its way better, or if u dont have mch luck, i can flick u a brand new 8800GT 512mb, but you'd need to buy a power cord for it, to the motherboard etc, sweet hit me back

Sole

71 posts

Master Geek

#338807 6-Jun-2010 15:55

Oh an I'd sell u the 8800GT cheap as, bearly been used, brought it for a upgrade but ended up getting the 5750.. sweett.. lik 80 bucks

Arachan

85 posts

Master Geek

#338817 6-Jun-2010 16:55

Hello,

If you'd be happy to sell the 8800GT Sole then I'd be interested in buying. I'm a little confused however... are you talking about this? It's $613...

Is this what you're talking about?

Thanks,
Arachan.

Sole

71 posts

Master Geek

#338823 6-Jun-2010 17:17

here's a comparison of the card u where gonna get n my card. Um I've got a 6 pin power cord now that i found that was hidden away i forgot about, here a screen shot, actually sell it for $100, n it's all yourz, im not to sure why that other one was 615 lol.. I brought this one 3 months back for $350, I'll give u a white thingy lol forgot its name but it connects onto the dvi slots incase you're monitor doesnt have the dvi end thing lol..

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